Here is today's question for county commissioners:
Dear Commissioners,
After a violent assault on a Clallam Transit operator, the public wasn’t informed and the incident details weren't shared with the press. Instead, the focus shifted to a safety award for Clallam Transit and the search for a general manager. Given that all of you sit on the transit board, can you explain why the details of this incident were not disclosed, and why you continue to decline participating in a public town hall where riders, operators, and residents could ask questions about growing safety concerns on our buses and at the Gateway Transit Center?
Below is a governance-grounded response that explains disclosure limits, board accountability, and the obligation to engage the public on transit safety, drawing on U.S., Washington State, and local authorities.
Dear Constituent,
Washington State actively encourages residents to rely on public transportation for daily activities, framing transit as an essential and publicly stewarded service (Washington State Government, n.d.; Washington State Department of Transportation [WSDOT], n.d.). That encouragement carries a corresponding obligation for transit agencies and their governing boards to steward safety and communicate transparently when serious incidents occur.
With respect to the violent assault on a Clallam Transit operator, there are legitimate legal constraints that can limit immediate public disclosure, including employee privacy protections, collective bargaining considerations, and the integrity of active law-enforcement investigations. Federal transit guidance recognizes assaults on operators as system-level safety events that must be documented, reviewed, and mitigated through agency safety planning and board oversight (Federal Transit Administration [FTA], 2022). These constraints, however, do not justify silence. From a good-governance standpoint, the public should still receive timely acknowledgment that an incident occurred, an explanation of why certain details cannot yet be shared, and clarity about what steps are being taken to reduce future risk.
As a county commissioner who serves on the Clallam Transit board, I believe the absence of that bounded transparency in this case understandably undermined public trust. Communication following serious safety incidents should be framed to inform the public while remaining compliant with the law.
Questions have also been raised about why a public town hall has not occurred. Informal town halls can raise issues under Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act if not properly noticed or structured (RCW 42.30). However, these legal requirements do not eliminate the obligation to engage the public. Washington law requires transit agencies to adopt and maintain a six-year Transit Development Plan that documents priorities, operational changes, and funding strategies, providing a formal and transparent vehicle for addressing safety concerns (RCW 35.58.2795; Municipal Research and Services Center [MRSC], 2025). A properly noticed public forum or special board meeting focused on transit safety would be consistent with both state law and best practices in public stewardship.
Shared governance among the county and cities should not result in diluted accountability. As an individual commissioner, my responsibility is to ensure that safety concerns are placed on the board agenda, that incident trends and mitigation strategies are reviewed using available data, and that follow-up actions are documented in the public record. Independent audits by the Washington State Auditor’s Office reinforce that transparency, open meetings, and documented governance processes are auditable components of public transit oversight (Washington State Auditor’s Office, 2025a, 2025b).
In summary, public confidence in transit systems depends not only on policies or recognition programs, but on clear acknowledgment of safety incidents, evidence-based board oversight, and visible public engagement. Legal limits exist, but good governance requires commissioners to communicate within those limits—not retreat behind them.
Sincerely,
Commissioner
Clallam County Commissioner
References
Federal Transit Administration. (2022). Transit worker safety best practices. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.transit.dot.gov/safety
Washington State Auditor’s Office. (2025a). Financial statements and federal single audit report: Clallam County Public Transportation Benefit Area (Clallam Transit System) (Report No. 1038192). https://portal.sao.wa.gov
Washington State Auditor’s Office. (2025b). Accountability audit report: Clallam County Public Transportation Benefit Area (Clallam Transit System) (Report No. 1038317). https://portal.sao.wa.gov
Makes me wonder whether Clallam Transit has followed their obligation to mitigate further instances and conducted a review of this situation.
"Federal transit guidance recognizes assaults on operators as system-level safety events that must be documented, reviewed, and mitigated through agency safety planning and board oversight (Federal Transit Administration [FTA], 2022)."
A good-governance response explaining board oversight responsibilities, legal boundaries, and how the public can engage through Clallam Transit’s official and transparent processes.
Modeled Good Governance Response
That’s a reasonable question @MK. Federal transit guidance treats assaults on operators as system-level safety events that should be documented, reviewed, and mitigated through agency safety planning and board oversight (Federal Transit Administration, 2022).
From a governance standpoint, it’s important to distinguish roles. Management is responsible for conducting incident reviews and implementing mitigation strategies. The board’s responsibility is to ensure those reviews occur, to ask whether patterns or risks are emerging, and to confirm that mitigation steps are discussed, resourced, and documented in the public record—while respecting legal limits around personnel matters and active investigations.
As an individual commissioner serving on the Clallam Transit board, my role is not to speculate on protected details, but to ensure that safety concerns are addressed through formal processes, reflected in planning documents, and discussed in properly noticed public meetings. That oversight question is appropriate, and it is one the board should be able to address transparently.
Sincerely,
Board Member
Clallam Transit
For anyone who wants to follow or participate in that oversight process, Clallam Transit provides multiple public channels:
When we write to the “Three Commissioners “, is it for practice? Since no one gets even acknowledged about the communication, it seems so childish if not a misinterpretation of “Commissioner Behavior”.
I’m curious if someone wrote a very aggressive letter, would they send the cops to your house? Would they all hire private security guards because of hurtful phraseology? Or maybe Loni shields them from negative mail (which would be all of it, right?) I don’t understand how they got so dang full of themselves! Has anyone anywhere ever heard a commissioner apologize for any misguided or inaccurate mistake they have made? No one works without an occasional mistake. Answered own question “No one works”!
I grew up and lived in an area without bus service, so I don’t know what it’s like to rely on public transit day to day. I also don’t serve on the Clallam Transit board. That said, I do hear the concerns being shared. Austin is my cousin, and like many of you, it feels to me like assaults and serious incidents are becoming more common. I don’t currently know what specific steps are being taken to address those concerns.
At our next City Council meeting, we’ll be assigning council board responsibilities for the next two years. Once I know who our council’s representative to the Clallam Transit board is, I will ask them to bring specific questions forward and then return to council with answers and next steps.
I also agree that the free fare model appears to be contributing to increased disorder on the buses. That perception deserves a serious and data driven discussion. I’ll ask our Clallam Transit board representative to raise specific questions about safety impacts, accountability, and enforcement under the free fare model and report back publicly with what they learn.
Clallam Transit is governed by an eight member voting board made up of county commissioners and elected officials from Port Angeles, Sequim, and Forks, along with a nonvoting union representative. I believe the county and the cities all share responsibility for transit safety. However, when "everyone" is responsible, it feels like no one takes responsibility. If no one is taking responsibility, I believe our Port Angeles representative should step up.
Once our council representative to the Clallam Transit board is identified, I will ask them to raise these concerns directly and report back to council. Public confidence comes from open conversations, including town hall style meetings, and from leadership responding to those concerns clearly and publicly.
I also want to address comments about City Council not formally recognizing Austin's actions. I can only speak for myself here. I’m not in the habit of commenting on specific crimes, which is typical for elected officials for legal, ethical, and fairness reasons. The second reason, and for me the more important one, is that Austin is my cousin. I’m incredibly proud of him, and he was certainly talked about in my family this Thanksgiving. I also shared a link to the podcast in my family’s group chat. However, using my position to publicly praise a family member in an official capacity would feel inappropriate, especially since the City doesn’t have a consistent practice of formally recognizing Good Samaritans in similar situations.
I appreciate everyone who is raising these concerns, and I agree that this conversation needs to continue in public and with accountability.
I appreciate you stepping up to explain and lay out a course of action.
It is clear to me that free fares are largely the root cause of why citizens are deciding not to use public transit, which impedes the goals of public transportation. Another way to say it, it makes no sense.
There is no town hall or public forum because the government (in large) does NOT REPRESENT the people but (only the government)... with the taxpaying pawns being sacrificed to the NWO.
It's WAY past time for ignorance and naivety, THERE IS a Big Picture Agenda playing out while we muddle around trying to make sense of chaos, locally.
I really appreciate Drew's clear-headedness and earnestness in attempting to address and manage these concerns, but it requires a 'big picture' context and brutal honesty about what is ACTUALLY going on.
The kommissars, judges, etc. look upon the general public as useful idiot slush-fund providers and they disdain any dissent or common sense approaches to any given situation.
We The People ARE NOT THE GOVERNMENT as we so dutifully deceive ourselves into believing!
The GOVERNMENT is a completely different thing than 'The People'.
It is made up of people, though I'm not certain they are all humans.
It is, in large part, made up of narcissistic, sociopathic power mongers who are 'selected', not 'elected' and who have high drives to re-order society, in some twisted way, by making everything worse...at our expense, while feathering their own nests and climbing their own ladders...and carrying high socialistic ideals with no realistic way to implement them successfully...they don't know what they are doing (benefit of doubt)...or they are active agents of NWO agendas to destroy our society and culture while benefitting themselves.
This isn't just cynicism, this is reality...and this is just the local level of global insanity!
My best offering is to work on your spiritual life because the physical life is going to get much, much worse for most of us! 😱👿😎
We only have the best lawyers that write this kind of “cover our asses” and bog the readers down. Wouldn’t want anyone thinking they are safe at work or will be compensated if all hell breaks loose. That could cost us a pretty penny then who would pay for WSAC!
