Priorities for Pierce County

Over the last year we have seen some of our communities become islands, cut off from access services and income because of failing infrastructure like bridges. And I believe that the council can do more to increase the flow of funding to projects that focus on the needs of unincorporated Pierce County to ensure all residents of Pierce County have the ability to live where they choose without the risk of being cut off from what they need because of a lack in funding.

I see this as a two pronged approach. We need more access to public transportation, and we need to add capacity to roads that connect rural communities. For many, there is only one form of transportation for people living in rural communities to access services like hospitals and governmental services, single occupancy vehicles. This is true even for those living in town. Many towns like Orting, Buckley and Graham have no public transportation. It is challenging for lower income households to access those services because they can’t afford the price of gas. But even if families do have the financial resources to drive, many spend a significant portion of their day commuting due to the congestion on roads that have not kept pace with the increasing population size.

There is no one-size fits all solution to the housing crisis that exists. However we can invest in strategies that communities identify as meeting their needs. For some areas that might be increasing housing density, for others it could be incentivizing land owners to build additional living units, or offering subsidies for renting in areas where there is an excess of unused housing stock.