In this special edition of Sundays with Seegers, what begins as Jake Seegers interviewing local businesswoman Johanna Bartee quickly takes an unexpected turn. Bartee, a lifelong Clallam County resident who returned home after nearly two decades away, flips the script and puts the candidate in the hot seat.
The result is one of the most personal and revealing conversations yet about the District 3 County Commissioner candidate.
Listeners will learn about Seegers’ upbringing, his family’s roots in nonprofit medical work, his education, his year working in Manhattan’s financial world, and his current consulting role with a family investment company. For those wondering whether Seegers is really a “real estate investor,” the conversation explores his actual professional background in finance, portfolio management, business analysis, and family investments.
Bartee draws out stories about Seegers’ journey from Montana State University to Ohio State business school, his experience in New York finance, and ultimately why he chose to trade a high-powered career path for life on the Olympic Peninsula. The discussion also explores what motivated him to enter local politics after years of feeling that residents were being ignored by their elected officials.
The conversation goes beyond campaign talking points. Seegers explains his priorities for county government—public safety, economic development, fiscal responsibility, and affordability—and repeatedly emphasizes the importance of measuring outcomes rather than simply counting inputs. He argues that government should focus less on how many services are provided and more on whether those services actually improve lives.
Listeners will also get to know Johanna Bartee. She shares her perspective as a business owner, commercial property owner, and community volunteer who chose to return to the place she grew up. The discussion explores the challenges facing downtown Port Angeles, including public safety concerns, rising costs, and the struggle many small businesses face just to survive. Bartee also discusses the importance of financial literacy, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and why so many young people leave Clallam County and never return.
Together, the two examine the question that weighs heavily on many local families: Why aren’t more people able to build successful careers and raise families in the communities where they grew up? The answers touch on affordability, economic opportunity, entrepreneurship, education, and the future of the North Olympic Peninsula.
This episode also serves as the public unveiling of much of what voters will soon see in Seegers’ official voters’ pamphlet statement. While District 3 voters typically narrow the commissioner field to two candidates during the August primary, only two candidates have filed for the position this year. That means the August vote will not determine who advances, but it will provide the first indicator of voter sentiment heading into the general election.
In November, voters across Clallam County will decide who will occupy one of the most influential positions in county government. For anyone wanting to understand not just what Jake Seegers believes, but who he is, where he came from, and what experiences shaped those beliefs, this conversation offers a detailed look behind the campaign before ballots begin arriving in mailboxes.
The Voters’ Pamphlet
Elected Experience:
None
Professional Experience:
Portfolio Manager, Palomino Investments; Real Estate Investor; Founder, operator, former owner, The Natchez Pearl Inn; Buy-side analyst, Wilson Capital Management. Earlier roles: General manager and server, Mackenzie River Pizza Company; Substitute teacher; Preschool Spanish teacher; Ranch hand.
Education:
MBA (Investment Finance/Accounting), Ohio State University; BS, Biomedical Sciences, Montana State University.
Community Service:
4PA clean-up crew; 4PA Campus Committee; Surfrider and CoastSavers beach clean-ups; volunteer at Harbor of Hope. As a teenager, Jake served alongside his parents providing healthcare to the Tarahumara people in the mountains of Northern Mexico. He continues to pursue solutions directly with community members experiencing homelessness.
Candidate Statement:
It’s time for common-sense leadership. County government must focus on its core mission, which is to deliver essential services and empower efficient, community-driven solutions. If you elect me, every decision will be guided by two questions: Is it essential? Is it effective?
Public safety is my top priority. Failed policies have fueled homelessness and open drug abuse in our neighborhoods, parks, and watersheds. Instead of measuring inputs—beds filled, meals served, supplies distributed—we must measure outcomes: recovery from addiction and graduation from homelessness to self-sufficiency.
I will work to make Clallam County a magnet for high-quality, high-paying employers. Safe, clean public spaces, streamlined permitting, and skilled workforce development will give businesses confidence that their investments are protected and their partnerships valued.
Housing must be attainable for working families. I will push back on costly mandates, work to reduce county fees, and empower local solutions that expand affordability.
Drawing on my business background, I will restore oversight to the county budget. I’ll demand transparency and measurable results for every taxpayer dollar.
I’m running to restore public safety, economic opportunity, affordability, fiscal responsibility, and trust in local government. Together we can return to common-sense leadership.
Editor’s Note: CC Watchdog editor Jeff Tozzer also serves as campaign manager for Jake Seegers during his run for Clallam County Commissioner, District 3. Learn more at www.JakeSeegers.com.
