The commissioners did not answer yesterday's question about increasing transparency when discussing public policy with sovereign, special, and political interests. Here is today's email:
Dear Commissioners,
Groups like 4PA are spending their own time and money cleaning up messes the County either won’t or can’t address. Why is unpaid volunteer labor becoming the default backstop for County policy failures?
Below is a good-governance response addressing why unpaid volunteer labor has become a backstop—and what an individual commissioner can do to make that reliance visible and accountable.
Dear Constituent,
This is a fair question, and it deserves a clear, evidence-based answer.
Unpaid volunteer labor becomes a default backstop when authorized responsibilities, funded capacity, and implementation policies do not fully align. That is a governance condition—not a judgment about volunteers or staff.
Clallam County formally relies on volunteers through structured programs with applications, supervision, and risk management, which shows volunteer labor is an acknowledged part of County operations (Clallam County, n.d.-a). At the same time, County responsibilities for land use, cleanup, and public safety are established in law, while the 2026 adopted budget reflects real staffing and resource constraints (Clallam County, 2026). When those constraints limit what staff can address, community groups step in.
What is important—and often missing from public view—is that the County has not explicitly documented where the boundary lies between volunteers supplementing County services and volunteers substituting for ongoing responsibilities. That reliance appears indirectly across the Code, volunteer programs, and the budget, but not in one clear, public policy statement. When that boundary is not explicit, reliance on volunteer labor can quietly become normalized rather than deliberately governed.
Good-governance standards are clear that essential public functions should not depend indefinitely on informal or unpaid solutions without transparency and accountability (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2014). Washington guidance similarly emphasizes that while public participation is vital, responsibility for outcomes remains with the governing body (RCW 36.70A.140; Municipal Research and Services Center, n.d.).
What I will do as your commissioner: I will request a public work session to clearly identify where volunteer labor is currently backstopping ongoing County responsibilities, ask staff to explain where that reliance is documented—or not—and work to align the County Code, administrative policies, and future budgets so this reliance is intentional, visible, and accountable rather than implicit.
For commissioners reading along, below is an example of how this concern could be appropriately brought forward as a public work session item under a good-governance framework.
Proposed Work Session Agenda Item
Work Session Topic:
Clarifying the Role of Volunteer Labor in Backstopping County Responsibilities
Purpose:
To review and clarify where volunteer labor is currently being used to supplement or backstop ongoing County responsibilities related to cleanup, enforcement, mitigation, or public safety, and to assess whether that reliance is appropriately documented, governed, and transparent.
Requested Discussion Points:
1. Identification of County functions where volunteer labor is being used on a recurring basis to address capacity constraints.
2. Review of where this reliance is currently reflected, if at all, in the County Code, Administrative Policies, Volunteer Program materials, and the adopted budget.
3. Clarification of policy boundaries between volunteer labor supplementing County services versus substituting for responsibilities that would otherwise require staffing, enforcement authority, or dedicated funding.
4. Discussion of when recurring reliance on volunteers should trigger Board review, policy action, or budget consideration.
5. Identification of next steps to improve transparency and alignment among governing documents so that reliance on volunteer labor is intentional, visible, and accountable.
Intended Outcome:
Board direction on whether additional policy clarification, reporting expectations, or future budget considerations are needed to ensure that volunteer labor supports—rather than quietly substitutes for—core County responsibilities.
Can you explain this format of response? I've seen you use it consistently, but I don't understand the context.
Is this literally a response from a County Commissioner that you removed the specific name from? Who gave the response you quoted above? Is that just an example of what a Commissioner COULD have done, or are you actually getting responses from a specific Commissioner and posting it here?
@EdwardUnthank — fair question, and I appreciate you asking it directly.
The responses you’re seeing are modeled examples, not quotes from an unnamed or anonymous County Commissioner. They’re written intentionally as “what a good-governance response could look like” if an individual commissioner chose to address a concern clearly, calmly, and on the record.
In addition to all of the above , not harvesting the forest lands over long periods of time increases fire danger. Where do our local district , twenty four representatives and senator stand on this issue? As I understand it , this was a problem in california that contributed to the danger and size of the many fires down there that caused loss of life and homes.
Each bill in Olympia can be found on the web. Once you've found it on the official state page look for the section, "Send a comment to your legislators," it's usually the first option after the name of the bill and sponsors.
Cutting-edge science produced by Forest Service Research and Development improves timber management efficiency and profitability, projects future forest resources, reduces risks to timber resources, increases efficiency of silvicultural practices, protects water and soil, informs salvage logging, and improves reforestation efforts after fire, flood, blowdowns and other major disturbances.
Maybe we should take a new approach in science and adapt to the new innovations enhancing maximum profitability of our Timber Production benefiting everyone.
