*Editor’s Note: unfortunately this article was never published on  Sunday, November 29, 2009.  We have just passed the two year mark and thus feel it is fitting to publish this article and give honor to our fallen Lakewood Police Officers.

(Yesterday) will go down in history as one of the most heartbreaking and difficult days to fathom in Pierce County history. The cold blooded slaying of four dedicated and honorable Lakewood Police Officers is a tremendous loss to our law enforcement community and to Pierce County as a whole. These were officers that dedicated their lives to serving others, and did so with great pride and honor. Our heart goes out to the families of these fallen officers and to the Lakewood Police Department and the City of Lakewood.

When a tragedy of this magnitude occurs it does not matter what color uniform you wear or whether or not you are from a local, state, or federal agency. What matters is how we all respond to such a tragedy and how we work collectively to deal with the circumstances that are in front of us.  That is what was required of us today and that’s what I observed from the many local, state, and federal agencies that responded to this horrific scene. In particular, I am extremely impressed and proud by the professional manner by which our department members responded to this tragedy. Many of the first responders to this horrific scene were from our department and did an exceptionally good job in securing the scene and providing information as this incident initially unfolded. Department commanders worked together and quickly to establish incident command and control over department resources initially and throughout the day as well as managed department activities via the department’s Operations Center. Our SWAT Team, Detectives and Forensic personnel from Investigations Bureau, Critical Incident Management Team, and Chaplains worked collaboratively with Lakewood PD and their Pierce County Sheriffs Department counterparts throughout the course of the day in following up leads and supporting fellow officers and their families. This was truly a great team effort and a great demonstration of the care, compassion, and character of our Department members – Thank you!

This is also a time to reflect on the fact that our profession, although a very honorable and fulfilling one, is a profession where tragedy such as the one that occurred today can happen anytime, anywhere, and without warning. This is a sad reality that we have to live with and one that is to me unconscionable.

We will continue to support the City of Lakewood, Lakewood Police Department throughout this investigation and beyond as I know that they would be doing the same for us. This is a very tough time for them and they need all of our support.

Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold, Greg Richard came to work today with every intention of returning home at the end of their shift to be in the comfort of their families as we all do as we begin our shift. Please keep these fallen heroes and their families in your thoughts and prayers as we all grieve this great loss.

Dear City Council:

iCare.  iLove. iBelieve. iWant.  Hire I.  Or me. 

Who wouldn’t want to be in charge of $2.7 billion biennial budget and 2,400 employees?  So. much. Power.  With a population of 200,000, Tacoma’s metropolis is sagging in uncouthly ways that we wish to cover.  Perhaps Andy Warhol’s flower might pull in the I-5 eyes over that of the Port’s very omniscent presence, but there’s no way to get rid of the stench of losing so many businesses the past few years except to hustle and bustle and blow the house down, and rebuild.  Ken Miller’s proposal that we have two wild cards which might save us is thought provoking and brilliantly crafted, but is Joint Base Lewis McCord and our booming meuseums (arts and cultural tourism) enough to capitalize upon to cause growth? 

That remains to be seen when the Council hires a new City Manager. 

There is a huge litany of “To Do’s” that we all complain about: pot holes, B&O tax, paid parking downtown, lack of public transporation (Voters! Take responsibility for that one!), crazy weird zoning codes (Marty Campbell and David Boe helped me out in that weird situation), billboard blight, closing schools, gangs, Corporation Flight outta town, vacant buildings, high crime, petty crime, non-responsiveness of police, judicial system overload – I’m glad I’m not the Mayor or City Manager, except it would be nice to get $200,450. I could put up with a lot of complaining for that paycheck (you can see how much each city employee earns by checking out this TNT website). 

Our Four Finalists, who will be putting up with a lot of whinning bloggers (myself excluded, naturally), are:

Rey Arellano
Arellano is currently serving as interim city manager for the City of Tacoma and is responsible for a $2.7 billion biennial budget and 2,400 employees. Since 2006, Arellano has served as the deputy city manager and chief information officer for the city. Prior to Tacoma, Arellano worked for the City of San Diego, Calif. as the deputy city manager and chief information officer from 2002-2006, and from 1999-2002 he was a group project manager for Ryder System Inc.

T.C. Broadnax
Broadnax has worked as the assistant city manager in San Antonio, Texas since 2006.  San Antonio is a full-service city with an operating budget of $1.6 billion and 11,600 employees. Prior to this position he was the assistant city manager for the city of Pompano Beach, Fla. from 2004-2006, the deputy city manager from 2001-2004 and the assistant to the city manager/budget officer from 1997-2001.

Craig Malin
Malin has worked as the city administrator of Davenport, Iowa since 2001. As city administrator, he leads 15 department heads, 1,000 employees and oversees a $210 million annual budget. From 1999 to 2001, Malin was the chief administrative officer for Douglas County, Wis. and the assistant manager, assistant to the manager and administrative assistant in Vernon Hills, Ill.

Andrew Neiditz
Neiditz has worked as city manager of Lakewood, Wash. since 2005. Neiditz manages an $87 million budget and has oversight over a six member executive team, 15 member management team and 250 employees. Prior to this position, he was the city administrator for Sumner from 1999-2005, the deputy city manager of Lakewood from 1996-1999, and the executive director of public safety from 1993-1996.

The question remains.  Will we go Local (Arellano), Texas, Iowa, or Lakehood for our City Manager? 

Let the Council Begin.

Also read the interview with the other School Board candidate for this position, Scott Heinze.

“My father was a fisher man, my mother was a vender. How did I get to be at the University of Puget Sound as a distinguished professor?” Dexter Gordon asked me in our interview.

I sat down with Dexter (to talk about just this) at the Forza coffee near 21st and Pearl. It was a [Monday] evening, and the place was almost empty when I walked in. Gordon was waiting for me in one of the comfy chairs, wearing a suit jacket over his campaign T-shirt. Unfortunately, I had to move him to a less comfortable location in order to be sure my recording device would pick up everything, but he was good humored about it, and when properly arranged at the back of the café the recording worked perfectly.

