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Mayor's Update



August 25, 2023




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*Cruisin' Kent Car Show*

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Kent Car show

Happy Friday Kent!

If you love classic cars, you'll love the Cruisin' Kent Car Show this weekend!

The event is back for its 5th year at Kent Station on Sunday! Bring the family and friends to see cool cars, enjoy lunch and dance to the live DJ!

We are excited to partner with Kent Station for this fun and free event. Don't forget to pick up your 50/50 ticket, all profits will be donated to the Green River College VET fund.

We have some great things happening in Kent the next few weeks and some great opportunities available right now to get involved, take a look below.

Have a great weekend!

Dana Ralph, Kent Mayor

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school bus rules

Kent School District kids are back in class! Please be aware of the kids coming and going as they walk or bike to school.

This is especially true near neighborhoods, school zones, crosswalks and bus stops. Slow down, be aware of your surroundings and don't drive distracted!



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Thunderbird Flag Raising 

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thunderbirds

Join us when we raise the Thunderbirds flag at Kent City Hall with Head Coach Matt O'Dette, Cool Bird, a few of their players!

They had an amazing season last year and there's a lot of excitement heading into their home opener September 30 at accesso ShoWare Center!

?? September 29 
?? 2 p.m.
?? Kent City Hall 

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Kent 101

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kent 101 class

We want to have informed residents here in Kent and empower you all with knowledge to connect with us and be a part of what goes on in your city.

This is our free eight-week civics course open to residents that teaches how our local government works and operates.

If you’ve ever wondered who does what around Kent, how construction projects get done or how our Parks department operates, this is a great opportunity for you!

This course is designed to educate, inform and build experience for residents, businesses and students.

Classes begin September 14! *Registration is open, sign up here! [ https://www.kentwa.gov/guides/kent-101?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*

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ribbon cutting

Wednesday morning, Councilmember Fincher and Councilmember Michaud were there to cut the ribbon and celebrate the completion of sidewalk improvements at S 240th Street and Russell Road, a project funded through the Transportation Improvement Board!



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The next session of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training starts September 21. 

When widespread disasters strike, city workers can be overwhelmed. This course is designed to give people the skills and confidence to safely help themselves and others when help is delayed.

The eight-week program meets 2 different times on Thursday. 1-4:30 p.m. or 6-9:30 p.m. 

This training provides instruction on disaster preparedness, disaster first aid, triage, fire safety, search and rescue, disaster psychology and team organization.

*Here's where you can sign up. [ https://pugetsoundfire.org/emergency-management/community-emergency-response-team-cert/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*

CERT

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*New Kent Police Officers *

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Kent PD officers

I wanted to welcome and introduce some new Kent Police Officers!

Last week, we swore eight more officers into duty. Officer Johnson graduated from Washington State University in May 2022 with a major in Criminal Justice and Spanish and worked as a Police Cadet at WSU Police Department.

Officer Bezon graduated with a bachelor's degree from Eastern Washington University and graduated with her master’s degree from Seattle University. While attending Seattle University, Officer Bezon worked as a private investigator.

Officer Powers graduated from Portland State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. Officer Powers is intrigued by Kent’s specialty units and is looking forward to exploring those in the future.

Officer Kandeh was born in Virginia but raised in Washington DC. and attended Virginia Commonwealth University. Officer Kandeh loves cooking and believes it is a great communication method.

Officer Wong earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and an MBA from City University, he previously served in the U.S. Marines Corps, and following his honorable discharge worked as a federal contractor for the Department of State.

Officer Rana grew up in Nepal, where his family owned a business. He graduated from high school, and at 21 emigrated to his first U.S. home in Virginia. He served in the U.S. Army for about six years. He wants to do his part to help strengthen the bond between law enforcement and our diverse community.

Officer Rankin grew up in Kent and upon turning 18 he joined the US Marine Corps. He was stationed in Oahu, Hawaii where he deployed once to Afghanistan and once to Iraq. He currently has two associate degrees and recently graduated from the University of Washington, with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

He also has several certifications from Green River College in Corrections, Law Enforcement, and Forensics. Officer Rankin is honored to be here and can’t wait to start contributing and being an asset to the department.