INNOVATION
noun
1. the action or process of innovating
Example: innovation is crucial to the continuing success of any organization
Rocky Mountain Research Station | 2022 Biomass & Wood Products
Woody biomass is a renewable organic material. Biomass, which can include stems, limbs, leaves, and other parts of trees, is a byproduct of forest management activities, such as tree thinning. Much of this material can be re-used to create new products. The USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) is actively working with land managers to develop new wood product and market innovations that improve the cost-effectiveness of treatments and STRENGTHEN RURAL ECONOMIES. RMRS is identifying emerging markets to create value from the woody biomass derived from fuel reduction treatments and other landscape restoration projects
I am submitting testimony to support the goals of HB 2170 while urging the Legislature to address a specific fiscal governance gap before the bill advances.
HB 2170 expands the Department of Natural Resources’ authority to generate revenue through ecosystem services, including forest carbon projects. That authority is real, and the opportunity is significant. However, as currently written, the bill treats ecosystem service revenue as a trust land transaction, not as a local public finance issue.
Under existing law, revenues from state forestlands are distributed through trust frameworks that do not explicitly route funds to junior taxing districts such as fire protection, emergency medical services, hospitals, libraries, and park and recreation districts. These districts rely primarily on property taxes and voter-approved levies to provide essential public services, particularly in rural counties.
Research consistently shows that forest carbon markets can provide supplemental and sometimes more stable revenue for landowners or trust beneficiaries. What the research does not show is that carbon revenue automatically stabilizes local public services. Without explicit statutory linkage, carbon revenue may replace or displace traditional timber receipts while leaving local service funding unchanged, creating a structural mismatch between land revenue and service obligations (Bartlett & Prestemon, 2016; Congressional Research Service, 2021; Fisher, 2013).
This matters because junior taxing districts already operate under constrained levy authority and rising service demands. Treating carbon revenue as a substitute for timber revenue without addressing downstream fiscal impacts risks increasing pressure on property taxpayers while obscuring where the benefits and burdens actually fall.
HB 2170 can address this issue without undermining its intent. A narrow amendment could:
1. Require that ecosystem service revenues distributed to counties be proportionately shared with junior taxing districts using existing distribution mechanisms, or
2. Establish a local service stabilization account tied to ecosystem service receipts.
Either approach would clarify legislative intent, improve transparency, and align ecosystem service revenue with the public services rural communities depend on.
Carbon markets may be part of Washington’s future land-management strategy. Public services, however, cannot be funded by implication. If ecosystem services are intended to supplement or replace traditional forest revenue, governance structures must make that linkage explicit.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony and for considering this refinement.
References
Bartlett, R., & Prestemon, J. P. (2016). Public finance implications of forest land conservation and carbon sequestration. Journal of Forestry, 114(4), 400–408. https://doi.org/10.5849/jof.15-071
With WA being an environmental activists' playground, your testimony asking for more substantive clarity and refinement on the Bill are possibilities that may benefit our fractured area.
Great article and good job on the bluff 4PA! It's kind of sad we had keep such a close eye on our local Commissioners. I've never seen a group so disengaged with reality their decisions have brought to this county. I would not have guessed when we decided to build our retirement home here.I feel blessed that we met the people we did when they started the MAT clinic. It opened my eyes right away of the colusion between Mark Ozias and Ron Allen. He is still the only commissioner I haven't and will never shake hands with. We must turn over that board if we ever hope for representation!
I just printed up 45 more labels for Jake Seegers brittle. I'll keep making it until he's voted in!
I’m right there with you Glen. Many good people here trying to hang on and not let this county slide deeper and deeper into the mess it has become the last 10 years. WE the PEOPLE have to take our government back at the city levels, county level & state level. It is done by what happened at the last meeting, however we can’t stand & then sit back thinking we’ve won…..we have to keep standing until we get our government back into the hands of the people. Depending upon the Commissioner’s (our elected representatives) isn’t working. Love your brittle❤️
I appreciate seeing the community getting together and voicing themselves in unison. It shows that your voice still matters
The contrast is striking. Maybe 100 people showed up(?) and the BOCCC listened enough to decide that more consideration is needed vs. over 1,000 signatures on a petition that was dismissed vs. the overwhelming responses on a CRC survey.
If I keep scratching my head over this I'll have little hair left.
I was thinking the same thing, MK. What about those 1,032 CCD signatures? It seems that the CCD $5 parcel fee had already been promised, and that commitment was given precedence over the commissioners’ commitment to the citizens.
Randy Johnson was very agitated about the pushback from the 1,032 petitioners. It was an I'm right, you're wrong, wrong, wrong attitude. Something's up with that.