Meeting with Dexter one-on-one was interesting because of all the candidates I interviewed he came across most differently in a private setting. This is not to say that he seemed like a different person, in both public and private he has always been kind, confident, and funny, but when I’ve seen Gordon in front of a crowd his voice boomed and he spoke with a drive and a purpose. He has a Jamaican accent, and it is incorporated perfectly into the cadence of his speech, holding your attention as his voice booms across the room. Gordon has taught public speaking classes, and knows how to send a clear message to his audience.

At Forza Gordon was not giving me a campaign speech. He relaxed, he was soft-spoken, he let his mind wander a bit more and found the point of what he was saying while telling me his stories, rather than speaking with the intent mission of the campaign.

The only moment when he slipped up, and fell into campaign mode, was when he asked that question. “My father was a fisher man, my mother was a vender. How did I get to be at the University of Puget Sound as a distinguished professor?”

I’ve heard him ask it rhetorically to crowds, and he always gives the same answer “Public education.” Sure, this is nice when you’re running for school board, and he does have great experiences from public education that changed his life, but while I sat across from Gordon he told me a much broader story, with many more details, that gave me a much better idea of how he ended up where he is today. Our time was limited, so I never got the full story of how he came here to Washington, started up his family, or was hired by the University of Puget Sound (UPS), but I did learn a lot about his character, and how he views the world.

Gordon was born and raised in Jamaica, as part of a very large family (he was number 7 of 14! With two more half siblings born after his mother passed).

“It was a household where politics, religion, culture, sports, always right at the competitive edge. Because you’ve got to find a competitive edge, whether who could eat the fastest, who could sing the best, who could do the most tricks. That’s when I found my sister could put her tongue at the top of her nose, found out one sister could wiggle her ear. Oh, we did it all.”

This natural competitiveness was fostered by his family, and it was one of two experiences in his early childhood that shaped his future.

“I was in public school, in grade 5, when Phyllis Jennings grabbed me by the hand – and she was not gentle – and she said ‘You have something, and you are going to shape up’” Phyllis Jennings was his 5th grade teacher – and Dexter used her as the example of how a teacher should make a difference in a child’s life. She was not willing to watch him fail. “That was part of my first memory of an awakening and I started shaping up from there.”

But his natural competitiveness also played a role.

“I remember that before that, I think there were 66 children in our class, and Ina Fulga* and I tied for 33rd, and she said I copied from her work! That was one motivation, because as I came to be aware of myself, I am a very competitive person. And so once Ina Fulga said that, I knew that was the last time I was going to share company at that level. From that point on the lowest I ever performed in any class was 4th. I was always struggling for 1st or 2nd.”

Gordon really loved his public education in Jamaica, and he wasn’t shy of saying that Jamaica on the whole took public education more seriously than many school districts here in America. Because Jamaica is part of the British school system, they label levels differently, and I won’t lie when I say I didn’t really understand them all. But the “O” level was the end of high school, and according to Gordon, the content learned in “O” level was like going through community college, rather than just high school.

“Especially towards the end of high school, your life is about school… In the British system, when you get from O level, the way teachers talk about O level you know that your life is going to end if you don’t pass it… In Jamaica high schools, the principle comes through every class that’s preparing for O levels you get that stern lecture, and you are scared,” he chuckled while he said this, “I’m telling you, you are scared. The pressure is so immense.”

Gordon appreciates that his pubic education demanded so much of him. He appreciates that his elementary teacher called him out on not doing well enough, and that the culture of his high school didn’t allow for drop outs or incompletes. He liked that his principal took the time to visit each class and prepare them for their future. This could be because Gordon was competitive by nature, and the teachers were challenging him to do better. Even though he did end up incredibly busy, that didn’t mean he didn’t have any fun. Any average day looked like:

“When I was in high school I was doing A work on subjects, and school ended at 3:15, and then I had soccer or cricket practice, and that would take me to 6:30, and then it took at least 2 hours to get home, because I had to walk about 3 miles to the train station, take the train 15 miles, and then we may or may not get a ride – what we call a robo, a taxi that picks up to it’s full – to go the last three miles home. Most times it was running or walking… Towards the end of high school it was midnight before I was done with my math and my Spanish homework.” I asked him if everyone’s commute to and from school was similar, and while he said yes he chuckled as he qualified it a bit, “you’re not rushing home, there were things to talk about after practice, with your friends”

This was pretty much the end to the “public education” story. This was the foundation of his education and experience that set him up for his future. I would like to contend, though, that he learned just as much in the next few years of life when he shared a universal experience: entering the real world.

“I went to work straight after high school. I had expected to get a job in a government office, and instead I ended up on the wharf, and it was a very interesting job because I walked into this job and the people in the office – these are people who are not… Not… Well, it’s kind of a rough set up… There’s a lot of rough and tumbling, tough guys. Here was I, a young kid out of high school, walking into this office declaring that I was a Christian, and the guys in the office said we’ll give you two weeks to give up. That’s tough. So that was my introduction to the world of work.”

He stayed at the wharf for a couple of months before being able to move onto somewhere else. “As it turns up, I was wrongly placed. Did I ever feel wrongly placed!”

Next he worked in the “clock of courts” (which in America would be called the DA’s office). “That was one of my passions, law. I actually began to learn law, and eventually started prosecuting what we call simple, petty cases, what petty sessions court. I moved up to where I was presenting cases in court.”

“I learned it in the system, and in fact it was an interesting thing because at the time I planned and hoped to go to law school. The head judge at the time identified about five of us. She said, her name was resident magistrate Madge Morgan*… She said, that she wanted to talk to the law school… She proposed to the law school that they accept us, five of us, in the law program based on our experience working in the courts. And they said no. We had to matriculate through the traditional pattern of getting A levels, which is part of the British system.

“[Madge Morgan] was mad, and I was disappointed, and I think that’s when I turned away from law… The reason she was hopping mad and we were disappointed and turned away… is that we were the ones who trained the graduates from the law school how to do the actual work in the courts. And so, it was infuriating.”

Vialle never sent me a picture, so I borrowed this campaign one from the internet.

