Grays Harbor County, we have a mission statement

After three offsite strategic planning sessions led by consultant Thomas O’Connor, the likes of which Grays Harbor County has never seen, the board of county commissioners, along with the county administrator and clerk of the board, have emerged with the draft of a mission statement, as well as the framework for a vision statement and a set of core values.

The tentative mission statement reads as follows: “Effectively provide foundational services to enhance quality of life, encourage economic growth, and unify our community as ONE GRAYS HARBOR.”

Grays Harbor County Administrator Sam Kim said the mission statement took some massaging.

”Every time we do this, we revisit the previous work. We revisited our mission statement making sure that we still agree,” Kim said. “You may just want to either make sure that we’re making progress on the right things, or maybe change what we have already decided. We revisited the mission statement and we made a tiny little tweak.”

According to Kim, these offsite sessions are critical when it comes to fostering productive discussions between the commissioners and making rational decisions.

“It was needed so we can learn how to have healthy debate. Having healthy debates is something that’s kind of missing here and we’re getting better,” Kim said. “It is something that we have never trained for in this county. In the past, it was fight or flight or freeze. None of those are the best options. The best options involve a professional discussion based upon data and expertise and the desires of the community.”

Kim, along with District 1 Commissioner Georgia Miller, District 2 Commissioner Rick Hole, District 3 Commissioner Vickie Raines and Clerk of the Board Wendy Chatham, plan to meet three more times to solidify the vision statement and core values.

According to Hole, the effects of the strategic planning sessions have already been seen in a practical sense.

“I appreciate the time the commissioners have set aside for strategic planning. The first several sessions were focused on learning about one another, what our leadership styles are and how to work effectively together,” Hole said via email. “I see the results of those early sessions in our non-action meetings we have every two weeks. We’re not perfect by any means but we are trying to listen intently, not cut one another off and make sure everyone has a chance to speak on the issues. I think the non-action meetings are going longer than any of us expected but we are discussing important issues to the county and more freely sharing our ideas and concerns.”

Hole added that it would take quite a bit of work to set the parameters for the vision and goals for Grays Harbor and that other members of county leadership would be invited to participate in the process before the language and measurables are finalized.

“The third strategic session we finalized our collaborative mission, vision and values statements and began to ‘drill down’ into the five pillars of Housing, Health and Safety, Criminal Justice, Economic Development, and Financial Stewardship that form our vision statement,” Hole said. “In our upcoming sessions we will be working to understand the essence of each pillar and identify goals and measures for each of the pillars. These five pillars are multifaceted. It is taking quite a bit of discussion to distill them down to the essential components on which we all agree so we can establish measures that will help drive us to our goals. Once we’ve settled on some general agreements, we will open the process to a bigger group at the county including the leadership team reporting to the county administrator and elected officials. I am hopeful that we will have finished a comprehensive plan in time to incorporate risks and opportunities into our 2026 operating budget. I don’t think it will be perfect at first, but as we continue to document the process and incorporate the goals, measures and strategies to reach those goals I think we are building a valuable roadmap to strengthening our communities.”

Kim added this process would not work if the commissioners did not buy into it.

“By showing up and committing, the richness of discussion, the hard conversations that needed to occur without taking it personally, it did happen,” Kim said. “It was just something to watch when people are able to talk about their objections, their disagreements, and then turn it into their support and problem solving, and they’re figuring out a path forward because it turns out we all want the same thing.”

Kim said he has seen tremendous growth in the leadership team since the offsite retreats began.

“I would have said after day one that the growth was so significant that we are a different leadership team than when we started, I would say at the end of day two it was even more that we have exceeded what any of us would have thought,” Kim said. “After day three, I am very proud to say of all the counties I have worked for — this is my fourth county — this is the most cohesive leadership team I have ever worked with.”

Three more sessions are planned for this quintet before a larger meeting which will include other elected officials and the county administrator’s staff. The vision statement and set of core values is expected to be finalized this summer.