HB2170 is just more progressive Olympia strangling the system by infusing agenda into every agency. It's like a gillnet, just that instead of dead marine life the victims are humans.
The county commissioners, and those they take direction from, call us whiners and complainers. It sure looks like they are the ones whining and complaining. But, we just don't understand. If we don't understand, maybe we are not being informed. Commissioners 'GOT A LOT OF S'PLAININ TO DO'.
What if the commissioners and county DID sue DNR (the mountains and forest are managed by DNR as a Trust to create the revenue for public services), which is based on McLeary Supreme Court decision, per State Rep Jim Buckley’s recommendation?
We lost school funding when our forest trust income dried up, we tried school levy and it failed, it was ruled unconstitutional to not fund schools properly.
I bet if we get proper Clallam County Commissioners to come in as hard negotiators for Clallam County, we could fight the illegality of the Trust movement (paraphrasing State Rep Jim Buckley and his presentation and numbers referenced at PABA that Seegers talks about in his last point here) as relates to school funding. We ask for legal costs to be covered if we the people of small Clallam County bring it to court, calculate how much we would’ve been making in public funds before the trust became controlled by elsewhere, ask for retrospective funding, and make an ask of a mandatory minimum of public service funding of a significant amount for local services.
If that means that we bring in 4 lawyers from elsewhere, we try to get them to practice in Clallam too (another big issue—lack of quantity of competent local lawyers who can become judges).
We switch the burden on local funding revenue away from property taxes ($12mm/year) toward the natural resource funding (currently $6mm/year), with an emphasis on economic policy which encourages greater cash flow into Clallam County.
We benchmark current county revenue and then dynamically decrease property taxes based on our success of getting more for our forest trust land.
If we can get trust land up from $6mm to $12mm, we could also bring in sliding scale taxes on property taxes to address affordability.
Minor attribution note for anyone interested: the quote often attributed to Margaret Mead doesn’t have a clear primary source. The idea behind it still resonates, though—and I appreciate when public leaders are open to nuance and clarification. That’s part of transparent leadership.
For readers who want to double-check the attribution question themselves, I’ve included primary works, peer-reviewed critiques, and archival sources below:
1. The quote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” is widely shared, but no primary source has been identified in Margaret Mead’s published books, essays, speeches, or archived interviews.
2. Scholars and archivists have searched Mead’s corpus extensively (including Coming of Age in Samoa, Culture and Commitment, Male and Female, and her later essays) and have not found this sentence or a close paraphrase.
3. The quote begins appearing in print primarily in the late 1980s–1990s, after Mead’s death, usually without citation—most often in activist and nonprofit materials.
4. While Mead did write about cultural change and the influence of groups, her verified work consistently emphasized institutional context, structural constraints, and unintended consequences. The absolutist phrasing of this quote doesn’t match her documented writing style.
None of this negates the sentiment behind the quote. I’m sharing it because, in public leadership, how we handle nuance and corrections matters just as much as the ideas themselves. Transparency is built by being willing to clarify the record when needed.
References
Mead, M. (1928). Coming of age in Samoa: A psychological study of primitive youth for Western civilisation. William Morrow.
Mead, M. (1942). And keep your powder dry: An anthropologist looks at America. William Morrow.
Mead, M. (1949). Male and female: A study of the sexes in a changing world. William Morrow.
Mead, M. (1970). Culture and commitment: A study of the generation gap. Natural History Press.
Freeman, D. (1983). Margaret Mead and Samoa: The making and unmaking of an anthropological myth. Harvard University Press.
Freeman, D. (1999). The fateful hoaxing of Margaret Mead: A historical analysis of her Samoan research. Westview Press.
Shankman, P. (2009). The tragic controversy over Margaret Mead’s Samoan research: A historical analysis. University of Wisconsin Press.
What a great article!, Jake! Especially the part with the 4PA volunteer clean up crew. It seems the only qualifications for that volunteer opportunity are pride in doing a job that benefits all and the humility to accept the challenge. You're a true role model. On the timber topic, I sent an high-five out into the universe when you wrote: "...these changes compound into real, measurable damage..." Metrics are needed here. There is more open reporting on the scam of climate change policies and monetary distribution promoting them. We need a real discussion on this topic and thank you for sharing your research on it. Your measured approach on this gives everyone a chance to express their perspectives.
Great points, Denise! Working alongside 4PA and other volunteers to help restore safety and sanity in our neighborhoods — and to protect the environment from the consequences of the commissioners’ Harm Reduction contaminants — was truly a highlight.
The motivation behind the land use restrictions and timber management is clear if you accept it as essential to the depopulation death cult Democrats. We must not be allowed to survive on our own. We must be dependent upon them for all things even permission to keep eating and living.
