Clallam County Watchdog

Jeff Tozzer
  • 3.8 (4)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED DAILY

Holding County Leaders Accountable www.ccwatchdog.com

  1. 1D AGO

    “People Who Use Drugs Deserve To Get AIDS and Die?”

    At Tuesday’s Board of Health meeting, Clallam County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry sharply criticized opponents of harm reduction, suggested fear about public safety is being amplified for political purposes, and made the explosive statement that she hopes critics are not implying that drug users “deserve to get AIDS and die.” Meanwhile, residents continue asking for measurable outcomes after years of needle distribution, safer-use supply programs, and growing public concern over encampments, addiction, and public safety. “There are a couple different funky bugs that are in the news,” Health Officer Allison Berry said Tuesday during the monthly Board of Health meeting. “Two different funky bugs,” Berry explained before discussing Hantavirus related to the cruise ship outbreak. She said the risk in Clallam County is “incredibly low,” but acknowledged that the public is no longer reassured by communications from the CDC using the term “low,” because it was also used in 2020 to describe COVID. “I think it’s worth acknowledging the loss of trust that came from them saying that, and saying that longer than they should have,” Berry said. But she acknowledged that “low” is accurate in this case. Berry said she has treated patients for Hantavirus through her part-time work for the Jamestown Corporation at the Healing Clinic and the Family Health facility. The second concern discussed was Ebola, which Berry said, “we don’t think that’s going to come here, but it’s worth being aware of.” She explained that the outbreak in Sub-Saharan Africa has been worsened by “massive cuts to USAID,” which allowed it to spread farther before being diagnosed. Harm Reduction Without Metrics Clallam County Health and Human Services still is not publicly providing meaningful outcome data regarding how many people are entering treatment, leaving homelessness, achieving sobriety, or successfully transitioning out of addiction and instability. Instead, the county highlighted success stories and “participant encounters.” One slide showed: * 668 participant encounters in April * 21 reported overdose reversals * 61 participants connected with partner services Dr. Berry explained that the department may explore telehealth access for Suboxone prescriptions through the Harm Reduction Health Center. Commissioner Randy Johnson noted that earlier public comment included criticism from residents upset about the program and asking where the data is. “When we talk about specifics of our program, it would be nice to be able to track our specific program,” Johnson said. That raises an obvious question many residents have been asking for years: How many decades into embracing harm reduction are we, and we are just now discussing establishing meaningful metrics? How many tens of thousands of meth pipes, crack pipe cleaning kits, boofing kits, foil kits, and needles has the county dispersed while only just now discussing how to measure success? Commissioner Mark Ozias said one of the most common public concerns involves the distribution of safer-use supplies and the perception that the county is encouraging drug use. “My understanding of that strategy is that that’s a communicable disease prevention strategy,” Ozias said. Berry explained that distributing safer-use supplies like pipes and boofing kits is intended to move people away from syringes because syringes carry a higher risk of spreading disease. Berry explained that sharing pipes can spread disease too, so that’s why it’s important to distribute more pipes. “Because what’s better than clean needles, is no needles,” she said, adding that “we are seeing people in our community quit using needles.” “I know the rhetoric we see online about it, that maybe we’re encouraging drug use, and the data is just very consistent that having access to these kind of supplies does not increase use of drugs. It does not teach people how to use drugs,” Berry said. Then came the statement that is likely to become the most controversial moment of the meeting. “I’ve heard a lot of this conversation about this idea that we need, like, more accountability for folks and — what’s the phrase? — compassion without accountability, and it’s strange that we’ve gotten wrapped into that in some way, because all that we do is help people not get AIDS and make them less likely to die.” Berry then added: “I hope that when people are asking for accountability, they’re not saying that people who use drugs deserve to get AIDS and die.” That statement reframed criticism of county policy into something far darker. Residents asking questions about public safety, discarded needles, public drug use, overdose rates, or whether distributing safer-use supplies is effective are now implicitly being associated with wanting drug users to “get AIDS and die.” That is an extraordinary accusation from a public health officer. Dream Playground Wasn’t “Misinformation” Johnson again raised concerns about public unease surrounding harm reduction and public safety. Berry responded: “I don’t think that’s happening organically.” She explained there is an active attempt to “build that narrative online” using misinformation and disinformation. “If someone is trying to make you afraid, you have to wonder what they benefit from sowing that fear,” Berry said. She claimed some individuals benefit politically by “sowing fear and distrust with our neighbors” and by creating the impression that there is “a public health catastrophe brewing.” Berry referenced receiving an email from someone who said they would not take their child to Dream Playground anymore because they heard syringes were there. “There are elements who want to build the idea that it’s so much worse than it is, because that serves them politically,” Berry said. But residents may remember that fears about syringes in playgrounds are not hypothetical. In 2018, a three-year-old child was accidentally poked by a discarded syringe at Dream Playground in Port Angeles. The Port Angeles Police Department later issued a public warning explaining that accidental needle sticks can expose victims to bloodborne pathogens and urged parents to conduct safety sweeps before allowing children to play. That incident was not misinformation. It happened. And for many parents, once a child is exposed to that kind of risk, the fear does not simply disappear because officials say conditions are being exaggerated. “Manipulated Pictures” and the Fight Over Public Perception Berry also said one of the biggest challenges facing public health officials is combating what she described as viral misinformation online. “Folks can even manipulate pictures online,” Berry said. “We have folks that are going into places that they know are messy, going in ostensibly to clean it up, but then taking a whole lot of pictures and posting online as if it’s downtown Port Angeles, as if it’s the trails we all take our kids on.” Berry said that portrayal “isn’t accurate” and called it “a disservice” to the community. The comments appeared to be directed, at least in part, toward community volunteers who routinely document encampments, garbage, discarded paraphernalia, and environmental damage in and around Port Angeles. Among them are 4PA volunteers, county commissioner candidate Jake Seegers, and resident Stacey Richards, all of whom have entered camps, removed trash from creeks and greenbelts, and publicly documented what they encountered. Those cleanup efforts have resulted in tons of garbage being removed from public spaces and waterways, including needles, propane bottles, shopping carts, human waste, foil kits, and other drug paraphernalia. Critics of the county’s harm reduction policies argue that at least some of those safer-use supplies originate from programs supported by local government and public health agencies. Berry’s remarks immediately raised another question: Who exactly is she accusing of manipulating photographs? Because many of the images being shared online are, in fact, taken in downtown Port Angeles, along public trails, beside salmon-bearing waterways, and in parks and greenbelts used by local families. The camps are real. The trash is real. The cleanup efforts are real. “If I were a business owner, I would hate that people are making P.A. look like that online,” Berry said. The people documenting the conditions are not the ones creating them. They are simply showing residents what already exists. “Positive Public Use” As a Vaccine Commissioner Mike French added that “Positive public use is kind of like its own vaccine against negative public use.” French argued that discouraging positive public activity can unintentionally create conditions where more negative activity takes hold. To many residents, however, the exchange reinforced a growing frustration with county leadership. Officials appear more focused on criticizing the people documenting deteriorating conditions than addressing the conditions themselves. That tension is why many residents believe photographs matter. If officials insist the images are misleading or exaggerated, then readers can judge for themselves. This is downtown Port Angeles.These are the public trails.These are the public spaces residents are talking about. Fear and Financial Incentives Berry repeatedly suggested that fear is being politically weaponized. But that fear also played a central role during COVID-era public health policy. This is the same Health Officer who supported restaurant shutdowns, vaccine passport requirements, and sweeping public restrictions during COVID, while also working for the Jamestown Family Health Clinic. At the same time, Jamestown-owned businesses operated under tribal sovereignty and were not subject to many of the same mandates and restrictions imposed on local non-tribal b

