News from Snohomish County Council

The County Council took action on Tuesday to appoint a replacement to fill the vacant District 3 council office. The vacancy was created by the departure of former Councilmember Mike Cooper late last month to become the mayor of the City of Edmonds.

The Council unanimously selected Stephanie Wright to serve as the District 3 representative until the 2011 general election. Wright was elected to the Lynnwood City Council in 2008, a position she resigned upon accepting the appointment to the County Council. She is a Snohomish County native and has worked as a teacher and librarian in the Northshore School District.

"We had a good group of well qualified candidates but all the Councilmembers agreed that Stephanie was the best choice. I'm pleased to have someone of Stephanie's caliber working with us on the Council," said Council Chair Dave Gossett. "Her experience managing difficult budgets in the City of Lynnwood will be useful as we approach another tough budget year in the county."

Councilmember Wright will chair the Council's Public Works and Transportation Committee providing oversight of a variety of county operations including roads, solid waste and surface water management. She will also represent the Council on several outside committees including the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Committee, and the Snohomish County Conservation Futures District.

Evergreen State Fair- It's Time!!

The Snohomish County Evergreen State Fair started this week. The Opening Day Ceremony took place on Thursday at 2:00.

At the well-attended ceremony fairgoers were greeted by Snohomish County Diary Ambassador Emily Neff and Washington State Dairy Ambassador Kristyn Mensonides. Six students were honored for their winning essays in the "Living Evergreen" essay contest, co-sponsored by Snohomish County and Allied Waste. Sharon Olsen, this year's Fair Honoree, cut the ribbon to open the fair.

One highlight of the ceremony was the honoring of Tualco Valley farmer Dale Reiner and his family with the 2010 Centennial Farm award. The Reiner family has actively farmed outside of Monroe since 1873 when Grannis and Amelia Riener homesteaded property there.

"Honoring the Reiner family is a part of the strong agricultural focus of Snohomish County and the fair," said Councilmember Dave Gossett. "But the fair is much, much more - top flight entertainment, rides, animals, and great food. This year there are even dinosaurs."

This year the fair will include an exhibit called "Days of the Dinosaur". It features 15 life-like replicas including the Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus, and Pachycephalosaurus. This paid attraction costs $3 for Youth 2-15 and $5 for Adults 16 and over.

As always, entertainment like the Lumberjack Show and Pig Racing will take place during the day with Monster Trucks and concerts at night. Rides, 4-H contests, looking at animals, and great food are available throughout the day and evening.

"This is a great opportunity for family fun," said Gossett. "I hope everyone has a chance to go and enjoy themselves."

The fair opens at 10 am each day and closes at 10 pm except for closing day, September 6, when the fair closes at 7 pm. Carnival hours are from 11 am to 10 pm except for closing day when it also closes at 7 pm.

For more information about special promotions and daily events go to www.evergreenfair.org or call 360-805-6700.

I hope you found this eNEWSLETTER informative and useful. You can make it even more valuable by suggesting topics and issues for future newsletters. Please contact me at 425-388-3494, or e-mail Dave.Gossett@snoco.org. If you would like to share this newsletter, select the Forward email link below.

Sincerely,

Dave Gossett
Snohomish County Council