Snohomish County Earns Praise for Equity-Driven Pandemic Relief Strategies

Snohomish County has received praise for successfully using federal pandemic recovery funds to advance equity. The recognition comes from the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School, which recently published a report titled “Advancing Equity with the American Rescue Plan’s Local Recovery Funds.” According to a press release from

Snohomish County

, the county has been recognized as a “high performer” in integrating equity into its pandemic relief efforts, standing out amid the varied approaches across the country.

Expressing pride in the county’s achievements, County Executive Dave Somers emphasized the intentional equity focus. “It was my top priority to ensure that our pandemic recovery efforts focus on equity, and I am so proud to see our work recognized nationally,” Somers said in a statement per the

county’s news release

. The report highlighted the County’s “Recovery Roadshows,” a series of community events designed to engage with a diverse cross-section of the populace, as a national best practice. These roadshows facilitated dialogue and featured accessibility efforts such as providing meals, children’s activities, and Spanish translation services to include as many voices as possible.

Though the report singles out Snohomish County for excellence in several areas, it also points out a broader inconsistency in implementing equity-focused efforts elsewhere across the country. Nevertheless, Snohomish County’s newly appointed Chief DEI Officer, Wil Johnson, sees the recognition as a call to keep pushing boundaries.

The analysis by The New School’s Institute scrutinized the actions of 170 of the largest city and county governments in the U.S., with Snohomish County ranking within the top 20 jurisdictions. Notably, 75 percent of the county’s budgeted funds were equity-focused, signaling a significant commitment to these principles. To track the concrete outcomes of its programs, the County has also kept a publicly accessible Recovery Dashboard, thus aspiring for transparency in executing its relief strategies.

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