    59 min

  2. 2D AGO

    "They Know Where We Live"

    Anti-Jake Seegers activism is escalating beyond policy disagreements and campaign signs. After stickers labeling Seegers a “carpetbagger” and “out of town real estate investor” appeared at the end of his family’s private driveway — where his children discovered them during a bike ride — questions are now being raised about how far local political hostility is willing to go, and whether some activists are more interested in intimidation than honest debate. Stickers calling county commissioner candidate Jake Seegers a “carpetbagger” and “out of town real estate investor” continue appearing, and not just in downtown Port Angeles. Most recently, the stickers showed up roughly seven miles away from the downtown core — at the entrance to the Seegers family driveway itself. The stickers were discovered by three children riding their bicycles to pick up the family’s mail. The children were Jake’s. The stickers had been placed on signs and posts at the entrance to the shared driveway used by several neighboring families. The message was unmistakable. This was no longer simply, “We disagree with Jake Seegers politically.”The message had evolved into something much more personal: “We know where you live.” Jake’s middle child summed up the moment in a way only a child can: “That’s scary… they know where we live.” That sentence says more about the current state of local politics than perhaps anything else could. A Campaign That Has Intensified With just over five months remaining in the race, Seegers’ campaign has clearly entered a new phase. Jake continues to spend long days meeting with residents, listening to concerns, touring local industries, conducting podcast interviews, writing articles for CC Watchdog, and engaging directly with community members. Jake is putting in 60-hour workweeks while balancing life as a husband, father, volunteer, and friend. But now that the race has narrowed into a two-person contest, another shift has become apparent. The attacks have become less about policy and increasingly about the man himself. Rather than debating county spending, homelessness, public safety, roads, taxes, or economic development, much of the rhetoric online has turned toward labeling, personal associations, and attempts to portray Seegers as politically radioactive. Reddit, Rumors, and Anonymous Politics A lengthy Reddit discussion about Jake Seegers recently gained traction online after one user reposted what they described as “research” into Seegers’ background, finances, family foundation connections, business relationships, and property ownership. The original post raised questions about transparency, campaign disclosures, out-of-state family associations, grants tied to the Seegers Foundation, Seegers’ involvement with local organizations, and whether certain property ownership interests should have been disclosed in connection with advocacy surrounding Olympic Hot Springs Road. Some commenters described the research as “great work” and argued that Seegers was not being fully transparent. Others used the thread to speculate about broader political motives, national conservative ties, religion, Project 2025, and alleged “MAGA” associations. One commenter referred to Seegers as a “carpetbagger,” while others mocked his background, family wealth, and even his children. The thread also highlighted something increasingly common in modern politics: anonymous online activism replacing direct public conversation. Reddit allows users to operate under anonymous screen names, and discussions can quickly escalate in tone and speculation. In this case, accusations, assumptions, and political labeling rapidly overtook any substantive discussion about county government itself. What makes the situation notable, however, is that Seegers did not avoid the thread. Using his own account, Seegers directly responded publicly: “Thank you for originally raising these legitimate concerns.” He then expanded an open invitation to anyone involved in the discussion to join him for a recorded podcast interview where they could ask any questions they wanted, on the record, in long-form format, with the entire community able to hear both the questions and the answers in full context. He wrote: “Transparency is critical, and this is a way to provide it for everyone interested.” So far, despite the accusations and speculation, no one has accepted the offer. “FTG” One particularly telling comment circulating online suggested creating signs that say “FTG” with arrows pointing toward Seegers at public events. For those unfamiliar with the slang, “FTG” is shorthand for the French phrase Ferme ta gueule, which roughly translates to “shut up” or more bluntly, “shut the f*** up.” That is the level local political discourse is descending toward. Not debate.Not discussion.Not competing visions for county government. Just hostility. From Protest to Intimidation? There is an important distinction between criticizing a candidate’s policies and attempting to intimidate a candidate personally. People absolutely have the right to oppose Jake Seegers politically. They have the right to question his ideas, challenge his proposals, disagree with his priorities, and support another candidate. That is democracy. But when activists begin placing targeted political messaging at the end of a candidate’s private driveway where his children will encounter it, reasonable people begin asking where the line is. Especially when online discussions openly discuss following him to events, surrounding him with signs, and confronting him with nationally divisive ideological litmus tests that have little to do with county government. A Different Response Ironically, just last week, another incident tested the campaign. A person was caught on camera removing and destroying one of Jake’s signs. It did not take long for members of the community to identify the individual involved through social media. The individual later contacted Jake directly and apologized. Rather than escalating the situation, Jake agreed to meet with the man personally to discuss his concerns and ideas about county government. Law enforcement contacted Seegers and asked whether he wished to pursue charges related to the sign destruction. He declined. According to Seegers: “I asked the Sheriff’s Department not to pursue an investigation or press charges. This person appears to have made a poor decision out of frustration and then personally reached out to apologize. That humility is admirable. Additionally, it did not seem like a good use of our limited and already strained law enforcement resources. I look forward to a future conversation with this individual and believe that, like most community members, we can find common ground on local issues.” That response reflects exactly who Jake Seegers is: approachable, willing to listen, calm under pressure, and genuinely interested in hearing from people even when they disagree with him. People may disagree with his policies or question his solutions. That is fair game in politics. But targeting a candidate’s family and sending the message that political opponents are comfortable showing up at the end of his driveway is something entirely different. And many in the community are beginning to notice the difference. “Intimidation and coercion have no place in a free society.” — Harry S. Truman Today’s Tidbit: A Historic Shift Yesterday, for the first time in more than a decade, the Clallam County Commissioners approved a formal response letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding a proposed transfer of land into federal tribal trust status. That did not happen by accident. It happened because members of the public pushed for it relentlessly for more than two years, refusing to let the issue disappear quietly into bureaucracy and backroom silence. Citizens attended meetings, submitted comments, wrote emails, researched federal processes, and repeatedly asked why Clallam County was not formally responding to trust land applications that directly impact taxation, zoning, land use, and local governance. This is genuinely historic. And whether people agree with every word of the letter or not, County Administrator Todd Mielke deserves substantial credit for helping move the county toward finally engaging the issue formally and professionally. The letter itself is surprisingly direct. It outlines concerns about the cumulative loss of taxable land in Clallam County, noting that roughly 70 percent of the county is already publicly owned and exempt from property taxes when federal, state, local, and tribal lands are combined. The county warns that continued transfers into trust status shift increasing tax burdens onto remaining private property owners while reducing the land base that funds schools, fire districts, hospitals, libraries, roads, and local government services. The response also raises concerns about inconsistent zoning oversight once land enters trust status, particularly when parcels are not adjacent to existing reservation lands. The county notes that trust lands are no longer subject to many local land use regulations, potentially creating situations where neighboring properties operate under entirely different rules. Most notably, the county formally requested that the BIA encourage tribes to enter into agreements similar to the “payment in lieu of taxes” arrangement associated with the Quileute Tribe, recognizing the growing strain placed on local taxpayers and taxing districts. For years, many residents were told these conversations either could not happen, should not happen, or were inappropriate to discuss publicly. Now, they are happening in official county correspondence. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ccwatchdog.com

    44 min

  3. 3D AGO

    Taxes for Thee, Exemptions for Me?