I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not writing from a legal playbook. I’m a business owner with an education in management and marketing. I look at this the same way I would any operation that interacts with the public.
If employees don’t feel safe and customers don’t feel safe, that’s not a legal problem first. It’s a leadership and operations problem. You don’t fix that with disclaimers alone. You fix it by listening and identifying where the failures are. Then you make visible changes while keeping communication open. My goal is to make sure the right questions get asked in the right place and that answers come back into the open where the public can see them. Then follow up those answers by taking corrective actions.
Well you are totally over qualified for government work. And how do you get off with that respectful morals attitude ? Maybe that $ for WSAC could go to you and you could train the three wise guys. Oh never mind, they are beyond change or education.
First you’d have to care, so that seals any chance.
It's nice to see that you have some experience with the Port Angeles Safety Advisory Board. This needs emphasis, and we can't be afraid of the fixes a review suggests is appropriate.
Did you know a large transit bus ran from Sequim to Diamond Point everyday? At noon the bus would make the loop on Beach Drive. At 6:00 pm same bus, same amount of passengers (ZERO) would return. Asked all the neighbors, what’s up. Only one person I know actually took it one time. This went on for years. Empty bus. They tried to eliminate it and the DP group said bring the bus back. I don’t know why. So it returned for another few years of resource wasting. You need not look far for CRAZY in the County. That’s a good name.
When I held a meet & greet at the library on the Sunday before the primaries, attendance was low due to lack of forward warning and cocurrent events, but I also had a friend point out to me something afterwards.
[Main point] He presented to me that in a sense, planning events outside of times when the transit is operational is classist, as those who are broke can't afford to travel.
By that same logic, in a perfect world, city council meetings should also have transits (maybe just 3 paratransits- east, south, west?) in position after adjournment to be able to bring people to main neighborhoods. I know that would be such a headache to tackle any time soon, and being able to attend remotely kind of fills in that gap of accessibility, but I felt I had to share the thought all the same.
Anyways, back to the main point- I think that the peaceful citizens served, whose options for accessibility and ease to travel improve with the fare-free program, are the ones worth fighting for when it comes to considering decisions to change it.
What might be a good compromise that allows a fare-free program and also can help with follow-up to disorder like this would be having a scan-able free bus pass that any Clallam County citizen automatically qualifies for, but it also has a photo ID and an address associated with the account. Or maybe just scan state IDs? This should make it easier for the bus driver to point out after the fact who committed a crime. Anyone without a pass still has to pay for a day pass. Stolen passes would hopefully be reported and deactivated, but as with most manuevers like this, it works as a scarecrow to mitigate issues and establish at point of entry who is more likely to be a non-compliant individual.
However, even with a pass like that, how is there enforcement if someone just barges on a bus? I imagine this question was a motivator for the fare-free program. Well, I think there are a lot of reasons there should be a second transit employee on every bus, though I understand how that would be difficult to justify budget-wise for people, though the county certainly squanders many other funds in my eyes as public safety is the most important utility they could provide. The benefits I forsee however are an improved sense of solidarity (or lower turnover) amongst employees, as someone is literally on the clock to watch your back, as another witness for when there is disorder, another helper for accessibility/first aid, and they can take over in the case of driver medical emergency or as requested. As I understand, they still wouldn't be able to forcibly remove someone from the bus except for defense, but ideally the presence of more employees should deter incidents. That second employee can also commit to info gathering for the transit program, or even press the issue of not scanning a pass/ID/paying a fee (though the approach would be something like “Oh, you didn't scan and didn't pay- can I please get your name and address so we can send the bill for $5 to you?”)
I hope that it doesn't seem close-minded of me to make this assumption, but I imagine our target demographics to mitigate incidents from are homeless squatters and mental health patients. I know we need actual stats to back that up, but if we're going to brainstorm in the first place, we need to establish what our targets are rather than broad stroke dreams. To tie in an article you wrote up before (or at least my takeaway), legislation can't tell the police, the courts, or the prison how they will do their job, but we can still have follow-up or have conditions attached. I mention this because ideally in my mind, rehabilitation and reincorporation should be the goal for what society provides to disorderly individuals. The best way I understand to pursue that is through adequate counseling. Are we allowed to mandate that committing a felony in city limits requires 2 counseling appointments in the next month? From there future appointments would be at their discretion, and missing those 2 appointments should have a consequence I can't come up with at the moment.
More incoming, I found the limit of how much I'm allowed to type in a comment here.
Okay, consequence for missing those appointments- it is not fair to fine for missing them if we assume these demographics already have little in funds, but it would make sense for it to influence future judgements in criminal cases (but once again we can't decide that sadly) I'm not pushing for this point as strongly, it's just that I know we have resources in the area for free counseling. We can't make it mandatory that they go to a specific private entity, and the best option would be if there was a city department for such counseling, or if it was a part of pre-existing departments/programs like the police or shielding hope (don't know enough about SH though).
Sorry for the structure of my brainstorm thus far, but I think increasing a paper trail for people that cause issues, and requiring that repeat offenders have a case manager or someone else helping them is very important from what I know so far.
I appreciate Austin's involvement on that day, and I appreciate the increase I've seen of your online involvement across multiple groups and platforms. It is exemplary. I do believe that all people should feel safe in going anywhere and be able to talk to anyone, but as a representative it becomes one's responsibility to specifically exercise those rights to know difficulties others may encounter. Your approach on matters is intelligent, and I do think the best way to improve society is to start with a LN framework and then steer it towards LG when possible. At the same time, in these pursuits we cannot let a lack of consideration make rehabilitation and reincorporation more difficult for troubled individuals than it already is. Pursuing the right thing to do will always be difficult, and I appreciate your efforts thus far.
The only reason I've had a chance to type this much today is that I took the bus to help my dad in Clallam Bay today, though there's only 2 busses from Forks to Neah Bay on Saturdays which is terrible!
Austin sounds like a very intelligent young man. Maybe someone out there could help him with a better job. I think he doesn't give himself as much credit as he should. Love listening to your podcasts Jeff. Thanks, Mary
The commissioners did not answer yesterday's question about WSAC, but the County Administrator, Todd Mielke, did:
Hi Jeff.
I’m not sure if the legislative “goals” of WSAC have changed since I served as their president, but I can share some of my personal observations regarding the organization.
First, WSAC offers far more to its members than just their legislative advocacy. In Washington State, counties are considered an extension of state government at the local/regional level. As such, the line of communication between counties and state agencies is critical in the coordination of activities and programs. There are a number of state boards and commissions that specifically call for representation from “counties” – as well as ad hoc committees established by the legislature – all in recognition of the relationship between state agencies and counties. WSAC maintains communication with these state agencies and facilitates meetings between the senior management of these agencies and county officials. This is a critical role that most counties except for the very largest, do not have the capacity to maintain. WSAC also facilitates communication to counties any time there is an opening on one of these boards and commissions and forwards those applications to the Governor for appointment (the Governor grants significant deference to the recommendations of WSAC to fill these positions).
Second, WSAC serves as a resource to educate county officials (elected and senior management) regarding federal and state programs impacting counties, changes in those programs, changes in state laws that impact county operations, and rulings in the courts that also impact county operations. These changes are occurring at such a rapid pace, that it is impossible for most counties to track them on their own. In a recent meeting, I referenced a session at the last WSAC conference that took an in-depth review of state statutes pertaining to tax increment financing in Washington and the specific differences between the two state statutes. There were panelists from different counties that spoke to their specific experiences – good and bad – with this economic development tool in their communities. This is relevant to our area based on the City of Sequim’s recent consideration of implementing a tax increment financing district. This is only one example of the sharing of detailed information of what other counties are either considering or doing in the pursuit of providing services or meeting constituent demands in their communities. I frequently communicate with other County Administrators and department heads to compare how either they or Clallam County is approaching certain challenges. I met these individuals, and maintain those relationships through interactions with them at WSAC events and meetings.
With regard to WSAC’s legislative agenda, it has historically taken the position that it advocates for counties to have as many “tools” to address problems and provide services as possible. There has always been a recognition that not every tool would be appropriate in every county depending on the location of the county, its size (both geographic and population), its challenges (i.e. housing and homelessness are bigger challenges in some counties than others), its politics, etc. The idea is that the elected officials of each county would determine which tools are most appropriate within its jurisdiction. Those elected officials in each county are held accountable by their voters.
You referenced property tax growth caps and mileage fees as examples of public policy. Those issues are extremely different depending on which community you look at. For example, the Bellevue area, and King County in general, has extremely diversified revenue streams to fund local government. They enjoy a high percent of sales tax revenues as a percentage of their overall revenues – which provide great flexibility in keeping up with the inflationary costs of providing governmental services. They have high assessed valuations, so very little changes in their property tax rate generates significantly more revenue. They utilize business fees in the form of license fees and local B&O taxes. Their voters tend to support levy measures to fund their schools, fire, EMS, etc. Compare that to Asotin or Garfield Counties that generate minimal levels of sales tax and have a much higher reliance on property tax. Most of these counties are rural and agricultural, meaning much lower assessed values. They do not utilize business licenses or fees (even though they are legally authorized to do so). While the counties used in these examples are extremely different, under the Constitution and laws of Washington State, all of them are required to provide the same baseline breadth of mandatory services – Prosecutor, courts, Sheriff, Court Clerk, Auditor, Assessor, Treasurer, building & planning, elections, public health, etc. They all are held to the same reporting requirements and regulations, must file annual financial reports, comply with state audits, etc. Additionally, some of these counties vary greatly due to exposure to wildfires, flooding, sea frontage, desert/drought, congestion, etc. There is no “one rule fits all” when it comes to counties. That is why WSAC has taken the position of trying to give counties throughout the state as many tools as possible, and the ability for counties to use their own discretion in deciding which tools they will utilize.
