The commissioners did not respond to questions asking about out-of-area individuals being brought to Clallam County for treatment. Here is todays email to the Shore Pool Board:
Dear Shore Pool Board Members,
I attended the meeting in which the Board stated that the rationale for continuing the shower voucher program was that there had been no reported incidents associated with the program.
I am hoping you can help clarify a few questions:
1. What process does the Board use to determine whether an incident has occurred involving a voucher recipient?
2. Does the Board receive reports from pool staff regarding thefts, disruptive behavior, drug-related activity, safety concerns, or law enforcement contacts involving voucher users?
3. Has the Board ever requested incident reports from pool management, Port Angeles Police Department, or partner organizations distributing vouchers?
4. If an incident involving a voucher recipient were to occur, what criteria would the Board use to determine whether program changes are warranted?
5. Are voucher recipients tracked in any way that would allow the Board to distinguish incidents involving program participants from those involving the general public?
I appreciate your time and any information you can provide regarding how the Board evaluates the effectiveness and safety of the program.
Don’t expect a reply to your letter because salaries of $120,000 per year does not warrant public concern in Clallam County by the 3 amigos who hold Commissioner positions!
What in the hell has to happen in this county to take notice THERE IS A PROBLEM. Even NASA knows when there is a problem & responds adequately. Clallam County has blinders on & that is why it is so poorly managed.
Taking a chance with our children & elderly, submitting them to disease & drug activity should be the responsibility of our Commissioners when the health department is ineffective to do their job to protect ALL of the public, healthy and not just the homeless & addicted.
There is no excuse for not knowing what is really going on at Shore Aquatic Center & taking the appropriate steps necessary to make sure our tax dollars are spent how they were originally intended & that did not include vouchers for homeless & addicts to shower. It is up to ourselves to protect ourselves, just like concealed carry. That means no way, Jose, will I expose my grandchildren, anyone else or ourselves. Harm reduction means not going to the Shore Aquatic Center until there is no threat period.
Nice work yet again! One comment. You write: "Free public transit is available throughout the area to help individuals reach these locations." I saw this same basic statement in a 6/5 PDN guest editorial by Carmen Geyer discussing the Port Angeles Senior & Community Center, where she stated that, "Many people are surprised to learn that bus fare is completely free throughout Clallam County." This is misleading. NOTHING the government does is free. Here, the taxpayer is subsidizing bus transportation. Over time, continuing to call this, and other government programs, "free," helps solidify the misguided thinking of many who think government money is manna from heaven, not money created through the hard work and sacrifice of the private sector. Someone always pays.
I recall the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 80's. Regulators were contemplating stepping in to bail out some of the banks. On the way in to work I heard a man on the street interview on the radio where the person being asked his opinion on the matter said, "I don't think the taxpayer should bail out the banks. The government should do it." Insert eyeroll emoji here. Same thing goes for free healthcare, free housing for illegals, free everything. You know who pays in the end.
I agree, we DO pay for public transportation. However, I have never been opposed to that. Students use it, seniors, it can be a great thing and I don't mind my tax dollars supporting something good. I just don't like the abuse of it. People with drug addiction or mental illness need to be put into treatment. Not doling out drugs for free. THAT I don't agree with. Even if they thought it was a good idea to begin with, back in 1981, because it was launched to prevent the spread of disease, it's become a serious problem. Used in conjunction with actual treatment and using the ITA enacted in 2008, it worked for a great deal of time. But they aren't putting these people in treatment. So, these addicts roam around free causing problems for everyone else and overburdening the taxpayers.
Andrea, agreed. My point is that we need to quit indoctrinating people into thinking that any government services are without cost. Everything government does, from bus rides to SNAP cards to whatever, has a financial cost attached, borne by the taxpayer. Too many people have no concept of this fact.
Absolutely! To add to that: Quit WASTING taxpayers money on crap. People used to have to go through workfirst programs, if they weren't disabled. People who had mental issues or drug issues went to treatment, even when involuntarily. We didn't have SO MANY on the dole with NO sign of relief from it. Enabling these "extras" is a huge waste.
Colleen McAleer is right. Washington ranks as 50th for business survival rate in a Ringy study based on 2019-2024 business survival data and 46th/47th overall for business friendliness in the Chief Executive CEO survey. I think she’s like a lot of us that have been deep in the small business world of Clallam county and sees the writing on the wall. It’s hard for me to believe that WA only ranked 45th in the Tax Foundation’s 2026 tax competitiveness index because it is utterly ridiculous how much small businesses are paying. Something better change or Clallam county will lose more professionals and small businesses as they flee for states that want you to succeed not punish you for success.