    A debate over tourism promotion funding exposed a growing frustration in Clallam County: local hotels and vacation rentals are required to collect lodging taxes that fund tourism campaigns, while one of the region’s largest hospitality empires benefits from those campaigns without paying into the system. What Is LTAC? Tourism promotion in Clallam County is funded largely through the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, commonly known as LTAC. The program collects lodging taxes from hotels, motels, vacation rentals, and Airbnbs, then redistributes those dollars to festivals, events, marketing campaigns, and organizations designed to attract visitors to the Olympic Peninsula. The theory is simple: bring in tourists, fill hotel rooms, boost shopping and restaurant traffic, and strengthen the local economy. At the April 9 LTAC meeting, Commissioner Randy Johnson and committee members reviewed funding applications for 2026 tourism promotion efforts. Several organizations requested support. Joyce Daze sought $5,000 to market its annual festival and draw out-of-town visitors. The Port Angeles Waterfront District requested $50,000 for tourism promotion efforts aimed at increasing regional visitation. The Sequim City Band also requested $5,000 to help host the Association of Concert Bands Regional Connections Event scheduled for July 24–25, 2026. The event is expected to bring approximately 350 musicians and attendees from neighboring counties and other states for concerts, clinics, workshops, and performances hosted at the James Center for Performing Arts in Sequim. Organizers estimate roughly 100 hotel rooms will be rented during the conference. On the surface, it sounds like exactly the type of economic activity LTAC was designed to encourage. Until you look at where much of the event activity and lodging will occur. Who Benefits From the Tourism Push? A significant portion of the conference is expected to take place at the Jamestown Corporation-owned 7 Cedars Hotel and Resort in Blyn, with RV attendees expected to stay at the tribe’s Salish Trails RV Park. Organizers also noted arrangements with Olympic View Inn in Sequim, but the Jamestown Corporation properties are positioned to receive substantial benefit from the tourism campaign funded through county lodging taxes. And that immediately raised a familiar question. Commissioner Randy Johnson was the first to openly acknowledge the issue during the LTAC discussion. “The one item… that this also highlights is the issue of a tribal hotel that doesn’t contribute to lodging tax,” Johnson said during the meeting. He added, “This gives me a reason to send another letter to the tribe.” Johnson was referring to the August 2025 letter sent by the Clallam County Board of Commissioners to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe requesting a conversation about the tribe contributing property and lodging taxes. That letter has since become a politically sensitive subject. The “Fair Share” Debate At a recent commissioner forum, a resident asked whether the commissioners planned to follow up on the request for the Jamestown Corporation to pay what the commenter described as its “fair share” of property and lodging taxes. Johnson acknowledged he had not sent a follow-up letter. Commissioner Mark Ozias, attending remotely and unable to respond before boarding a flight to Maui, reportedly told the commissioners that he may have contacted someone informally about the issue. Commissioner Mike French then stepped in to defend the county’s relationship with the tribe, explaining that Clallam County’s “sovereign neighbors” operate on different “time scales,” which he described as “often uncomfortable for us, but it is just how their governments work.” French also criticized the phrase “fair share,” calling it disrespectful to tribal sovereignty. “They are a sovereign nation,” French said. “That is not how that relationship works.” While French objected to the wording of a resident’s question as disrespectful, he has previously used nearly identical language himself in other contexts. A Different Standard? In 2020, French posted publicly about illegal marijuana grow operations and black-market activity. In that post, he wrote: “The least concern of all is that taxes don’t get paid — it’s still an issue, people should pay their fair share…” French’s earlier comments argued that tax avoidance harms communities and shifts burdens elsewhere. Why does that principle apply strongly to illegal cannabis operations but becomes inappropriate terminology when discussing tribal-owned hospitality businesses competing directly against tax-paying local hotels, inns, and vacation rentals? The issue extends beyond philosophy. Local lodging businesses throughout Clallam County are required to collect taxes that help fund tourism campaigns and marketing efforts. Those dollars are then used to attract visitors who may ultimately stay at tax-exempt tribal-owned lodging properties. In effect, competitors are funding promotional campaigns that benefit businesses operating outside the same tax structure. “Not My Job” French later stated he would not personally pursue follow-up discussions because he is not the county liaison to the Jamestown Tribe. That explanation frustrated some residents, particularly because all three commissioners signed the original August 2025 letter. While commissioners campaign countywide and make decisions affecting taxpayers throughout Clallam County, responsibility suddenly narrows when politically sensitive issues involving tribal taxation arise. Even more puzzling to some observers was the contradiction. If French believed it was inappropriate for him to follow up because he was not the liaison, why did he sign the original letter in the first place? And if decisions made by the Jamestown Corporation impact the tax burden of residents throughout the county, every commissioner has an obligation to represent taxpayers on the issue — especially in a countywide elected office. Ozias Suggests a Different Path The conversation took another turn yesterday when Commissioner Ozias floated a different approach altogether. Rather than focusing on lodging tax payments, Ozias suggested tribal governments could instead help meet tourism promotion goals through cultural participation — sharing tribal history, storytelling, educational events, and performances that would attract visitors to the region. The concept resembled the type of cultural tourism often marketed in Hawaii — an idea Ozias appeared to bring back from the recent conference he attended in Maui. Supporters may view the idea as collaborative and culturally enriching. However, there is a different dynamic emerging: tribal enterprises remain exempt from lodging taxes while participating directly in tourism marketing efforts that could further increase business at tribal-owned hotels, RV parks, and vacation properties. To opponents, it feels less like equal participation and more like a system where competitors pay into the tourism fund while exempt entities simultaneously benefit from both the marketing and the exemption itself. First, the county loses the tax revenue, then tourism campaigns funded by competitors help drive business toward exempt properties, and finally the arrangement is celebrated as a partnership. The Larger Question For many residents and business owners, the core question remains unresolved: Should businesses competing in the same tourism marketplace operate under fundamentally different financial obligations when public tourism dollars are involved? “When one side bears all the costs and the other reaps all the rewards, it is no longer cooperation — it is exploitation.” — John C. Maxwell Today’s Tidbit: PDN Returning to Balance? Two excellent letters to the editor from the Peninsula Daily News last weekend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ccwatchdog.com

    39 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Showered With Good Intentions, Drenched in Bad Oversight

