Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon will give his second State of the County address today, which he says will set the tone for his second year in office.
| The 2005 State of the County address can be heard at noon today during the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 20610 44th Ave. W., Lynnwood. |
“You can expect me to unveil a couple of new initiatives,” Reardon said.
Reardon said his speech will touch on the challenges his administration faced when it took office in 2004, including a projected $13.4 million deficit for this year.
“The first thing that my administration had to do after I was sworn in was turn red ink into black ink, and we did that,” he said.
“Decisions were difficult. Doing it all in one year was controversial,” Reardon added. “But we are here, and we’re better for it as a county.”
Unlike last year, Reardon won’t speak directly to the County Council. Instead, he will give his speech before the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce. The council will get a printed version of the address.
The substance of the speech is expected to attract interest, especially if it revolves around public safety issues. Reardon has filed paperwork with the state to run for re-election in 2007 as county executive; Sheriff Rick Bart also has announced that he will run for the job.
With the 2005 budget hole already filled and with an online government accountability project and citizen’s cabinet business plan well under way, Reardon said he would use today’s address to talk about ways to improve public safety and community security.
“We are about three years ahead of where we thought we would be, and we plan on maximizing the opportunities that are in front of us,” he said.
He said Tuesday that improving community security isn’t a new topic for him, but was part of his campaign for county executive.
In his first State of the County address, Reardon put revamping the county’s spending practices and building a budget based on priorities at the head of his to-do list.
He also announced the creation of a citizen’s cabinet to create a business plan that would keep jobs already here, plus create new ones.
Last year’s priorities included luring a NASCAR racetrack to the county and keeping Naval Station Everett from being closed. The racetrack idea was jettisoned after the sponsoring company declined to come up with more than $50 million of the estimated $250 million-plus cost, and keeping the Navy base open will be decided in the spring by the Pentagon.
The county’s most pressing matter this year won’t be the budget, but opening new buildings at the redeveloped county campus in Everett. The $170 million campus renovation is the largest construction project in county government history and includes a new expanded jail and a new administration building.
Some employees are moving into the new administration building this month; its customer service center opens Monday. The new jail will open later in the year. The grand opening for the entire campus will be June 3.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
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