Travis well of information. The start to a socialist government is to get state run businesses and take over. The medical field is almost there with government telling you how much you can charge in fees for procedures under our current reimbursements. Every day it seems like our state is suing the current Administration.
It’s kind of like having a dime and getting two nickels and think you have more money Thanks for explaining where we are headed.
“While I’ve deeply valued my time at the EDC and this exceptional, professional team, and our board, I’ve just have come to the realization that my frustration with a growing imbalance facing small businesses, especially from increasing taxation, environmental regulation, and bureaucracy, has become too great for me. And I believe that EDC deserves a new leader with fresh energy and optimism to try to help move economic opportunities for the next generation.” - Colleen McAleer
This is polite speech for "everything is so F'd up that there is no way I can help fix any of it". I came to the same conclusion and find myself now in another state.
Janicki Industries is building out their next manufacturing facility in Great Falls, MT specifically because of the costs associated with doing business in Washington state. What a massive loss for WA.
Thank you for the report today. just another reason to replace the BOCC. If they didn't lie and try to hide everything it would be grand! Just another reason to listen or read th CC Watchdog everyday. We know the other two so called newspapers won't do any research and actually report this stuff. Keep up the great work!!!
This is why so many people keep coming back to read CCWD. They get informed! A citizen didn't like the answers to his/her questions and decided to dig for the truth. And got the truth! Thank you Citizen 'Can Do' and Jeff Tozzer for doing the job our elected "leaders" are supposed to be doing. No Commissioners report from French or Ozias last week. How about updates no matter how small or inconsequential because to us they are important.
Our county commissioners have stacked up quite a case against themselves with no conscience let alone an inkling of desire for our children’s safety. It’s time to weed this garden we’ve worked, we’ve saved, to live in this beautiful area to let scum bleed us of everything. The funny thing is they don’t believe there is power other than their own!
Thank you Jeff and all of the readers of this column!
WOW! The commissioners CANT even run a pool without deceit. The sad part is they run other areas that are far bigger. The situation of our county is dire and a financial mess. How can the libs support such lack of transparency? Frenchie and company do not have masks on but they are the thieves of OUR money. Stop the heist that is being played out and VOTE JAKE!
Dear Commissioners French and Johnson, Councilmembers Hodgson and Suggs, and Board Member Shield,
Congratulations on another masterclass in governance! The William Shore Aquatic Center's free shower voucher program—generously funneled through the Harm Reduction Center—is clearly a roaring success. "No incidents," you said? That's not just spin; that's performance art. Nearly 80 police reports of drugs, needles, threats, transients camping out, and staff hiding inside? Mere details. In your world, that's just "vibrant community engagement" with a side of foil art installations on the front steps.
You see the world through the most stylish rose-colored glasses in Clallam County. Everything looks beautiful: addicts getting a nice rinse before heading back to the streets, families and kids splashing around in the background like it's all one big, harmonious water ballet. Drug paraphernalia in the parking lot? That's just "harm reduction innovation." Guy threatening to "take their arms off" a staff member? Probably a passionate debate about water aerobics. Woman passed out by the road? She's napping after a productive day of... whatever.
The best part? You hate being wrong almost as much as you love these programs. Public records requests have to drag the truth out because heaven forbid an elected official actually looks at the dispatch logs. "I didn't even know the program existed until I saw it on social media," says Commissioner French. A county commissioner unaware of what county government is doing? That's not oversight— that's *peak* oversight. Like a pilot announcing mid-flight, "Huh, didn't realize we had engines."
Keep polishing those glasses, folks. Ignore the pattern until something truly cinematic happens: a child finds a needle, a family encounter turns ugly, or worse. Then we'll get the solemn statements, the candlelight vigils, the blue-ribbon task force to "study the issue." Because nothing says "compassionate leadership" like waiting for tragedy to finally adjust the policy.
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army, Serenity House, and TAFY are already doing the hygiene work without turning the public pool into an unofficial extension of the Harm Reduction Center. But why solve problems efficiently when you can virtue-signal at taxpayer expense and call it progress?
The board meeting on June 26 should be entertaining. Bring the rose-colored glasses—maybe pass them around for public comment so we can all see the beautiful future you're envisioning. The rest of us will stick with reality: a family aquatic center should focus on swimming lessons, not enabling the very chaos that keeps police on speed dial.
