Thurston County Auditor Swears in Newly Elected Officials During Virtual Ceremony

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Many newly elected local officials in Thurston County took their oaths of office during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday.

For the second year in a row, Auditor Mary Hall chose to conduct the ceremony over a video call that was livestreamed to the Thurston Community Media YouTube channel.

The ceremony occurred as COVID-19 cases have surged and snowy, freezing weather caused delays and closures throughout the county.

Just like last year, speakers and officials persisted through occasional technical glitches to complete the ceremony in just over an hour. Hall opened the event by congratulating the newly elected officials and asking them to “go the extra mile” for their communities.

“The oath you take today is your minimal obligation,” Hall said. “To be successful public officials, we must reach beyond ourselves and serve all our communities. We must take office and work together, not just within your jurisdiction, but across jurisdictions to solve problems.”

The ceremony included elected officials for the Port of Olympia, cities and towns, school districts, fire commissions, park and recreation commissions and cemetery commissions.

The 2021 general election results were certified at the local level on Nov. 23 and the state certified the results on Dec. 2. About 38.2% of Thurston County voters cast their ballots in the election, the Olympian previously reported.

Jody Suhrbier, executive director for the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center, addressed the attendees after Superior Court Judge Sharonda Amamilo led the pledge of allegiance.

Suhrbier drew attention to the challenges of the past two years and called on officials to build bridges across communities rather than give in to divisiveness.



“Working together, we can empower our communities,” Suhrbier said. “Doing so will contribute to a cohesive and thriving Thurston County. That is truly something to celebrate.”

After swearing in each official in attendance, Hall invited U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland of Washington state’s 10th Congressional District to speak. Despite her current role, Strickland said her past work in local government will always be her favorite.

“When I think about the magnitude of work that you’re doing at the local level, I just want to say thank you,” Strickland said. “As someone who has worked in local government, I know that thank yous don’t necessarily come easily.”

Strickland advised the newly sworn-in officials to be true to their values, seek advice from state and national organizations, partner with the private sector and keep a sense of humor. She also warned against falling into the trappings of social media.

“Social media has a big influence, but it’s not necessarily real life,” Strickland said. “So, when you can, take a break from social media, talk to folks who aren’t on it, and just have one-on-one conversations with people because you learn so much about the communities that you represent.”

In a sign of the times, technical difficulties initially delayed Strickland’s appearance. During the downtime, Hall said she looked forward to the day when this ceremony could be held in person again and she continued to address the officials.

“In a time of unprecedented political polarization, we need to be able to disagree without causing division,” Hall said. “As elected officials, we can model civil dialogue that leads to deeper understanding of each other and leads to some solid solutions.

“We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we can’t see each other as neighbors.”