This week brings change at the top of First Fed, fireworks in Port Angeles politics, and troubling signs in local government priorities. We look at who’s benefiting from Washington’s highest-in-the-nation gas prices, how local nonprofits are handling controversies, and why the Peninsula Daily News is shrinking into a strip mall. From tribal water policy to downtown decay, here are ten stories that reveal both opportunities and hypocrisies across Clallam County.
First Fed’s New CEO Brings Controversial Past
Curt Queyrouze starts tomorrow as First Fed’s CEO, relocating from Everett. His resume includes leading Utah-based TAB Bank, where complaints of predatory lending practices drew scrutiny in 2022.
Advocacy groups urged the FDIC to downgrade TAB’s rating, citing deceptive loan terms, partnerships with high-interest lenders, and alleged efforts to skirt state usury laws. While Queyrouze wasn’t named directly, the FDIC holds bank leadership accountable for third-party risks.
Now, he steps into First Fed with a $550,000 salary, $100,000 signing bonus, 50,000 shares of restricted stock, plus monthly perks for insurance, car, and gas. Clallam County will soon see whether this leadership shift brings stability—or controversy.
Dvorak vs. Dexter: A Debate that Showed the Divide
At the Port Angeles Business Association debate, challenger Marolee Smith Dvorak took on incumbent Mayor Kate Dexter. Dvorak leaned on her small business background, describing Port Angeles as “not a business-friendly community,” and criticized the new $95 business tax. She praised Dexter as an administrator but said, “She’s a cheerleader, not a leader.”
Dexter, who has served eight years on council, stuck to reading remarks when possible. Voters must now ask: after eight years, are things better? Or is it time for change?
The debate, recorded by the PABA, is available on Facebook here.
A Win for Local Business: WanderFuca Beats the Outsiders
The city’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommended local firm WanderFuca for Port Angeles’ tourism marketing contract, beating out polished national competitors. Founders Kylan and Breck Johnson showed that local talent can outshine big-city firms, especially after the last outside contractor underperformed.
The recommendation now goes to the City Council. James Taylor, running against LaTrisha Suggs for council, praised the outcome as proof that investing locally keeps taxpayer money here instead of sending it out-of-state.
Housing Plan or Homelessness Plan?
The City of Port Angeles’ 2025 Housing Action Plan begins with a land acknowledgment before admitting that homelessness has doubled since 2023.
Its solutions? More coordinators and “navigators” to connect people with already-saturated services. Meanwhile, homelessness in Clallam County reached its highest level in a decade in 2024, doubling from the previous year.
Mayor Dexter and Councilmember Suggs have 13 years of combined service—yet homelessness has never been higher. Maybe it’s time they acknowledge their own leadership record before writing land acknowledgments.
The Fermanis Controversy: Offensive Post, Weak Accountability
Former Peninsula Behavioral Health (PBH) employee Alexandria Fermanis sparked outrage after posting a meme of Charlie Kirk being shot in the neck with the caption, “Charlie Kirk finally leaning left on the gun issue.” When criticized, she doubled down, writing “Charlie isn’t laughing now,” before eventually deleting the post.
PBH quickly distanced itself, saying Fermanis had not been employed there for over a year. But the story didn’t end there.
Just last week, Fermanis applied to serve on Clallam County’s Behavioral Health Advisory Board while employed at Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic (OPCC)—another organization that receives county support. OPCC issued its own statement disavowing the post: “We do not condone hate, division, or violence.”
When a concerned citizen asked county commissioners to intervene, PBH’s CEO, Wendy Sisk, explained that Fermanis was no longer employed there and responded dismissively:
“AND….why would [concerned citizen] think the County Commissioners have anything to do with who PBH hires or fires?”
That tone alone is troubling. County leadership may not directly manage PBH staffing decisions, but it absolutely influences who these nonprofits empower and elevate. PBH received $4 million in county funding last year. That kind of public partnership demands shared values—and respectful engagement with the public.
