This week’s potpourri highlights a familiar pattern across Clallam County: selective outrage, selective transparency, and selective accountability. From candlelight vigils held for distant causes while local victims go unacknowledged, to public safety warnings with a DEI twist, to tax structures and policies that quietly benefit institutions rather than communities, the throughline is hard to miss. These are not isolated stories—they are signals. And they deserve closer scrutiny.

In the podcast: Highlights from Tuesday’s Commissioners’ Forum.

Different Deaths, Different Responses

This week, the Sequim Gazette encouraged residents to attend a candlelight vigil for two protesters killed while interfering with federal law enforcement—an incident that occurred closer to New York than Sequim. The event was framed as a moment of solidarity and collective mourning, promoted prominently to the local community.

Notably, this same newspaper had no such urgency when violence struck at home. When local artist Richard Madeo was fatally assaulted in Sequim last year, the Sequim Gazette did not report on his death until eight days later, and only after a small local blog had already broken the story. No front-page call to gather. No community reflection encouraged. No editorial pause to acknowledge a life lost in Sequim itself.

Notably, the Sequim City Council refused to acknowledge the tragedy that had happened in their own city. Yet on Monday night, multiple councilmembers took time to deliver prepared remarks about deaths that occurred more than 1,700 miles away.

Councilmember Dan Butler opened by saying he felt “compelled to speak into our record” about the killing of Renee Good, followed by another victim, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis. He spoke at length about federal law enforcement actions, expressed concern for how Minneapolis officials must be processing events in their city, and wondered aloud how their priorities had shifted. He emphasized his gratitude for Sequim’s police department, praised the professionalism of local law enforcement, and closed by referencing more than 20 deaths in immigration custody nationwide, urging compassion regardless of legal status.

Councilmember Harmony Rutter followed by describing a protest she had witnessed in Sequim, thanking participants for their solidarity with people across the country, and expressing hope that future gatherings would remain peaceful and friendly. Councilmember Rachel Anderson added that while Butler spoke eloquently, she herself felt “rage,” sparing the audience from her expletives and thanking him for saying what she could not.

In Sequim, it appears sympathy travels well. Accountability, remembrance, and action at home—not so much.

High-Potency Cannabis, Public Safety, and Who Pays the Price

According to a report from KONP Radio, Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies responded to three separate incidents in a single week involving individuals experiencing extreme behavioral health crises. In each case, deputies said the individuals posed a serious danger to themselves or others, requiring immediate law-enforcement intervention.

These were not minor or isolated disturbances. The incidents involved extensive property damage, injuries to deputies, and criminal behavior severe enough to require jail bookings or emergency mental-health detention. Each event placed additional strain on public safety resources and underscored the real-world consequences when behavioral health crises turn violent.

Investigators reported that each individual had consumed high-potency THC cannabis concentrates prior to the incidents. In a public release, the Sheriff’s Office cited recent studies linking modern high-THC products to increased psychosis, paranoia, and violent or erratic behavior—particularly among adolescents and young adults. Research from 2024–2025 shows daily users aged 18–34 are nearly twice as likely to engage in violent behavior compared to non-users.

That warning matters because today’s cannabis market bears little resemblance to what legalization advocates discussed a decade ago. High-potency concentrates now dominate retail shelves, with THC levels far exceeding what many people historically associated with marijuana use. Locally, the Jamestown Corporation operates Cedar Greens, which offers a full lineup of concentrates—including diamonds, live rosin, hash, kief, RSO, and vape cartridges—with many products exceeding 70% THC and some labeled 80–90%+ THC.

No one is claiming a single retailer or operator is “causing crime.” But the policy picture becomes more complicated when taxation is considered. Washington State imposes a 37% cannabis excise tax, plus sales and B&O taxes, pushing the effective consumer tax burden well above 40%. On tribal land, however, cannabis sales operate under tribal-state compacts, with tribes typically imposing an equivalent tribal cannabis tax that is retained by the tribe, not remitted to the state. For consumers, the price looks the same—but as communities absorb public safety, enforcement, and health-related costs, it is fair to ask whether the current system aligns responsibility with revenue, and whether it truly serves long-term community well-being.

Coffee With Colleen—Ask Away

Every Wednesday morning, locals can tune into “Coffee With Colleen,” a live Zoom hosted by Colleen McAleer, Executive Director of the Clallam Economic Development Council. Next Wednesday at 8:00 a.m., the guest will be Bruce Emery, the elected Director of the Department of Community Development.

Audience questions are often pulled live during the session, making it one of the few unscripted opportunities for public engagement. Topics residents may wish to raise include ongoing concerns about code enforcement, the status of pending RV ordinances being crafted by the Planning Commission, and broader land-use policy direction.

It may also be a chance to ask how an elected official approaches public engagement—particularly in light of recent remarks describing engaged members of the public as “rabid” and “abusive.”