Keep up the great work. The kids (and their parents) are counting on you... to eventually notice when the bill comes due.
Sincerely,
A Taxpaying Resident Who Prefers Pools Without Police Blotter Cameos
We subject truck drivers to rigorous drug testing; therefore, it is my belief that all government employees should be held to a similar standard. This is especially pertinent given the current climate of government instability and the implementation of frivolous legislation. We are paying dearly for this circus, which is characterized by a lack of common sense and a failure of officials to perform their duties effectively.
Today’s quote from State Auditor Pat McCarthy bears repeating: “Trust is not an internal control.” That principle applies to every entity that receives or manages public funds — whether it is a town hall, a pool district, a county department, or a nonprofit organization. Taxpayers should never be discouraged from asking questions. In Clallam County, many residents attend commissioners’ meetings each week or submit public records requests, and while some questions are answered, many are not. The pattern is becoming increasingly clear: when questions get too close to uncomfortable truths, the response is silence.
Community members are uncovering issues that simply do not add up, and the deeper we look, the more we find. This work takes time, and not everyone can do it, but I encourage those who can to stay engaged. Accountability is not a spectator sport — it takes a village.
We are still waiting to hear from the state regarding potential charges in the Burke matter and the documented fraud that occurred there. Whether anything will come of it remains uncertain. The current system sends cases with local conflicts of interest to the state, where they often disappear into a void. Clallam County needs a functional, local process for handling these cases, because relying on rarely used grand juries and external agencies has not served the public well.
I am also still reflecting on the recent OLYCAP situation. During the 60 year proclamation, the representative, Viola stated she did not know where the money goes and that it was “between the church and the county.” Yet a citizen’s public records request revealed that approximately 65% of the program’s payroll went to OLYCAP staff, and that the same representative, Viola was the approver on those time sheets. That contradiction has never been addressed. What we hear now is nothing — and silence is not accountability.
For years, many nonprofits in this county have operated on reputation alone, without meaningful oversight or transparency. I am not suggesting they do no good work. I am saying that any organization receiving public funds must be willing to answer public questions. The public deserves accurate information, not vague assurances or statements that conflict with documented records.
I urge residents to stay involved, ask questions, and use the public records process. Even those who prefer to work quietly behind the scenes can make a meaningful difference. This is our tax money, and we have every right — and responsibility — to know how it is being used.
As the State Auditor reminded us, trust is not an internal control. Transparency is.
Week after week, residents go before the commissioners to describe what we see on our streets: people slumped in doorways, passed out on sidewalks, wandering in traffic, and sleeping in our forests. This is not compassion. It is a visible sign of a system that has chosen the path of least resistance.
We are told that repeated Narcan use is a measure of success because it prevents a fatal overdose in the moment. But Narcan is not a treatment plan. It does not address addiction, mental illness, or the conditions that keep people trapped in the same cycle. When individuals are revived over and over without any pathway into detox or residential care, we are not saving lives — we are prolonging suffering. And the neurological damage from repeated overdoses is well‑documented. Yet the public is only shown the “numbers” that make the system look effective, not the full picture of how many times the same individuals are revived and returned to the same environment.
We are also told that residential treatment beds are “too steep a climb” or “not profitable.” But counties across this country — rural, urban, wealthy, and poor — have built detox and treatment facilities because they recognized that compassion requires structure, not slogans. They used opioid settlement funds, state partnerships, Medicaid waivers, and public–nonprofit models with accountability. If they can do it, Clallam County can too. The barrier is not feasibility. It is will.
Meanwhile, our local harm‑reduction programs operate without the basic guardrails used elsewhere. A one‑for‑one needle exchange is standard practice across the nation. Here, needles are distributed with no expectation of return, no accountability, and no measurable reduction in public litter or paraphernalia. That is not harm reduction. It is supply distribution, and the consequences are visible in our parks, trails, and neighborhoods.
Residents are asking the "leaders" in the county to acknowledge what we all see: people in profound distress, untreated mental illness, and advanced addiction living and dying in public view. This is not compassion. It is abandonment.
We need a real continuum of care — detox, residential treatment, step‑down programs, and case management — not just crisis response and grant‑funded programs with no measurable outcomes. We need leadership willing to confront the hard truth that the current approach is not working and is not protecting the people it claims to serve.
Clallam County deserves a strategy rooted in accountability, measurable results, and genuine compassion — the kind that helps people reclaim their lives, not the kind that leaves them on the sidewalk with another dose of Narcan and no path forward.