As soon as board commissioners were voted in ozias-french-johnson they joined as many NGO's as possible which is many and disturbing why so many but once you realize this is how liberals build their support groups then it makes sense why they do it.It does appear they like to feel empowered doing so and think this a way for getting their names broadcasted for future elections.I also wonder if some of the NGO's top teer get paid because commissioners pledge large amounts of taxpayer$$$ to them and ozias was just appointed top libtard for WSAC.Conflict of interest reeks all over these board commissioners with their NGO's.Board commissioner pledge millions of tax $$$ towards homeless projects but i have not seen where they have pledged anything towards the volunteer cleanup crews cleaning up the homeless garbage sites.It appears these board commissioners interest lies with their GO's-NGO'S -JKT.These taxaholic commissioners will always be trying to figure new fee's-taxes to squander and most likely these home rental issues have been put in the cross hairs.In all my years almost 67 in clallam co i have not heard so much negativity about county board commissioners as ozias-french-johnson probably because past elected honored their pledged oaths to the citizens.
There is a good deep expose in there. I also am concerned about the “what’s in it for BOCCC “ to be on so many boards? Ozias could be on the “save a kitten from drowning” board and his integrity would still be in doubt.
The proposal of House Bill 2489 is a real shocker. It will literally handcuff the county and private citizens both physically and financially. A “Battle for the Bluff” won’t happen as it will be illegal.
House Bill 2489 would ban local governments from enforcing laws that criminalize or penalize camping or sleeping on public property unless people have access to adequate alternative shelter. ALTERNATIVE SHELTER SPACE ARE THE BUZZ WORDS (below)
City officials from Kent, Redmond and Kennewick testified against the bill this week, warning it would limit their ability to address public safety concerns.
• The bill's definition of "adequate alternative shelter space" would disqualify most shelter beds.
• Under the bill, SHELTER WOULD HAVE TO ALLOW PETS, PARTNERS, AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS. Programs that REQUIRE SOBRIETY, PARTICIPATION IN TREATMENT, OR COMPLIANCE WITH CERTAIN BEHAVIORAL RULES COULD BE DEEMED INADEQUATE, BARRING CITIES FROM RELYING ON THOSE OPTIONS TO JUSTIFY ENFORCEMENT !!!!!
• That would effectively mean police "cannot clear blocked sidewalks, address fire hazards under overpasses, or ensure public access to public spaces," Lowe said.
Yes, I did a short post on it maybe last week somewhere. Things get buried in the tons of comments.
This is another one of those progressive Olympia types strangling our state. For comparison, I read somewhere that Idaho has 15 bills being proposed in their 2026 session, WA has over 1000!
Thanks, Jennifer. This would be a good time for WASAC to show up and testify in person against this Bill and fight for their citizens. Tuesday is the Commissioners Forum where we get to ask questions and get answers. Today's article provides a bucket full of questions.
Denise, thank you for the laugh. For those who don't know, WASAC Washington State Association of Counties President is Mark Ozias. He was probably driving the yellow bus full of supporters to the state House committee last week (did he miss any Commissioner's meetings?)
The commissioners did not answer yesterday's question about increasing transparency when discussing public policy with sovereign, special, and political interests. Here is today's email:
Dear Commissioners,
Groups like 4PA are spending their own time and money cleaning up messes the County either won’t or can’t address. Why is unpaid volunteer labor becoming the default backstop for County policy failures?
Below is a good-governance response addressing why unpaid volunteer labor has become a backstop—and what an individual commissioner can do to make that reliance visible and accountable.
Dear Constituent,
This is a fair question, and it deserves a clear, evidence-based answer.
Unpaid volunteer labor becomes a default backstop when authorized responsibilities, funded capacity, and implementation policies do not fully align. That is a governance condition—not a judgment about volunteers or staff.
Clallam County formally relies on volunteers through structured programs with applications, supervision, and risk management, which shows volunteer labor is an acknowledged part of County operations (Clallam County, n.d.-a). At the same time, County responsibilities for land use, cleanup, and public safety are established in law, while the 2026 adopted budget reflects real staffing and resource constraints (Clallam County, 2026). When those constraints limit what staff can address, community groups step in.
What is important—and often missing from public view—is that the County has not explicitly documented where the boundary lies between volunteers supplementing County services and volunteers substituting for ongoing responsibilities. That reliance appears indirectly across the Code, volunteer programs, and the budget, but not in one clear, public policy statement. When that boundary is not explicit, reliance on volunteer labor can quietly become normalized rather than deliberately governed.
Good-governance standards are clear that essential public functions should not depend indefinitely on informal or unpaid solutions without transparency and accountability (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2014). Washington guidance similarly emphasizes that while public participation is vital, responsibility for outcomes remains with the governing body (RCW 36.70A.140; Municipal Research and Services Center, n.d.).
