Council balks at creating a job to promote diversity

Snohomish County government urgently needs to recruit minorities for county jobs and business, County Executive Aaron Reardon said.

But the County Council continues to question whether taxpayers should hire a point person to better connect minorities and immigrants with job opportunities.

County government is “not as diverse as our community,” Reardon said.

“The business community has grown more and more diverse, and at the same time, internally, we want to make sure the face of our employee base emulates the face of Snohomish County,” Reardon said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“As this economy grows and diversifies, we need to make sure that prosperity reaches everyone in this community, not just a few,” Reardon said.

As part of the 2007 budget, Reardon won approval from the County Council to hire an “inclusion manager” to draft and launch an Inclusion Initiative. The position is proposed in the county’s new economic development office.

However, the council froze the money and is scrutinizing the job description.

“We’re questioning the philosophy of where it (the job) should be and how effective it could be,” said Democratic County Councilman Kirke Sievers, chairman of the council finance committee.

Sievers said for all of Reardon’s urgency he hasn’t heard from anyone in the public pushing the county to hire an inclusion manager. He hopes they call him, he said.

The position pays $61,000 a year. The council delayed voting on the position Wednesday and scheduled its next discussion for Jan. 24.

Republican County Councilman John Koster said he is skeptical and wonders if the position is “another guy doing what we’re already doing in this county.”

The County Council cut a half-time diversity analyst in 2003 and assigned the person to general human resources work, officials said.

An estimated 82 percent of the people in Snohomish County are white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005 American Community Survey. Another 7.6 percent are Asian, 6.3 percent are Hispanic and 1.8 percent are black or African American.

As of October, about 8.3 percent of county government’s 2,715 employees were minorities or people of color, county Equal Employment Opportunity Investigator Mark Knudsen said.

Hiring an inclusion manager would be a good move on the county’s part, said Janice Greene, a member of Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson’s diversity advisory panel. She also coordinates supplier contracts with minority- and female-owned businesses for the Boeing Co.

The county has boomed with immigrants and with creation of the Navy base, she said.

“You have to acknowledge there’s room for improvement,” Greene said.

Reardon said the person hired would tally the number of female- and minority-owned businesses in the county and create programs to connect with those businesses. Large contracts might be restructured to allow small businesses to be hired, he said.

Inclusion committees would be created in each department and the person hired would look at training to foster inclusiveness.

“I think that this is an important position, assigning responsibility for the county to include all groups as it grows,” said Winnie Corral, program manager of Familias Unidas for Lutheran Community Services at the South Everett Neighborhood Center. “Our county has changed a lot in the last 20 years.

“Our community is richer by including a number of voices in decision making and we are richer as a community if we all feel we belong.”

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

Herald staff photo by Michael O'Leary 070807
DREAMLINER - The first Boeing 787 is swarmed by the crowd attending the roll out of the plane in on July 8, 2007 at the Boeing assembly facility in Everett.
Plane in Air India crash tragedy was built in Everett

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the crash that killed more than 200 people was shipped from Everett to Air India in 2014.

Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Everett council approves another $4.8M in stadium spending

The money will pay for more detailed design work and initial costs related to acquiring the land needed to build the project.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction faces a lawsuit from a former employee alleging wrongful termination. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)
Ex-Washington state worker claims she was fired over school board vote on trans athletes

Darby Kaikkonen has sued the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Superintendent Chris Reykdal, alleging retaliation and wrongful termination.

Traffic moves north and south along I-5 through Everett on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County saw increase in traffic deaths in 2024

Even though fatalities fell statewide, 64 people died in Snohomish County traffic incidents in 2024, the most in nine years.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.