I hope this helps shed light on WSAC’s approach, and why everything they do may not perfectly align with the goals or desires of Clallam County versus the goals or desires of the other 38 counties in Washington.
I appreciate Todd’s response and his willingness to explain WSAC’s role from an administrative perspective. That kind of staff engagement helps the public understand how counties coordinate with the state.
From a governance standpoint, commissioners’ responsibilities differ: ensuring that any membership or expenditure is properly authorized, tied to our statutory duties, and evaluated for value to Clallam County residents. Both roles matter, and it’s appropriate for each to be handled openly.
The unusual part is that this was a question directed to the commissioners themselves. I submit questions regularly, and they have gone unanswered for months. In this case, it was the County Administrator—not an elected official—who ultimately responded. That raises a basic concern: what exactly are our elected representatives doing if they cannot explain their participation in a voluntary lobbying organization or respond to a straightforward question from the public?
Quick clarifying question for my own understanding — was yesterday’s WSAC question sent only to the three commissioners, or was it also sent or cc’d to the County Administrator or other county staff?
Thanks for clarifying, Jeff. Since the administrator and clerk were included, it was appropriate for staff to provide operational and institutional context.
That said, you’re right that questions directed to elected officials, especially about governance decisions like participation in voluntary associations, deserve responses from elected officials. Staff explanations help inform the public, but they do not replace commissioner accountability. Both matter, and both should happen in the open.
Your perspective is correct as far as how it 'should' proceed in a civil and rational manner...remember the tale of The Frog and the Scorpion...they can't help themselves...but we may be able to...as a parallel society. In an alternative 'reality'.
I really appreciate your offerings of how a loving, rational, sane society could and perhaps should behave and communicate and behave...God Knows we need role models and knowledge on how to live together in some kind of harmony!
Not taking offense may be the biggest hurdle we have to clear to make a civil civilization. I'm working on it.
Even Jesus had his limits...as did Ghandi and all the other 'saints'....they came...they saw...they taught...they left...at least in the physical!
Bless You and yours and thank You for Your contributions!😊
I'm glad that Todd Mielke responded. It still appears that despite the intended mission and goals of WASC, this ass'n has become a middleman for elected leaders and their political goals.
We certainly can't wholesale dispense with some of the facets that do support our county because I'm sure that there are some, but it's a mixed bag for me and I wonder how much worse Clallam County would be should it decide to go without participation and focus on our local needs?
The last paragraph is quite telling to me. IMO. Clallam does not have a representative who is interested in what is ‘good’ for ALL the citizens. The position attained by Ozias is merely a stepping stone to move up in the political scheme. In no way can he, along with his long list of board membership do an informed proper job for the citizens of Clallam County.
I'll note, that for me, what I read was counties like Asotin or King, Clallam is somewhere in the middle of those two. But the key point Todd has brought up being sales tax for government to operate. This is the crux of the matter for me wrt to Callam County. I frankly see an overreliance on grants and not enough emphasis on organic growth to drive the tax base.
I believe that the BOCCC should be finding a way to attract more businesses into Clallam County, and not just defer to Colleen McAleer every time the question comes up. For every job gained due to organic growth associated with manufacturing the Washington Department of Commerce will tell you that it supports and additional 4+ jobs in the region.
I applaud administrator Mielke for his response, and must point out that in the 20 years I have lived in Clallam County I have witnessed an exodus of business, J. C. Penney, Arby’s, Skippers, Necessities & Temptations, Dime Store, Shoe Store, Clothing Store, Paper Mill, Bushwacker, etc. We are witnessing increased vagrancy, drug use, and decreased safety of our citizens. Membership in Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) does not seem to have provided the correct direction toward ensuring enduring economy to county commissioners during that time. Or maybe our commissioners aren’t looking for the right answers. It seems rather strange that administrator Mielke would point out our commissioners need to seek input from other counties to solve our concerns, then elect our commissioner Ozias to lead WSAC. It’s hard to imagine a commissioner advocating for a milage tax, having economic success and well-being of the citizens of this county as his number one priority.
In the meantime they should find a way forward which would include not giving away the land base on the waterfront and adjacent properties. Old graving yard site (I know outside pressure), 5 acres on Marine Dr., if not mistaken several acres in exchange for a settling pond.The port should and (maybe it was) ,along with the county have been putting pressure on the city in the Platypus fiasco when they were trying to do the proper thing. (Mind boggling,employment with no environmental downside.lastly, instead of the city charging new businesses a fifty dollar fee to open up, the money should be going the other way to help fill up some of the empty store fronts .
Counties being an 'extension' of state government IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM...the sociopaths up and down the scale make things worse while improving NOTHING!
Todd justifies big government because he is a product of it...it will NEVER SOLVE anything because it is the biggest part of the problem.
Is anyone paying attention to the draconian anti-constitutional bills flooding Olympia again this year?...this state is controlled by insane communistic freaks and they are whittling away at our personal and collective sovereignty.
The Government IS NOT THE PEOPLE...the government exists for its own sake and the people are just the slush-fund to enrich the ruling class...this is the same everywhere, of course, but in the course of human history good people don't occupy or endure in government (rare exceptions) and the 'governors' become more corrupt and insane as the decades wear on, they are isolated and insulated and 'insolated', insolent to the people...until it all comes crashing down...again and again...we're pretty far down the trail now and no going back to what many perceive as more innocent times.
We have just been propagandized and gaslit into complacency and compliance.
I choose to suffer the pain of enlightenment rather than the pain of ignorance, for whatever it's worth.
This letter from Todd appears to be a cogent response but is, in fact, gaslighting!
Never trust a politician to explain how politics works, whether elected, selected or appointed or installed... the Truth is Not in Them!🥸
Thank you for the interview with Austin. He seems to have a good heart for the community in which he lives. I can't understand the stance that our county council has toward public safety except the fact as it aligns with the state ideals. We have a problem and I hope we can get it right in the nearest future.
WASAC just another layer of distraction for our daily issues in CC.
Thank you Patriot Jeff Tozzer for bringing more clarity to this sad incident that could have been a very serious tragedy~! Also, a big thanks to Austin Wolfley and the other good Individual who had the strength to do the right thing when it mattered most, because that is sadly rare to see these days. We can only guess what kinds of burdens, demons, and sad life experiences that caused the Individual suspect in question here to become "disturbed" and out of control, but very clearly, he needs help with his personal problems. I believe all of the good folks here who frequent "The Watchdog" are concerned about the serious risks that "mentally disturbed" Individuals in our community pose to everyone, so the best that we can do is to be aware of our surroundings and those who could do others harm. Stay safe~!
When there are awards given for citizen of the year, or such, I think that Austin is most deserving of recognition for being the stand-up citizen demonstrated by his actions. No ideology here so most organizations assigning these awards will be interested here, but it doesn't change the fact that he's the salt of the earth that makes Clallam County tick. The unsung hero.
Your Goodley words here have given me an interesting idea. Rather than just waiting around for any other "organizations", or God forbid the creepy government/s, to choose someone worthy of such an award. where we know more times than not, they would put some sort of deceptive "self-gratifying" political spin on it, what if "we" (the good folks of Clallam County) organize an award system? I feel that it is the least that we can do as a community... I don't mean to shove the already generous Jeff Tozzer into any such role, but it seems logical to me that "The Clallam County Watchdog" could greatly benefit by ever so slightly expanding its role to include an annual award system for a deserving Individual, and the associated Goodwill for The Watchdog sure would give the usual screwball detractors a well-deserved kick in the groin~! So to speak :) Perhaps Jeff would be interested, however if not, it really would not take much for "us" (Clallam County folks) to organize a small donation-based trust fund for the annual award get-together, to formally award a simple "voted for" deserving recipient to be presented a small award or certificate of appreciation, perhaps along with a cash - check or gift certificate as a small financial award. $500 to maybe $1,000 would go a long way to help pay some groceries... It occurs to me that "we" could and should still make such an award for someone deserving in the previous year, and it would be wise to make such an award well after the/a year ended anyway, to make sure that we had all of the facts of each case to be considered and of course properly allowed for the consideration of a fully completed year. Out of an abundance of caution and fully considering this proposed award to be representative of "The Patriotic American Spirit" (that we know is constantly under assault by evil treasonous forces), may I suggest that the award be made on the 4th of July the following year to emphasize its importance and to allow for enough time to take care of the details? Keeping this an award from the good folks of Clallam County to a deserving Individual and keeping it clean by not allowing anyone in government or politics to use it for promotional purposes, would be as important as keeping "politics" out of the selection process, which would result in a pure award of honor for simply doing the right thing... We have a wonderful community with great potential here in Clallam County, so this would be an excellent step in taking our community back from those who seek to control and harm us~! Well, let me know what you think MK, Jeff Tozzer, and everyone who cares about our community, beyond the government and all of the political garbage that we have to deal with...