Did anyone hear Mark Ozias reply-ramble regarding “Treatment facilities”? he is speaking admission, he knows there is a need.. some mentioned Oxford house, some mention the OMC Hospital.
Mark, at the end… cherrie’d it with “Jamestown has that”.
If all participation in illicit drug trafficking and production penalties ranged from a minimum of life imprisonment to life forfeiture, ( AKA the death penalty ), all the associated crime, use and paraphernalia would go away. The cost associated with the illicit drug industry is astronomical when you follow it through farming, manufacturing, smuggling, distribution, use/addiction/medical costs, social fabric damage, family damage, law enforcement costs, judicial system costs, incarceration costs and crime victimization costs for starters. Why we coddle this industry with such ineffectual penalties and tolerance is completely illogical. Including the Shore Aquatic Center, we must move from tolerance to intolerance. Compassion and forgiveness are admirable human qualities, but they are unquestionably proven to be ineffective in addressing illicit drugs. To be truly compassionate for those complicit in illicit drug use or distribution intolerance is the most compassionate answer. Tough love.
Well, just last week a child found a fentanyl patch in the changing area, luckily the child told their mother and didn’t touch the patch. That is so dangerous. What if the child had touched that patch!!! This makes me sick to my stomach and scared for the surrounding community!
"A few bad apples spoil the whole barrel." How many programs, products, benefits, and the like have we all lost because people abused them. If these voucher users could just come in, take a shower, maybe while they're clean go for a swim and don't bother anyone. No one would know the difference. Maybe some do. But because most DON'T, they ruin it for everyone else. When this abuse happens, programs get shut down. Products get removed. Why should this be any different?
Surprised Shore hasn’t shut down the children’s swim program as the fix to protect the public. That is what happens most of the time. The public takes notice, complains, gets shut out or shut down because of the possibility of legalities & lawsuits. Path of least resistance, homeless & addicted aren’t going to complain so they win.
The EASIEST "path" would be to take away the vouchers. If these bad apples can't be normal, then take away the program. If some of them are dumb, they ALL lose.
We virtually have NO Safer Area to not be frightened or harsssed and to go without a visual or personal contact with these individuals who trash our once pristine town. Too many of these people being welcomed here by handouts to continue on their destructive ways. The programs bring em in and we don’t want them!!! Will the commishs and voting boards get their act together and stop this blight on our community?!? Yes this is an illness but obviously the situation wosened by methods not working!!! The disease worsens .
The pool was always a safe place for teens to work during the summer, and a chance to better their swim , business and people skills. Now the pool becomes a cesspool … I’m sure also the bond holders who helped finance the “improved”pool are wondering how this will all play out in the financial bond ratings .I would not invest in what these “leaders” has allowed it to become.
How many of the "nearly 80" incidents at or near Shore Pool involved someone who used or attempted to use a shower voucher? Did Steve Burke, the pool manager subsequently fired and accused of fraud, conceal these incidents from the Board and the public?
If he did what kind of overseers are the buffoons in charge. These guys are busy counting their fraudalent funds from all their side gigs. If you audited the commissioners you might just find our rhey need to take a shower. They seem pretty dirty.
The commissioners did not respond to questions asking about out-of-area individuals being brought to Clallam County for treatment. Here is todays email to the Shore Pool Board:
Dear Shore Pool Board Members,
I attended the meeting in which the Board stated that the rationale for continuing the shower voucher program was that there had been no reported incidents associated with the program.
I am hoping you can help clarify a few questions:
1. What process does the Board use to determine whether an incident has occurred involving a voucher recipient?
2. Does the Board receive reports from pool staff regarding thefts, disruptive behavior, drug-related activity, safety concerns, or law enforcement contacts involving voucher users?
3. Has the Board ever requested incident reports from pool management, Port Angeles Police Department, or partner organizations distributing vouchers?
4. If an incident involving a voucher recipient were to occur, what criteria would the Board use to determine whether program changes are warranted?
5. Are voucher recipients tracked in any way that would allow the Board to distinguish incidents involving program participants from those involving the general public?
I appreciate your time and any information you can provide regarding how the Board evaluates the effectiveness and safety of the program.
Don’t expect a reply to your letter because salaries of $120,000 per year does not warrant public concern in Clallam County by the 3 amigos who hold Commissioner positions!
What in the hell has to happen in this county to take notice THERE IS A PROBLEM. Even NASA knows when there is a problem & responds adequately. Clallam County has blinders on & that is why it is so poorly managed.