Karen Vialle was introduced to me as a “bulldog,” her supporters have called her efficient and tough, and the TNT endorsed here whole-heartedly as a “a force of nature. Her qualifications are almost over the top.” There’s no denying she is experienced in policy and budget issues (if you doubt me I’ll send you her 20 minute answer to “Tell me about yourself”), and she’s familiar with Tacoma schools because she has taught as a substitute teacher in them for 9 years. Heck, she’s taught every grade level. And on top of it all, she’s the only candidate raising money in her race, allowing her to print doorbell cards and send out mailers to voters.

Now, don’t get confused, this is not an endorsement or intended as support. This is just my way of explaining Vialle having conquered 53% of the vote in a four way primary.

However, when I interviewed Vialle the primary election hadn’t happened yet. At the time I knew very little about her other than the fact that she had once been mayor and had recently been compared to a bulldog.

I don’t really have a mental image of a bulldog floating in my head (having no real experience with them), so I let Wikipedia do the talking. There I learned that according to the American Kennel Club (AKC) a Bulldog’s, “disposition should be equable and kind, resolute and courageous (not vicious or aggressive), and demeanor should be pacific and dignified.”

Vialle met me at Cutter’s Point on 6^th and Orchard. I’m not sure if she exemplifies all of the adjectives above, but she was definitely friendly, and after ordering coffee we sat down to chat. Another adjective that strikes me when I think of Vialle is practical. I never remember exactly what she wears (I’ve seen her in everything from a suit to doorbelling clothes) but it has always seems to be pants, a jacket, her shirt tucked in, and comfortable shoes. These first impressions did not answer the bulldog question, but throughout the interview I kept it in mind.

The first part of the answer to this mystery came when I asked her when the first time she knew she was different. There was hardly a pause at all before Vialle said, “Probably when I was a social justice enforcer in my fourth grade class.” I think I laughed, because the image that came to my head was a lot more like what you’d see on TV than in real life, and it all seemed much too serious for a fourth grader. Vialle explained the situation:

“I guess that’s the best way I can put it… I never grew up with any kind of racial prejudice, thank god, on the part of both sides of my family… And we had an African American family move into our neighborhood, and there was a lot of, I’d call them rednecks now, even though ‘they shoudda known better,’ as my dad said. So when school started (they moved in in the summer) my dad told me, ‘If there’s any trouble, you take care of it.’ Well, sure enough there was. One of these kids—and she was a bully! She was a big girl, a lot bigger than me. And she probably still remembers what happened–she called, you know, used the inappropriate word, and made Jolene cry. And I said, ‘Take it back,’ and she said, ‘I don’t have to,’ and I said ‘Take it back or I’m going to hit you.’ And she didn’t believe me, so she wound up with a bloody nose and a split lip.

“And I, of course, got sent to the office, because it was an inappropriate response, but I still remember my mom coming up to school, and laying into our principal, who she had gone to school with. His first name was Clarence, and all I could hear was ‘Yes, Clarence, Karen needs to be punished, but more than that, our society is changing, and people need to be treated equal and children don’t need to come to school and listen to that. Now I expect you to take care of it.’ And that was my mother. I mean, she did that. And so that’s when I first really realized that I did the right thing. I mean, I got in trouble for hitting, you know, but I mean my mom and dad both said that you did the right thing.”

And then, offhand, she added:

“Also, I was good in math, and girls weren’t supposed to be.”

In retrospect, the first story is an amusing anecdote not just because it represents Vialle’s first experience as an activist, but also because it shows her perspective now as a teacher looking back on her time as a student. There were several instances later in the interview when she grew passionate and used a “bad word” like “sucks,” and it was always followed “I hate that term, I tell the kids at school ‘don’t say that!’” and I found it to be an enduring view of vocabulary reserved for elementary school teachers (which Vialle primarily is). In a similar vein, hearing her using words like “inappropriate response” and “diversity” and “prejudice” sound very adult in a story about an elementary school squabble. Vialle’s conversation consistently juxtaposed complex policy terms and a child’s world where saying “sucks” gets you yelled at.

To be honest, though, Vialle’s offhand comment about being the only girl good at math was a much more honest moment. The first story could have been part of her campaign, that one moment revealed a struggle she had lived through, and a lot of the activism she would take on later.

But to continue with the story: the fact that Vialle was good at math and had conviction for standing up for what she thought was right, created a powerhouse combination that set her on her career path. Her 20 minute answer to “Tell me about yourself” was pretty much a long-form resume, and while I don’t want to repeat it step for step there are interesting points along the way.

After graduate school she returned to her undergrad Alma matter and taught political science at the University of Puget Sound. This was one of her first experiences as an adult, dealing with being a non-traditional women. “When I went to UPS I was one of the first women to teach there in the non—what they called non-female, you know, it wasn’t a foreign language and they had home-economics then and English—to teach outside of that box.”

Soon after that Vialle was the first women hired by the state budget office to work as a program analyst at OFM. She started in ‘72, and was promoted to assistant director in February of 73. Her explanation of what that experience was:

“The legislature was considering a bill upstairs and it was really important and our legislative person had not been doing what he was supposed to… [Someone she knew] called ‘get over here, I want this bill out of here and it’s about to not!’ So I went up and I testified and thought ‘oh, man I’m going to be in trouble,’ and when I came down and Wally said, ‘Oh, man from now on as of right now you’re handling all of our legislative stuff.’ And then about a month later we got all these bills out, it was amazing.”

Vialle took on a tough role at OFM, dealing with a tight budget and budget cuts, and took the job and responsibility of helping to balance the budget very seriously. “We were a real budget and management agency under Dan Evans. You saw us show us you knew your job might be in jeopardy, including department heads. I’d tell ‘em, I’d say ‘You know If I were you I’d get my stuff cleaned up or you’re going to be over there—and the Governor said to tell you—peddling your resume at 5 o’clock in the afternoon down on 11th and capitol. Now, you can either talk to me and get it together or you can talk to [the Governor}.’”