What I will do as your commissioner: I will request a public work session to clearly identify where volunteer labor is currently backstopping ongoing County responsibilities, ask staff to explain where that reliance is documented—or not—and work to align the County Code, administrative policies, and future budgets so this reliance is intentional, visible, and accountable rather than implicit.
Sincerely,
Commissioner
Clallam County Board of Commissioners
References
Clallam County. (n.d.-a). Volunteer opportunities.
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/285/Volunteer-Opportunities
Clallam County. (n.d.-b). County administrative policies.
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/207/County-Administrative-Policies
Clallam County. (2026). 2026 adopted budget.
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/1943/2026-Adopted-Budget
Municipal Research and Services Center. (n.d.). Citizen participation and public engagement in local government.
https://mrsc.org/
Revised Code of Washington. (n.d.). RCW 36.70A.140: Public participation.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=36.70A.140
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2014). Standards for internal control in the federal government (GAO-14-704G).
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-14-704g
For commissioners reading along, below is an example of how this concern could be appropriately brought forward as a public work session item under a good-governance framework.
Proposed Work Session Agenda Item
Work Session Topic:
Clarifying the Role of Volunteer Labor in Backstopping County Responsibilities
Purpose:
To review and clarify where volunteer labor is currently being used to supplement or backstop ongoing County responsibilities related to cleanup, enforcement, mitigation, or public safety, and to assess whether that reliance is appropriately documented, governed, and transparent.
Requested Discussion Points:
1. Identification of County functions where volunteer labor is being used on a recurring basis to address capacity constraints.
2. Review of where this reliance is currently reflected, if at all, in the County Code, Administrative Policies, Volunteer Program materials, and the adopted budget.
3. Clarification of policy boundaries between volunteer labor supplementing County services versus substituting for responsibilities that would otherwise require staffing, enforcement authority, or dedicated funding.
4. Discussion of when recurring reliance on volunteers should trigger Board review, policy action, or budget consideration.
5. Identification of next steps to improve transparency and alignment among governing documents so that reliance on volunteer labor is intentional, visible, and accountable.
Intended Outcome:
Board direction on whether additional policy clarification, reporting expectations, or future budget considerations are needed to ensure that volunteer labor supports—rather than quietly substitutes for—core County responsibilities.
Can you explain this format of response? I've seen you use it consistently, but I don't understand the context.
Is this literally a response from a County Commissioner that you removed the specific name from? Who gave the response you quoted above? Is that just an example of what a Commissioner COULD have done, or are you actually getting responses from a specific Commissioner and posting it here?
@EdwardUnthank — fair question, and I appreciate you asking it directly.
The responses you’re seeing are modeled examples, not quotes from an unnamed or anonymous County Commissioner. They’re written intentionally as “what a good-governance response could look like” if an individual commissioner chose to address a concern clearly, calmly, and on the record.
Because it's FREE grrrr
AND they care.
Good Governance Proverb of the Day
In honor of @SheldonMcGuire, for his reminder that trust and clear responsibility turn lingering problems into solvable ones.
“Volunteers can extend a system, but they cannot replace responsibility.”
Love it!! Thanks Dr. Sarah and Sheldon!
In addition to all of the above , not harvesting the forest lands over long periods of time increases fire danger. Where do our local district , twenty four representatives and senator stand on this issue? As I understand it , this was a problem in california that contributed to the danger and size of the many fires down there that caused loss of life and homes.
Each bill in Olympia can be found on the web. Once you've found it on the official state page look for the section, "Send a comment to your legislators," it's usually the first option after the name of the bill and sponsors.
Here's the link:
https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=2170&Year=2025&Initiative=false
https://research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/managingland/timber
Science Supporting Timber Production
Cutting-edge science produced by Forest Service Research and Development improves timber management efficiency and profitability, projects future forest resources, reduces risks to timber resources, increases efficiency of silvicultural practices, protects water and soil, informs salvage logging, and improves reforestation efforts after fire, flood, blowdowns and other major disturbances.
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!
Maybe we should take a new approach in science and adapt to the new innovations enhancing maximum profitability of our Timber Production benefiting everyone.
INNOVATION
noun
1. the action or process of innovating
Example: innovation is crucial to the continuing success of any organization
https://research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/understory/biomass-and-wood-products-fact-sheet
Rocky Mountain Research Station | 2022 Biomass & Wood Products
Woody biomass is a renewable organic material. Biomass, which can include stems, limbs, leaves, and other parts of trees, is a byproduct of forest management activities, such as tree thinning. Much of this material can be re-used to create new products. The USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) is actively working with land managers to develop new wood product and market innovations that improve the cost-effectiveness of treatments and STRENGTHEN RURAL ECONOMIES. RMRS is identifying emerging markets to create value from the woody biomass derived from fuel reduction treatments and other landscape restoration projects
Written Testimony on HB 2170
Hearing Date: January 28, 2026
I am submitting testimony to support the goals of HB 2170 while urging the Legislature to address a specific fiscal governance gap before the bill advances.
