From a $10,000 septic postcard that confused half the county, to lodging taxes that don’t apply on sovereign land, to “nonpartisan” endorsements that look anything but—this week’s potpourri connects the dots. Add in floodplain experiments, pavilion proposals, Humane Society déjà vu, and nearly 30% of a federal funding package flowing to tribes while 3 Crabs residents keep sandbagging their homes—and the pattern becomes hard to ignore.
How Much Did “Septic Sandra” Cost?
It may go down as the most asked question of the year: “How much did Septic Sandra cost?” The Environmental Health Department mailed a glossy postcard featuring a cartoon character reminding residents to inspect their septic systems and submit records to the county. The message warned that “all septic systems must be regularly inspected” — every three years for gravity systems and annually for others.
What many residents quickly realized is that the postcard went out broadly — regardless of whether homeowners were actually overdue. Septic professionals reported their phones “ringing off the hook” from customers worried they had missed a deadline. Even more confusing, some city residents connected to municipal sewer systems received the notice due to postal route overlap. They were told to inspect septic systems they don’t even have.
A public records request revealed the total cost of printing and mailing 24,330 postcards: nearly $10,000. Was that the best use of limited public health dollars — or just another example of bureaucratic overreach wrapped in a friendly cartoon?
“Heads in Beds”… Unless You’re Sovereign
In a recent Sequim Gazette column, Commissioner Mark Ozias highlighted the importance of lodging tax revenue and celebrated investments like the soon-to-be-installed welcome sign on this side of the Hood Canal Bridge. He explained that when someone spends the night in Clallam County, they pay a “heads in beds” lodging tax that supports tourism and infrastructure.
There is one significant omission: guests staying on sovereign tribal land do not pay the county lodging tax. That includes the 100-room hotel at 7 Cedars Casino and short-term rental properties owned by the Jamestown Corporation — Commissioner Ozias’ top campaign contributor. Those stays generate revenue, but not the same county tax contribution that private, non-tribal lodging operators must collect and remit.
For more than a year, residents urged commissioners to formally request that the Jamestown Tribe voluntarily contribute toward property and lodging impacts. Commissioners agreed last January to send a letter. It took until August to send it. Six months later, there has been no response — and no follow-up.
Contrast that with the courthouse renaming effort honoring Justice Susan Owens. Raised just two weeks ago, commissioners promptly scheduled a March 10 public hearing. When priorities align, government moves quickly. When they don’t? Silence.
If you have thoughts on renaming the courthouse — or on tax fairness — contact the Clerk of the Board at loni.gores@clallamcountywa.gov and let your commissioners know.
A “Nonpartisan” Race With Partisan Fire
The Clallam Conservation District election is technically nonpartisan, but politics have found their way in. Incumbent Wendy Rae Johnson has received public praise from Tim Wheeler, a longtime communist activist, who described the race as a fight against “rabid MAGA extremists” and even invoked slaveowners in the Civil War.
Wheeler’s social media post praised Johnson for her partnerships with local tribes and agricultural support efforts, while also announcing she has backing from the Clallam County Democrats. Meanwhile, the identity of her opponent hasn’t even been announced by the CCD.
It’s a conservation board seat. Yet somehow, it’s being framed as a front in a national ideological war. Leave it to Clallam County to turn irrigation and soil policy into partisan theater.
ID to Dine. No ID to Vote?
The League of Women Voters of Clallam County has come out strongly against the Save America Act, arguing that requiring proof of citizenship and federal photo ID for voting would “make voting harder” and restrict access.
That position might carry more weight if the League hadn’t supported Dr. Allison Berry’s 2021 order requiring proof of COVID vaccination to enter indoor restaurants and bars.
Berry’s own press release required patrons to show a CDC vaccination card, state certificate, printed record, photo of documentation, or app-based vaccine passport before dining indoors. “This is how we do it,” Berry said at the time, defending the policy as necessary for public health.
So let’s clarify: ID requirements to elect the leader of the free world are unacceptable — but ID to order a burger was reasonable? The contrast speaks for itself.
Another Neighbor Moves On
One longtime reader, TJ, quietly moved away from Clallam County and shared why in the comments section:
I’ve been quiet for several weeks because I’ve moved away from Clallam County. I’ve been in my new community for two weeks now.
No panhandlers, no obvious homeless, no drug use in public, no garbage on roadways, clean parks, safe walking paths through wooded areas, beautiful new $120 million school, no protestors anywhere, no political signs, and no coworkers saying anything about politics.
I honestly feel like I’ve gone back in time, kids playing in the park, teenagers playing basketball outside, ice cream truck driving around, people laughing and picnicking outside.
I wish Clallam County could get back to this and I feel like I gave up and failed at making Sequim what I see here. But, I’ve decided to move on. I don’t feel under scrutiny or attack constantly here and my body is detoxing from cortisol.
I will be forever a fan of Clallam County and consider it home. I’ll be back if something changes, but life is short and it’s pretty sad where Sequim and PA have arrived.
TJ, I’m really grateful we had the chance to meet you and your wonderful family at the fair last year. Your decision may be right for you, but it’s a real loss for this community. No one could fault you for choosing what’s best for your family. Wishing you peace, joy, and a fresh start in this next chapter. Take care, my friend.
A Pavilion… or a Problem?
The Port Angeles Waterfront District is floating the idea of a covered pavilion at City Pier to expand year-round programming.
In theory, it prevents weather disruptions. In practice? Many residents worry a covered structure downtown could quickly become another de facto gathering spot for chronic camping and drug activity — especially given current enforcement realities.
Without a clear operational plan, a pavilion may create more unintended consequences than community events.
Stillaguamish Levee Removal & Dungeness Déjà Vu
The Stillaguamish Tribe recently removed two miles of levee to restore tidal marsh habitat and support Chinook salmon recovery. Farmland became wetland. Access for fish improved. Habitat restoration at scale.
Sound familiar?
It mirrors aspects of the Lower Dungeness Floodplain Restoration Project — farmland conversion, dike removal, habitat expansion. The difference? Unlike Jamestown, the Stillaguamish Tribe didn’t intentionally breach the dike ahead of schedule and expose an entire downriver community to a mass casualty event.
Habitat matters. So does human safety. Both must coexist.
Humane Society Whistleblower — Familiar Territory
Jefferson County’s Humane Society now faces a whistleblower complaint from its lead veterinarian alleging animal care failures, toxic management, and retaliation. Photos of unsanitary conditions circulated. The board has launched an investigation. Leadership denies wrongdoing.
It feels eerily similar to what the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society endured over the past two years — governance turmoil, staff departures, community distrust, board assurances of “independent review.”
Different county. Same script.
29% and No 3 Crabs
Congresswoman Emily Randall is celebrating $17.9 million in Community Project Funding for Washington’s 6th Congressional District. Of that, $5.365 million — roughly 29.9% — is directed to tribal government projects. That may be defensible policy. But it is a significant allocation.
Noticeably absent: funding addressing chronic seasonal flooding along 3 Crabs Road, where residents say conditions worsened after Meadowbrook Creek was reengineered.
If “meeting communities where they are” means anything, it must include the people stacking sandbags in their own front yards.
Community Conversations Kick Off
County Commissioner caondidate Jake Seegers launches his “Community Conversations” series this Saturday at the Beaver Grocery Store from noon to 3.
No podium. No script. Just neighbors talking about what they want from county government.
If you believe the future of Clallam County should be shaped by the people who live here — not by press releases or politics — show up. Bring your questions. Bring your ideas.
Sometimes change doesn’t start in Olympia. Sometimes it starts in Beaver.