Officer Steffes was raised in Kent and served the City of Enumclaw as a Corrections Officer and Police Officer. She has been in the detective’s unit for the last 11 years. Officer Steffes has finished the STP (Seattle to Portland bike ride) a few times and has been doing triathlons for about 20 years.

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KPD K 9

Congratultions to Atena and her partner K9 Officer Robinson, who tracked and located a robbery suspect last week. The suspects carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint in Federal Way, then fled from the FW Officers who responded. Several Kent Patrol Officers were dispatched to the area to assist in locating the suspect vehicle.

Officer Lam was responding to assist on a call and located the crashed vehicle that had traveled down an embankment and into the ravine. He hiked down to the car but found it empty.

K9 Atena and her partner K9 Officer Robinson quickly responded and after a few minutes of tracking, they found the suspect. He was hiding about 200 yards away in the greenbelt surrounding the ravine.

Good Girl Atena! Great Job Officer Robinson!



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advanced kent

Transparency is important to us—that's why we launched Advance Kent! *advance.kentwa.gov [ https://advance-kent-dashboard-cityofkent.hub.arcgis.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*

This performance dashboard helps us track and measure our progress toward citywide goals using performance metrics.



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Employee of the Month

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employyee

Kaelene Nobis is our August employee of the month! Kaelene was hired by the city in 2018 as a Planner in the Economic and Community Development Department.

Now a Senior Planner, she performs a variety of professional, analytical, and technical duties. She works on long-range research, codes, policies, and land use planning.

She has about ten years of professional experience in planning and housing. Before coming to Kent, Kaelene was an Assistant Planner for the City of Kirkland. She was also an intern at the City of Tukwila. Kaelene had also previously served for two years as the executive assistant for the Renton Housing Authority.

When asked what she likes about working for the City of Kent, Kaelene said it’s her team and her ability to come into her profession in a capacity that she feels makes a difference.

She says being open, accessible, transparent, and willing to listen made working the permit counter fun but also very rewarding. Kaelene says being told “you made that complicated thing easier to understand” or “thank you for listening to my concerns, I really feel like you cared and wanted to listen” are types of things that bring her a lot of pride in her work.

Currently, Kaelene is doing long-range policy work for the city, and she really enjoys the “future” vision that entails, as well as collecting and gathering feedback from the public.

She enjoys when someone wants her to walk them through what it means for them when a new legislative bill passes. She finds it fascinating to find ways to navigate when the state law changes and how to incorporate the public opinion, land use and planning board and city council feedback into a proposal that balances all the feedback into something that works for Kent. 

Kaelene says the best part about working in ECD is the comradery. She really likes to bring the fun. She says she works for a place where her sense of wonder and joy isn’t only accepted but encouraged. Kaelene says they work hard in ECD, but she says they genuinely enjoy spending time together and that is make or break when you work somewhere. 

Kaelene was nominated because over the past few months she has successfully shepherded through the adoption of two new ordinances, all while boosting office morale and balancing many other competing deadlines.

The first ordinance reduces barriers for accessory dwelling unit (ADU) housing construction to address the high costs of housing. This process involved extensive outreach and piloting new ways for our city and ECD department to equitably reach communities they do not typically hear from.

In addition, Kaelene worked on the "Blake fix" land use ordinance to bring the city into compliance with new state laws regarding uses we must allow as essential public facilities.

Kaelene is a rockstar in all the tasks she manages. What really sets her apart is her love for the Kent community and coworkers. Kaelene is eager to provide excellent customer service and has spent many weekends this year out talking with the community about the work the ECD department is doing.

She comes up with fun, engaging activities to make complex topics understandable. Kaelene also spreads cheer and laughter wherever she goes, whether it's secretly adding miniature plastic mushrooms or googly eyes to people's workspaces, decorating the planning cubes for upcoming holidays, or bringing in her award-winning chili.

Kaelene also serves on the CARES team and is dedicated to creating a more equitable workplace. She lives authentically and we learn so much from her just by getting to work alongside her. We are a better department and city because of Kaelene.