HB 2170 expands the Department of Natural Resources’ authority to generate revenue through ecosystem services, including forest carbon projects. That authority is real, and the opportunity is significant. However, as currently written, the bill treats ecosystem service revenue as a trust land transaction, not as a local public finance issue.
Under existing law, revenues from state forestlands are distributed through trust frameworks that do not explicitly route funds to junior taxing districts such as fire protection, emergency medical services, hospitals, libraries, and park and recreation districts. These districts rely primarily on property taxes and voter-approved levies to provide essential public services, particularly in rural counties.
Research consistently shows that forest carbon markets can provide supplemental and sometimes more stable revenue for landowners or trust beneficiaries. What the research does not show is that carbon revenue automatically stabilizes local public services. Without explicit statutory linkage, carbon revenue may replace or displace traditional timber receipts while leaving local service funding unchanged, creating a structural mismatch between land revenue and service obligations (Bartlett & Prestemon, 2016; Congressional Research Service, 2021; Fisher, 2013).
This matters because junior taxing districts already operate under constrained levy authority and rising service demands. Treating carbon revenue as a substitute for timber revenue without addressing downstream fiscal impacts risks increasing pressure on property taxpayers while obscuring where the benefits and burdens actually fall.
HB 2170 can address this issue without undermining its intent. A narrow amendment could:
1. Require that ecosystem service revenues distributed to counties be proportionately shared with junior taxing districts using existing distribution mechanisms, or
2. Establish a local service stabilization account tied to ecosystem service receipts.
Either approach would clarify legislative intent, improve transparency, and align ecosystem service revenue with the public services rural communities depend on.
Carbon markets may be part of Washington’s future land-management strategy. Public services, however, cannot be funded by implication. If ecosystem services are intended to supplement or replace traditional forest revenue, governance structures must make that linkage explicit.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony and for considering this refinement.
References
Bartlett, R., & Prestemon, J. P. (2016). Public finance implications of forest land conservation and carbon sequestration. Journal of Forestry, 114(4), 400–408. https://doi.org/10.5849/jof.15-071
Congressional Research Service. (2021). Forest carbon offsets and climate mitigation (R46656). https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46656
Fisher, R. C. (2013). State and local public finance (4th ed.). Routledge.
With WA being an environmental activists' playground, your testimony asking for more substantive clarity and refinement on the Bill are possibilities that may benefit our fractured area.
Good morning Jeff and Jake,
Great article and good job on the bluff 4PA! It's kind of sad we had keep such a close eye on our local Commissioners. I've never seen a group so disengaged with reality their decisions have brought to this county. I would not have guessed when we decided to build our retirement home here.I feel blessed that we met the people we did when they started the MAT clinic. It opened my eyes right away of the colusion between Mark Ozias and Ron Allen. He is still the only commissioner I haven't and will never shake hands with. We must turn over that board if we ever hope for representation!
I just printed up 45 more labels for Jake Seegers brittle. I'll keep making it until he's voted in!
Go Jake!
thank you both and have a great day!
Thanks, Glen! Together with the support of folks like you, we will vote in new leadership starting in 2026(;
Glen, I don't blame you for not wanting to shake hands with Ozias. When the shake is completed, you would be missing your wedding ring ; )
I’m right there with you Glen. Many good people here trying to hang on and not let this county slide deeper and deeper into the mess it has become the last 10 years. WE the PEOPLE have to take our government back at the city levels, county level & state level. It is done by what happened at the last meeting, however we can’t stand & then sit back thinking we’ve won…..we have to keep standing until we get our government back into the hands of the people. Depending upon the Commissioner’s (our elected representatives) isn’t working. Love your brittle❤️
I appreciate seeing the community getting together and voicing themselves in unison. It shows that your voice still matters
The contrast is striking. Maybe 100 people showed up(?) and the BOCCC listened enough to decide that more consideration is needed vs. over 1,000 signatures on a petition that was dismissed vs. the overwhelming responses on a CRC survey.
If I keep scratching my head over this I'll have little hair left.
I was thinking the same thing, MK. What about those 1,032 CCD signatures? It seems that the CCD $5 parcel fee had already been promised, and that commitment was given precedence over the commissioners’ commitment to the citizens.
Randy Johnson was very agitated about the pushback from the 1,032 petitioners. It was an I'm right, you're wrong, wrong, wrong attitude. Something's up with that.