From there she did a lot of budget work and made connections to powerful folk in state government who helped her get other positions where she was able to further expand her knowledge of budgets and policy. To sum up the rest:

"And then we adopted our first child, so I went home. Then I went back to teaching part time at UPS and got involved in community activities, I was on Urban Policy Committee and when my kids got old enough we adopted another child a year and a half later, so you know I got into the PTA, preschool and all of that, and then in 1987 there was a city council seat on the west side of Tacoma and a lot of people in the community convinced me that I needed to run, and so I did and got into that, and then got elected mayor.”

This is a different moment in her life where two seemingly different worlds are brought together. Vialle had returned home to be a mother, but instead of falling back into the traditional role of managing the household she once again resorted to her passion for politics and policy.

I asked Vialle about what it was like to be a woman mayor who was willing to be different, do a lot of things first, and be good at math. The traits that Vialle had that helped her get that far—being tough, efficient, and determined—made her time as mayor interesting:

“When I was mayor it was harder because I got picked on much more by people who were looking for you to stub your toe… and if you were strong you were regarded as being kind of a witch [this was clearly a euphemism, Vialle says euphemisms fantastically], you know, and if you’d been a male you would have received accolades.”

“It was an acceptance that you had to do better, and prove yourself, and I was willing to do that and show them, ‘Hey, I’m just as good as you are.’ If I have to work harder, and if I did that and show that I’m just as good as them, then it was going to make it easier for somebody else who came behind me… I kinda look back and think, ‘Hey, it was worth all that, to be a part of opening doors.’”

While she served as mayor from 1990-1994, Vialle lost her re- lection campaign. I don’t know what the political issues of the time were, but she was the only person I interviewed this year who had run for election before, and it was interesting to get her perspective on what it’s like to experience having lost (which is an experience most candidates share).

“I think what it is, when you run for office—If you’re a bit of a control freak, and I tend to be a tad bit—is that it’s something you can’t control. But I came to grips with this when I lost… I look back on that… I’ve done that my whole life, and if I have done my absolute best, and this was my dad, if you have done your best… then don’t look back.”

“When I lost that election—really truly, I’m my toughest critic, my husband will tell you that—I looked back and I thought I did everything that I could do and the results were out of my hands.”

“It didn’t mean it didn’t hurt, it hurt for a long time. Losing, as somebody said, sucks. It does. I hate that term, I tell the kids at school ’don’t say that!’… But on the other hand, I walked away knowing that I made a tremendous difference…And people have aid later ‘you should run for mayor again,’ and my philosophy on that is that if you’ve already done something, you can’t go back. Things have changed, the dynamics, and it’s time for someone else to do it. I was proud of being mayor of this city, I love this city.”

Now she’s up for election again. It doesn’t seem like a step down, or a step backwards, but rather a continuation of her story in life.

“You know it wasn’t a real easy decision to do that. I’d thought about it, intellectually it was, but then you go back and think… you know, campaigning is hard. It’s a strain on everybody, your family and it’s a big commitment. But every time I thought, you know, I make the decision all through the fall, and I see these kids struggling at school, at you know, lack of support from the board, and them being in total denial about what’s going on within the schools. I thought, you know, I’ve got one more shot at making a big difference, and that’s always driven me in my whole life.”

I have a lot of quotations from Vialle about making a difference driving her. She grew up in the civil rights area and was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and J.F.K. She protested against the Vietnamese war, and is incredibly passionate about supporting soldiers and veterans rights. She taught her children to be accepting of others, and they have in turn become “social justice enforcers” at their own schools, making sure that kids aren’t being bullied or put down because they’re different. She works hard subbing in elementary schools and doing her darndest to prepare young children for the future.

I’ll let you decide for yourself what sort of dog is the best comparison for Karen Vialle (you know, if you insist on not mixing metaphors). I certainly haven’t made up my mind yet on what sort of person (or canine) she is. Looking back, it’s amusing that at the time I interviewed her she said things like “Right now I’m about ready to jump out of my skin. Tuesday can’t get here soon enough!” but having looked over everything she said, I don’t want to end this on a political note (even though there’s a pretty good political monologue I have hanging about). I don’t think politics is the end all be all for this former mayor. I think she’s really doing it for the kids.

“You feel empowered every time you go into a class room and teach kids. Last time I felt empowered, oh my gosh… I guess I’ve always in my life felt empowered in the sense that you can make a difference. You don’t have to hold public office, you don’t have to be walking around with everyone walking around saying ‘Mayor’ and ‘your honor.’ …. For me I feel empowered when I am able to help someone, or I can speak out for something, or I can help a family find help at one of my schools, or when the kids will come up to you and say thank. I think to me empowerment is a state of mind.”




Fun facts about Karen Vialle:

Kim Golding planting a tree at a land conservancy in Australia.

The weekend before the primary elections I met Golding at 8:00 am at Forza on 12th and Union to interview her for this article. I really enjoyed our discussion. Golding shared her personal stories with me, her rather difficult struggles and how she eventually triumphed over them. I found it really compelling. The more I heard her talk, the more certain I became that she was exactly the sort of candidate (and current incumbent) who should have no problem making it through the primary. Before our interview even started I made the mistake of saying that I was in no rush to write this article, seeing how I was confident that it could wait for the general.

Silly, silly me.

Golding came in third in the primary, which is pretty much the closest thing you can get to a political upset when there are only two races on the ballot. The news was especially harsh when you consider that Golding was one of the two candidates (out of four) who bothered to actually campaign in her race. She lost by 65 votes to Kim Washington, who had pulled out of the election earlier, citing family reasons.

Needless to say, I was surprised. I thought about the race, and its results, a lot, but will spare you the majority of extreme political wonkiness that occurred between me and my fellow local politicos as we discussed the causation of Golding’s defeat.

What is more relevant to this article, however, is that the next weekend I sat down and transcribed Golding and my conversation (and yes, then I waited a very long time to write about it). As I was listening to what Golding had to say, I was again inspired by her story.

It started at a young age, when she was faced with challenges that many kids today still struggle with:

“When I was in first and second grade, I was starting to get bullied a lot and beat up at school. And you go home and you cry, and you tell your mom you had a bad day at school, and your mom gives you these really interesting suggestions on how to deal with it, and it never seems like something I would want to do, and if I went back and tried what she said, it would only make things worse.”

