The Olympia Standard

Denny Heck is no longer serving us as our representative in Congress, but he is serving every person in Washington as our Lieutenant Governor. We chatted with Denny about his transition in politics, threats to democracy, his new role in the Legislature, and the relationship between the state and the city.

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(Note: this photo was taken prior to Covid. But we never get to see Jemmy Joe that much, so here he is!)

With one of the members of the Olympia City Council moving up to the Legislature, a new person was recently appointed to represent us. In this interview, Yến Huỳnh introduces herself to our listeners. She speaks about her interests in city government, what she brings to the team, and her interests in the community.

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Right before the pandemic shut down our community, we spoke with Mike Reid, the Economic Development Director of Olympia, about how our local economy was faring (episode #58). Two weeks later, we were hurled into economic crisis. This episode is an update from Mike on how his job has changed, how local government has responded, and other ways the pandemic has impacted our economy.

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What will 2021 bring on The Olympia Standard? This episode is what we hope to talk about the in the year to come. We’ll continue to bring racial justice conversations onto this podcast, but will also incorporate equity in how we talk about transportation policy, ongoing challenges with the pandemic, and other issues of local interest. We’re also gearing up for broader election coverage, and will be keeping tabs on not just Olympia, but also Lacey and Tumwater, as each city gears of up an interesting campaign season.

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To support the local journalists working to unionize at McClatchy here:
Email: [email protected]
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McClatchyCo/
Via twitter: @KLR_Editor @mcclatchy @tonywhunter 

As we leave behind 2020 and look forward to the new year, we spent some time reflecting on the racial justice movement that has swept the nation and Olympia. We spoke with Quinton Neal, the assistant director of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center at the South Puget Sound Community College, where he hosts the podcast called The Unheard Outsider. We talked about uncomfortable conversations, the work of anti-racism, and how to keep momentum moving forward.

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Until the moment this podcast was posted, Victor Minjares has been serving as the chair of the Thurston County Democrats. We talked with him about the impact of national politics on local elections, thoughts on the future of the local Democratic party, and how to encourage more people of color to run for elected office.

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One of the things that makes Olympia such a special place are the people who have lived here long before it was called Olympia. The Steh-Chass band of indigenous people of the Squaxin Island Tribe have stewarded this land since time immemorial, and still inhabit and steward this land today. We spoke with Chairman Kris Peters, of the Squaxin Island Tribe, to learn about his people, this place, and how we can honor and respect this relationship.

Here is some information provided by Chairman Peters about land acknowledgement.

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What were the results of the 2020 election cycle? Let’s walk back through the ballot and find out what happened. This episode was recorded the day before the presidency was declared for Biden and Harris (woohoo!), and the result of one county commission race is still unknown at the time of publishing.

In this episode, Emmett talks about his maps. You can find them here.

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This year, ballots have already hit your mailbox, several days earlier than usual. If you haven’t yet received your ballot (or haven’t yet registered to vote), check in with the Thurston County Auditor. In this episode, we walk through the full ballot for voters in Olympia, from referendums to judges. Tune in to learn what and who you might vote for, and why it matters!

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In years past, we’ve done candidate interviews for each local race, with both candidates speaking side-by-side. For a few reasons, we’re taking a different tack this year. We only interviewed two candidates; the two women of color running in Thurston County races. Tune in to hear from Sharonda Amamilo, running for Thurston County Superior Court Judge, and Carolina Mejia, running for Thurston County Commissioner!

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