The larger issue is not whether Fermanis still works for PBH. It’s whether the organizations receiving millions in taxpayer dollars reflect the standards of professionalism, civility, and accountability our community deserves. A flippant response from PBH leadership only fuels public distrust.
Ultimately, Fermanis was passed over for the board, but this episode raises a much bigger question: if NGOs funded with county dollars can dismiss citizen concerns so casually, who exactly is holding them accountable?
Downtown Decline: Who’s Really to Blame?
At his “State of the District” talk, Port Angeles Waterfront District director Sam Grello blamed property owners for downtown vacancies: “If they can’t afford to fix it up, what are they doing?”
But take a look at the Clallam County Scanner Report Facebook page.
Property owners aren’t the ones cracking whips on First Street, digging maggots from wounds, stabbing at things, or assaulting people while they pump their gas. Business owners already hire security to chase addicts from alcoves and clean needles off doorsteps. Maybe the issue isn’t “greedy landlords” but city leadership failing to create a safe, business-friendly environment.
Water Rules for You, Not for Them
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe was the driving force behind the restrictive Dungeness Water Rule, which makes it nearly impossible for rural residents to drill wells without buying costly mitigation credits or facing outright denial. Families have seen the price of building or maintaining a home soar under these limits.
Yet the Tribe exempts itself. On trust land—beyond the reach of the Rule—they have a 278-foot well to supply water for private homeowners. In other words, what private citizens are blocked from doing, the Tribe does freely and profits from, but offers water-saving education.
At The Cedars at Dungeness, the Tribe’s 122-acre golf course is kept green year-round even as residents are told to shorten showers and let their lawns go brown. Conservation, it seems, is for the public—while the Tribe’s enterprises enjoy abundant water and the revenue it brings.
Washington’s Gas Prices: Thank the Climate Commitment Act
Washington now has the highest gas prices in the nation, even surpassing California.
Why? A six-cent state tax hike and hidden costs from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA).
Commissioner Mark Ozias publicly opposed an initiative to repeal the CCA—aligning with his top campaign contributor, the Jamestown Tribe, who benefits directly. CCA revenues have funded millions in infrastructure upgrades on tribal campuses. Meanwhile, tribal gas stations keep 75% of state fuel taxes, giving them a multimillion-dollar competitive edge over non-tribal gas stations.
In short: higher costs for residents, financial windfalls for favored players.
Emily Randall and the TERRA Act
When introducing the Tribal Emergency Response Resources Act (TERRA Act) in Congress, Representative Emily Randall (WA-6) called it a “critical step” to ensure tribal nations have the resources to respond to climate change and extreme weather. She highlighted streamlining federal funding, reducing red tape, and supporting relocation efforts for tribes facing sea-level rise, citing her February visit with the Hoh Tribe as an example.
But does that sound like she is representing everyone in Washington’s 6th District—or just one narrow interest group? Coastal flooding, wildfires, and extreme weather impact all residents—farmers, homeowners, and small businesses alike. If bureaucracy is the problem, why should only tribes get special access while everyone else remains stuck with the same maze of agencies and grant requirements?
The political alignment is no accident. Jamestown S’Klallam Chairman Ron Allen endorsed Randall, praising her as “the leader that we need in Washington, DC.” That endorsement reflects a familiar pattern: tribal leadership supporting candidates who reliably advance their agenda. By centering her first major congressional push on funneling federal resources to tribal governments, Randall appears to be paying that support forward.
That’s not balanced representation. That’s a return on investment—where campaign endorsers reap the benefits while the rest of the district is left behind.
PDN Shrinks: From Watchdog to Sponsored Content
The Peninsula Daily News has downsized to a strip mall office and increasingly publishes “sponsored content” disguised as articles—like a recent story steering readers toward a mesothelioma law firm.
Once Clallam County’s news backbone, PDN now asks for donations just to survive.
Meanwhile, readers are flocking to independent outlets. CC Watchdog built over 3,400 subscribers in just two years—numbers PDN once took decades to reach. Nearly 800,000 podcast downloads in less than four months show that people are hungry for real, accountable news. Legacy media could thrive again—if they stop chasing advertisers and return to watchdog journalism.