“That was in one situation, and then I get into a different school in a different place and an entirely different state, and again I struggled, I had trouble fitting in… It was the beginning of experiences that were similar but in different places. By the time I got into high school I was kind of used to being different.”

Then later, she faced a difficult home life and economic situation:

“I struggled as a young teenager when my parents’ marriage was falling apart. I was taking a lot of blame for it. There was beatings, and there was emotional abuse, and put-downs, and telling you that you’re never going to amount to anything, and all you’re going to be is ‘blankedy blank’. My parents were in a frustrated place because they couldn’t do what other parents in the area may be able to do, and they’d tell you so. So it set up this hopeless environment of you’re never going to make it and you’re not going to graduate from college.”

And she tried to do what many kids try to do in similar situations:

“When I was 15 my grandmother tried to adopt me, and my parents said absolutely not… This happened kind of as a result of me just walking out one day. I just started planning my move, I started moving my personal belongings out, that meant something to me, one by one, and taking them to friend’s house and leaving them there. Then one day it was like this is the day I’m not going to stay, and I left.”

“Then my high school found out that I wasn’t living anywhere legally and I had no one legally responsible for me, because I was in limbo, and they were saying, ‘we can’t let you be here’. I had a wonderful teacher who went to the principal’s office with me and said, ‘this is an A, B student who wants to be here. There are C, D, F students out in the park that you try to drag back into class who don’t want to be in school, and you’re trying to kick out the A, B student, where’s the sense in that?’ And the school decided to look the other way and let me continue.”

“So I’ve gone through stuff that make me seriously appreciate a lot of the challenges that young people still have in today’s world. When people talk about struggling students and the dropout rate and the problems with kids who fall behind in school and decide that they have no chance of getting caught up, and why bother, and just need to be working and making money because no one’s taking care of them, it’s really real to me… I’ve gone through stuff that really connects to those kids, and they stay in mind when people talk about how bad the dropout rate is, or whatever. I’m always thinking I know what that’s like and it’s not just numbers to me and it’s not just like I’m watching TV and seeing things happen for the first time. I’ve lived some of what these kids go through.”

Sure, this is a highly edited and rearranged transcription of the story, but the words and the story are completely Golding’s, and after hearing it there is no doubt that she’s not only passionate about education, but also about the real world struggles facing Tacoma’s students.

Golding had a second story that I also found compelling, about how she got involved with the PTA, and took on leadership roles within her community. As Golding says:

“I have this fun story about how we would get the PTA to … the PTA had newsletters…”

“I’d sit and read the summaries of meetings that [the PTA] had, meetings that they’re going to have, activities across the school. And I’m like, ‘It’s the same people all the time. I always see the same people.’ I was just kind of showing up the school to pick up the kid, leaving, feeling like I’m coming and going without really knowing what was going on, other than the newsletter.”

“But that whole idea that it was always the same names. I kinda kidded myself and thought, ‘I need to infiltrate, I need to get in there, and change that.’ So it wasn’t just to get me into that PTA group and get to know people and have a roll for myself, but also to change that culture to more reaching out and finding new people to bring in.”

“I thought I knew what it was like to be an outsider looking in, and I needed to get in and pull some of those outsiders in, and that was my role I took on is to kinda change it… What I really liked doing was finding the parents who were just standing in the hallway waiting for the class to get out, and striking up a conversation telling them about the PTA and what we did, and wouldn’t they like to be involved with this project, like a book swap or a carnival, the book sale, or you know. So I helped grow that PTA, and infiltrated in the process.”

“When I was involved with city PTA for the first time, I could kind of see where it was dwindling in participation and enthusiasm. It kind of had a cloud over it, in that, this is how it is and this is just how it’s going to be. Having had some very positive experiences in the elementary school PTA settings, I kind of knew what it might take to turn it around. So, on my own as a secretary of the city-wide PTA, I was kind of regularly calling up the individual school PTA leaders and check in with them and say ‘There’s a meeting coming up, I’d really like to see you there. While you have me on the phone, is there anything you think you need to know, or want to know about how to deal with a problem or whatever.’ And it’s funny, because you’d get the really quick response of ‘Oh, yeah, we’ve got it handled, and thanks for letting us know about the meeting, I’m not sure if anyone’s going to be there.’ And then you’d find about two or three minutes later, ‘Oh, I guess I do have something I could ask about.’ and it would turn into like a half an hour conversation.”

“It was a huge investment of my time, but by the time I was elected president of that council we suddenly had regular members, and people who were willing to take on leadership roles at the city level, and people who understood what it was about, and how they were supporting each other, and supporting the city wide PTA and the individual ones by having this umbrella over all of them as a resource. People who’ve done it before, and can tell you what they’ve done to raise money or something you may not have tried before. That was kind of a project I took on on my own… there was no label to it, nobody saying you need to help us make it happen, but I just saw the value in restoring… But I felt really good after serving as president … and turning it over to the next group of leader so that they had something really good to work with.”

I think this was also in Australia. Either way, she's feeding a swan!

Again, this story is edited and re-arranged by me (and really needs even more editing), but with a little work, Golding could use it to show everyone how being bullied and having a troubled life as a youth inspired her to create the most inclusive PTA in the city. She could talk about finding her voice (which she did talk to me about some) by working hard to bring people together to support the community and children in need, so that other kids don’t have to go through what she went through. From a campaign messaging point of view, she could tie all of this into the anti-bullying work she did as a PTA leader and a Tacoma School Board member. That could have been her thing. (Anti-bullying is very popular right now, and can really be stretched out to include a lot of other key issues. From a campaign point of view, that’s huge).

I suppose my point of all of this, is that while I knew nothing about her when I walked into the interview, I really liked her when I left. I really enjoyed hearing her story, and kept thinking that she should be a real contender.

But you know that thing about hindsight. That clarity thing. That thing about how when you have it, it’s easy to see how things didn’t go the way you expected. Yeah, hindsight changes everything; and through its lens I re-listened to my conversation with Golding, and while transcribing it I bolded two parts that immediately stood out to me. The first, when I asked her to tell me about herself:

“And really a lot of what I do comes from that entire experience, but in the process of going through that and becoming the person I am, you also find out it’s not about you.”