    What began as a simple request for help in 2023 quietly evolved into a shower voucher pipeline tied to Clallam County’s Harm Reduction Health Center, all with little public awareness, no clear board approval, and almost no meaningful oversight. Now, instead of shutting the program down after public backlash, the Shore Pool board is expanding it, rebranding it, and pushing forward anyway. A Shower Program Nobody Knew About For nearly two years, the William Shore Memorial Pool District quietly operated a shower voucher program for homeless and unhoused individuals without a formal board-approved policy, without meaningful public awareness, and apparently without some board members even knowing it existed. Now, after public outrage exposed the program, the response from the Shore Pool board has not been caution, accountability, or reassessment. Instead, it has been rebranding. The “Shower Voucher Program” is now the far more polished-sounding “Community Hygiene Access Program.” Because apparently if you rename something, the controversy disappears with it. The board unanimously voted to reinstate the program after briefly pausing it following community backlash. During the latest meeting, commissioners and staff discussed expanding the offerings beyond showers to include hygiene kits with soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and towels. “Having changed the name to the Community Hygiene Access Program, it gives the impression we’re providing more than just a shower,” Director Ryan Amiot said during the May meeting, according to the Peninsula Daily News. That part, at least, is honest. Because the Shore Pool is no longer functioning simply as a public aquatic center. It is steadily morphing into another publicly funded social service arm in a city already saturated with them. And taxpayers are rightfully asking: When exactly did families vote for the local pool to become part of the county’s harm reduction infrastructure? The Real Issue Isn’t Showers The issue has never been whether struggling people deserve access to hygiene. The issue is where the vouchers are being distributed, who is receiving them, and why this program was embedded into a family-oriented aquatic facility without transparency or safeguards. The vouchers are being distributed through Clallam County’s Harm Reduction Health Center — the same facility that distributes free drug paraphernalia and supplies to active addicts — as well as St. Vincent de Paul. Meanwhile, Port Angeles already has shelters and facilities specifically intended for serving unhoused populations, many of which already provide showers. The Shore Pool is not a shelter. It is a family recreation facility where children swim, families change clothes, patrons store valuables, and people are often in vulnerable situations. Yet the board’s repeated defense is that they are “unaware of incidents.” That is a remarkably low standard for public safety. So the plan is to wait until something happens? How exactly do you “un-victimize” a child after the fact? One of the more revealing moments during the public discussion came when board commissioner LaTrisha Suggs argued that while transients are using the facility, they could potentially encounter someone who offers them a job. That may sound compassionate on paper, but many residents are asking a more basic question first: Why are vulnerable families and children being placed into an unnecessary social experiment when alternative shower facilities already exist elsewhere? The Board Doesn’t Even Know Where the Vouchers Are Going Even more concerning, the board openly acknowledged they do not actually know where all the vouchers are ending up. Although officials insist only two organizations distribute them, public commenters stated vouchers are also showing up at the library and community feeding events. The board did not seem especially alarmed. One section of the proposed policy states that “vouchers may not be sold, transferred, or reused.” That sounds reassuring until one asks the obvious follow-up question: How would they know? There appears to be no meaningful tracking system, no identity verification, no accountability chain, and no enforcement mechanism. Just trust. Commissioner Suggs also objected to language in the draft policy allowing the board to suspend or terminate the program based on “community impact” because she worried it could stigmatize the program or produce a “fear response.” But “community impact” is precisely what elected boards are supposed to consider, especially when taxpayers are raising concerns about safety, sanitation, operational priorities, and mission creep. The comments from Commissioner Mike French were equally revealing. “I want to highlight a couple of things in this because it’s important to me,” French said. “The program is intended to operate at little or no cost to the facility and during low-use times, so I’m against anything that makes the program more complicated or complex.” In other words: keep it simple. Don’t burden it with too many rules. French also supported allowing the executive director to approve participating organizations without requiring a formal board application process. So the public gets fewer safeguards, less oversight, and more administrative discretion. What could possibly go wrong? Mike French Says He Didn’t Know Perhaps the most astonishing revelation of all is that Commissioner Mike French — who sits on the pool board and also serves as a Clallam County commissioner overseeing the county’s harm reduction programs — admitted he didn’t even know the voucher program existed until social media exposed it. In an email, French wrote: “I was made aware of the program because of information shared on social media; I was not aware of the program before the public was informed.” The program had reportedly been operating for approximately 18 months. A year and a half. And a commissioner serving on both sides of the arrangement claims he knew nothing about it. This is the same pool district scrutinized last year after the State Auditor uncovered fraud involving tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars. Oversight matters. Boards are not résumé builders for those who serve. Members are supposed to supervise public institutions, monitor programs, ask questions, establish safeguards, and protect taxpayer interests. Instead, this program appears to have evolved through informal conversations between social service organizations and pool administrators with little visible board involvement. How the Program Actually Started The paper trail tells the story. On October 24, 2023, First Step Family Support Center employee Riley Slonecker emailed then-director Denise Dawson asking whether the aquatic center offered shower vouchers for a client living without running water. Dawson responded the same day, saying the idea had been discussed previously and suggesting a “pilot program” to see how it would work. At the time, the discussion sounded limited and specific. Slonecker indicated they may have “a handful of clients” who could benefit from shower access. By November 30, 2023, Dawson proposed creating “a shower voucher card (similar to a punch card)” for organizations to distribute to people needing showers. Then management changed. After Dawson left, current Executive Director Ryan Amiot revived the idea in April 2024, apologizing for it “getting lost in the shuffle between management changes” and promising to implement the vouchers. On May 21, 2024, Amiot confirmed the vouchers had been finalized and were ready for pickup. Then, in October 2025, Clallam County’s Harm Reduction Health Center formally requested vouchers for syringe service participants, writing that the population served was “primarily unhoused or unstably housed.” The county specifically requested vouchers to distribute during walk-in hours at the Harm Reduction Health Center. So despite claims this program simply evolved organically to help people in need, the records show something much more structured: a coordinated expansion between the pool district, social service organizations, and eventually the county’s harm reduction apparatus. So What Exactly Is the Board For? That question becomes even more important after another records request response from Executive Director Ryan Amiot. Amiot acknowledged he could not locate prior board approval for the program and instead cited the executive director’s job description as the apparent authority for creating it. The job description does indeed state the executive director may “develop programs and improve operations.” But if a single administrator can independently create public-facing programs involving safety, liability, partnerships with outside agencies, operational impacts, and taxpayer-funded resources without explicit board approval, then residents are left asking a fair question: What exactly is the board for? Especially when commissioners later claim they had no idea the program even existed. The same executive director job description also states that the director is supposed to “keep WSMPD Board fully informed of conditions and operations of the District” and work with the board in developing district policies. If commissioners truly did not know this program existed for a year and a half, either the board was not being informed, or the board was not paying attention. Neither explanation inspires confidence. Mission Creep at the Community Pool Meanwhile, the board continues discussing operational details like color-coded vouchers, reusable towels, hygiene kits, and expanded services. One commissioner worried discarded towels could become litter around town. Another concern raised during the meeting was whether towels used by voucher participants could pose health risks to other patrons. Amiot dismissed those concerns, explaining the towels would

