Public safety, housing, healthcare, schools, and accountability — all touchstones for our community. Yet too often, taxpayers end up footing the bill while priorities drift elsewhere. Here are ten stories that raise questions about leadership, fairness, and whether public interest is really being put first.
Breaking News: Sequim Security Firm Takes Washington State to Court
Security Services Northwest (SSNW), based in Sequim, has filed suit against Washington State over a new sales tax expansion on services like investigation, monitoring, and private security. The law, passed as ESSB 5814, took effect yesterday— giving companies only 19 days to adjust their systems to collect taxes across all 39 counties.
SSNW, which provides security for Clallam County (including taxpayer-funded personal protection for Charter Review Commissioner Jim Stoffer), says the rushed timeline violates due process. President Joe D’Amico notes, “Not even California taxes private security services.” The irony? Businesses like SSNW will now have to raise rates — which means government contracts will cost more, and in the end, taxpayers will be paying twice.
OMC Candidate Raises Transparency Questions — and Concerns
Laurie Force, candidate for Olympic Medical Center Hospital District 2 commissioner, is running on keeping the hospital open, recording board meetings, and protecting gender-affirming care. Transparency in meeting access is commendable, especially as OMC faces possible insolvency. But when primary care is strained and specialists are scarce, some wonder if prioritizing gender-affirming care is the hospital’s most urgent need.
Adding to questions: Force was featured in People’s World — a Marxist-Leninist publication that traces its roots to the Daily Worker—a communist newspaper. That association may not sit well with voters who want to keep ideology out of local healthcare decisions.
Encampments Reach Sequim’s Main Street
Sequim is now facing what Port Angeles already knows too well: encampments tied to the homelessness crisis. A recent scene on Washington Street showed a vehicle surrounded by belongings and trash. What began in Seattle, then spread to Port Angeles, is now appearing in Sequim.
Critics often argue that crisis equals funding for nonprofits and that attracting vagrancy, crime, and addiction keeps grant money flowing. If so, taxpayers are left paying to manage a problem that only grows.
Mayor Dexter Doubles Down on Housing First
Port Angeles Mayor Kate Dexter is seeking reelection while championing a housing-first model: provide housing with few requirements, then hope outcomes improve. She points to compassion and reduced hospital visits as benefits.
But critics point to Seattle’s failed experiment, where billions spent on housing-first led to addiction-plagued “trap houses” and rampant overdoses. Is Port Angeles ready to follow that same path? Compassion is vital — but enabling without accountability risks turning local housing into little more than taxpayer-subsidized shelters for ongoing drug use.
Marolee Smith Dvorak: A Different Vision for Port Angeles
Challenger Marolee Smith Dvorak is running against Mayor Dexter on a platform of accountability, fiscal responsibility, and better opportunities for youth. In a recent essay, she recalled how past generations of kids worked from an early age — picking berries, mucking stables, or landing summer jobs in factories. Work wasn’t optional; it was formative.
Today, state restrictions and red tape leave few options for teens. Dvorak argues this deprives youth of responsibility, opportunity, and growth. Her call is simple: remove barriers that keep kids from working and restore a culture of opportunity. For voters, it’s a stark contrast to the status quo.
ACLU’s “Snitch Line” — and Commissioner Ozias’ Laptop
Washington citizens have the constitutional right to gather signatures for initiatives, but the ACLU has encouraged residents to report petition circulators through a hotline. The move has fueled harassment of signature gatherers, undermining grassroots democracy.
Closer to home, County Commissioner Mark Ozias has an ACLU sticker on his county-issued laptop — property purchased by taxpayers, not his personal device. Political messaging on public property is inappropriate, no matter the cause. Imagine if someone slapped an NRA sticker on the public comment podium at a commissioners’ meeting. Public tools should stay neutral — period.
Competing with the Tribe: Locals Can’t Win
One Sequim family lost out on renting their home for $1,750/month after prospective tenants instead chose a Jamestown-owned condo for $1,350 — a deal “unheard of” in the local market. The difference? Tribal properties held in trust avoid many taxes and fees that locals must pay.
“My [redacted] works at a real-estate company here and some people are moving here for six months to buy a house. She thought of our vacation rental. I made a great deal with everything included, fully furnished, hot tub, electricity, water, garbage, internet, roku, even roku apps. For $1750. This is what I heard today from her. So frustrating! The tribe hurts us in many, many ways. Big loss of income for our little family for the winter.”
With Jamestown Corporation pulling in $86 million annually while paying no property tax on trust land, locals face an uneven playing field. Families trying to make ends meet are left competing with a tax-exempt corporate giant. That’s not equity — that’s imbalance.
New School Name, Same Old Problems
The Port Angeles School District voted to name its new middle school Hurricane Ridge Middle School. A fresh name and new building might look like progress, but academic outcomes remain grim: more than a third of students lack basic math or English skills, and chronic absenteeism is widespread.
Meanwhile, the board approved sharing a Klallam language teacher with the Lower Elwha Tribe. While cultural enrichment has value, many parents wonder: shouldn’t fixing reading, math, and attendance come before symbolic gestures?
Peninsula Behavioral Health’s “Bi Week”
Peninsula Behavioral Health (PBH) recently celebrated “Bi Week,” saying it was “proud to stand with and support our LGBTQ+ community.”
On its own, inclusivity is a fine value. But when the organization already spends heavily on salaries, perks like weekly employee chair massages, and generous vacation packages, critics see virtue signaling rather than results.
If PBH wants to address mental health, shouldn’t the focus be outcomes for patients — not identity politics? The celebration raises more questions than it answers about where resources go, and who benefits.
Commissioner Ozias Zooms In — But From Where?
For yet another week, Commissioner Mark Ozias attended county meetings via Zoom. Asked where he was, Ozias refused to say. That’s troubling, given his history of attending meetings remotely while in Blyn to influence the comprehensive plan with campaign donors, in Olympia pushing for property tax increases, or in D.C. exploring giving county parks to tribal management.
At $109,000 a year plus benefits, Commmissioner Ozias is a public employee — and the public is his boss. Transparency is a basic expectation. As ballots arrive this month asking you to voluntarily raise your property taxes, voters will have to decide if it’s worth paying for leadership who won’t answer a simple question: where are you, Commissioner Ozias?
