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2000 Court Manager of the Year

Puyallup Municipal Court Administrator Eileen Possenti honored as...

2000 Court Manager of the Year

At the annual Court Managers' Conference held in Olympia earlier this month, Court Administrator Eileen Possenti was honored as the Court Manager of the Year. Planning to retire from the Court in January of 2001, many saw the award as a timely tribute to her fourteen years of service to her court. Below, Puyallup Municipal Court Judge Stephen Shelton outlines the many reasons he nominated her for the award.

In nominating Eileen Possenti for the Court Manager of the Year Award, I decided that I should start from the beginning to truly express all of her accomplishments that have benefited the Puyallup Municipal Court and the Washington judicial system.

After twelve years as a court clerk for Aukeen District Court, Ms. Possenti joined our court in 1986 as the court administrator and proceeded to properly organize the court's administrative and clerical functions to both simplify and ensure efficiency. Always attentive to detail and the financial responsibilities of the court, she prepares the annual budget, and has been innovative in the implementation of various court systems. Of particular note has been Eileen's sensitivity to employee workload and to court security issues. She was instrumental in a cooperative effort with the Puyallup Police Department to create a new position of bailiff/warrant officer which has provided for a safe court environment and resulted in the service of outstanding arrest warrants.

In retrospect, for the past decade Eileen has more than fulfilled the myriad of responsibilities of her position of court administrator. And, if this was the only basis for this nomination, I believe she would be eligible for the Court Management Award. However, during my association with Ms. Possenti, I have observed her to far exceed the requirements of her position and to make significant contributions to the judicial system, to the individuals involved and to the community at large.

Here are just a few highlights on her many contributions to the courts:

• In September 1992, she developed and encouraged the creation of the Puyallup Municipal Court DUI Victim Impact Panel. Ms. Possenti has volunteered countless hours over the years to organize the speakers, attract new speakers who have suffered loss from alcohol related offenses, and developed new sources of education such as presentations by law enforcement officers, and trauma care medical staff. In 1999, Ms. Possenti's efforts to promote public safety were recognized when she was selected by the Pierce County Task Force on Alcohol and Driving to receive an award at both annual Pierce County DUI/Traffic Safety awards programs.
• In 1998, she was instrumental in receiving a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Council for the establishment of a probation department. After initially sharing a probation officer with Fife Municipal Court, the Puyallup court now employs a full-time probation officer and a second full-time officer will be added during 2001. Ms. Possenti was not only accurate in her assessment of the financial viability of the program, she accurately predicted the benefits of the active probation rather than bench/clerk monitoring for DUI and DV cases. In review, the program is self-supporting and is enabling individuals to be supported in their goals of sobriety and non-violence. In addition, defendants who are not fulfilling their responsibilities are now held accountable in a more timely and comprehensive manner.
• In 1996, Ms. Possenti was one of the founders of the East Pierce County Alliance Against Domestic Violence. Recognizing again that east Pierce County was in need of services, she assisted in setting up the initial meetings, which then developed into a non-profit organization of which she has served and is serving on the AADV Board of Directors as the treasurer.
• Last year she had the innovative idea to implement the approach utilized in DUI Victim Impact Panels to the issues of domestic violence. Ms. Possenti has the foresight and understanding that a victim panel for abusers would be a worthwhile project. Therefore, the Puyallup Municipal Court again developed a joint working relationship with the Fife Municipal Court and the DV Victim Panel was established. The panel has been a great success in that it is well attended, probation officers and treatment providers are encouraged by the responses of defendants, and other jurisdictions are now referring defendants to the program.

And finally, never one to rest, Ms. Possenti is now working to develop a statewide coalition of DV Victim Impact Panels. She presented at both the 7th Annual Greater Puget Sound Domestic Violence Conference and Washington State Crime Prevention Association Fall Conference within the past few months.

In conclusion, Eileen Possenti has in her actions undoubtedly improved the quality of service in our Washington courts, and I offer her my heartfelt congratulations as the 2000 Court Manager of the Year.

We will miss her guidance as she retires and moves on to other challenges, and acknowledge that the Puyallup Municipal Court has become one of the most outstanding municipal courts in the state during her time as the court administrator.