Providing and accessing needed behavioral health care can be a challenge – but creative programs show us the way forward.

As the Fentanyl crisis rages and individuals and communities alike struggle with the many lingering mental health impacts of the COVID pandemic it can be hard to feel hopeful.  But reason for hope exists and as Commissioner I will continue to advocate for and fund programs like:

• Mental health support, SUD treatment and connections to wraparound services in the Clallam County jail
• Expanded harm reduction health care efforts
• Addition of facility with mental health beds to the Jamestown Healing Campus in Sequim
• More robust public health efforts through full implementation of foundational public health program
• Continued investment in creative behavioral health supportive programming and providers

I have championed new state legislation, just passed, that will improve access to care by requiring more stringent standards for managed care companies.  I also work regularly with leadership at the Health Care Authority and other County Commissioners to discuss continual system improvement.

Whether building housing, building infrastructure or building economic resilience, progress can only be made through strong partnerships.

Making headway on the housing crisis by identifying and funding strategic public projects and by working with the building industry to find opportunities to reduce fees and costs.

Investing in every band of the economic development spectrum, from building and training entrepreneurs, to providing support and resource to micro-enterprise and small businesses, to funding the Clallam EDC which champions all businesses in Clallam County.

Leading the North Olympic Development Council, our regional economic development organization that serves as the hub for broadband planning, energy and climate resilience work and support for the agricultural sector.

Working closely with the Clallam PUD to expand access to water service in Carlsborg.

Working closely with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe on the Dungeness Levy Setback project.

Nothing gets done across our county if we don’t work together!

Planning for emergencies never ends.

We plan for emergencies large and small on a continual basis; from earthquakes to storms, from pandemics to hazardous waste; from smoke to fires.

Our most important project is to complete the new Joint Public Safety Facility with the City of Port Angeles.  This new building will safely house a modern Emergency Operations Center in a good location near key resources like Fairchild Airport.  Securing the funding and navigating a complex project and partnership will take consistent leadership and focus.

Our area of largest opportunity these next few years lies in the nexus of energy resilience, disaster preparedness and climate change mitigation strategies.  We hope to pursue development and funding for a series of “resilience hubs” across the county, key community assets like libraries or fire houses, supported by micro-grids that will provide power when otherwise not available so that residents have places to go to when help is needed.

From Day One I have championed improved access and a more transparent county government.

Within months of first taking office, I and the two other Commissioners were faced with addressing a serious financial liability due to poor management of public records. I pulled a team together to plan a new approach and worked with the other Commissioners to identify and allocate the funds necessary for its implementation.

I am proud to say that Clallam County now boasts a Public Records Office that provides exceptional customer service in response to the thousands of requests we get each year while greatly reducing our exposure to risk and liability. Our team even trains other counties across the state in the best practices we’ve developed!

We began video-recording meetings in 2016 at my request; more recently we have also expanded access to all public meetings by integrating a virtual meeting platform which has encouraged and facilitated increased participation.

More housing is our county’s most pressing need.

We need to do many things all at once if we are to see more housing built in Clallam County.

I have prioritized investments in the infrastructure that supports more housing development in Urban Growth Areas:  City of Forks sewer, Carlsborg sewer, stormwater improvements in Port Angeles.  With a newly-expanded “Opportunity Fund” we can continue to support these vital investments in the future.  We are also working closely with the Clallam PUD to expand access to water in Carlsborg.

We established a “Housing Solutions Committee” to help set priorities and to identify strategic opportunities for public investment in projects with non-profit housing partners.  This group will also be working with City and County planners and permitting departments to identify and address financial barriers that hinder the development of workforce and affordable housing.