The second, when I asked what it is like to be judged as a candidate:

“And they [everyone] don’t know me. And I feel bad because sometimes you go to a candidate forum or you answer questions for a reporter, and sometimes they’re just not getting to know you because the questions aren’t right. They’re asking about things that don’t show how you can shine in the community or how you’ve made a difference or how you still can. People are asking about what matters to them but it just doesn’t give you the opportunity to show, you know, something positive about you. I’ve felt really disappointed walking away from something like that. Where you’re just going, wow, if they’d only asked me about this, or if they only knew this, if I had a chance to spend 20 minutes on this topic instead of only the two minutes they gave me to answer the question. They’d get to understand a lot better where my passions are at, where my drive comes from, or what it is I know I can do based on what I have done.”

I remember quite clearly hearing Golding say these two things when I interviewed her. I remember that they contradicted each other, and that it bugged me. I remember thinking that as a candidate it is your responsibility to create your message and get it out to the people, and that if you’re failing to do that it is your fault.

Golding had spent the entire interview telling me a really powerful personal story, and then at the end she complained that no one else had come to hear to listen to it. I don’t know if she could have possibly beaten Karen Vialle in the general (Karen got 53% of the primary vote, she’s a campaign machine), but the reason that she didn’t get the chance was because she was not telling people about herself.

Near the end of the interview Golding had told me:

“I recognize that people don’t really get much of a chance to get to know me. I don’t put up walls, but I simply don’t have the time to spend with people to give them that chance. You’re getting quite a window open here! Because most people don’t get to see that or have those conversations.”

I’m glad I sought out the chance to have those conversations with Golding, and I’m glad that I made it easy for her to talk for twenty minutes about whatever she wanted. However, future candidates, let this be a lesson to you. You can’t wait for others to seek you out. You can’t rely on reporters or folks in charge of candidate forum to set you up to talk about whatever you want. You have to create the message you want to tell people, and then you have to go and get it out there. You have to take responsibility for your own messaging, and not let anyone hear anything else. If you don’t, no matter how great a potential candidate you are or how compelling of a personal story you have, you’re not going to stand a chance.

Fun facts about Kim Golding:

I was in King’s Books, while searching for the elusive Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (it’s a book club thing), when I overheard the shop girl chatting with a friend about her recent, impressively successful roller derby bout. My eyes stopped scanning the shelves as my ears perked up, and I happily engaged in the timeless habit of ease-dropping.

I don’t remember the particulars of her successes, but I do remember the discussion shifting to the ever increasing popularity of the sport, and at one point the shop girl declared that it was the fasted growing sport in the world! She quickly retracted her certainty, when her friend pressed for citations, but at that point the conversation switched again to the statement that inspired this blog post.

Fine, she said. Maybe it’s not the fasted growing sport in the world (although she was also lacking a citation that says it isn’t, so it very well could be), but if it’s not, the only reason is because it’s a rich white sport.

Her friend barked out a laugh, and said something along the lines of “what?”

The shop girl continued, “Well, you need money. It’s a very expensive sport.”

This was a bit of a heartbreaking moment for me, not so much because of the exact words I’ve conveyed to you, but because while the words “white sport” and “you need money” were jostling around in my head, I realized a bigger conclusion: you need more than money to join roller derby. You need money, you need time, and you need health insurance. And to be 21, but that’s not really part of what I’m talking about.

And on the subject of what I’m not talking about, let’s all assume that when she said “white sport” she was talking about the understood idea that white people tend to have more money. I’m too lazy to find a citation, and of course there are exceptions, but for the sake of this article, let’s all let that one go. (Editor’s note: the U.S. census site was broken when I tried to visit. Laziness triumphs over an understanding of the roots and nature of inequality).

Back to my point: roller derby is growing in popularity, looks incredibly fun, and has proven to raise my cool factor every time I mention that I’m going to join. (Seriously, every time I say I’m going to join I am 2 times more cool and 3 times more sexy.) So what’s stopping me? What’s stopping other enthusiastic potential players? Why aren’t I yet on a team?

Money:

Let’s walk you through the cost of required gear:
Skates: I bought mine from Wheelz (They don’t actually list much on their website) for $168. The range is from about $115 (which I was advised against) to $300. I’m sure it goes higher.
Helmet: $35 - $50
Knee pads: $28 – $70
Elbow pads: $20 – $50
Wrist guards: $15+
Mouth guard: $3.50 – $25
Padded shorts (optional, but based on some bruises of mine…): $50

Okay, so now you’ve dropped $300. You’re not done. The place I’m interested in charges $50 a month to join their team. Dock Yard Derby Dames charges $35 a month (but there are fewer opportunities for beginners, and I heard they’re about to move to Auburn). Sure, this is less than car insurance or my cell phone bill, but if you’re in poverty, or in school, or just lacking an abundance of cash, it’s a big wall between you and joining.

There really isn’t a way to get around the cost. In soccer or basket ball or football, all you need is a ball and a group of people and a yard. Go, play, win!

Not in the case in roller derby. You need the skates and you need a rink. One way or another you have to pay for it.

Time:

This is actually true for any sport you want to be good at, but again, unlike soccer or basketball, you have to go to a designated rink to really get practice in. Derby’s a lot more like swimming. When I did water polo, my practices worked around the pool’s schedule, and I couldn’t go in any time I wanted to do laps.

At Wheelz, the Toxic 253 derby practices are between 8pm and 10pm. I actually like that time slot, because I work in Seattle and at best I get home at 6:30. However, I work in Seattle; I leave my house at 7am. Getting home at 10:30 all sweaty and gross? Not exactly compatible.

Time is also important because to join the bigger leagues (Dock Yard Derby Dames) you need skill. I just equate skill with practice, which takes time. I take skate lessons once a week, and over four months I’ve gotten considerably better. But if I practiced derby the three times a week they hold practices? I’d have lost a ton of weight, gained a ton of muscles, and probably be able to actually play the game.

Shout out: I can’t play roller derby yet, but I can spin in circles, skate backwards, and do something called “shoot the duck!” (here is a nice link that illustrates the how to of the duck move, but on ice.) 10 am Saturday figure skating classes at Wheelz rock.