Click here to watch live next Wednesday and scroll to the bottom of the page.

When Public Notices Aren’t Public

Reporting from The Sequim Monitor highlights a significant transparency gap: key public notices are not posted on the City of Sequim’s website, despite that website being funded by taxpayer dollars.

A public hearing notice regarding the extension of an emergency moratorium on master-planned overlay applications appeared only in the Peninsula Daily News. When asked directly, the City Clerk confirmed the notice was not available online—only in the newspaper.

In 2026, when digital access is the primary way most residents obtain information, relying exclusively on a paid newspaper is not transparency—it is gatekeeping. The Sequim Monitor documents this issue thoroughly and continues to provide essential civic coverage. Readers are encouraged to read and subscribe.

Ritual Without Results

Land acknowledgements have become routine across Sequim City Council meetings, Sequim School Board meetings, and county advisory boards. The intention may be symbolic respect—but symbolism alone does not fix budgets, infrastructure, or policy failures.

A widely shared video from Toronto captures a taxpayer reframing the ritual entirely. Instead of acknowledging land, he acknowledged the people who fund government itself—the taxpayers—and challenged city leaders to account for spending, outcomes, and priorities.

His message resonates locally: respect without accountability is empty. If land acknowledgements are the opening act, residents are increasingly asking what follows.

Wildfire Planning, Foggy Numbers, and Mixed Priorities

This week, county commissioners approved an extension of a contract with SWCA Environmental Consultants to continue work on Clallam County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan—an essential document for a rural, timber-heavy county increasingly vulnerable to wildfire.

What remains unclear is the cost. Earlier pricing materials from 2024 referenced an amount written as “$15,0000.”

That leads to a broader question: are we getting the best expertise for local wildfire risk?

SWCA is a national environmental consulting firm, and wildfire planning for a remote peninsula with limited evacuation routes demands deep local knowledge and practical realism. Yet the company prominently highlights its DEI metrics, noting that 55% of new hires identify as female and 22% identify as non-white. Those statistics may matter in corporate reporting, but as smoke approaches a home, residents are likely more concerned with plan quality than values statements.

If SWCA is the right firm, the county should be able to explain the price, the qualifications, and how this plan will protect people on the ground.

To learn more about SWCA’s DEI commitments, click here.

Betting on Campuses, Ignoring the Consequences

Ron Allen, Chair and CEO of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and the Jamestown Corporation in Sequim, testified in Olympia in support of Senate Bill 6137, which would expand sports wagering in Washington to include games involving in-state colleges and universities. While the bill would bar bets on individual athletes, it would still open the door to wagering on collegiate events—an important shift with real-world consequences.

Allen told the Senate Business, Trade & Economic Development Committee that the bill is needed so tribal operations can participate in sports betting tied to Washington universities. Supporters also argue that illegal online gambling already occurs and that allowing bets through tribal casinos would provide better oversight and monitoring.

But critics, including Washington State University, warn the change could make things worse. WSU representatives pointed to reports of student athletes being harassed by gamblers, both online and in person, and questioned whether expanding betting into college sports is responsible. At a time when leaders say they are trying to address addiction and mental health, adding universities to the sports betting market looks less like harm reduction and more like a gamble with consequences.

“The safest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it in your pocket.” — Kin Hubbard

You Don’t Request a Ballot, You Don’t Vote

The Clallam Conservation District election is approaching—and it is structured in a way that requires proactive participation. This is a mail-only election, with no in-person voting, no election-day ballot pickup, and strict deadlines.

Ballots must be requested by February 18, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Election Day is March 17, 2026, closing at 4:00 p.m. If you do not request a ballot, you will not receive one—period.

The CCD has significant influence over land-use policy and private property practices. Regardless of who the candidates are (we still don’t know), failing to request a ballot guarantees silence. Details and updates are available at clallamcd.org.

Paying Consultants to Tell Us What We Already Know

The North Olympic Library System has issued a request for proposals for a compensation study, seeking a consultant to determine appropriate pay levels for employees.

This raises a straightforward question: why does this require outside consultants at taxpayer expense? Comparable jurisdictions exist. Salary data is public. Internal staff are capable professionals.

At a time when public services are strained, and budgets are tight, hiring consultants to study compensation—rather than making transparent, in-house comparisons—feels less like a necessity and more like a habit.

Comparing Notes, Finding Each Other

Community leaders may not always respond directly to CC Watchdog inquiries—but they are responding. And readers are sharing those exchanges at Clallam County Letters, creating a growing archive of public questions and official answers.

The value isn’t just in the responses; it’s in the shared experience. Seeing what others are asking—and how officials reply—reminds residents they are not isolated or unreasonable.

If you want to compare notes, stay informed, and feel a little less alone in asking hard questions, subscribe to Clallam County Letters. Send your letters to [email protected].

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