    23 min

  5. 5D AGO

    Tumwater Tragedy

    After a teenage driver nearly killed a pedestrian near the Tumwater encampment, County Commissioner candidate Jake Seegers confronts the hard questions local leaders have avoided for years: How did Port Angeles allow dangerous encampments, rampant drug activity, and environmental destruction to flourish beside public roadways and salmon streams — and who will finally stop it? This in-depth article connects the crash, the policies, the funding system, and the leadership failures that critics say turned compassion into chaos. A Close Call May 5th was a typical Tuesday for the 4PA Clean-Up Crew. 4PA is a Port Angeles-based nonprofit focused on trash cleanup efforts and high-barrier transitional shelter services for people experiencing homelessness. We were preparing for our second cleanup site of the day along Tumwater Creek. Founder Joe DeScala had already positioned the truck and dump trailer along the shoulder of the Tumwater Truck Route. I waited for a break in traffic so I could cross from where I had parked on the opposite side of the road, but cars continued streaming through the curves in both directions at a steady, fast pace. Passenger vehicles, log trucks, and dump trucks rumbled past just feet away as I hoped drivers were paying attention to their surroundings. It is a dangerous location for 4PA employees and volunteers, but it’s the only way to remove the trash that piles up along the creek below. And the trash never stops. Constant accumulation is a result of illegal camping that violates ordinances the City of Port Angeles fails to consistently enforce. Illegal creekside encampments have exploded in recent years. Along with them have come thousands of pounds of human and solid waste: discarded clothing, blankets, tents, food containers, stolen shopping carts, and piles of drug-use supplies — many still unopened — from nearby harm-reduction distribution programs. In a February interview with Radio Pacific Inc., Joe DeScala described the scale of the problem: “In one waterway alone [Tumwater Creek], we average about 1,500 pounds of garbage removed every single week — 1,920 pounds today, actually. If we stop tomorrow, that accumulation would continue at the same rate. I’ve got the numbers to show it, and these would be directly in sensitive watersheds.” That pace would total nearly 80,000 pounds of trash annually from Tumwater Creek alone. On May 5th, hours after 4PA finished cleaning, a different kind of tragedy struck. One Instant. Two Lives Changed. At 9:46 PM on May 5th, two lives would be changed forever. A 16-year-old female driver was heading northbound on Tumwater Truck Route, approaching the 8th Street bridge. Beneath the 8th Street Bridge, a pedestrian crossing over Tumwater Creek serves as a common access point to and from the encampments lining the creek corridor. It leads to a clearing in the dense brush, opening onto a frequently occupied parcel of county-owned property. This corridor is often active with Tumwater residents walking along the shoulders of the truck route in both directions, day and night. That evening, it was already dark. There are no street lights illuminating the nearby entrance to Tumwater’s unsanctioned encampment. As the young driver rounded the bend near the bridge at approximately 40 MPH, she struck a pedestrian walking along the shoulder. The vehicle's damage reflected the severity of the collision. The pedestrian, identified as Brian Clewall, sustained injuries to his head, leg, and arm. Photos from the scene showed his belongings scattered across the roadway beside a significant pool of blood. A local resident of the Tumwater Encampment described the injuries as “major” and indicated they were nearly fatal. According to the collision report: “Unit 1 was traveling northbound on the S Tumwater Truck Route. Unit 1 did not see the pedestrian walking alongside the shoulder and struck him. She pulled over and called 911. I arrived on scene, and the pedestrian had major injuries to his foot and arm. The pedestrian was transported to the hospital.” These five sentences describe a tragedy that should have never happened. The Expansion of Harm County leadership and the Port Angeles City Council have long embraced the distribution of drug-use supplies under the banner of “harm reduction.” Meanwhile, the City has often refused to enforce ­illegal camping ordinances on public land in the name of compassion. But what officials describe as compassion has increasingly become a well-documented environmental and public health­­ catastrophe. The human toll resembles cruelty far more than compassion: individuals trapped in addiction living among mounting refuse while fighting off rats and raccoons burrowing into tents. Abundant services and access to drug-use supplies have created the Tumwater ecosystem of homeless camping and substance abuse. * Free food is abundant (see list here) * Showers are available at multiple locations, including taxpayer-funded locker rooms at Shore Aquatic Center. * The Answer For Youth (TAFY) provides free tents, camping gear, and propane tank refills to all ages. * Free healthcare services are readily available. * Drug-use supplies are widely distributed. * Drugs are openly bought and sold in known locations throughout the city. * Clallam Transit conveniently connects these services at no cost to riders. * Trespass ordinances on public land, such as those at the Tumwater Encampment, often go unenforced. Public safety has been compromised by attracting and encouraging illegal activity as health officials hand out the supplies and instructions on how to get high, leaving their patients to creatively fund their addiction. Under RCW 69.50.412 and RCW 69.50.4121, possession and distribution of drug paraphernalia are illegal. In 2023, Washington added explicit exemptions for public-health-oriented harm reduction distribution. In other words, it is a misdemeanor for ordinary citizens to possess or distribute drug paraphernalia, yet government-protected healthcare workers are exempt when distributing those same supplies in ways that facilitate illegal drug use in our community. Once those supplies are handed off to individuals intending to abuse drugs, criminal activity has been enabled, condoned, encouraged, and facilitated under the banner of public health. These policy decisions have made Clallam County the destination of least resistance for homelessness and substance abuse, and have welcomed illegal communities like the Tumwater Encampment, where drug use is commonplace. Listed among Mr. Clewall’s personal possessions was 17.2 grams of methamphetamine – a quantity unlikely to represent personal-use alone. Tumwater is not officially sanctioned as a drug camp, but through persistent non-enforcement and active enabling, it increasingly functions as one. This failed leadership nearly cost another life — this time not from overdose, but from the dangerous conditions created by allowing illegal encampments and drug use to thrive beside dangerous roadways. Local Housing Last Housing First — the belief that homelessness is solved by providing permanent housing without requiring sobriety, employment, or participation in treatment — has guided Clallam County policy since the county’s original 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness in 2005. Yet homelessness continues to grow. Part of the problem may be tied to how the system is funded. The federal HUD Continuum of Care grant awards consider “demonstrated local need.” Point-in-Time homeless counts, along with lengthy housing waitlists, are often used to justify additional or continued funding and resources. In 2024, 2,408 households were on the waitlist for local permanent supportive housing. By 2025 – only twelve months later - the waitlist had nearly doubled. Meanwhile, Clallam County’s Point-in-Time Count (shown earlier) identified 310 homeless individuals, including 176 unsheltered — a meager 7.6% increase over the same period. How did the housing waitlist increase by 86% in a single year while the Point-in-Time count of homeless individuals rose by only 7.6%? More importantly, why is the housing waitlist nearly fifteen times larger than the homeless population counted in 2025? The disconnect is difficult to ignore. Thousands of individuals appear to be competing for local housing resources despite not being physically present and unsheltered in Clallam County. In an economically depressed county with scarce resources and a strained tax base, local housing resources should prioritize local needs. The Tumwater Fix Working together, Clallam County and its municipalities, the Port of Port Angeles, the Clallam County Board of Health, the Sheriff’s Department, local police, fire, and EMS agencies, and social service nonprofits have an opportunity to reverse the decline in public safety and public health, protect environmentally sensitive areas and business districts, and restore public spaces to the communities they were meant to serve. Cities such as Spokane, Dallas, and San Diego have successfully implemented approaches. Here’s how elements of those strategies could be applied in Clallam County: * Prioritize local housing resources for individuals currently residing in Clallam County. This may require wiping the housing waiting list clean and rebuilding it with individuals who are physically present and unsheltered in Clallam County. * Strengthen shelter policies to ensure services are supportive and attractive to those leaving outdoor living. Serenity House Shelter typically has dozens of vacant beds. * Expand transitional shelter capacity rather than focusing primarily on costly permanent supportive housing. Fast-track permitting and prioritize funding for transitional shelters similar to those operated by 4PA. * Redirect funding from drug-use supplies to treatment programs with measurable outcomes. * Remove the option to live outside on public land. *

    45 min

  6. MAY 14

    Fish Wars, Court Wars, and the Myth of the “Perfect Steward”