Taking a chance with our children & elderly, submitting them to disease & drug activity should be the responsibility of our Commissioners when the health department is ineffective to do their job to protect ALL of the public, healthy and not just the homeless & addicted.
There is no excuse for not knowing what is really going on at Shore Aquatic Center & taking the appropriate steps necessary to make sure our tax dollars are spent how they were originally intended & that did not include vouchers for homeless & addicts to shower. It is up to ourselves to protect ourselves, just like concealed carry. That means no way, Jose, will I expose my grandchildren, anyone else or ourselves. Harm reduction means not going to the Shore Aquatic Center until there is no threat period.
Well shucks,
aren’t these valid questions?
why won’t you commissioners answer the hard questions?
these are NOT personal attacks nor are they personal towards you in nature…
answer the questions.
please.
I am excited for Sunday's article!
Start the yoga breathing now.
Nice work yet again! One comment. You write: "Free public transit is available throughout the area to help individuals reach these locations." I saw this same basic statement in a 6/5 PDN guest editorial by Carmen Geyer discussing the Port Angeles Senior & Community Center, where she stated that, "Many people are surprised to learn that bus fare is completely free throughout Clallam County." This is misleading. NOTHING the government does is free. Here, the taxpayer is subsidizing bus transportation. Over time, continuing to call this, and other government programs, "free," helps solidify the misguided thinking of many who think government money is manna from heaven, not money created through the hard work and sacrifice of the private sector. Someone always pays.
I agree!
I recall the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 80's. Regulators were contemplating stepping in to bail out some of the banks. On the way in to work I heard a man on the street interview on the radio where the person being asked his opinion on the matter said, "I don't think the taxpayer should bail out the banks. The government should do it." Insert eyeroll emoji here. Same thing goes for free healthcare, free housing for illegals, free everything. You know who pays in the end.
I agree, we DO pay for public transportation. However, I have never been opposed to that. Students use it, seniors, it can be a great thing and I don't mind my tax dollars supporting something good. I just don't like the abuse of it. People with drug addiction or mental illness need to be put into treatment. Not doling out drugs for free. THAT I don't agree with. Even if they thought it was a good idea to begin with, back in 1981, because it was launched to prevent the spread of disease, it's become a serious problem. Used in conjunction with actual treatment and using the ITA enacted in 2008, it worked for a great deal of time. But they aren't putting these people in treatment. So, these addicts roam around free causing problems for everyone else and overburdening the taxpayers.
It's not the free bus. It's the abuse.
Andrea, agreed. My point is that we need to quit indoctrinating people into thinking that any government services are without cost. Everything government does, from bus rides to SNAP cards to whatever, has a financial cost attached, borne by the taxpayer. Too many people have no concept of this fact.
Absolutely! To add to that: Quit WASTING taxpayers money on crap. People used to have to go through workfirst programs, if they weren't disabled. People who had mental issues or drug issues went to treatment, even when involuntarily. We didn't have SO MANY on the dole with NO sign of relief from it. Enabling these "extras" is a huge waste.
The minute one sequesters any group for special treatment, one has commited the buzz words of the 1960s; segregation and marginalization.
Exactly, when someone says free, there’s always a hidden agenda because nothing is.
I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "Nothing is free, except Clallam County Watchdog."
True!
........And worth every penny $$$$
:D
Cheap at twice the price!! 👊
lol and crying!
Colleen McAleer is right. Washington ranks as 50th for business survival rate in a Ringy study based on 2019-2024 business survival data and 46th/47th overall for business friendliness in the Chief Executive CEO survey. I think she’s like a lot of us that have been deep in the small business world of Clallam county and sees the writing on the wall. It’s hard for me to believe that WA only ranked 45th in the Tax Foundation’s 2026 tax competitiveness index because it is utterly ridiculous how much small businesses are paying. Something better change or Clallam county will lose more professionals and small businesses as they flee for states that want you to succeed not punish you for success.
Travis well of information. The start to a socialist government is to get state run businesses and take over. The medical field is almost there with government telling you how much you can charge in fees for procedures under our current reimbursements. Every day it seems like our state is suing the current Administration.
It’s kind of like having a dime and getting two nickels and think you have more money Thanks for explaining where we are headed.
She won't be having coffee with us anymore. She is quitting.
“While I’ve deeply valued my time at the EDC and this exceptional, professional team, and our board, I’ve just have come to the realization that my frustration with a growing imbalance facing small businesses, especially from increasing taxation, environmental regulation, and bureaucracy, has become too great for me. And I believe that EDC deserves a new leader with fresh energy and optimism to try to help move economic opportunities for the next generation.” - Colleen McAleer
This is polite speech for "everything is so F'd up that there is no way I can help fix any of it". I came to the same conclusion and find myself now in another state.
