The Senior Scene

Nov. 4 is the last day to vote in the general election.
Ballots must be sent back no later than that date by mail or at official election dropboxes in Pierce County, King County and Kitsap County. Information on dropbox locations is available for Pierce voters at co.pierce.wa.us/elections and 253-798-7430, King voters at kingcounty.gov/elections and 206-296-8683, and Kitsap voters at kitsapgov.com and 360-337-7129.
Dropboxes will be open until 8 p.m. Nov. 4.
Voters in all three counties are deciding races for the Legislature, Congress and local offices, as well as local and state ballot measures.

With wet fall weather returning and leaves falling, the potential for flooding along roads increases. So does the opportunity for the public to help reduce flooding by keeping storm drains near their homes clear of leaves.
Road officials suggest the following ways to help:
• Pick up leaves and other yard waste and put them in yard waste bins for pick up
• If it can be done safely, remove leaves and other debris from storm drains with a rake.
• In Pierce County, find a list of local facilities that accept yard waste and leaves, often free of charge, at www.piercecountywa.org/yardwaste.
“While residents are raking leaves in their yards, they can also help the community by taking a few minutes to check on nearby storm drains and clean out leaves and other debris,” said Brian Ziegler, Pierce County’s director of Public Works and Utilities. “Spending a little effort at the start of fall can have a big impact as more storms blow into the area, bringing more rain and causing more leaves to drop.”
People living in cities and towns should contact their local public works department to report flooding or storm drain problems
In unincorporated areas of Pierce County, problems can be reported at 253-798-6000 or www.piercecountywa.org/.

Georgia Lomax is the new Pierce County Library System executive director. Lomax has served as the library’s deputy director since 2006. Lomax, 55, starts on Nov. 10, 2014, at a salary of $140,000. Neel Parikh, the library’s current executive director, retires Nov. 1, after 20 years at the helm.
Prior to joining Pierce County, Lomax worked for the King County Library System from 1993 to 2005 serving in a number of positions including cluster manager and managing librarian. Before that, she served as director of the Flathead County Library System in Montana from 1987 to 1992, and as the director of the Miles City Public Library and the Sagebrush Federation of Libraries from 1985 to 1987. She earned her master of library science degree from the University of Washington, Seattle, and her bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism from Washington State University.
Lomax sits on the executive board of Tacoma Community House and serves on the University of Washington iSchool Advisory Board. Nationally, she sits on the Public Library Association (PLA) Board of Directors and served as this year’s national conference program committee chair. She was named a “Mover and Shaker” by the “Library Journal” in 2010 and also won the Allie Beth Martin Award from PLA in 2006.
A Des Moines, Wash., native, Lomax is a 1977 graduate of Mt. Rainier High School in the Highline School District. Now a Sumner resident, Lomax is an avid sailor. She races regularly in Seattle aboard the 46-foot sailboat New Haven. In July, she and her New Haven teammates took third overall in the 2014 Vic-Maui race.
Lomax is the fourth director in Pierce County Library’s 68-year history. With faster Internet connections, more mobile devices and the rise of entertainment giants such as Amazon and Netflix, public libraries find themselves at a crossroads. Lomax’s goals for keeping Pierce County Library relevant include focusing on tech innovation, workforce development and finding ways to further support the military population. She also has a personal interest in further connecting the library with the Native American community.
“As libraries exit the recession, they can look back and try to rebuild what was, or they can look forward and ask what they must now become,” said Lomax. “We choose to move forward. We will determine our future using guidance from the community and the resources and creativity of our staff. I know for sure that includes providing much-needed services, great books for readers, and the library playing a major role in the community.”

Information from Pierce County and state officials will be presented in free public workshops this month on the subject of Medicare options for health insurance.
“Checking on Choices for Medicare” will be presented by the Pierce County Aging and Disability Resource Center and SHIBA – Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors, a service of the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner. The information-only event is for Medicare beneficiaries and anyone else interested in Medicare coverage.
The presentation will be held three times:
• Nov. 3 from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. at the Pierce County Annex main meeting room at 2401 S. 35th St. in Tacoma.
• Nov. 5 from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. at the County-City Building’s seventh-floor Rainier Conference Room in Tacoma
• Nov. 8 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Soundview Building at 3602 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma.
The sessions will include an overview of Original Medicare, Medicare Parts A, B and D, and Medicare Advantage, as well as wrap-around coverage options. Participants will learn about comparing plans and the basic elements to consider for coverage that will provide the best coverage for the least amount of money, said Aaron Van Valkenburg, manager of Aging and Disability Resources, an agency of Pierce County government.
“There’s good news and not-so-good news with Medicare,” said Van Valkenburg. “The good news is that consumers can now make choices for their coverage that will offer the best coverage based on their lifestyle, medical conditions and budget. The not-so-good-news is that if consumers do not take a close look each year, they could end up spending money needlessly.”