Today as I write this it is the turn of two small cities in Colorado to be re-defined by wildfires that have burned hundreds of homes. This event that is only one day old, will likely be the defining topic of concern for years and many council meetings to come.
Seattle Mayor Durkan got me thinking about this in her final message before she left office on December 31st. There was much more to her message, but here is a quote I lifted from her writing;
"My term as Mayor has been defined largely by these immense and unprecedented challenges facing Seattle and our country.
Then came the challenges of a COVID-19 global pandemic, a civil rights reckoning [riots], the closure of the West Seattle Bridge [a structural issue that will take years to fix], and more than 20 extreme weather challenges of unprecedented heat waves, snow storms, smoke, windstorms, and freezing temperatures – a reality of climate change for our region."
Mayor Durkan is the second Seattle mayor derailed by disaster events in the last ten years. One previous screwed up a response to a snow storm and did not get re-elected. Mayor Durkan did not seek a second term.
My advice to all elected officials is to get to know your emergency management director at the outset of your term. Listen to the advice they give you on disasters and becoming prepared to respond to them. You might escape having a disaster define your political future, but thinking nothing will happen while you are in charge is not a good strategy.