Health insurance:

You’d think this goes with “money” but in my brain I see it differently, in part because I have had jobs that paid me plenty of money, but did not offer benefits. Additionally, there’s a reason roller derby requires you to have insurance (unlike certain other sports).

Let’s start with the fact that you’ve strapped wheels to your feet. Yes, that is awesome, but it also makes it considerably easier to lose balance and fall. You know, at the same time it makes it incredibly harder for other players to avoid running you over.

And then there’s the equally awesome shoving, hip bumps, tripping, and other maneuvers designed to land you on your face.

I was volunteering at a bout when a fellow volunteer told me that two girls had their ankles broken this year in the Dock Yard Derby Dames boot camp (which is only 4 weeks long).

This is a dangerous game. And while many of us are willing to risk it, leagues wisely require us to take precautions (like being able to pay for that emergency room visit). And that takes health insurance (or, I suppose, copious amounts of money).

In conclusion:

With enough hard work, determination, and just a bit of luck, you, too, can be this awesome!

I want the sexy cool points that come with being a derby girl, I love the feeling of speed skating around the rink, and my biggest regret in high school was that I never got a black eye from my water polo adventures. I’m totally ready for this sport.

Except I can’t join.

I have never managed to have money, time, and health insurance simultaneously, and roller derby is a surprisingly exclusive sport.

I’m not sure what the greater theme to this story is. “You can’t always get what you want” just reminds me of an obnoxious song used too much in TV shows. I should just “Keep on trucking” comes to mind, as another one of those over used clichés that come up when times are tough. I suppose my overall frustration is that it’s sad/weird that it costs so much to beat up some people in front of other people (hmm, maybe that gives derby girls a bad name. Let’s change it to “Enthusiastically engage in a physical sport”).

I still feel the need to offer a real conclusion, however, so I will leave you with inadequate advice.

If you are one of the poor souls wishing to join the great sport of roller derby, while living in Tacoma, while lacking time, money, or health insurance, start simple. Find a skate rink that’s near you. I use Wheelz because Fircrest isn’t far away, and it’s a block from TCC, making it close to a million bus lines. If possible, join what ever skate class you have time/money for. If you don’t have money for one ($10 a week can add up) find the cheap skate nights. A lot of rinks have $1 or free skate sessions, plus cost of skates (which you don’t have to pay once you save up your nickels and dimes in order to afford your own pair). Start volunteering for a derby league, it looks good when you are actually able to join, and by watching the sport you’ll learn things that will be helpful in the future.

Other than that? Figure out which barrier is holding you back, and then make a plan to fix it. The plan might take a few months (if you need to rearrange your schedule so that you have fewer things conflicting) or maybe even a couple of years (if the recession is holding you back and you can’t afford time and no one’s giving you insurance). These are the steps I’m taking. In my case, by the time I’m actually able to join I’ll have done a great deal to be ready, and I’ll be a much better player for it.

One of the things I appreciate most about living in the Pacific Northwest is the availability of cheap or free fresh berries. Berry harvesting is also a great excuse to experience the outdoors!

Blueberries:
My favorite place to get blueberries is Blueberry Park, located at 7402 East D St. and E 74th Street. Originally a blueberry farm, the school district purchased the land in 1968 in order to build a high school at that location. However, the school was never built and neighbors began working together to maintain the blueberry bushes. In 1997, the land was adopted by Metro Parks as Blueberry Park. Volunteers continue to maintain the park every third Saturday of the month from 9 am – 12 pm. The blueberries are still ripe, so be sure to visit this Tacoma gem.

Blackberries:
I have a love-hate relationship with blackberries. My day job is to dig up the ubiquitous Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus discolor), an invasive species which has taken over our road sides and habitat sites. It is covered in thorns, and I have been scratched hundreds of times. However, the berries are delicious and best of all, free. Just look around and you’ll be sure to see blackberries wherever you are. If you are a huge blackberry fan and would like to have them conveniently located in your yard, there is a lovely native species of blackberry, called Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus). They taste better, look nicer, have fewer thorns, and won’t grow into tall unruly bushes.

Strawberries:
There is a native species of wild strawberry in Washington State as well (Fragaria vesca). This would be a great ground cover to grow at home because it is well-suited for our climate and it has pretty white flowers in the spring. If you are vigilant, you may even spot the wild strawberry while on a walk in the woods. There are also many local u-pick opportunities for strawberries in the local area. I usually go to Picha Farms in Puyallup.

Raspberries:
If you love raspberries, you will be happy to know that we also have a native type of raspberry in the Pacific Northwest called the Black Cap Raspberry (Rubus leucodermis). It looks a lot like a blackberry vine except that the stems are an icy blue. Of course, raspberries are also a popular u-pick crop.

Thimbleberries, Salmonberries, and Red Elderberries:
There are many berries from the Pacific Northwest that you won’t find in your local grocery store. I personally enjoy Thimbleberries (Rubus parviflorus), although I know people who don’t. These tart berries are surprisingly common and I love to feast on them while hiking. Salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis) are a more popular berry. They resemble a blackberry plant except that their stems are golden in color and their berries are orange, yellow or red. Red Elderberries (Sambucus racemosa) are commonly harvested for wine or jam (don’t eat them raw).

Before You Harvest:
Before picking berries in the wild, it is important to familiarize yourself with their identifiable characteristics. There are poisonous plants out there, so it is critical that you first do your homework. I recommend the book “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast” by Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon as a source for descriptions and pictures of plants common to the Pacific Northwest.

An Edible Yard:
A good way to acquire a free native berry plants for your home would be to attend a plant salvage event and dig your own. Plant salvage events occur in locations with a plethora of native plants that are slated for development. These plants are either salvaged with permission from the developer, or they are typically bull-dozed. I recommend contacting the Native Plant Salvage Alliance or the Native Plant Society for information on upcoming salvage events.

So, the Wal-mart story lost a bit of steam on Twitter as Tacoma politicos switched over to the potential teacher’s strike (I suggest Tacomamama’s twitter feed if you would like to relieve every detail surrounding that potential disaster), but that doesn’t mean nothing came of it. I had demanded better tweets, and I believe we received them.

