On behalf of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Snohomish County, I wish to express deep appreciation to Bill Jaquette, on the occasion of his retirement from the Snohomish County Public Defender’s Association. (May 19 article by Diana Hefley, “Longtime director of county public defender association steps down.”) It is an honor to acknowledge Bill for his many years of service to our community and his long-time support of folks living with mental illness and their families, friends and loved ones about whom we both care for and serve.
It has been obvious to us that Bill’s interest and support of our vulnerable citizens has been so much more than just an official one associated with his organization’s job to represent and defend these individuals when they inadvertently find themselves involved in the law and justice systems. Clearly, Bill cares and he has instilled that caring into the group of folks he has hired to perform this job for Snohomish County. His positive, supportive leadership has obviously inspired those who work for and with him — we know of his encouragement of his people and giving them freedom to exercise their talents and skills in “doing the right thing” by the examples we see of their work that is frequently noted in the media.
Thank you, Bill, for who you are and what you’ve done for us over the years — and we know the organization you’ve built will continue your legacy of caring and unflagging support for those who need more than just representation in court.
Keith Binkley, president
NAMI Snohomish County
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