That was a gut punch to read. Losing her is massive, but hey, as long as the crazies get to run the show it's all good....not.
"increasing taxation" "bureaucracy". Those 2 subjects are the state of Washington.
What district does she live in? She'd make an effective County Commissioner.
One. Ozias is up next year!
Second Wedge needed to get us back to center.
Not having coffee with the Canadians she wouldn't. Two American companies should be cutting lumber in Forks.,
Janicki Industries is building out their next manufacturing facility in Great Falls, MT specifically because of the costs associated with doing business in Washington state. What a massive loss for WA.
When I settled in Sequim,
I was surprised we had a Costco, a Dell’s, Home Depot & 2 Office supply stores.
A year later… boom!
Ross, Michael’s, Grocery Outlet (i miss that one-good supply of natural foods)
In Carlsborg, Sunny Farms will go quietly into the night.
A deal they cant resist…
Another grocery chain will come in and feed the newly inflated city of Carlsborg.
Big box stores have been gingerly moving in.
Thomas Building Supply-SOLD. (not bought out by Home Depot).
Having moved from a big, crazy city…
i have found peace, love and sobriety here.
I chose to stay for the small simple reasons…
- it’s beauty, the farms, real people (not the phony fake ones) small mom and pop stores and One High School.
Now,
I live in Vegas again.
We are changing it together… all unique in our abilities.
👍🏼
What? You left?
no, i am a Squimmer.
however, Sequim has all the “feels” of big city problems and takeovers and corruption.
i didn’t bring it..
i left it in Vegas. 🙃
Lets get it back vote the wedge VOTE JAKE
Thank you for the report today. just another reason to replace the BOCC. If they didn't lie and try to hide everything it would be grand! Just another reason to listen or read th CC Watchdog everyday. We know the other two so called newspapers won't do any research and actually report this stuff. Keep up the great work!!!
This is why so many people keep coming back to read CCWD. They get informed! A citizen didn't like the answers to his/her questions and decided to dig for the truth. And got the truth! Thank you Citizen 'Can Do' and Jeff Tozzer for doing the job our elected "leaders" are supposed to be doing. No Commissioners report from French or Ozias last week. How about updates no matter how small or inconsequential because to us they are important.
Exactly!!
Our county commissioners have stacked up quite a case against themselves with no conscience let alone an inkling of desire for our children’s safety. It’s time to weed this garden we’ve worked, we’ve saved, to live in this beautiful area to let scum bleed us of everything. The funny thing is they don’t believe there is power other than their own!
Thank you Jeff and all of the readers of this column!
WOW! The commissioners CANT even run a pool without deceit. The sad part is they run other areas that are far bigger. The situation of our county is dire and a financial mess. How can the libs support such lack of transparency? Frenchie and company do not have masks on but they are the thieves of OUR money. Stop the heist that is being played out and VOTE JAKE!
HEAR HEAR
Dear Commissioners French and Johnson, Councilmembers Hodgson and Suggs, and Board Member Shield,
Congratulations on another masterclass in governance! The William Shore Aquatic Center's free shower voucher program—generously funneled through the Harm Reduction Center—is clearly a roaring success. "No incidents," you said? That's not just spin; that's performance art. Nearly 80 police reports of drugs, needles, threats, transients camping out, and staff hiding inside? Mere details. In your world, that's just "vibrant community engagement" with a side of foil art installations on the front steps.
You see the world through the most stylish rose-colored glasses in Clallam County. Everything looks beautiful: addicts getting a nice rinse before heading back to the streets, families and kids splashing around in the background like it's all one big, harmonious water ballet. Drug paraphernalia in the parking lot? That's just "harm reduction innovation." Guy threatening to "take their arms off" a staff member? Probably a passionate debate about water aerobics. Woman passed out by the road? She's napping after a productive day of... whatever.
The best part? You hate being wrong almost as much as you love these programs. Public records requests have to drag the truth out because heaven forbid an elected official actually looks at the dispatch logs. "I didn't even know the program existed until I saw it on social media," says Commissioner French. A county commissioner unaware of what county government is doing? That's not oversight— that's *peak* oversight. Like a pilot announcing mid-flight, "Huh, didn't realize we had engines."
