On Tuesday, April 6, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu delivers his first State of the County address at the County Council meeting.
“I am pleased to share that the State of the County is strong,” he states. “Today optimism is in the air. We can start breathing a little easier as vaccines are being administered. Nearly one in three residents of our county have initiated the vaccination process and one in five have completed it. Restaurants and cafes are again serving customers, and schools are returning to in-person instruction,” Executive Sidhu notes, adding that the County is now also planning steps to open its offices and safely provide public access.
The State of the County address touches on the accomplishments of County departments and operational milestones achieved over the past year. “Faced with an unprecedented challenge, Whatcom County Government rallied, demonstrating its resourcefulness and resilience. Despite the obstacles, we succeeded in maintaining a good level of service for our citizens across many departments. We have accomplished many things on many fronts, and we are now focusing our attention on areas where progress has lagged,” Sidhu states.
Reflecting on the deployment of federal aid in the county, Executive Sidhu highlights the joint efforts undertaken to accomplish this task effectively. “The most significant achievement we attained was the high level of cooperation and collaboration between the County Administration, all seven cities of the county and the Regional Economic Partnership at the Port of Bellingham. All the efforts to manage and mitigate the impacts of this pandemic would not have been possible without this full cooperation across these jurisdictions. We owe a debt of gratitude to all the mayors.”
Executive Sidhu concludes his remarks with a message of gratitude to staff: “I’d like to thank our engaged staff for their ongoing enthusiasm, intelligence and support through my first year as County Executive. I knew as a County Council member that the staff at Whatcom County were good – but now I know that more than ever, as I have learned what they do and have experienced the depth and breadth of their knowledge, which is invaluable to me. Our combined ability to work across offices and departments and problem solve and support each other has been vital. We learned a lot of lessons and we learned that we are truly a team with the culture that we are all in this together.”