Yes, we all need to carefully consider any and every way that "we" (the good folks of Clallam County and beyond) can take more & more positive control over OUR communities~! Perhaps you can see that my suggestion is multi-faceted, but always focused upon supporting the Constitutional American Republic, which is FAR from what folks are accustomed to getting from those who worm their ways into our local positions of control ;-) Our solutions are actually VERY easy to identify, because these criminals in our midst have given us the solutions which are the exact opposite from what they have been pushing us to do... If we just sit around with our thumbs up our bums, these criminals will continue to have their way with all of us. If we take more & more control of our communities, we win and they lose ;-) Freedom is never free~! Personally, and more importantly, Constitutionally, it is a national disgrace that Americans wait for the government to make all of the decisions like little helpless babies, especially when WE are the rightful rulers of our own destiny~! Shall we let Austin's heroic deed, where he risked his own life, go without the least bit of acknowledgement that the community is appreciative and grateful for his stepping up to do the right thing when it mattered most? It is nice to see some here thanking him Online, and he may not even need or want that, but if THAT is all the community is willing to do, we don't deserve freedom and we will only get a more oppressive "nanny state". I would bet that the A holes in government will never do a damn thing to so much as thank him, let alone acknowledge his great effort to save a life of someone that they could obviously care less about. In fact, I would bet that some of the criminals in our own government & community would LOVE to charge Austin with some trumped-up crimes because he took actions to help others... We can bet that there are some who want the crime spree in our community to continue and get even worse, believe it or not... It is our choice, and I am sure that we shall get exactly what we deserve one way or another... Maybe Austin will think twice next time, not because he was ignored and unrewarded, but because our community didn't care and he may just understand that there are too many cowards who would not have his back the next time... I still believe that the other man on the bus who also stepped up to the challenge also deserves a lot of credit... I and my long-suffering wife know what I am talking about from first-hand experience BTW, but I am uninterested in any thanks... The question for all folks to ask themselves, is when the next time comes where the government unleashes another bioweapon attack, which they have numerous times before the COVID mass murder genocide, who will be strong enough to bother to warn anyone now??? Ha! Yes, we need to think long and hard about the kind of future America is to have... For the great number of Americans who hysterically whine, cry, and scream about "the children" I sure don't see many actually giving a damn about today's children and future generations so much... We are definitely at a very serious cross-roads my friend~!
Great interview, Jeff! I’m very glad you made this happen, so I could learn about someone in our community and how they live, which always fascinates me.
Thank you, Austin, for doing the dirty work in life and enjoying it! I did a stint in housekeeping after my white collar career; I know what it can be like and it is important work. People don’t like living in filth, and without custodians there would be a lot more of it. I also truly appreciate you discussing the sovereign citizen issues; I have been aware of that movement since the early 2000s, and it’s definitely something that I’ve never felt can be talked about openly due to how it is viewed by society, and often wrongly viewed. My husband has been watching the auditing police videos for years; I never leave the house without him and he is my protection. I’m glad you are in this community and willing to step up when you see the need to help others. You would be a value to the hospital and someone I would be glad to know my tax dollars are supporting; it is their loss, and I’m sure something better will come along. Thank you for serving your community!
Jeff, you are hysterically funny. I would have told you it looked like a third eye. But then again I don’t have that many close friends. I’m glad they removed your growth and saved your vision. Thank you for featuring Austen . People like him are the jewels in our society. What a humble and gentle man minus the knife.
That was important info for everyone to hear. Knives make fighting too close and someone will be a victim. I guess you do what you have to do , but the driver and Austen returning to transit speaks highly of their characters.
Thank you, Jeff and Austin, for the personal interview that helps us understand what we are facing in CC. In a time when people only help their fellow man in conflict by recording the incident, Austin stepped up to help everyone on the bus. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Stay safe out there!
I listened to your podcast-- something I rarely do because of the time they take. I was very impressed with the young man you interviewed! It restored some of my views on life.
Excellent, Jeff! You see, I have an eye problem too-- rectaloculitis: A shitty outlook on life.
I was so touched by the bus hero (Austen) and your kind and gentle way with him. He must have felt very comfortable and safe with you, Jeff.
The entire story had me so engaged I listened to it twice.
Things could have gotten very ugly quickly. This is when I say we need to stop the influx of drugs in to Clallam County. You can make a list of how substance abuse affects everyone living here. Law enforcement and our County Commissioners are somehow not getting to the source while they are denying every citizens safety.
They know who the dealers are. What is the justification for not ridding the county of criminals? What is the motivation for not getting specially trained DEA agents here ? You know just seeing a state patrol causes a chain reaction of driving the speed limit. My cynical mind wants to know what is the payoff for not enforcing the law?
Hey guys, you get to carry big guns. Jeff, what is the other side of this that I’m/we aren’t seeing.
Our sheriff friend said it boils down to three things, SEX, DRUGS, or MONEY.(criminal actions)
Could any retired officers weigh in here, tell me I am wrong, whatever. What happened to the jail house snitch?
Control illegal drugs, we get our county back with money left over.
I am very impressed with Austin - he is erudite and deeply conscious of community and common courtesy. If there is a fund for him for a new e-bike - I would like to contribute to it.
Coming from someone who has investigated for 40 years……
People physically hurt & assaulted on city busses, no security protection…..security protection is provided if you area county commissioner who thinks or perceives they have been attacked?????
What stood out to me in this episode wasn’t the assault itself. It was how much the story had to be reshaped to make it carry a larger meaning.
Because when you actually listen to Austin’s account, the facts are fairly straightforward. He describes a chaotic, fast moving situation involving someone who was intoxicated and mentally unwell. He says most of his bus rides are uneventful. He admits that until it was framed for him later, he had not connected fare policy or window tinting to personal safety at all. And when he reflects on what went wrong, his biggest regret is his own decision to escalate by pulling a knife, not anything the driver or the transit system did.
That distinction matters. None of that points to a systemic collapse or a policy failure. It points to a single unpredictable individual in crisis. That kind of incident happens everywhere, in every county, regardless of fare structure or window design.
What the podcast adds is not new information. It adds atmosphere.
The incident is slowly transformed from a specific event into a symbol. Emotion does the heavy lifting. Personal experiences are folded in, characters are morally sorted, and the listener is guided toward a conclusion that feels intuitive long before it is actually argued. By the time policy enters the conversation, the emotional groundwork has already been laid.
This is how narratives gain power without ever quite presenting evidence. The story does not have to be false. It just has to be framed in a way that makes alternative explanations feel irrelevant or even inappropriate.
And that is where things go sideways.
If we want to talk about transit safety, we should talk about transit safety, using patterns, data, and realistic risk assessment. If we want to talk about gaps in mental health care, we should talk about those directly. If we want to talk about substance use and public disorder, that conversation is worth having on its own terms.
But we do not get better policy by turning one frightening morning into a morality play designed to support a pre existing storyline. We get better outcomes by resisting the urge to let feeling substitute for analysis.
What happened on that bus was real and serious, and that’s exactly why it bothers me when it’s used to tell me what to think about it.
You say one single individual in crisis. Just one event. This was buried so deeply in the PDN among other random subjects, most people probably didn't even see it. How many other events may have happened on transit or at the bus shelters that we don't know about because our local paper prefers to report page upon page of national news and very little local? Or because Transit prefers to keep it quiet?
Here is today's question for county commissioners:
Dear Commissioners,
After a violent assault on a Clallam Transit operator, the public wasn’t informed and the incident details weren't shared with the press. Instead, the focus shifted to a safety award for Clallam Transit and the search for a general manager. Given that all of you sit on the transit board, can you explain why the details of this incident were not disclosed, and why you continue to decline participating in a public town hall where riders, operators, and residents could ask questions about growing safety concerns on our buses and at the Gateway Transit Center?
All three commissioners can be reached by emailing the Clerk of the Board at loni.gores@clallamcountywa.gov.
Below is a governance-grounded response that explains disclosure limits, board accountability, and the obligation to engage the public on transit safety, drawing on U.S., Washington State, and local authorities.
Dear Constituent,
Washington State actively encourages residents to rely on public transportation for daily activities, framing transit as an essential and publicly stewarded service (Washington State Government, n.d.; Washington State Department of Transportation [WSDOT], n.d.). That encouragement carries a corresponding obligation for transit agencies and their governing boards to steward safety and communicate transparently when serious incidents occur.
With respect to the violent assault on a Clallam Transit operator, there are legitimate legal constraints that can limit immediate public disclosure, including employee privacy protections, collective bargaining considerations, and the integrity of active law-enforcement investigations. Federal transit guidance recognizes assaults on operators as system-level safety events that must be documented, reviewed, and mitigated through agency safety planning and board oversight (Federal Transit Administration [FTA], 2022). These constraints, however, do not justify silence. From a good-governance standpoint, the public should still receive timely acknowledgment that an incident occurred, an explanation of why certain details cannot yet be shared, and clarity about what steps are being taken to reduce future risk.