We have two Tacoma-pians that are willing to represent the true spirit of Twitter while informing you of the devastating impact of the Wal-Mart invasion, in the 10 tweets I have dubbed “Best.”


Compliments of RR_Anderson:

RR_Anderson RR Anderson
@NekoCase WALMART IS COMING TO THE CITY OF DESTINY! SEND HELP!


RR_Anderson RR Anderson
THE HOOF-PRINTS OF SATAN (walmart) PRANCE AT THE GATES OF DESTINY i.feedtacoma.com/Nick/is-walmar… #Tacoma


RR_Anderson RR Anderson
ENLIST TODAY IN THE WAR AGAINST WALMART!facebook.com/groups/1436741… #Tacomalmart


And the one I posted originally:


RR_Anderson RR Anderson
WE HAVE CONFIRMATION OF WAL*MART INVASION!!! blog.thenewstribune.com/business/2011/…DEFCON-4 ULTRA-RED ALERT HYPER-TEAM GO!


But the real winner of the day comes from an unknown twitter genius, who in response to my demands (you can’t prove it wasn’t me) posted seven tweets that are sure to put you in the Wal-Martmood. Sadly, the hash tag #protacomawalmart has been picked up by no one. (Warning, some of these [just one] may be offensive. Feel free to post mean rants in the comments section. I like comments).


chaosjoule
Hey guys…teens got loiter somewhere. #protacomawalmart


chaosjoule
I’ve heard that wal-mart will continue the elk sacrifices.#protacomawalmart #nbd


chaosjoule
When wal-mart comes, maybe they’ll hire the disembodied smiley face that follow me around.#protacomawalmart


chaosjoule
99 cent walkers. You will be able to build a mobile, shuffling palace for less than $10. #protacomawalmart


chaosjoule
Really looking forward to the cheap bundles of liberal bumperstickers I’ll be able to afford.#protacomawalmart


chaosjoule
They just filed intent papers. It doesn’t mean anything, just like a pregnancy.#protacomawalmart

Whenever a monumentous (or heck, a small yet entertaining) event goes down, I have taken to Twitter for short, pithy op-eds and education tid bits. I must say, however, that this time twitter has failed.


Searching “Tacoma” and “Wal-mart” to get the most up-to-date, rage-filled posts has led to a mediocre crop of “oh, noes” and “not in Tacoma!” I frown upon you, Tacoma tweeters. Surely, you can do better than this?


As my facebook wall has informed me (Current count: 26 related Wal-mart posts) Wal-mart is an evil, giant, anti-union, small business slaughtering hell demon (these are not my words. I am not editorializing. I am citing a bonafide source of information). Certainly such a creature should lead to hilarious outcries that can be summed up in 160 words? I challenge you Tacoma: do better! I would like a better list of tweets for tomorrow.




One exception: good job RR_Anderson!


RR_Anderson RR Anderson
WE HAVE CONFIRMATION OF WAL*MART INVASION!!! blog.thenewstribune.com/business/2011/… DEFCON-4 ULTRA-RED ALERT HYPER-TEAM GO!




The best crop of others I could find:


RR_Anderson RR Anderson
RUMOR: Wal*Mart coming to current Elks Lodge location in Central Tacoma? facebook.com/groups/1436741…


LeahLizabeth Leah
@@RR_Anderson Tacoma will destroy the very idea of Wal-Mart.


TacomaFoodie Adrienne
Noooooooooo…..RT @KCooperTNT: Wal-Mart confirms that it plans to build a Super Center in #Tacoma: bit.ly/qOyFbs


monstergirlee charlotte
@Puking. RT @thenewstribune Wal-Mart confirms its plans to build store on Central Tacoma Elks site: bit.ly/ohI8l4 #tacoma #walmart


jameyrivera jamey rivera
No. Bad. RT @tacomaupdates Tacoma News Tribune: Wal-Mart confirms plans to build on Central Tacoma Elks site bit.ly/qlHhIB #tacoma


waymondhampton Waymond Hampton
RT @kcooperTNT A little more on the potential development of the Central #Tacoma Elks site: blog.thenewstribune.com/business/2011/… // PLEASE no Wal-Mart…


jenhal Jenn Halverson Kuehn
“God bless California, make way for the Walmart; I hope they never find you Tacoma.” – Thrice All American. Me too, Neko.

Are you looking for an excuse to go outside?  Maybe you’re trying to impress that special someone but are on a tight budget?  I highly recommend going on a picnic in Tacoma.

Where to go…

Owen Beach at Point Defiance

If you’ve never been to Owen Beach, you’re in for a treat.  The beach has a beautiful vista of the Sound and such amenities as picnic tables, shelters, and grills.  You can even rent your very own kayak for some post-picnic fun.  If you don’t have time to pack your own picnic, stop at the Antique Sandwich Company for some gourmet sandwiches to go.

Reconciliation Park in Old Town

I love to go for picnics at Reconciliation Park in Old Town.  There are tables with lovely views of the waterfront.  The newly renovated park also has trails that focus on making peace with Tacoma’s dark history of racism against the Chinese.

Wapato Park in South Tacoma

Wapato Park has plenty of picnic tables, grills and trails that will meet all your picnicking needs.  There is a tranquil view of the lake and play structures for the kids.  However, beware of aggressive squirrels that will try to steal your food!  There is also currently some construction at the park.

Wright Park in the Stadium Neighborhood

Wright Park is a perfect place for a picnic.  Amenities include tables, grills, playgrounds, spray grounds, a basketball court, and greenhouse.  I like to sit on a blanket under one of the many enormous trees and people watch.  I recommend getting some soup and bread to go from Infinite Soups, which is within walking distance of the park.

What to bring…

• A picnic basket or if you’re really enthusiastic, a picnic backpack from REI
• Blanket or tablecloth
• Plates, silverware, cutting board, knife
• Main course: I like to pack a baguette with some brie and a tomato
• Fruit: Strawberries are romantic if you’re trying to impress
• Dessert: Brownies pack well and are always delicious
• Drink: Lemonade or Italian soda in a mason jar with plenty of ice

What are your picnicking suggestions?