From soft-on-crime failures to taxpayer-funded favoritism, these ten stories reveal how leadership at every level — city, county, and school — are putting special interests ahead of the public good.
The Cost of “Compassionate” Justice
On Sunday, a Port Angeles man was stabbed during an apparent carjacking — his vehicle was stolen with seven children still inside. The children, ranging in age from six months to nine years, were later found safe in Kitsap County.
Their parents, Nicholas Well, 30, and Rosario Lopez-Castro, 27, were arrested. It wasn’t their first encounter with deputies that day. Earlier, officers had stopped the same couple in Sequim for doing donuts in a Port Angeles Safeway parking lot — with their children inside. Well was arrested for reckless driving and unlawful possession of a weapon. He was released less than three hours later.
Hours after that release, with his wife and seven children, he allegedly stabbed 69-year-old Melvin Swagerty, who remains hospitalized in Harborview. This isn’t an isolated tragedy — it’s the outcome of a system that treats crime like a revolving door, where “second chances” come at the expense of public safety.
Letters for Some, Silence for Others
Citizen Denise Lapio raised a simple question at Tuesday’s County Commissioners meeting: Why does the board write letters to federal agencies when it suits their politics, but not when taxpayers are being burdened?
Months ago, commissioners wrote to Washington’s federal delegation warning of “disastrous impacts” from the new administration — but they’ve been silent about tribal trust land conversions that are shrinking the county’s tax base and shifting the burden onto struggling residents.
As Lapio noted, the same words from their earlier letter could be reused. “Just copy and paste them to the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs),” she said.
Who the commissioners choose to write letters to—and when they choose to write them—reflects selective outrage, not representation. And taxpayers are the ones footing the bill.
Evicting Residents, Funding Their Evictors
This April, the County’s Marine Resources Committee (MRC) proposed a “solution” to Dungeness flooding: remove Three Crabs Road and relocate hundreds of residents.
Commissioners promised months ago to issue a formal response. They never did. Instead, they just approved over $250,000 in new MRC funding. So, while they refuse to answer constituents facing displacement, they’re financing the very group calling for their eviction.
That’s not “representation.” That’s abandonment.
School District Answering Questions
The Sequim School District is hosting its first of many “Table Talks” this Thursday at Riverhouse Bakery — a chance for the community to finally ask why the district pressured the City Council to break its own rules to endorse a bond and levy measure.
The community’s quarter-billion dollar levy and bond investments (with interest) is essential for education, the school district said — but a third of students still lack foundational math and science skills, and a quarter are behind in English.
Residents also deserve answers about the Weneha Group, which was paid to promote the bond while also positioned to profit from its construction work.
LaTrisha Suggs and the Tax-Free Advantage
During a recent KONP radio debate, incumbent LaTrisha Suggs praised her experience in economic development — noting that as a tribal member, she serves on the Jamestown Tribe’s Economic Development Authority Board and helped expand a business from four to twenty-five employees.
That success is admirable, but it’s also built within a system where tribal enterprises pay no property tax, sales tax, or B&O tax, and are exempt from many other taxes and also from local zoning and employment laws.
If only Suggs applied that same philosophy — fewer taxes, fewer fees, less red tape — to Port Angeles businesses struggling under city regulation, she might finally deliver growth to her city.
Persistence Pays Off in Sequim
After years of grassroots advocacy, Vicki Colburn of Sequim has emerged victorious in her fight against Cascadia Water’s proposed 75% rate hike.
Following public testimony, hearings, and months of investigation, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission rejected Cascadia’s proposal — citing poor documentation, mismanagement, and “imprudent” spending. Instead, the company must resubmit a smaller increase, cutting their request nearly in half.
Clallam County government and hundreds of residents are customers of Cascadia Water and have Vicki Colburn to thank. It’s proof that persistence and public engagement still matter. When citizens speak up, even powerful utilities have to listen.
James Taylor: Oversight or Overlooked?
City Council candidate James Taylor says Port Angeles deserves financial oversight — not empty slogans. His recent article pointed out that while the County and Port commissions review financial reports monthly, City Council rarely asks a single question about revenues, debts, or forecasts.
City Hall spends its time talking about new taxes and fees, not long-term planning. Even the “Open Books” transparency site lacks basic accounting data like accounts receivable.
Taylor’s call for an independent audit committee isn’t partisan — it’s common sense. Voters this November will decide whether they want more bureaucracy or real accountability.
Marolee Dvorak’s Warning: The Tax Tower is Toppling
Candidate Marolee Smith Dvorak, running against Port Angeles Mayor Kate Dexter, lays it out plainly: Our region is reaching a fiscal breaking point. From state and local tax hikes to fee increases on everything from gas to garbage, residents are paying more and getting less.
Her warning echoes across the state — as cities like Seattle, Edmonds, and Mount Vernon push new “public safety” and “infrastructure” levies. Yet local leaders here are following the same script, pushing a 22% property tax hike while ignoring the economic pain of working families and seniors.
Dvorak’s message is simple: it’s time to stop growing government and start protecting the people who fund it.
Clallam County: a Haven for the Unethical
Clallam County’s Administrator Todd Mielke once faced allegations of ethical misconduct while serving as a Spokane County Commissioner. Reports at the time accused him of “stacking the deck” to position himself as a frontrunner for the county’s CEO job — even helping design the hiring process while he was a candidate.
Mielke denied wrongdoing, but the controversy sparked a public call for investigation. Fast forward to today: Mielke now oversees Clallam County operations, where conflicts of interest and selective enforcement have again become familiar headlines.
Different county, same pattern — insiders protecting insiders.
Budget Town Hall Tonight
And here’s a reminder from the “Clallamity Jen” Substack:
Tonight (Wednesday) at 5:00 PM, at the Guy Cole Convention Center in Carrie Blake Park, the County Commissioners are hosting a Budget and Transportation Town Hall, which will include time for questions afterward.
Show up. Ask away.
