Weaponized at taxpayer expense

Charter Review Commission loses focus and credibility

Clallam County’s Charter Review Commission has been hijacked by personal grudges and political games, wasting taxpayer resources on failed efforts to silence dissent. As friendships and vendettas take priority over public service, voters must ask: is the Charter Review process even worth saving?

With just three months remaining for the County’s Charter Review Commission (CRC) to submit this November’s ballot initiatives that will determine how our County governs itself, the fifteen 2025 commissioners are at risk of being remembered not for bold leadership, but for prioritizing special interests, personal agendas, and petty, emotionally-driven vendettas, all while systematically shutting the public out of the process they are supposed to protect.

A disproportionate amount of CRC effort and taxpayer-funded resources has been spent trying to control commissioners’ private speech—a chilling overreach into the civil liberties of elected officials. This didn't deter Chairwoman Susan Fisch and Commissioner Jim Stoffer from waging a month-long campaign that attempted to trample the First Amendment rights of their peers.

It started when Fisch reconvened the Bylaws Committee to force a rule requiring commissioners to always disclaim they were not speaking on behalf of the commission in public. Ironically, Fisch herself would have immediately violated this rule by giving a League of Women Voters presentation while advertising her CRC role, and Commissioner Stoffer had already made a possibly inaccurate statement to the Sequim Gazette suggesting it was illegal for CRC commissioners to engage directly with the public.

After multiple meetings and six-plus hours of discussion, the County’s civil attorney bounced back Fisch’s proposed bylaw, clarifying that commissioners should merely be “encouraged” to avoid identifying public commenters—not required. It was a toothless, feel-good proposal that accomplished nothing except racking up clerk overtime, mileage reimbursements, and lost public trust.

Still, Fisch insisted on pushing the bylaw change at the April 14th CRC meeting. The allegations—that I, the publisher of Clallam County Watchdog, had harassed, attacked, intimidated, and bullied elected school board member Patrice Johnston—were repeatedly cited, yet no evidence beyond an anonymous letter was ever presented.

Commissioner Jim Stoffer stressed the need for “basic mutual respect," claiming that harassment is “in the eye of the beholder."

“It pains me to—’cause when I see people, just the dialogue that happens on social media anymore, it’s just so harming,” lamented Stoffer, who has a public Facebook page featuring derogatory, vulgar, and offensive content.

One example of Jim Stoffer’s postings on social media suggests that if you didn’t vote like he did, you might be a member of the KKK.

Commissioner Patti Morris wisely urged the commission to “concentrate on the business at hand,” recognizing the massive waste of time and focus.

Perhaps sensing the tide turning, Stoffer seconded a motion to delay the vote—a motion that failed.

Interestingly, a four-page letter opposing the amendment, sent by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), laid out clear constitutional arguments why the bylaw would violate the First Amendment.

But instead of considering FIRE’s letter, Commissioner Paul Pickett simply sneered, “They’re a partisan right-wing group,” ignoring its well-sourced, nonpartisan legal arguments.

“Right wing” may depend on one’s political viewpoint. Pickett, who once spoke of the dangers of capitalism and the need to redesign communities in an interview with Communist Party USA, wasn’t done exercising his own free speech. At the meeting, he declared to the commission and gallery, “If one of us wants to be an asshole, they’re going to go be an asshole.”

Stoffer quickly “called for the question,” which Fisch accepted, cutting off discussion and forcing a vote—a tactic increasingly used by Stoffer and Fisch to silence dissenting commissioners.

The result? Commissioners Susan Fisch, Jim Stoffer, Alex Fane, Chris Noble, Paul Pickett, and Christy Holy voted to restrict free speech. Commissioners Ron Cameron, Patti Morris, Ron Richards, Cathy Walde, Nina Sarmiento, and I, voted against it.

Six to six, with three commissioners absent. Without a majority, the motion failed.

But more than six hours of taxpayer-funded time, county staff resources, and citizen patience were spent chasing a political vendetta, not serving the people of Clallam County.

Personal agendas driving public institutions

Charter Review Commissioner Jim Stoffer and Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias.

The devolution of the CRC likely began long before the commissioners took office. In the fall of 2023, when CC Watchdog directed criticism at County Commissioner Mark Ozias for transparency issues, his friend Jim Stoffer jumped into the fray, aggressively defending Ozias and working to discredit critics.

Fast forward: When the Sequim School Board campaigned for a levy and bond proposal—pressuring the Sequim City Council to endorse the measures before ballots were mailed—criticism from CC Watchdog again followed. Not of the need for new buildings, but of how the school board campaigned, blurring the lines of public neutrality.

