The Olympia Standard

Steve Hall worked for the city of Olympia for over 30 years, recently retiring as our city manager. When someone leaves a position of employment, exit interviews are conducted so that the organization learn from the employee’s experience. This episode is our exit interview with Steve. We talked about the arc of Olympia’s history during his time in a leadership position, how our city has changed over that time (or not), and his feedback for the community he served for three decades.

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This episode focuses on the response to the crisis of homelessness, both in the city and across the county. We interviewed Keylee Marineau, the county’s Homeless Prevention and Affordable Housing Coordinator, and Cary Retlin, the city’s Home Fund Manager. We talked about what we know (and don’t know) about people experiencing homelessness, the need for shelter beds and permanent supportive housing, and the county-wide plan to address this crisis.

Mentioned in this episode is a presentation by Ted Kelleher of the Department of Commerce, who identified the drivers of homelessness in Washington.

Thurston County Homeless Crisis Response Plan 2019-2024
Olympia’s Homeless Response

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Publicly funded behavioral health, including treatment for mental health and substance use, is rapidly evolving. We interviewed Mark Freedman and Joe Avalos of the Thurston-Mason Behavioral Health Organization to learn about these changes and how they will impact our community. We talked about the work of the BHO and the gaps in the system, new directives from the Legislature, and the expansion of privatization. We also discuss the investigative reporting of the Seattle Times into US Healthvest, who just opened a new facility in Lacey:
How private psychiatric hospitals keep voluntary patients from leaving

How a company’s push to expand psychiatric care brought peril

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We took a dive into the results of the election and what they mean for our community. Emmett plugged the precinct data onto maps for the port and mayoral races. Dani spoke about her experience as a candidate. We also discussed the future of the podcast, given the results of her race.

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On issues of immigration, most people are paying attention to the southern US border. To highlight how these issues impact our own community, we interviewed Steffani Powell, a local immigration attorney, and Alejandra Hunt, who works with Steffani and is on the board of CIELO. We talked about immigration from the federal, state, and local perspective, and what is happening in our community to respond.

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Your ballot is waiting in your mailbox today! In this episode, we review all the state and local measures you will vote on. We also interview Maria Flores, who is running for the only contested school board race. Her opponent declined to interview. Why should you care about schools if you don’t have a school-age child? Listen and learn.

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Dani has returned to the show as we continue our interview with candidates that will appear on the Olympia ballot. On this episode, we interview Joe Downing and Helen Wheatley, who are running for the Port of Olympia commission. We ask about the social, economic, and environmental issues associated with port politics, as well as a question about interpersonal skills.

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