And MK, stop scratching. 😃
TOO LATE FOR ME.🤪
HB2170 is just more progressive Olympia strangling the system by infusing agenda into every agency. It's like a gillnet, just that instead of dead marine life the victims are humans.
MK, see my comment on proposed House Bill 2489. This bill doesn't just strangle the system, it cuts the systems throat from ear to ear.
The county commissioners, and those they take direction from, call us whiners and complainers. It sure looks like they are the ones whining and complaining. But, we just don't understand. If we don't understand, maybe we are not being informed. Commissioners 'GOT A LOT OF S'PLAININ TO DO'.
What if the commissioners and county DID sue DNR (the mountains and forest are managed by DNR as a Trust to create the revenue for public services), which is based on McLeary Supreme Court decision, per State Rep Jim Buckley’s recommendation?
We lost school funding when our forest trust income dried up, we tried school levy and it failed, it was ruled unconstitutional to not fund schools properly.
I bet if we get proper Clallam County Commissioners to come in as hard negotiators for Clallam County, we could fight the illegality of the Trust movement (paraphrasing State Rep Jim Buckley and his presentation and numbers referenced at PABA that Seegers talks about in his last point here) as relates to school funding. We ask for legal costs to be covered if we the people of small Clallam County bring it to court, calculate how much we would’ve been making in public funds before the trust became controlled by elsewhere, ask for retrospective funding, and make an ask of a mandatory minimum of public service funding of a significant amount for local services.
If that means that we bring in 4 lawyers from elsewhere, we try to get them to practice in Clallam too (another big issue—lack of quantity of competent local lawyers who can become judges).
We switch the burden on local funding revenue away from property taxes ($12mm/year) toward the natural resource funding (currently $6mm/year), with an emphasis on economic policy which encourages greater cash flow into Clallam County.
We benchmark current county revenue and then dynamically decrease property taxes based on our success of getting more for our forest trust land.
If we can get trust land up from $6mm to $12mm, we could also bring in sliding scale taxes on property taxes to address affordability.
I think the jr. taxing districts would strongly support a lawsuit by the county.
Minor attribution note for anyone interested: the quote often attributed to Margaret Mead doesn’t have a clear primary source. The idea behind it still resonates, though—and I appreciate when public leaders are open to nuance and clarification. That’s part of transparent leadership.
For readers who want to double-check the attribution question themselves, I’ve included primary works, peer-reviewed critiques, and archival sources below:
1. The quote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” is widely shared, but no primary source has been identified in Margaret Mead’s published books, essays, speeches, or archived interviews.
2. Scholars and archivists have searched Mead’s corpus extensively (including Coming of Age in Samoa, Culture and Commitment, Male and Female, and her later essays) and have not found this sentence or a close paraphrase.
3. The quote begins appearing in print primarily in the late 1980s–1990s, after Mead’s death, usually without citation—most often in activist and nonprofit materials.
4. While Mead did write about cultural change and the influence of groups, her verified work consistently emphasized institutional context, structural constraints, and unintended consequences. The absolutist phrasing of this quote doesn’t match her documented writing style.
None of this negates the sentiment behind the quote. I’m sharing it because, in public leadership, how we handle nuance and corrections matters just as much as the ideas themselves. Transparency is built by being willing to clarify the record when needed.
References
Mead, M. (1928). Coming of age in Samoa: A psychological study of primitive youth for Western civilisation. William Morrow.
Mead, M. (1942). And keep your powder dry: An anthropologist looks at America. William Morrow.
Mead, M. (1949). Male and female: A study of the sexes in a changing world. William Morrow.
Mead, M. (1970). Culture and commitment: A study of the generation gap. Natural History Press.
Freeman, D. (1983). Margaret Mead and Samoa: The making and unmaking of an anthropological myth. Harvard University Press.
Freeman, D. (1999). The fateful hoaxing of Margaret Mead: A historical analysis of her Samoan research. Westview Press.
Shankman, P. (2009). The tragic controversy over Margaret Mead’s Samoan research: A historical analysis. University of Wisconsin Press.
Library of Congress. (n.d.). Margaret Mead papers, 1838–1996. https://www.loc.gov/collections/margaret-mead-papers/
Quote Investigator. (2013). Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/11/12/change-world/
American Anthropological Association. (2004). Margaret Mead: Human nature and the power of culture. https://www.americananthro.org/
What a great article!, Jake! Especially the part with the 4PA volunteer clean up crew. It seems the only qualifications for that volunteer opportunity are pride in doing a job that benefits all and the humility to accept the challenge. You're a true role model. On the timber topic, I sent an high-five out into the universe when you wrote: "...these changes compound into real, measurable damage..." Metrics are needed here. There is more open reporting on the scam of climate change policies and monetary distribution promoting them. We need a real discussion on this topic and thank you for sharing your research on it. Your measured approach on this gives everyone a chance to express their perspectives.