As a county commissioner who serves on the Clallam Transit board, I believe the absence of that bounded transparency in this case understandably undermined public trust. Communication following serious safety incidents should be framed to inform the public while remaining compliant with the law.
Questions have also been raised about why a public town hall has not occurred. Informal town halls can raise issues under Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act if not properly noticed or structured (RCW 42.30). However, these legal requirements do not eliminate the obligation to engage the public. Washington law requires transit agencies to adopt and maintain a six-year Transit Development Plan that documents priorities, operational changes, and funding strategies, providing a formal and transparent vehicle for addressing safety concerns (RCW 35.58.2795; Municipal Research and Services Center [MRSC], 2025). A properly noticed public forum or special board meeting focused on transit safety would be consistent with both state law and best practices in public stewardship.
Shared governance among the county and cities should not result in diluted accountability. As an individual commissioner, my responsibility is to ensure that safety concerns are placed on the board agenda, that incident trends and mitigation strategies are reviewed using available data, and that follow-up actions are documented in the public record. Independent audits by the Washington State Auditor’s Office reinforce that transparency, open meetings, and documented governance processes are auditable components of public transit oversight (Washington State Auditor’s Office, 2025a, 2025b).
In summary, public confidence in transit systems depends not only on policies or recognition programs, but on clear acknowledgment of safety incidents, evidence-based board oversight, and visible public engagement. Legal limits exist, but good governance requires commissioners to communicate within those limits—not retreat behind them.
Sincerely,
Commissioner
Clallam County Commissioner
References
Federal Transit Administration. (2022). Transit worker safety best practices. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.transit.dot.gov/safety
Municipal Research and Services Center. (2025). Local transit authorities and funding sources. https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/government-organization/special-districts/local-transit-authorities
Revised Code of Washington. (2024). RCW 35.58.2795: Public transportation systems—Six-year transit development plan. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=35.58.2795
Revised Code of Washington. (2024). RCW 42.30: Open Public Meetings Act. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=42.30
Washington State Auditor’s Office. (2025a). Financial statements and federal single audit report: Clallam County Public Transportation Benefit Area (Clallam Transit System) (Report No. 1038192). https://portal.sao.wa.gov
Washington State Auditor’s Office. (2025b). Accountability audit report: Clallam County Public Transportation Benefit Area (Clallam Transit System) (Report No. 1038317). https://portal.sao.wa.gov
Washington State Department of Transportation. (n.d.). Public transit in Washington State. https://wsdot.wa.gov/slideshow/public-transit
Washington State Government. (n.d.). How to use public transportation. https://wa.gov/how-to-guides/use-public-transportation
Makes me wonder whether Clallam Transit has followed their obligation to mitigate further instances and conducted a review of this situation.
"Federal transit guidance recognizes assaults on operators as system-level safety events that must be documented, reviewed, and mitigated through agency safety planning and board oversight (Federal Transit Administration [FTA], 2022)."
A good-governance response explaining board oversight responsibilities, legal boundaries, and how the public can engage through Clallam Transit’s official and transparent processes.
Modeled Good Governance Response
That’s a reasonable question @MK. Federal transit guidance treats assaults on operators as system-level safety events that should be documented, reviewed, and mitigated through agency safety planning and board oversight (Federal Transit Administration, 2022).
From a governance standpoint, it’s important to distinguish roles. Management is responsible for conducting incident reviews and implementing mitigation strategies. The board’s responsibility is to ensure those reviews occur, to ask whether patterns or risks are emerging, and to confirm that mitigation steps are discussed, resourced, and documented in the public record—while respecting legal limits around personnel matters and active investigations.
As an individual commissioner serving on the Clallam Transit board, my role is not to speculate on protected details, but to ensure that safety concerns are addressed through formal processes, reflected in planning documents, and discussed in properly noticed public meetings. That oversight question is appropriate, and it is one the board should be able to address transparently.
Sincerely,
Board Member
Clallam Transit
For anyone who wants to follow or participate in that oversight process, Clallam Transit provides multiple public channels:
Board meetings, agendas, and public comment:
https://www.clallamtransit.com/board
Public comment form:
https://www.clallamtransit.com/publiccomment
Public records requests:
https://www.clallamtransit.com/publicrecords
Board member contact information:
https://www.clallamtransit.com/ourboard
When we write to the “Three Commissioners “, is it for practice? Since no one gets even acknowledged about the communication, it seems so childish if not a misinterpretation of “Commissioner Behavior”.
I’m curious if someone wrote a very aggressive letter, would they send the cops to your house? Would they all hire private security guards because of hurtful phraseology? Or maybe Loni shields them from negative mail (which would be all of it, right?) I don’t understand how they got so dang full of themselves! Has anyone anywhere ever heard a commissioner apologize for any misguided or inaccurate mistake they have made? No one works without an occasional mistake. Answered own question “No one works”!
I grew up and lived in an area without bus service, so I don’t know what it’s like to rely on public transit day to day. I also don’t serve on the Clallam Transit board. That said, I do hear the concerns being shared. Austin is my cousin, and like many of you, it feels to me like assaults and serious incidents are becoming more common. I don’t currently know what specific steps are being taken to address those concerns.
At our next City Council meeting, we’ll be assigning council board responsibilities for the next two years. Once I know who our council’s representative to the Clallam Transit board is, I will ask them to bring specific questions forward and then return to council with answers and next steps.
I also agree that the free fare model appears to be contributing to increased disorder on the buses. That perception deserves a serious and data driven discussion. I’ll ask our Clallam Transit board representative to raise specific questions about safety impacts, accountability, and enforcement under the free fare model and report back publicly with what they learn.
I don’t know why there hasn’t been a public forum or town hall focused on transit safety, but I do support organizing one. In the meantime, there are ways for the public to raise concerns directly. Clallam Transit has a public comment form on its website at https://www.clallamtransit.com/publiccomment. Public records requests can be made at https://www.clallamtransit.com/publicrecords. Board meetings are open to the public and include public comment periods, with agendas and schedules posted at https://www.clallamtransit.com/board. The current board members and their direct email addresses are listed at https://www.clallamtransit.com/ourboard.
Clallam Transit is governed by an eight member voting board made up of county commissioners and elected officials from Port Angeles, Sequim, and Forks, along with a nonvoting union representative. I believe the county and the cities all share responsibility for transit safety. However, when "everyone" is responsible, it feels like no one takes responsibility. If no one is taking responsibility, I believe our Port Angeles representative should step up.
Once our council representative to the Clallam Transit board is identified, I will ask them to raise these concerns directly and report back to council. Public confidence comes from open conversations, including town hall style meetings, and from leadership responding to those concerns clearly and publicly.
I also want to address comments about City Council not formally recognizing Austin's actions. I can only speak for myself here. I’m not in the habit of commenting on specific crimes, which is typical for elected officials for legal, ethical, and fairness reasons. The second reason, and for me the more important one, is that Austin is my cousin. I’m incredibly proud of him, and he was certainly talked about in my family this Thanksgiving. I also shared a link to the podcast in my family’s group chat. However, using my position to publicly praise a family member in an official capacity would feel inappropriate, especially since the City doesn’t have a consistent practice of formally recognizing Good Samaritans in similar situations.
I appreciate everyone who is raising these concerns, and I agree that this conversation needs to continue in public and with accountability.
I appreciate you stepping up to explain and lay out a course of action.
It is clear to me that free fares are largely the root cause of why citizens are deciding not to use public transit, which impedes the goals of public transportation. Another way to say it, it makes no sense.
There is no town hall or public forum because the government (in large) does NOT REPRESENT the people but (only the government)... with the taxpaying pawns being sacrificed to the NWO.
It's WAY past time for ignorance and naivety, THERE IS a Big Picture Agenda playing out while we muddle around trying to make sense of chaos, locally.
I really appreciate Drew's clear-headedness and earnestness in attempting to address and manage these concerns, but it requires a 'big picture' context and brutal honesty about what is ACTUALLY going on.
The kommissars, judges, etc. look upon the general public as useful idiot slush-fund providers and they disdain any dissent or common sense approaches to any given situation.
We The People ARE NOT THE GOVERNMENT as we so dutifully deceive ourselves into believing!
The GOVERNMENT is a completely different thing than 'The People'.
It is made up of people, though I'm not certain they are all humans.
It is, in large part, made up of narcissistic, sociopathic power mongers who are 'selected', not 'elected' and who have high drives to re-order society, in some twisted way, by making everything worse...at our expense, while feathering their own nests and climbing their own ladders...and carrying high socialistic ideals with no realistic way to implement them successfully...they don't know what they are doing (benefit of doubt)...or they are active agents of NWO agendas to destroy our society and culture while benefitting themselves.
This isn't just cynicism, this is reality...and this is just the local level of global insanity!
My best offering is to work on your spiritual life because the physical life is going to get much, much worse for most of us! 😱👿😎
We only have the best lawyers that write this kind of “cover our asses” and bog the readers down. Wouldn’t want anyone thinking they are safe at work or will be compensated if all hell breaks loose. That could cost us a pretty penny then who would pay for WSAC!
I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not writing from a legal playbook. I’m a business owner with an education in management and marketing. I look at this the same way I would any operation that interacts with the public.