Keep polishing those glasses, folks. Ignore the pattern until something truly cinematic happens: a child finds a needle, a family encounter turns ugly, or worse. Then we'll get the solemn statements, the candlelight vigils, the blue-ribbon task force to "study the issue." Because nothing says "compassionate leadership" like waiting for tragedy to finally adjust the policy.
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army, Serenity House, and TAFY are already doing the hygiene work without turning the public pool into an unofficial extension of the Harm Reduction Center. But why solve problems efficiently when you can virtue-signal at taxpayer expense and call it progress?
The board meeting on June 26 should be entertaining. Bring the rose-colored glasses—maybe pass them around for public comment so we can all see the beautiful future you're envisioning. The rest of us will stick with reality: a family aquatic center should focus on swimming lessons, not enabling the very chaos that keeps police on speed dial.
Keep up the great work. The kids (and their parents) are counting on you... to eventually notice when the bill comes due.
Sincerely,
A Taxpaying Resident Who Prefers Pools Without Police Blotter Cameos
the names in the police reports have all been on the scanner and most have been in local jail before but with minimal consequence
Thanks for taking the time to write them. I made an error and that meeting is June 23, but I'll issue a correction.
I actually didn't write them
It was an open letter to them on your substack
I'm pretty sure they or someone that knows them reads your substack
Pretty sure it falls on deaf ears
Love me some FOIL ART! LOL My personal feelings are that ALL of the "bored" members are doing drugs.
We subject truck drivers to rigorous drug testing; therefore, it is my belief that all government employees should be held to a similar standard. This is especially pertinent given the current climate of government instability and the implementation of frivolous legislation. We are paying dearly for this circus, which is characterized by a lack of common sense and a failure of officials to perform their duties effectively.
Agree. Seriously, I would bet my bippie that some of these people do MJ and even harder drugs.
Today’s quote from State Auditor Pat McCarthy bears repeating: “Trust is not an internal control.” That principle applies to every entity that receives or manages public funds — whether it is a town hall, a pool district, a county department, or a nonprofit organization. Taxpayers should never be discouraged from asking questions. In Clallam County, many residents attend commissioners’ meetings each week or submit public records requests, and while some questions are answered, many are not. The pattern is becoming increasingly clear: when questions get too close to uncomfortable truths, the response is silence.
Community members are uncovering issues that simply do not add up, and the deeper we look, the more we find. This work takes time, and not everyone can do it, but I encourage those who can to stay engaged. Accountability is not a spectator sport — it takes a village.
We are still waiting to hear from the state regarding potential charges in the Burke matter and the documented fraud that occurred there. Whether anything will come of it remains uncertain. The current system sends cases with local conflicts of interest to the state, where they often disappear into a void. Clallam County needs a functional, local process for handling these cases, because relying on rarely used grand juries and external agencies has not served the public well.
I am also still reflecting on the recent OLYCAP situation. During the 60 year proclamation, the representative, Viola stated she did not know where the money goes and that it was “between the church and the county.” Yet a citizen’s public records request revealed that approximately 65% of the program’s payroll went to OLYCAP staff, and that the same representative, Viola was the approver on those time sheets. That contradiction has never been addressed. What we hear now is nothing — and silence is not accountability.
For years, many nonprofits in this county have operated on reputation alone, without meaningful oversight or transparency. I am not suggesting they do no good work. I am saying that any organization receiving public funds must be willing to answer public questions. The public deserves accurate information, not vague assurances or statements that conflict with documented records.
I urge residents to stay involved, ask questions, and use the public records process. Even those who prefer to work quietly behind the scenes can make a meaningful difference. This is our tax money, and we have every right — and responsibility — to know how it is being used.
As the State Auditor reminded us, trust is not an internal control. Transparency is.
Week after week, residents go before the commissioners to describe what we see on our streets: people slumped in doorways, passed out on sidewalks, wandering in traffic, and sleeping in our forests. This is not compassion. It is a visible sign of a system that has chosen the path of least resistance.
We are told that repeated Narcan use is a measure of success because it prevents a fatal overdose in the moment. But Narcan is not a treatment plan. It does not address addiction, mental illness, or the conditions that keep people trapped in the same cycle. When individuals are revived over and over without any pathway into detox or residential care, we are not saving lives — we are prolonging suffering. And the neurological damage from repeated overdoses is well‑documented. Yet the public is only shown the “numbers” that make the system look effective, not the full picture of how many times the same individuals are revived and returned to the same environment.