Great points, Denise! Working alongside 4PA and other volunteers to help restore safety and sanity in our neighborhoods — and to protect the environment from the consequences of the commissioners’ Harm Reduction contaminants — was truly a highlight.
The motivation behind the land use restrictions and timber management is clear if you accept it as essential to the depopulation death cult Democrats. We must not be allowed to survive on our own. We must be dependent upon them for all things even permission to keep eating and living.
It's the "god" complex. They all have it.
Thank you Jake and Jeff!
Last weeks poll could not get sadder. Holy smokes
As soon as board commissioners were voted in ozias-french-johnson they joined as many NGO's as possible which is many and disturbing why so many but once you realize this is how liberals build their support groups then it makes sense why they do it.It does appear they like to feel empowered doing so and think this a way for getting their names broadcasted for future elections.I also wonder if some of the NGO's top teer get paid because commissioners pledge large amounts of taxpayer$$$ to them and ozias was just appointed top libtard for WSAC.Conflict of interest reeks all over these board commissioners with their NGO's.Board commissioner pledge millions of tax $$$ towards homeless projects but i have not seen where they have pledged anything towards the volunteer cleanup crews cleaning up the homeless garbage sites.It appears these board commissioners interest lies with their GO's-NGO'S -JKT.These taxaholic commissioners will always be trying to figure new fee's-taxes to squander and most likely these home rental issues have been put in the cross hairs.In all my years almost 67 in clallam co i have not heard so much negativity about county board commissioners as ozias-french-johnson probably because past elected honored their pledged oaths to the citizens.
UFO, as to your comment, ".I also wonder if some of the NGO's top teer get paid because commissioners pledge large amounts of taxpayer$$$ to them"
I don't think they get paid money wise (not sure) but the other perks are worth much more in political climbing than the dollar value.
Look at the salaries for the cccd. All went sky high...and then they have zero accountability!
Glen, it's enough to make one want to puke! Excuse me while I lean over the waste bin.
There is a good deep expose in there. I also am concerned about the “what’s in it for BOCCC “ to be on so many boards? Ozias could be on the “save a kitten from drowning” board and his integrity would still be in doubt.
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/01/22/washington-state-homeless-encampment-sweep-law
https://mynorthwest.com/mynorthwest-politics/homeless-encampments/4189129
The proposal of House Bill 2489 is a real shocker. It will literally handcuff the county and private citizens both physically and financially. A “Battle for the Bluff” won’t happen as it will be illegal.
House Bill 2489 would ban local governments from enforcing laws that criminalize or penalize camping or sleeping on public property unless people have access to adequate alternative shelter. ALTERNATIVE SHELTER SPACE ARE THE BUZZ WORDS (below)
City officials from Kent, Redmond and Kennewick testified against the bill this week, warning it would limit their ability to address public safety concerns.
• The bill's definition of "adequate alternative shelter space" would disqualify most shelter beds.
• Under the bill, SHELTER WOULD HAVE TO ALLOW PETS, PARTNERS, AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS. Programs that REQUIRE SOBRIETY, PARTICIPATION IN TREATMENT, OR COMPLIANCE WITH CERTAIN BEHAVIORAL RULES COULD BE DEEMED INADEQUATE, BARRING CITIES FROM RELYING ON THOSE OPTIONS TO JUSTIFY ENFORCEMENT !!!!!
• That would effectively mean police "cannot clear blocked sidewalks, address fire hazards under overpasses, or ensure public access to public spaces," Lowe said.
Yes, I did a short post on it maybe last week somewhere. Things get buried in the tons of comments.
This is another one of those progressive Olympia types strangling our state. For comparison, I read somewhere that Idaho has 15 bills being proposed in their 2026 session, WA has over 1000!
Unhoused, drug addicts and untreated mentally ill have more rights in this county than tax payers.
Well some untreated mental health issues are attached to politicians. So there’s that!
MK, Over 1000?!!! Anything in the proposed House Bills relating to state paid Free Pizza for EVERYONE? I might vote for that ; )
Thanks, Jennifer. This would be a good time for WASAC to show up and testify in person against this Bill and fight for their citizens. Tuesday is the Commissioners Forum where we get to ask questions and get answers. Today's article provides a bucket full of questions.
Denise, thank you for the laugh. For those who don't know, WASAC Washington State Association of Counties President is Mark Ozias. He was probably driving the yellow bus full of supporters to the state House committee last week (did he miss any Commissioner's meetings?)
It's the short bus.