If employees don’t feel safe and customers don’t feel safe, that’s not a legal problem first. It’s a leadership and operations problem. You don’t fix that with disclaimers alone. You fix it by listening and identifying where the failures are. Then you make visible changes while keeping communication open. My goal is to make sure the right questions get asked in the right place and that answers come back into the open where the public can see them. Then follow up those answers by taking corrective actions.
Well you are totally over qualified for government work. And how do you get off with that respectful morals attitude ? Maybe that $ for WSAC could go to you and you could train the three wise guys. Oh never mind, they are beyond change or education.
First you’d have to care, so that seals any chance.
It's nice to see that you have some experience with the Port Angeles Safety Advisory Board. This needs emphasis, and we can't be afraid of the fixes a review suggests is appropriate.
Did you know a large transit bus ran from Sequim to Diamond Point everyday? At noon the bus would make the loop on Beach Drive. At 6:00 pm same bus, same amount of passengers (ZERO) would return. Asked all the neighbors, what’s up. Only one person I know actually took it one time. This went on for years. Empty bus. They tried to eliminate it and the DP group said bring the bus back. I don’t know why. So it returned for another few years of resource wasting. You need not look far for CRAZY in the County. That’s a good name.
When I held a meet & greet at the library on the Sunday before the primaries, attendance was low due to lack of forward warning and cocurrent events, but I also had a friend point out to me something afterwards.
[Main point] He presented to me that in a sense, planning events outside of times when the transit is operational is classist, as those who are broke can't afford to travel.
By that same logic, in a perfect world, city council meetings should also have transits (maybe just 3 paratransits- east, south, west?) in position after adjournment to be able to bring people to main neighborhoods. I know that would be such a headache to tackle any time soon, and being able to attend remotely kind of fills in that gap of accessibility, but I felt I had to share the thought all the same.
Anyways, back to the main point- I think that the peaceful citizens served, whose options for accessibility and ease to travel improve with the fare-free program, are the ones worth fighting for when it comes to considering decisions to change it.
What might be a good compromise that allows a fare-free program and also can help with follow-up to disorder like this would be having a scan-able free bus pass that any Clallam County citizen automatically qualifies for, but it also has a photo ID and an address associated with the account. Or maybe just scan state IDs? This should make it easier for the bus driver to point out after the fact who committed a crime. Anyone without a pass still has to pay for a day pass. Stolen passes would hopefully be reported and deactivated, but as with most manuevers like this, it works as a scarecrow to mitigate issues and establish at point of entry who is more likely to be a non-compliant individual.
However, even with a pass like that, how is there enforcement if someone just barges on a bus? I imagine this question was a motivator for the fare-free program. Well, I think there are a lot of reasons there should be a second transit employee on every bus, though I understand how that would be difficult to justify budget-wise for people, though the county certainly squanders many other funds in my eyes as public safety is the most important utility they could provide. The benefits I forsee however are an improved sense of solidarity (or lower turnover) amongst employees, as someone is literally on the clock to watch your back, as another witness for when there is disorder, another helper for accessibility/first aid, and they can take over in the case of driver medical emergency or as requested. As I understand, they still wouldn't be able to forcibly remove someone from the bus except for defense, but ideally the presence of more employees should deter incidents. That second employee can also commit to info gathering for the transit program, or even press the issue of not scanning a pass/ID/paying a fee (though the approach would be something like “Oh, you didn't scan and didn't pay- can I please get your name and address so we can send the bill for $5 to you?”)
I hope that it doesn't seem close-minded of me to make this assumption, but I imagine our target demographics to mitigate incidents from are homeless squatters and mental health patients. I know we need actual stats to back that up, but if we're going to brainstorm in the first place, we need to establish what our targets are rather than broad stroke dreams. To tie in an article you wrote up before (or at least my takeaway), legislation can't tell the police, the courts, or the prison how they will do their job, but we can still have follow-up or have conditions attached. I mention this because ideally in my mind, rehabilitation and reincorporation should be the goal for what society provides to disorderly individuals. The best way I understand to pursue that is through adequate counseling. Are we allowed to mandate that committing a felony in city limits requires 2 counseling appointments in the next month? From there future appointments would be at their discretion, and missing those 2 appointments should have a consequence I can't come up with at the moment.
More incoming, I found the limit of how much I'm allowed to type in a comment here.
Okay, consequence for missing those appointments- it is not fair to fine for missing them if we assume these demographics already have little in funds, but it would make sense for it to influence future judgements in criminal cases (but once again we can't decide that sadly) I'm not pushing for this point as strongly, it's just that I know we have resources in the area for free counseling. We can't make it mandatory that they go to a specific private entity, and the best option would be if there was a city department for such counseling, or if it was a part of pre-existing departments/programs like the police or shielding hope (don't know enough about SH though).
Sorry for the structure of my brainstorm thus far, but I think increasing a paper trail for people that cause issues, and requiring that repeat offenders have a case manager or someone else helping them is very important from what I know so far.
I appreciate Austin's involvement on that day, and I appreciate the increase I've seen of your online involvement across multiple groups and platforms. It is exemplary. I do believe that all people should feel safe in going anywhere and be able to talk to anyone, but as a representative it becomes one's responsibility to specifically exercise those rights to know difficulties others may encounter. Your approach on matters is intelligent, and I do think the best way to improve society is to start with a LN framework and then steer it towards LG when possible. At the same time, in these pursuits we cannot let a lack of consideration make rehabilitation and reincorporation more difficult for troubled individuals than it already is. Pursuing the right thing to do will always be difficult, and I appreciate your efforts thus far.
The only reason I've had a chance to type this much today is that I took the bus to help my dad in Clallam Bay today, though there's only 2 busses from Forks to Neah Bay on Saturdays which is terrible!
Anyways, thank you again Drew.
Austin sounds like a very intelligent young man. Maybe someone out there could help him with a better job. I think he doesn't give himself as much credit as he should. Love listening to your podcasts Jeff. Thanks, Mary
The commissioners did not answer yesterday's question about WSAC, but the County Administrator, Todd Mielke, did:
Hi Jeff.
I’m not sure if the legislative “goals” of WSAC have changed since I served as their president, but I can share some of my personal observations regarding the organization.
First, WSAC offers far more to its members than just their legislative advocacy. In Washington State, counties are considered an extension of state government at the local/regional level. As such, the line of communication between counties and state agencies is critical in the coordination of activities and programs. There are a number of state boards and commissions that specifically call for representation from “counties” – as well as ad hoc committees established by the legislature – all in recognition of the relationship between state agencies and counties. WSAC maintains communication with these state agencies and facilitates meetings between the senior management of these agencies and county officials. This is a critical role that most counties except for the very largest, do not have the capacity to maintain. WSAC also facilitates communication to counties any time there is an opening on one of these boards and commissions and forwards those applications to the Governor for appointment (the Governor grants significant deference to the recommendations of WSAC to fill these positions).
Second, WSAC serves as a resource to educate county officials (elected and senior management) regarding federal and state programs impacting counties, changes in those programs, changes in state laws that impact county operations, and rulings in the courts that also impact county operations. These changes are occurring at such a rapid pace, that it is impossible for most counties to track them on their own. In a recent meeting, I referenced a session at the last WSAC conference that took an in-depth review of state statutes pertaining to tax increment financing in Washington and the specific differences between the two state statutes. There were panelists from different counties that spoke to their specific experiences – good and bad – with this economic development tool in their communities. This is relevant to our area based on the City of Sequim’s recent consideration of implementing a tax increment financing district. This is only one example of the sharing of detailed information of what other counties are either considering or doing in the pursuit of providing services or meeting constituent demands in their communities. I frequently communicate with other County Administrators and department heads to compare how either they or Clallam County is approaching certain challenges. I met these individuals, and maintain those relationships through interactions with them at WSAC events and meetings.
With regard to WSAC’s legislative agenda, it has historically taken the position that it advocates for counties to have as many “tools” to address problems and provide services as possible. There has always been a recognition that not every tool would be appropriate in every county depending on the location of the county, its size (both geographic and population), its challenges (i.e. housing and homelessness are bigger challenges in some counties than others), its politics, etc. The idea is that the elected officials of each county would determine which tools are most appropriate within its jurisdiction. Those elected officials in each county are held accountable by their voters.
You referenced property tax growth caps and mileage fees as examples of public policy. Those issues are extremely different depending on which community you look at. For example, the Bellevue area, and King County in general, has extremely diversified revenue streams to fund local government. They enjoy a high percent of sales tax revenues as a percentage of their overall revenues – which provide great flexibility in keeping up with the inflationary costs of providing governmental services. They have high assessed valuations, so very little changes in their property tax rate generates significantly more revenue. They utilize business fees in the form of license fees and local B&O taxes. Their voters tend to support levy measures to fund their schools, fire, EMS, etc. Compare that to Asotin or Garfield Counties that generate minimal levels of sales tax and have a much higher reliance on property tax. Most of these counties are rural and agricultural, meaning much lower assessed values. They do not utilize business licenses or fees (even though they are legally authorized to do so). While the counties used in these examples are extremely different, under the Constitution and laws of Washington State, all of them are required to provide the same baseline breadth of mandatory services – Prosecutor, courts, Sheriff, Court Clerk, Auditor, Assessor, Treasurer, building & planning, elections, public health, etc. They all are held to the same reporting requirements and regulations, must file annual financial reports, comply with state audits, etc. Additionally, some of these counties vary greatly due to exposure to wildfires, flooding, sea frontage, desert/drought, congestion, etc. There is no “one rule fits all” when it comes to counties. That is why WSAC has taken the position of trying to give counties throughout the state as many tools as possible, and the ability for counties to use their own discretion in deciding which tools they will utilize.