    For years, the public has been told that tribal control automatically means better environmental stewardship. But court records, treaty disputes, commercial export operations, and decades of intertribal lawsuits tell a far more complicated story. From oyster farms inside wildlife refuges to fights over fishing territories, shellfish allocations, and commercial harvests headed overseas, the reality appears less spiritual and more economic. Now, as Protect the Peninsula’s Future continues its lawsuit over commercial oyster operations in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, residents are asking a politically uncomfortable question: if everyone claims to be the “best steward,” why are they all suing each other over the resource? The debate over tribal stewardship on the Olympic Peninsula just took another turn. Protect the Peninsula’s Future (PPF) recently updated supporters on its ongoing federal lawsuit against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service over commercial oyster operations connected to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe inside the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. According to PPF, the core issue is simple: the Tribe allegedly received permits from Clallam County, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to commercially grow oysters on 34 acres inside the refuge — but the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service never completed a required “compatibility determination” analyzing whether the operation would harm refuge wildlife. PPF argues federal law is clear that wildlife conservation must remain the priority on refuge lands. The organization says the Refuge System Improvement Act requires federal managers to ensure “biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health” are maintained before new uses are approved. Then came another twist. According to the update, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe attempted to intervene directly in the lawsuit, arguing that a ruling against the project could financially harm the Tribe. The federal court reportedly denied the request twice, leading to an appeal before the Ninth Circuit. And that is where this story becomes much larger than one oyster farm. Because the public is constantly told that tribal management is inherently superior stewardship — almost spiritual in nature — and that criticism of tribal resource control is somehow anti-environmental. But history paints a more complicated picture. The “Best Steward” Narrative Meets the Courtroom If tribal stewardship were universally aligned and environmentally harmonious, why are tribes so frequently suing each other over fish, shellfish, and harvest territory? The legal record is extensive. A 2005 federal subproceeding involving the Skokomish Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe centered on disputes over Hood Canal fisheries and whether certain harvests violated prior agreements tied to the Boldt Decision framework. The litigation became so complicated that counterclaims were split into separate proceedings. That wasn’t isolated. In 2019, another Ninth Circuit case revisited tribal fishing disputes rooted in the Boldt Decision — the landmark 1974 ruling that dramatically reshaped treaty fishing rights in Washington state. There are also long-running territorial disputes involving the Lummi Nation and S’Klallam tribes over fishing areas and treaty interpretations stretching back decades. In other words, this isn’t a simple story of “wise stewardship versus reckless outsiders.” It is often competing governments fighting over highly valuable commercial resources. And the stakes are enormous. This Isn’t Just Subsistence Fishing Another uncomfortable reality rarely discussed publicly is the scale and commercialization of many modern tribal fisheries. According to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and related fisheries documents, treaty tribes participate in major commercial harvests involving Pacific whiting, sablefish (blackcod), shrimp, shellfish, geoduck, and sea cucumber fisheries. One documented example states tribal divers harvested approximately 150,000 sea cucumbers in a single 2020 season. These are not symbolic harvests intended merely to “feed the village.” This is industrial-scale commerce. Some of those products enter lucrative export markets in Asia, particularly China. That matters because the public narrative often frames treaty harvests as purely local, sustainable, low-impact food gathering deeply connected to place and tradition. But much of the seafood economy today operates like global capitalism because that’s exactly what it is. Commercial buyers.Export markets.International pricing.Competing allocations.Territorial disputes.Federal litigation. That doesn’t automatically make it wrong. But it does make the rhetoric surrounding it far less romanticized than what many residents are led to believe. So Who Gets To Claim Moral Authority? That may be the most politically sensitive question of all. Because increasingly, residents are being told that tribes should exercise greater control over wildlife refuges, fisheries, tidelands, shoreline management, salmon restoration policy, and even broader land-use decisions because they are supposedly uniquely qualified stewards of the land. But if stewardship is genetic, spiritual, or culturally automatic, why do tribes themselves frequently end up in adversarial court battles over harvest boundaries, allocations, shellfish beds, and commercial rights? Who decides which tribe is the “better steward” when tribes disagree with each other? The Skokomish?The Squaxin?The Lummi?The Jamestown S’Klallam?The Lower Elwha Klallam?The Makah?The Quileute?The Puyallup?The Port Gamble S’Klallam? And if the answer ultimately becomes “whoever wins in federal court,” then perhaps this debate has far less to do with sacred stewardship and far more to do with power, economics, and control of valuable natural resources. That may not fit neatly on a bumper sticker. But it is increasingly difficult to ignore. “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, and the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.” — Often attributed to Cree prophecy Today’s Tidbit: The Front-Page Push for Volunteer Labor It made the front page. And notably, it was not written by Sequim Gazette newsroom staff. The article was authored by the Tribe’s communications and publications specialist. In other words, the Tribe effectively received front-page space in the local paper to promote its own messaging and programs in what reads more like institutional public relations than independent reporting. Not a story about a struggling nonprofit.Not a tiny grassroots conservation club operating on bake sales and spare change. A front-page story about the Jamestown Corporation’s Refuge Management Program and its partnership with the Dungeness Nature Alliance recruiting volunteers to help trap invasive European green crabs on the Dungeness Spit. According to the article, more than 40 community volunteers are already participating in the effort through the Dungeness Nature Alliance (DNA), a volunteer partnership involving the Refuge Management Program and the Dungeness River Nature Center. The article describes volunteers spending hundreds of hours trapping crabs, recording biometrics, entering data, and supporting field operations throughout the season. That raises an interesting question. Why is an organization tied to a tribal corporation reportedly generating well over $100 million annually relying so heavily on unpaid community labor? Especially when that corporation ultimately benefits from the same marine ecosystems being protected. The volunteer handbook gets even more interesting. Volunteers are thanked for “donating” their time not only to the Dungeness Nature Alliance, but also to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe itself. The handbook says volunteers will receive training on Jamestown S’Klallam tribal history and culture, refuge program goals, and organizational values. It also emphasizes that volunteers should “accurately and respectfully reflect diversity in everything we do.” In other words, this isn’t simply “show up and trap crabs.” It appears to function partly as environmental volunteerism, partly as public outreach, and partly as institutional brand-building tied to tribal management of refuge lands and marine ecosystems. And again — this is occurring while ongoing litigation continues over commercial oyster operations within the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge itself. So residents may reasonably wonder: If the operation is large enough to support industrial aquaculture, extensive fisheries interests, land acquisitions, hospitality ventures, medical enterprises, and major development projects… why is the public still being asked to provide free labor to manage the environmental consequences surrounding those same protected ecosystems? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ccwatchdog.com