We are also told that residential treatment beds are “too steep a climb” or “not profitable.” But counties across this country — rural, urban, wealthy, and poor — have built detox and treatment facilities because they recognized that compassion requires structure, not slogans. They used opioid settlement funds, state partnerships, Medicaid waivers, and public–nonprofit models with accountability. If they can do it, Clallam County can too. The barrier is not feasibility. It is will.
Meanwhile, our local harm‑reduction programs operate without the basic guardrails used elsewhere. A one‑for‑one needle exchange is standard practice across the nation. Here, needles are distributed with no expectation of return, no accountability, and no measurable reduction in public litter or paraphernalia. That is not harm reduction. It is supply distribution, and the consequences are visible in our parks, trails, and neighborhoods.
Residents are asking the "leaders" in the county to acknowledge what we all see: people in profound distress, untreated mental illness, and advanced addiction living and dying in public view. This is not compassion. It is abandonment.
We need a real continuum of care — detox, residential treatment, step‑down programs, and case management — not just crisis response and grant‑funded programs with no measurable outcomes. We need leadership willing to confront the hard truth that the current approach is not working and is not protecting the people it claims to serve.
Clallam County deserves a strategy rooted in accountability, measurable results, and genuine compassion — the kind that helps people reclaim their lives, not the kind that leaves them on the sidewalk with another dose of Narcan and no path forward.
Today-
Did anyone hear Mark Ozias reply-ramble regarding “Treatment facilities”? he is speaking admission, he knows there is a need.. some mentioned Oxford house, some mention the OMC Hospital.
Mark, at the end… cherrie’d it with “Jamestown has that”.
You see that Denise?😉
If all participation in illicit drug trafficking and production penalties ranged from a minimum of life imprisonment to life forfeiture, ( AKA the death penalty ), all the associated crime, use and paraphernalia would go away. The cost associated with the illicit drug industry is astronomical when you follow it through farming, manufacturing, smuggling, distribution, use/addiction/medical costs, social fabric damage, family damage, law enforcement costs, judicial system costs, incarceration costs and crime victimization costs for starters. Why we coddle this industry with such ineffectual penalties and tolerance is completely illogical. Including the Shore Aquatic Center, we must move from tolerance to intolerance. Compassion and forgiveness are admirable human qualities, but they are unquestionably proven to be ineffective in addressing illicit drugs. To be truly compassionate for those complicit in illicit drug use or distribution intolerance is the most compassionate answer. Tough love.
Well, just last week a child found a fentanyl patch in the changing area, luckily the child told their mother and didn’t touch the patch. That is so dangerous. What if the child had touched that patch!!! This makes me sick to my stomach and scared for the surrounding community!
This says it all! One touch = 1 dead child! Is this what it will take?
"A few bad apples spoil the whole barrel." How many programs, products, benefits, and the like have we all lost because people abused them. If these voucher users could just come in, take a shower, maybe while they're clean go for a swim and don't bother anyone. No one would know the difference. Maybe some do. But because most DON'T, they ruin it for everyone else. When this abuse happens, programs get shut down. Products get removed. Why should this be any different?
Surprised Shore hasn’t shut down the children’s swim program as the fix to protect the public. That is what happens most of the time. The public takes notice, complains, gets shut out or shut down because of the possibility of legalities & lawsuits. Path of least resistance, homeless & addicted aren’t going to complain so they win.
The EASIEST "path" would be to take away the vouchers. If these bad apples can't be normal, then take away the program. If some of them are dumb, they ALL lose.
We virtually have NO Safer Area to not be frightened or harsssed and to go without a visual or personal contact with these individuals who trash our once pristine town. Too many of these people being welcomed here by handouts to continue on their destructive ways. The programs bring em in and we don’t want them!!! Will the commishs and voting boards get their act together and stop this blight on our community?!? Yes this is an illness but obviously the situation wosened by methods not working!!! The disease worsens .
The pool was always a safe place for teens to work during the summer, and a chance to better their swim , business and people skills. Now the pool becomes a cesspool … I’m sure also the bond holders who helped finance the “improved”pool are wondering how this will all play out in the financial bond ratings .I would not invest in what these “leaders” has allowed it to become.
How many of the "nearly 80" incidents at or near Shore Pool involved someone who used or attempted to use a shower voucher? Did Steve Burke, the pool manager subsequently fired and accused of fraud, conceal these incidents from the Board and the public?
If he did what kind of overseers are the buffoons in charge. These guys are busy counting their fraudalent funds from all their side gigs. If you audited the commissioners you might just find our rhey need to take a shower. They seem pretty dirty.