I hope this helps shed light on WSAC’s approach, and why everything they do may not perfectly align with the goals or desires of Clallam County versus the goals or desires of the other 38 counties in Washington.
Regards,
Todd
I appreciate Todd’s response and his willingness to explain WSAC’s role from an administrative perspective. That kind of staff engagement helps the public understand how counties coordinate with the state.
From a governance standpoint, commissioners’ responsibilities differ: ensuring that any membership or expenditure is properly authorized, tied to our statutory duties, and evaluated for value to Clallam County residents. Both roles matter, and it’s appropriate for each to be handled openly.
The unusual part is that this was a question directed to the commissioners themselves. I submit questions regularly, and they have gone unanswered for months. In this case, it was the County Administrator—not an elected official—who ultimately responded. That raises a basic concern: what exactly are our elected representatives doing if they cannot explain their participation in a voluntary lobbying organization or respond to a straightforward question from the public?
Quick clarifying question for my own understanding — was yesterday’s WSAC question sent only to the three commissioners, or was it also sent or cc’d to the County Administrator or other county staff?
All those emails (including yesterday's) are sent to the three commissioners, the clerk, and the administrator. Yes, it was sent to Todd Mielke.
Thanks for clarifying, Jeff. Since the administrator and clerk were included, it was appropriate for staff to provide operational and institutional context.
That said, you’re right that questions directed to elected officials, especially about governance decisions like participation in voluntary associations, deserve responses from elected officials. Staff explanations help inform the public, but they do not replace commissioner accountability. Both matter, and both should happen in the open.
Because Todd is a true politician and not a petty dictator...he is still 'The Government'!🥸
Your perspective is correct as far as how it 'should' proceed in a civil and rational manner...remember the tale of The Frog and the Scorpion...they can't help themselves...but we may be able to...as a parallel society. In an alternative 'reality'.
I really appreciate your offerings of how a loving, rational, sane society could and perhaps should behave and communicate and behave...God Knows we need role models and knowledge on how to live together in some kind of harmony!
Not taking offense may be the biggest hurdle we have to clear to make a civil civilization. I'm working on it.
Even Jesus had his limits...as did Ghandi and all the other 'saints'....they came...they saw...they taught...they left...at least in the physical!
Bless You and yours and thank You for Your contributions!😊
I'm glad that Todd Mielke responded. It still appears that despite the intended mission and goals of WASC, this ass'n has become a middleman for elected leaders and their political goals.
We certainly can't wholesale dispense with some of the facets that do support our county because I'm sure that there are some, but it's a mixed bag for me and I wonder how much worse Clallam County would be should it decide to go without participation and focus on our local needs?
Ya think? WE are stonewalled by corrupt progressive communists blocking access to real, common sense governance of, by and FOR the people!😎
The last paragraph is quite telling to me. IMO. Clallam does not have a representative who is interested in what is ‘good’ for ALL the citizens. The position attained by Ozias is merely a stepping stone to move up in the political scheme. In no way can he, along with his long list of board membership do an informed proper job for the citizens of Clallam County.
Power... without morals, ethics and accountability...this is what we get!😱
I appreciate that Todd responded, whether or not I agree.
And an interesting question posed in yesterday's article wrt the fees WSAC charges:
https://www.ccwatchdog.com/p/when-no-county-funds-still-means/comment/200059667
I'll note, that for me, what I read was counties like Asotin or King, Clallam is somewhere in the middle of those two. But the key point Todd has brought up being sales tax for government to operate. This is the crux of the matter for me wrt to Callam County. I frankly see an overreliance on grants and not enough emphasis on organic growth to drive the tax base.
I believe that the BOCCC should be finding a way to attract more businesses into Clallam County, and not just defer to Colleen McAleer every time the question comes up. For every job gained due to organic growth associated with manufacturing the Washington Department of Commerce will tell you that it supports and additional 4+ jobs in the region.
When will we flip this script?
Amen.
I applaud administrator Mielke for his response, and must point out that in the 20 years I have lived in Clallam County I have witnessed an exodus of business, J. C. Penney, Arby’s, Skippers, Necessities & Temptations, Dime Store, Shoe Store, Clothing Store, Paper Mill, Bushwacker, etc. We are witnessing increased vagrancy, drug use, and decreased safety of our citizens. Membership in Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) does not seem to have provided the correct direction toward ensuring enduring economy to county commissioners during that time. Or maybe our commissioners aren’t looking for the right answers. It seems rather strange that administrator Mielke would point out our commissioners need to seek input from other counties to solve our concerns, then elect our commissioner Ozias to lead WSAC. It’s hard to imagine a commissioner advocating for a milage tax, having economic success and well-being of the citizens of this county as his number one priority.
Economic success and public wellbeing are the furthest from NOzias' mind.
By their fruits (actions and results) ye shall know them.
'They' are thieves and robbers...there is no truth in them!😎
In the meantime they should find a way forward which would include not giving away the land base on the waterfront and adjacent properties. Old graving yard site (I know outside pressure), 5 acres on Marine Dr., if not mistaken several acres in exchange for a settling pond.The port should and (maybe it was) ,along with the county have been putting pressure on the city in the Platypus fiasco when they were trying to do the proper thing. (Mind boggling,employment with no environmental downside.lastly, instead of the city charging new businesses a fifty dollar fee to open up, the money should be going the other way to help fill up some of the empty store fronts .
In order to 'build back better'...first you have to destroy!😎
The McAleer clan are power hungry oligarchical military industrial complex beings!
Just sayin'!😎
Counties being an 'extension' of state government IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM...the sociopaths up and down the scale make things worse while improving NOTHING!
Todd justifies big government because he is a product of it...it will NEVER SOLVE anything because it is the biggest part of the problem.
Is anyone paying attention to the draconian anti-constitutional bills flooding Olympia again this year?...this state is controlled by insane communistic freaks and they are whittling away at our personal and collective sovereignty.
The Government IS NOT THE PEOPLE...the government exists for its own sake and the people are just the slush-fund to enrich the ruling class...this is the same everywhere, of course, but in the course of human history good people don't occupy or endure in government (rare exceptions) and the 'governors' become more corrupt and insane as the decades wear on, they are isolated and insulated and 'insolated', insolent to the people...until it all comes crashing down...again and again...we're pretty far down the trail now and no going back to what many perceive as more innocent times.
We have just been propagandized and gaslit into complacency and compliance.
I choose to suffer the pain of enlightenment rather than the pain of ignorance, for whatever it's worth.
This letter from Todd appears to be a cogent response but is, in fact, gaslighting!
Never trust a politician to explain how politics works, whether elected, selected or appointed or installed... the Truth is Not in Them!🥸
Good morning Jeff
Thank you for the interview with Austin. He seems to have a good heart for the community in which he lives. I can't understand the stance that our county council has toward public safety except the fact as it aligns with the state ideals. We have a problem and I hope we can get it right in the nearest future.
WASAC just another layer of distraction for our daily issues in CC.
Another layer of communistic bureaucracy!😎
Thank you Patriot Jeff Tozzer for bringing more clarity to this sad incident that could have been a very serious tragedy~! Also, a big thanks to Austin Wolfley and the other good Individual who had the strength to do the right thing when it mattered most, because that is sadly rare to see these days. We can only guess what kinds of burdens, demons, and sad life experiences that caused the Individual suspect in question here to become "disturbed" and out of control, but very clearly, he needs help with his personal problems. I believe all of the good folks here who frequent "The Watchdog" are concerned about the serious risks that "mentally disturbed" Individuals in our community pose to everyone, so the best that we can do is to be aware of our surroundings and those who could do others harm. Stay safe~!
Sincerely, Mike
When there are awards given for citizen of the year, or such, I think that Austin is most deserving of recognition for being the stand-up citizen demonstrated by his actions. No ideology here so most organizations assigning these awards will be interested here, but it doesn't change the fact that he's the salt of the earth that makes Clallam County tick. The unsung hero.
Excellent comment Patriot MK~!