    58 min

  7. MAY 13

    GreenLink or Land Grab? The Push to Daylight Valley Creek Raises Big Questions

    Futurewise and its GreenLink partners want to daylight lower Valley Creek and turn parts of Port Angeles into a new creek-and-trails corridor. Supporters call it environmental restoration. Critics see a costly vision that could require property acquisition, impact industrial land near the waterfront, and eventually burden taxpayers with another park the city struggles to maintain. The Port of Port Angeles has signaled it does not support plans that interfere with waterfront operations, yet the project continues moving forward with grants, NGO backing, and regional political support tied to the NODC — where Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias serves in leadership. In the podcast: Public comment highlights from the commissioners’ meeting. It Started With an Email Futurewise is a Seattle-based environmental and “smart growth” nonprofit involved in land-use planning, housing policy, climate initiatives, and environmental restoration projects across Washington state. One of its local efforts is “GreenLink Port Angeles” — a long-term vision to reshape parts of Port Angeles through connected parks, trails, stormwater projects, and restored creek corridors using what planners call “green infrastructure.” Supporters describe GreenLink as an effort to improve salmon habitat, recreation, walkability, and climate resilience. Critics see something much larger: a gradual but transformative land-use agenda driven by NGOs, grants, advisory committees, and regional planning groups rather than direct public demand or voter approval. That debate intensified after an April 23 presentation to the North Olympic Development Council (NODC). During the meeting, Futurewise representative Susannah Spock presented updates on the “GreenLink Port Angeles Master Plan for Valley Creek.” Afterwards, NODC staff circulated the presentation to community leaders and noted that additional background materials and feasibility studies may eventually be posted online. At first glance, the slides look harmless enough: salmon, trails, stormwater, trees, and community visioning. But buried inside the presentation are references to: * property ownership, * acquisition planning, * vehicle circulation, * industrial constraints, * and future economic studies. That is when this stops looking like a simple environmental cleanup project and starts looking like a major land-use proposal. The presentation itself openly states the project was funded through the EPA and Washington Department of Ecology. A “Property Acquisition Map” Should Get People’s Attention By Slide 13, the presentation includes something called a “City property acquisition map.” This project is not being proposed in an empty field. It runs through developed parts of Port Angeles near businesses, roads, utilities, industrial property, and waterfront infrastructure. Slide 11 of the presentation says the planning process examined: * property ownership, * legal and historical context, * pedestrian and vehicle circulation, * creek routing alternatives, * and more. Again, that is not just “planting trees.” That is planning around existing private and public land. The City of Port Angeles’ own 2022 feasibility-study packet says the lower Valley Creek watershed is already “highly developed” and includes major constraints involving: * industrial and commercial uses, * stormwater infrastructure, * utilities, * contaminated soils, * and circulation issues. Why Valley Creek? One of the biggest questions critics raise is simple: Why Valley Creek? Valley Creek is not currently a fish-bearing stream in the area being discussed, and the project itself reportedly still faces a major upstream fish-passage problem, including an approximately 8-foot drop further upstream. Meanwhile, residents point out that Tumwater Creek — an actual fish-bearing stream — already struggles with homeless encampments, garbage, environmental degradation, drug activity, and public safety concerns. So critics are asking: * If the city already struggles to protect Tumwater Creek, what happens when another urban creek park is created? * What prevents a future Valley Creek trail system from becoming another unmanaged encampment corridor? * Who pays for security, cleanup, maintenance, and enforcement? Those concerns are not theoretical anymore in Port Angeles. Residents have watched camps spread near waterways, parks, trails, and public spaces for years. The glossy renderings in the GreenLink presentation show peaceful walking trails and restored habitat. One slide literally transforms an industrial-looking corridor into a green pedestrian creek park. But nowhere in the presentation is there a serious discussion about: * long-term park security, * camping enforcement, * public drug use, * sanitation, * or the costs of maintaining another vulnerable urban greenspace. The Port and Futurewise Are Not on the Same Page The Port of Port Angeles may not have passed a formal resolution opposing the Valley Creek project, but its own planning documents make one thing very clear: protecting the working waterfront comes first. The Port’s 2024 Recreation and Public Access Plan repeatedly states that public access and recreation must remain compatible with: * industrial and marine-trades activity, * freight movement, * maritime operations, * and long-term economic development. That matters because the GreenLink proposal envisions transforming parts of the waterfront area into green infrastructure corridors, trails, and public-access spaces — the exact kinds of changes that can conflict with industrial waterfront operations. The GreenLink documents themselves acknowledge those challenges. The planning materials discuss: * property acquisition, * circulation changes, * infrastructure conflicts, * industrial land constraints, * and impacts to surrounding businesses. At the same time, the Port has been actively pursuing marine-trades and industrial development projects nearby. Those two visions do not naturally align. One side sees a restored creek corridor and public greenspace. The other sees working waterfront land that supports jobs, shipping, marine trades, and economic activity. Port planning documents repeatedly stress that recreation must not interfere with industrial waterfront operations — language that strongly suggests the Port has little interest in seeing key waterfront property transformed into another experimental urban restoration project. The Money Doesn’t Exist Yet Another major issue: funding. The City’s own feasibility materials acknowledge that the lower Valley Creek corridor is heavily developed and filled with major constraints. The documents also make clear that the current grants fund planning work — not construction — meaning the project would depend on substantial future funding, additional studies, and further phases before any major work could move forward. Despite that, the project continues moving forward through grants and planning phases. The Puget Sound National Estuary Program lists a $100,000 award connected to the “GreenLink Port Angeles Valley Creek Stormwater Park.” Futurewise also later sought consultants for an economic study tied to the Valley Creek daylighting project and future capital funding applications. In other words:the project may not have construction money, but it continues building momentum through planning grants, studies, outreach, and stakeholder coordination. Who Is Driving This? The GreenLink Advisory Committee (GLAC) reportedly included environmental organizations, agency representatives, consultants, and tribal participation. According to the City packet, participants included: * the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, * Washington Sea Grant, * Olympic National Park, * City representatives, * environmental planners, * and restoration professionals. The same City materials specifically reference: * tribal cultural interests, * environmental justice, * and tribal restoration interests connected to Valley Creek. Meanwhile, NODC — the organization hosting the presentation — prominently features tribal land acknowledgment language on its website and includes tribal governments among its membership. Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias serves as Vice President of the NODC. That raises a broader public question:How much influence should NGOs, unelected advisory groups, and grant-funded planning organizations have over the future of Port Angeles property, waterfront development, and public land policy? The Bigger Concern Supporters see GreenLink as restoration. Critics see the early stages of something much larger: * property acquisition, * shifting waterfront priorities, * expensive long-term obligations, * and another urban park system that the city may struggle to control or maintain. And after watching what happened around Tumwater Creek, many residents are no longer convinced that simply creating another “green corridor” automatically improves a city. Sometimes it just creates another place government cannot manage. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” — Samuel Johnson Today’s Tidbit: Another Transient Sex Offender Arrives in Clallam County Clallam County has attracted another transient sex offender. Why? Because this county is increasingly becoming the path of least resistance — a place where transients can arrive, blend in, access services, and remain largely disconnected from accountability. Critics say the combination of permissive policies, weak enforcement, endless social services, and publicly funded harm-reduction programs has helped turn Port Angeles into a destination for troubled individuals from outside the region. According to the Washington sex offender registry, 32-year-old Mikel Adam Couch is now listed as a transient in Port Angeles. Couch’s criminal history comes out of Texas and includes: * Online Solicitation of a Minor for Sexual Conduct * Two convictions for Possession of Child

