Tax dollars flow to programs that struggle, a wanted man with a long record slips away (then gets caught), more land leaves the tax rolls, and the same old addiction crisis keeps costing lives and money while supply finds every opening. Wednesday’s Watchdog “Potpourri” returns with these Clallam County stories.
Safe Parking Program Graduates Four—But Still Needs More Money
Sequim’s Trinity United Methodist Church’s newsletter reported progress on its county-funded safe parking program. The first four guests have graduated into stable housing. Two new guests are using the program part-time, with a third expected soon.
Yet the church newsletter states the program’s costs “far exceed the resources of TUMC,” and it is pursuing grants to continue. Clallam County authorized more than $118,000 in taxpayer funds for a three-space program that struggled for months to attract even one participant. Now that participants have come and gone, the church says it is running short.
As previously reported, a large portion of the approved funding passes through the church to salaries and benefits for OlyCAP employees. Commissioner Mike French sits on the OlyCAP board. French has not responded to multiple emails seeking clarification on the program’s costs.
Hatfield: All the Signs Were There
On Monday, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office asked for the public’s help locating 30-year-old Port Angeles resident Aaron J. Hatfield after a reported felony domestic violence incident.
Around 2:32 p.m., deputies responded to a residence on South Bay View Avenue near the Eastside Safeway in Port Angeles. A 911 caller reported that Hatfield assaulted the reporting party, damaged a Ring security camera with an axe, and broke a cell phone before fleeing west on foot into a wooded area while armed with a knife.
He had been seen shirtless and wearing gray sweatpants. Deputies and Port Angeles police, using a K9 team and drone, searched extensively but did not locate him at the time.
Yesterday, Clallam County Scanner Report indicated that Hatfield was taken into custody.
Read about Hatfield’s capture in the Olympic Herald.
Hatfield has been linked to numerous crimes and incidents over the years.
This is the predictable result in a county with few consequences, open-air drug use, and soft-on-crime policies.
Police responses, paramedic calls, and ER visits pile up. Taxpayers foot the bill while the underlying problem persists.
This week’s incident was a long time coming. Hopefully Hatfield finally receives the help he needs.
Jamestown Corporation Seeks Another Parcel for Tribal Trust
The Jamestown Corporation has requested yet another parcel be removed from the county tax rolls and converted to tribal trust land.
The notice to the Board of Commissioners listed neither an address nor the acreage involved. Every such transfer shifts more of the tax burden onto remaining property owners.
Clallamity Jen Examines French’s Recompete Claims
Clallamity Jen’s Substack is free and goes well beyond entertaining memes. This week she delivered a deep dive into Commissioner Mike French’s claims about the Recompete federal grant, now a centerpiece of his campaign.
Jen writes:
“There is a massive difference between government spending that leaves behind something productive and spending that disappears the second the funding ends.”
Read Clallamity Jen and subscribe for free.
NYC Homeless Deaths and the Local Drug Crisis
A recent New York City report found that nearly half of homeless deaths in a recent one-year period were tied to drug overdoses or alcohol abuse.
Of 634 deaths, 285 were linked to addiction; drug-related causes alone accounted for 40 percent. The same pattern plays out in Clallam County’s ongoing drug and homelessness crisis. Soft policies, open-air use, and programs that enable rather than interrupt addiction keep the cycle turning—at significant cost to public safety, emergency services, and taxpayers.
Read the full New York Post piece for the details.
SC on Substack: A Candid Look at Addiction
Are you reading and subscribed to “SC” on Substack yet?
This local voice offers an unfiltered view of life before, during, and after active addiction. Her recent essay, “The 2 Men I Married,” peels back another layer on addiction and relationships.
More Tribes Enter High-Reimbursement Treatment Market
Senator Mike Chapman’s latest newsletter highlighted two new facilities on the Peninsula: the Quinault Wellness Center in Aberdeen and an expansion at Summit Pacific Medical Center in Elma. Both will expand substance-use disorder treatment.
The Quinault Wellness Center, which opened in 2022 with a $20 million investment by the Quinault Indian Nation, quickly reached its original 250-patient capacity. Additional capital funding will raise capacity to 600 patients and serve both tribal and non-tribal members. This reimbursement structure has already proven lucrative for the Jamestown Corporation. Now the Quinault are entering the same system that allows higher tribal reimbursement rates than traditional providers.
Elwha Watershed Study: More Trust Lands at Risk?
The Washington Department of Natural Resources is conducting a legislatively directed study of the ecological and conservation values of state trust lands in the Elwha watershed.
Funded with $250,000, the analysis includes a Natural Heritage Program survey of rare plants and communities, identification of structurally complex forests and scenic features, current recreational and cultural uses, and recommendations on whether any lands should be designated as Natural Area Preserves or Natural Resources Conservation Areas. A report is due to the Legislature by October 1, 2026. As part of the process, DNR is conducting Government-to-Government consultations with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
This looks like another push to remove County Trust Lands from productive timber use. Even if the county and junior taxing districts received payments in lieu of lost timber revenue, that would not replace the lost jobs for loggers, truck drivers, and mill workers, nor the sales tax generated by the lumber produced.
Strait Shooter Delivers Satire Twice a Week
Need a chuckle twice a week? Read the Strait Shooter—a satirical take on Clallam County’s favorite pastime: government inefficiency. It delivers straight-faced “journalism” on rising taxes, county commissioner drama, and absurdities from La Push to Sequim. Read it for laughs. Stay for the therapy.
This week the Strait Shooter reviewed the third county commissioner to receive an action figure in his likeness.
Fentanyl and Meth Pipeline—and Clallam Creates the Demand
A man was recently sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for brokering large shipments of fentanyl and methamphetamine from Arizona (linked to Mexican cartels) to Western Washington, including packages sent to Whidbey Island.
One intercepted load alone involved kilograms of fentanyl pills and powder plus over 10 kilograms of pure meth; additional shipments brought the total far higher.
If cartels and major drug shipments are reaching Whidbey Island, they are certainly reaching Clallam County. Local policies that effectively subsidize use—providing the tools of addiction—create demand. Supply follows.
Stay Engaged: Campground Design
The Olympic National Forest is seeking community feedback on the conceptual design for the new Klahanie Campground outside of Forks.
Over the past several years, the Forest has completed foundational work, including early engagement with local partners, tribes, and the City of Forks, as well as decommissioning outdated water systems.
View the designs and share your feedback by clicking here.