Your Goodley words here have given me an interesting idea. Rather than just waiting around for any other "organizations", or God forbid the creepy government/s, to choose someone worthy of such an award. where we know more times than not, they would put some sort of deceptive "self-gratifying" political spin on it, what if "we" (the good folks of Clallam County) organize an award system? I feel that it is the least that we can do as a community... I don't mean to shove the already generous Jeff Tozzer into any such role, but it seems logical to me that "The Clallam County Watchdog" could greatly benefit by ever so slightly expanding its role to include an annual award system for a deserving Individual, and the associated Goodwill for The Watchdog sure would give the usual screwball detractors a well-deserved kick in the groin~! So to speak :) Perhaps Jeff would be interested, however if not, it really would not take much for "us" (Clallam County folks) to organize a small donation-based trust fund for the annual award get-together, to formally award a simple "voted for" deserving recipient to be presented a small award or certificate of appreciation, perhaps along with a cash - check or gift certificate as a small financial award. $500 to maybe $1,000 would go a long way to help pay some groceries... It occurs to me that "we" could and should still make such an award for someone deserving in the previous year, and it would be wise to make such an award well after the/a year ended anyway, to make sure that we had all of the facts of each case to be considered and of course properly allowed for the consideration of a fully completed year. Out of an abundance of caution and fully considering this proposed award to be representative of "The Patriotic American Spirit" (that we know is constantly under assault by evil treasonous forces), may I suggest that the award be made on the 4th of July the following year to emphasize its importance and to allow for enough time to take care of the details? Keeping this an award from the good folks of Clallam County to a deserving Individual and keeping it clean by not allowing anyone in government or politics to use it for promotional purposes, would be as important as keeping "politics" out of the selection process, which would result in a pure award of honor for simply doing the right thing... We have a wonderful community with great potential here in Clallam County, so this would be an excellent step in taking our community back from those who seek to control and harm us~! Well, let me know what you think MK, Jeff Tozzer, and everyone who cares about our community, beyond the government and all of the political garbage that we have to deal with...
Have a great day!
Sincerely, Mike
Some interesting ideas there. I'll have to ruminate on it because I really don't know.
Yes, we all need to carefully consider any and every way that "we" (the good folks of Clallam County and beyond) can take more & more positive control over OUR communities~! Perhaps you can see that my suggestion is multi-faceted, but always focused upon supporting the Constitutional American Republic, which is FAR from what folks are accustomed to getting from those who worm their ways into our local positions of control ;-) Our solutions are actually VERY easy to identify, because these criminals in our midst have given us the solutions which are the exact opposite from what they have been pushing us to do... If we just sit around with our thumbs up our bums, these criminals will continue to have their way with all of us. If we take more & more control of our communities, we win and they lose ;-) Freedom is never free~! Personally, and more importantly, Constitutionally, it is a national disgrace that Americans wait for the government to make all of the decisions like little helpless babies, especially when WE are the rightful rulers of our own destiny~! Shall we let Austin's heroic deed, where he risked his own life, go without the least bit of acknowledgement that the community is appreciative and grateful for his stepping up to do the right thing when it mattered most? It is nice to see some here thanking him Online, and he may not even need or want that, but if THAT is all the community is willing to do, we don't deserve freedom and we will only get a more oppressive "nanny state". I would bet that the A holes in government will never do a damn thing to so much as thank him, let alone acknowledge his great effort to save a life of someone that they could obviously care less about. In fact, I would bet that some of the criminals in our own government & community would LOVE to charge Austin with some trumped-up crimes because he took actions to help others... We can bet that there are some who want the crime spree in our community to continue and get even worse, believe it or not... It is our choice, and I am sure that we shall get exactly what we deserve one way or another... Maybe Austin will think twice next time, not because he was ignored and unrewarded, but because our community didn't care and he may just understand that there are too many cowards who would not have his back the next time... I still believe that the other man on the bus who also stepped up to the challenge also deserves a lot of credit... I and my long-suffering wife know what I am talking about from first-hand experience BTW, but I am uninterested in any thanks... The question for all folks to ask themselves, is when the next time comes where the government unleashes another bioweapon attack, which they have numerous times before the COVID mass murder genocide, who will be strong enough to bother to warn anyone now??? Ha! Yes, we need to think long and hard about the kind of future America is to have... For the great number of Americans who hysterically whine, cry, and scream about "the children" I sure don't see many actually giving a damn about today's children and future generations so much... We are definitely at a very serious cross-roads my friend~!
Sincerely, Mike
Great interview, Jeff! I’m very glad you made this happen, so I could learn about someone in our community and how they live, which always fascinates me.
Thank you, Austin, for doing the dirty work in life and enjoying it! I did a stint in housekeeping after my white collar career; I know what it can be like and it is important work. People don’t like living in filth, and without custodians there would be a lot more of it. I also truly appreciate you discussing the sovereign citizen issues; I have been aware of that movement since the early 2000s, and it’s definitely something that I’ve never felt can be talked about openly due to how it is viewed by society, and often wrongly viewed. My husband has been watching the auditing police videos for years; I never leave the house without him and he is my protection. I’m glad you are in this community and willing to step up when you see the need to help others. You would be a value to the hospital and someone I would be glad to know my tax dollars are supporting; it is their loss, and I’m sure something better will come along. Thank you for serving your community!
Jeff - I am so happy to hear that you had a good result from your surgery!
Thanks Jeff for the fascinating interview.
Jeff, you are hysterically funny. I would have told you it looked like a third eye. But then again I don’t have that many close friends. I’m glad they removed your growth and saved your vision. Thank you for featuring Austen . People like him are the jewels in our society. What a humble and gentle man minus the knife.
That was important info for everyone to hear. Knives make fighting too close and someone will be a victim. I guess you do what you have to do , but the driver and Austen returning to transit speaks highly of their characters.
"That's not a knife...THIS IS A KNIFE!" Crocodile Dundee!🤣
Thank you, Jeff and Austin, for the personal interview that helps us understand what we are facing in CC. In a time when people only help their fellow man in conflict by recording the incident, Austin stepped up to help everyone on the bus. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Stay safe out there!
I listened to your podcast-- something I rarely do because of the time they take. I was very impressed with the young man you interviewed! It restored some of my views on life.
Excellent, Jeff! You see, I have an eye problem too-- rectaloculitis: A shitty outlook on life.
I was so touched by the bus hero (Austen) and your kind and gentle way with him. He must have felt very comfortable and safe with you, Jeff.
The entire story had me so engaged I listened to it twice.
Things could have gotten very ugly quickly. This is when I say we need to stop the influx of drugs in to Clallam County. You can make a list of how substance abuse affects everyone living here. Law enforcement and our County Commissioners are somehow not getting to the source while they are denying every citizens safety.
They know who the dealers are. What is the justification for not ridding the county of criminals? What is the motivation for not getting specially trained DEA agents here ? You know just seeing a state patrol causes a chain reaction of driving the speed limit. My cynical mind wants to know what is the payoff for not enforcing the law?
Hey guys, you get to carry big guns. Jeff, what is the other side of this that I’m/we aren’t seeing.
Our sheriff friend said it boils down to three things, SEX, DRUGS, or MONEY.(criminal actions)
Could any retired officers weigh in here, tell me I am wrong, whatever. What happened to the jail house snitch?
Control illegal drugs, we get our county back with money left over.
I'd really like to know the other side of things, but the three county commissioners, who also sit on the transit board, won't talk.
Well isn’t that convenient. Of course they do. Look at any failed or flawed program and one or more of the three stooges are present.
They have no boundaries and are oblivious to public opinion and how we see them.
I am very impressed with Austin - he is erudite and deeply conscious of community and common courtesy. If there is a fund for him for a new e-bike - I would like to contribute to it.
REMEMBER……ITS ALWAYS ABOUT WHAT YOU DON’T SEE.
Coming from someone who has investigated for 40 years……
People physically hurt & assaulted on city busses, no security protection…..security protection is provided if you area county commissioner who thinks or perceives they have been attacked?????
SOMETHING IS INCREDIBLY WRONG!
What stood out to me in this episode wasn’t the assault itself. It was how much the story had to be reshaped to make it carry a larger meaning.
Because when you actually listen to Austin’s account, the facts are fairly straightforward. He describes a chaotic, fast moving situation involving someone who was intoxicated and mentally unwell. He says most of his bus rides are uneventful. He admits that until it was framed for him later, he had not connected fare policy or window tinting to personal safety at all. And when he reflects on what went wrong, his biggest regret is his own decision to escalate by pulling a knife, not anything the driver or the transit system did.
That distinction matters. None of that points to a systemic collapse or a policy failure. It points to a single unpredictable individual in crisis. That kind of incident happens everywhere, in every county, regardless of fare structure or window design.
What the podcast adds is not new information. It adds atmosphere.
The incident is slowly transformed from a specific event into a symbol. Emotion does the heavy lifting. Personal experiences are folded in, characters are morally sorted, and the listener is guided toward a conclusion that feels intuitive long before it is actually argued. By the time policy enters the conversation, the emotional groundwork has already been laid.
This is how narratives gain power without ever quite presenting evidence. The story does not have to be false. It just has to be framed in a way that makes alternative explanations feel irrelevant or even inappropriate.
And that is where things go sideways.
If we want to talk about transit safety, we should talk about transit safety, using patterns, data, and realistic risk assessment. If we want to talk about gaps in mental health care, we should talk about those directly. If we want to talk about substance use and public disorder, that conversation is worth having on its own terms.
But we do not get better policy by turning one frightening morning into a morality play designed to support a pre existing storyline. We get better outcomes by resisting the urge to let feeling substitute for analysis.
What happened on that bus was real and serious, and that’s exactly why it bothers me when it’s used to tell me what to think about it.
You say one single individual in crisis. Just one event. This was buried so deeply in the PDN among other random subjects, most people probably didn't even see it. How many other events may have happened on transit or at the bus shelters that we don't know about because our local paper prefers to report page upon page of national news and very little local? Or because Transit prefers to keep it quiet?
Powder monkey-Oh you must be talking about how the tribe operates, yeah I get it now…I see what your talking about.