    53 min

  8. MAY 12

    The Watchdog, the Mole, and Jim Stoffer: A Pattern Decades in the Making

    Indivisible Sequim says it’s worried about a “mole” leaking screenshots to CC Watchdog. But the bigger story may be the man at the center of it all: Jim Stoffer. Long before moderating progressive Facebook groups and lecturing others about “safety,” Stoffer was embroiled in Coast Guard protest controversies involving accusations of unreliable testimony, suppression of demonstrators, and allegations of harassment of anti-war activists. Decades later, critics say the same patterns—control, secrecy, retaliation, and intimidation—continue to follow him through local politics, education, and public service. For a group that claims to stand for “democracy,” “inclusion,” and “human rights,” Indivisible Sequim seems awfully concerned about people reading what they write. According to screenshots, members of the group are now warning each other that someone inside their private Facebook community is sharing posts with CC Watchdog. One member warned that the “CC Watchdog franchise” was screenshotting posts and comments from local Indivisible groups. Others discussed operating with “a bit of stealth” for future “pop-up” activities. But perhaps the most revealing comments came from the group’s moderator himself: Jim Stoffer. Stoffer described a “Safety Security Team” that stays alert “like a Border Collie” for “the Watchdog and his minions.” [Note: Indivisible Sequim is shortened to “IS.”] At the same time, members insisted they had “nothing to hide” — even while discussing how to identify the “mole,” tighten internal security, and remove people who do not ideologically align with the group. If all of this sounds familiar, it should. Because according to public records, sworn testimony, investigative reports, and years of controversy, accusations surrounding Jim Stoffer have followed a remarkably consistent pattern for decades. And it did not begin in Sequim. The Coast Guard Years Long before becoming involved in Sequim politics and education, Stoffer was involved in controversies surrounding anti-war protests during Seattle’s Seafair Fleet Week events. Documents from the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action accused the Coast Guard of using “no protest zones” to push demonstrators out of public view during Navy events. The documents specifically referenced Lt. James D. Stoffer by name. According to a 2010 fact sheet distributed by activists, one Peace Fleet participant was “falsely charged and tried in a Coast Guard hearing.” The document states that a Coast Guard Hearing Officer later ruled that “Lt. James D. Stoffer… had given ‘unreliable’ testimony.” Another detailed filing submitted to the Department of Transportation went even further. Activist Glen Milner accused the Coast Guard of a “long history of harassment of demonstrators” and specifically alleged that he had been “framed” by Stoffer during a Seafair protest enforcement action. Milner wrote: “To protect the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Hearing Officer on the case ruled that Lt. James D. Stoffer’s testimony was only ‘unreliable.’” The broader accusations involved infiltration of activist groups, monitoring protestors, suppression of speech, and efforts to minimize demonstrators’ visibility during public Navy events. The controversy became serious enough that a Department of Justice report on domestic advocacy investigations later discussed the monitoring of Peace Fleet activists and Coast Guard intelligence activities. Today, critics say the irony is hard to ignore. In 2019, Stoffer publicly posted Coast Guard values on social media: “HONOR — Integrity is our standard. We demonstrate uncompromising ethical conduct and moral behavior in all our actions.” “RESPECT — We treat each other with fairness, dignity and compassion.” “DEVOTION TO DUTY — We seek responsibility, accept accountability…” Yet critics point to years of accusations involving unreliable testimony, retaliation claims, secrecy, activist monitoring, and political targeting and ask a simple question: Were those values ever actually practiced? Sequim School District Controversies The Coast Guard controversies would not be the end of public conflict surrounding Stoffer. Years later, he became deeply embroiled in Sequim School District controversies that generated lawsuits, sworn testimony, allegations of retaliation, and enormous community division. CC Watchdog and other local outlets have extensively documented allegations that Stoffer: * Nearly faced censure while serving on the Sequim School Board. * Resigned amid controversy. * Was accused of sharing confidential information with a tribal ambassador while serving in public office. * Gave contradictory testimony during a federal investigation connected to the district. * Was accused of attempting to damage the careers of rivals who challenged district leadership. * Continued exerting influence in local education circles even after controversy engulfed the district. Critics have repeatedly questioned how Stoffer continues receiving appointments and influence despite years of conflict surrounding his public conduct. That criticism resurfaced recently in a letter sent to Olympic Educational Service District leadership. A concerned resident wrote directly to OESD Superintendent Dr. Leavell [aleavell@oesd114.org], questioning why Stoffer still serves as the District 5 representative and warning that his continued involvement causes discomfort for people who previously dealt with him professionally. The resident wrote: “In my view, his past actions have resulted in substantial financial lawsuits for taxpayers, and has negatively impacted the reputation of the district.” The resident also warned that Stoffer’s continued presence at official events remained “a point of significant distress” for some individuals. The letter concluded by urging the board to seek a new representative. Security, Secrecy, and “The Mole” Now the same themes appear again inside Indivisible Sequim. A supposedly inclusive activist organization is now discussing “moles,” internal monitoring, stealth tactics, and ideological gatekeeping. Applicants reportedly undergo extensive vetting questions involving race, climate activism, social justice commitments, and opposition to the “MAGA agenda.” Meanwhile, members openly discuss concerns over screenshots becoming public. And once again, Jim Stoffer appears in the middle of it. The same man once accused in Coast Guard protest controversies involving surveillance, activist monitoring, and suppression is now moderating discussions about “security teams,” “moles,” and ideological outsiders inside a local political activist group. And what makes the situation especially striking, critics say, is the contradiction at the center of it all. Many of the same individuals expressing fears about screenshots, criticism, public exposure, and “bullying” have themselves participated in campaigns designed to pressure, isolate, or publicly target others. Indivisible Sequim members have openly discussed boycotting local businesses that do not align with their political views. Members of Indivisible Sequim have argued voters should reject candidates because of their Catholic faith. Activists associated with these movements have encouraged students to skip school for political causes while presenting themselves as defenders of tolerance and inclusion. Yet when scrutiny is directed back toward them, the language suddenly shifts to “safety,” “security,” “stealth,” and fears of harassment. For critics, the issue is not that Indivisible Sequim is being bullied. The issue is that a group accustomed to applying social and political pressure to others appears deeply uncomfortable receiving public scrutiny itself. And critics say it becomes even more troubling when these activities continue receiving legitimacy and support from the supposedly “nonpartisan” League of Women Voters. For many residents, Jim Stoffer’s incidents feel less like coincidences and more like a decades-long pattern. A pattern involving control.A pattern involving secrecy.A pattern involving ideological gatekeeping. And a pattern involving retaliation against critics while simultaneously claiming victimhood when criticism is returned. Meanwhile, local residents are left wondering how someone like Jim Stoffer repeatedly connected to this level of controversy continues to maintain influence in education, activism, and public life across Clallam County. Because regardless of political affiliation, one thing is becoming harder and harder to ignore: The controversies surrounding Jim Stoffer never seem to end. “The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone.” — Aldous Huxley Today’s Tidbit: How Many Chances Does One Person Get? Sunday brought a fire scare to Port Angeles — this time at the Fairmount Restaurant, where emergency crews responded to a reported burn complaint and possible arson investigation involving David Waddell, according to scanner traffic. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Because for years, Waddell has repeatedly appeared in scanner reports, police incidents, fire calls, and public disturbances throughout Clallam County — while local taxpayers continue footing the bill for the endless cycle of emergency response, law enforcement, cleanup, and public safety risks. According to public scanner reports and incident logs: * March 16, 2022: An RV being used as Waddell’s residence exploded into flames near the old Humane Society property on Highway 101. Fire crews reported propane cylinders inside the RV, nearby structures threatened by the fire, and a major emergency response. The RV was a total loss. * April 23, 2022: Scanner traffic reported Waddell allegedly attempting to burn a gate using a pr

    38 min
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About

Holding County Leaders Accountable www.ccwatchdog.com

Information

  • Creator
    Jeff Tozzer
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    304
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jeff Tozzer
  • Show Website
    Clallam County Watchdog

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