Department of Communications Homepage

Our job is to keep people informed. Since Pierce County has 800,000 residents, 3,000+ county employees, 22 cities and towns, thousands of businesses and organizations, neighboring counties on all four sides and a state legislature just down the road, that can be a real challenge.

Our goal is to provide useful, timely and consistent information about county projects, programs, activities and decisions. With the major issues facing Pierce County, it's never been more important to stay in touch. Transportation, public safety, parks and recreation, the environment, and economic development are all challenges that require thoughtful, informed decisions. One of our favorite job duties is discovering hidden stories about people, projects and programs in our government that are making a difference in the community.

TELL US HOW WE'RE DOING

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

The Communications Department provides public education and outreach services through a variety of methods and programs, including video production through Pierce County TV and utilizing the county's website, which receives well over 100 million page views a year. We assist elected officials and other departments in providing informational materials to citizens, other jurisdictions, the Washington Legislature, etc.

MEDIA AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Media relations is another function of this department. We respond to media requests for information. We also provide the media with other newsworthy information, including public hearings and new services for citizen use.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

County employees are located over a wide geographic area and provide an array of services. To help them maintain a high level of service to the community, our department strives to provide our employees with information so they feel connected as part of the Pierce County team.

MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTION

We partner with lots of organizations to share information about Pierce County. We work with the Chamber of Commerce, the Tacoma-Pierce County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Economic Development Board to emphasize the benefits of conducting business here. Other partners include 4-H; the United States Golf Association; Forterra (formerly the Cascade Land Conservancy; PCC Farmland Trust; Joint Base Lewis-McChord; regional agencies overseeing health, clean air and public transit, etc.

U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

The Communications Department worked in partnership with more than two dozen jurisdictions, organizations and individuals to promote the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay from Aug. 23-29, 2010.

Here is a PowerPoint slideshow that explains the event. And here is one version of the script that Executive Pat McCarthy and others have delivered with the slideshow.

Partners include the United States Golf Association; KemperSports; the cities of University Place, Tacoma and DuPont; the Pacific Northwest Golf Association; the Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau; the office of Gov. Chris Gregoire; professional golfer Ryan Moore; Puetz Golf; and and Tacoma-based design firm BCRA. Here is a link to the 2010 U.S. Amateur's website for more information.

Next up: planning for the 2015 U.S. Open.