Patrice Johnston, a school board member, sat conspicuously at the sparsely attended council meeting where public comment was dominated by ballot supporters. She later became a vocal critic after Clallam County Watchdog highlighted these concerns.

Patrice Johnston sits in the front row during a hastily convened special meeting of the Sequim City Council, where, as a school board member, she asked the Council to break its own rules to support the school district’s ballot measures.

Photo evidence showed Jim Stoffer and Patrice Johnston celebrating the bond victory together.

Jim Stoffer embraces Patrice Johnston at an event celebrating the passage of the school bond and levy held at the Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course.

Notably, the “for” argument on the ballot was authored by none other than Susan Fisch.

Additionally, Jim Stoffer and Susan Fisch are close friends.

Charter Review Chairwoman Susan Fisch and Commissioner Jim Stoffer.

However, Stoffer didn’t introduce Fisch to Johnston. An article in Washington Courts revealed how Susan Fisch and Patrice Johnston’s friendship began. They worked together to form a mock trial team, supposedly teaching students the value of unbiased judgment and evidence-based arguments—a standard now sorely absent in their behavior.

“After having moved to Sequim a year earlier from Colorado, Susan Fisch was looking for something new to do in retirement after serving as a public defender for 21 years and a judge for another 11 before moving to Washington. She was eventually introduced to Patrice Johnson, another retired lawyer and a member of the Sequim school board. Together, they started a mock trial team to fill the gaps in extracurriculars in the area.”

Friends Patrice Johnston (center, dressed in black) and Susan Fisch (partially obscured) started a mock trial course for Sequim High School students, funded by the League of Women Voters. (From the Sequim Gazette)

With personal alliances and animosities now crystal clear, CRC meetings became stages for orchestrated attacks.

At the beginning of March 24th’s CRC meeting, Fisch asked Stoffer if he had any items to add to the agenda. Stoffer replied that he wanted to add a new item called “Free Speech,” something the Commission had not previously discussed. Immediately after, Fisch called on Patrice Johnston to read a prepared five-minute public comment that related to that agenda item. How had Johnston known to write a speech addressing an agenda item that was supposedly added at the last minute?

It was an obvious ambush, coordinated by old friends—Fisch, Johnston, and Stoffer—who share close ties through the League of Women Voters, the Sequim School District, and personal relationships. Their latest actions resemble schoolyard bullying, using taxpayer-funded platforms to settle personal scores.

A pattern of abuse in local government

Sadly, this behavior isn't isolated to the CRC.

• Last year, CC Watchdog interviewed Anita Pruvell, who dared to challenge County government, only to have Clallam County blacklist her from receiving needed septic repairs.

• A local family faced coordinated opposition after Commissioner Ozias decided that their enterprise, a dormant gravel pit that would have created four family-wage-paying jobs to the area, could disturb his sleep patterns and raise his blood pressure.

• The Towne Road supporters faced a month-long, taxpayer-funded investigation when Commissioner Ozias instructed the Sheriff and Prosecuting Attorney to investigate claims of stalking and harassment based on zero evidence.

Now, every CRC commissioner—and you—know the truth: dissent in Clallam County is punished.

This isn’t government serving the people. It’s government weaponized for personal agendas, revenge, and fearmongering, all bankrolled by your tax dollars.

A final thought on local government

As the CRC barrels toward the August deadline, having already prioritized pet projects over public input, voters must ask an uncomfortable but critical question:

Should Clallam County even have a Charter Review Commission? Or has it become so abused, so weaponized, that Clallam should rejoin the majority of Washington counties governed by State law alone?

Last week, readers were asked if the relationship between Mayor Janisse and Dale Jarvis undermines their trust in the Sequim City Council. Of 202 votes:

• 92% said, “Significantly”

• 6% said, “No, not at all”

• 2% said, “A little”

Upcoming meetings

• The CRC meets tomorrow, Monday, April 28, 5:30pm at the courthouse. Public comment is allowed, and instructions on attending in person or virtually can be found here. The Town Hall Outreach Committee has been asked to explain how they have selected the seven priorities to be placed on the ballot.

The CRC has scheduled two new town halls for additional community outreach:

• Clallam Bay/Sekiu Town Hall
  Tuesday, April 29, 6–8 p.m.
  Clallam Bay/Sekiu Lions Club – 90 Bogachiel Street, Clallam Bay

• Forks Town Hall
  Tuesday, May 6, 6–8 p.m.
  Forks First Congregational Church – 280 Spartan Avenue, Forks