Outside of work Kaelene likes spending time at parks and doing things with her 4-year-old son. She says he is honestly really cool, and she enjoys spending time with him. Kaelene also really likes participating in city events. Last year she participated in the chili cook off and won second place!

Kaelene continuously embraces our values, and we celebrate her as August’s Employee of the Month!



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diversity

Applications are now being accepted for the city's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Board.

The goal of the board is to increase engagement, integration and access to city services for all cultural communities in Kent.

You can learn about the city's work in these areas and the Equity Strategic Plan at *KentWA.gov/Race-Equity, [ https://www.kentwa.gov/government/race-equity?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]* and *apply to be on the board* [ https://www.kentwa.gov/government/boards-commissions?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ].



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Team Up 2 Clean Up

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team up to clean up

Join us for our Fall Litter Cleanup on the East Hill, West Hill and Downtown!

Each spring and fall the City of Kent hosts a litter cleanup event where community members can come out and volunteer to beautify Kent as individuals or in teams at various locations around the city. *Learn more and sign-up online! [ https://www.kentwa.gov/departments/public-works/environmental/talking-trash-recycle-and-clean-up-events-for-residents/teamup2cleanup?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*

?? Saturday, September 30
⏰ 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
?? Kent United Methodist Church, Kherson Park, West Hill Plaza

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Farmers Market

The Kent Farmers Market is winding down! The last market will be September 19. 

?? Every Saturday 
⏰ 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.​
?? 2nd Ave between Smith and Gowe



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*Fall Parks Guide *

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parks guide

Check your mailbox for the new Kent Parks Fall Recreation Guide!

From preschool classes and afterschool programs to clubs and outdoor adventures for Adults 50+ and everything in between, there is something for everyone in the family to enjoy! Registration is open now!

*View a digital copy of the guide and sign up for programs online now! [ https://web2.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/wakentwt.wsc/splash.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*

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Our friends at the Kent Historical Museum are hosting a Experience Historical Kent party at the museum until 7pm tonight, then the fun continues all weekend long.

Residents are encouraged to get out and experience a tour of several historic Kent sites, stop by the Cruisin’ Kent Car Show at Kent Station, and more. See all of the event details online at *KentHistoricalMuseum.org [ https://kenthistoricalmuseum.org/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*

neeley museum

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volleyball

Registration for the Kent Parks Youth Fall Volleyball program is still open!

Registration is open to all kids in Pre-K to Grade 8.
Pre-K participants must be 3 by August 31, 2023.

There are scholarships are available to qualifying families! You can register at *MyKentParks.com/Register [ http://mykentparks.com/Register?fbclid=IwAR3CFWD05YqRTr79aWdjNX8ukdDZFvbWOmZqdpI6bk3H0Cehg66ovP4iLfo&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*



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Spotlight Series 

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Spotlight series

Our 2023-2024 Spotlight Series brings the best entertainment to local stages here in Kent! You won’t want to miss out on the amazing line-up we have planned for this season! *See the incredible line up and buy your tickets here. [ https://www.kentwa.gov/departments/kent-parks/arts/spotlight-series?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*

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engage parks

We want to hear from you!  Visit the *Engage Kent Parks* [ https://engage.kentwa.gov/hub-page/engage-kent-parks?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ] website to see what projects they are currently working on. They would love to hear your ideas and feedback to help guide the planning process!



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We're HIRING! Check out our featured jobs and great opportunities on our hiring page at *Jobs.KentWA.gov*! [ https://jobs.kentwa.gov/jobs?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]
?? Communications Intern
?? Multimedia Designer
?? HVAC Maintenance Technician
?? Solid Waste Maintenance Assistant

HIring

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KentNow

Don't forget to check out the new episode of the KentNOW podcast!  Tracy, Josh and Kyle talk about our sister cities program, get you caught up on what's happening in Kent!

Listen to new and previous episodes on:
?? Apple Podcasts *apple.co/3J2UMkd [ https://t.co/kiMUAwAMdU?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*
?? Spotify *spoti.fi/3GNCeli [ https://t.co/MccBJhOIlp?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*
?? Amazon Music *amzn.to/3jjaOvU [ https://amzn.to/3jjaOvU?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery ]*



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Translations

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translations

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