Clallam County Watchdog

From a Montana offender now cycling through Clallam County’s public systems, to repeated “catch and release” jail bookings, to major policy discussions on homelessness, race-based enrollment rules, and decisions affecting land use, education, and public access to elected officials—this week’s developments raise one fundamental question: Are public interests being placed second to politics, ideolog...

Across Sequim and Clallam County, accusations of “dog-whistle racism” are increasingly being used not to illuminate bias—but to shut down debate, delegitimize critics, and elevate political narratives that serve a select few. When elected officials call residents racist without evidence, rewrite meeting minutes, suppress dissent, and weaponize claims of harm to advance their agendas, the public lo...

Whether it’s a surprise proposal giving sovereign governments veto power over city projects, a statewide lobbying push for new transportation taxes led by Commissioner Mark Ozias, or last-minute attempts to restrict RV living on private land, one theme keeps resurfacing: transparency is missing. This week, Jake Seegers points out that while commissioners lament their “limited authority” in public...

The Coffee Cottage on Highway 101 closed abruptly after a break-in—allegedly by the same out-of-county repeat offender previously featured by CC Watchdog. Days later, Olympia’s well-known vehicle prowler, Logan James Turner, was booked into the Clallam County Jail. At the same time, local business owners say they can’t even reach their doors due to people sleeping, using drugs, and leaving hazards...

Clallam County seems to be doing it all: from funding crack-pipe cleaning kits to throwing diaper-driven “workforce development” dollars at NGOs — would you believe they’re even promoting clean-eating kits for the gluttonously inclined? These ten short, sharp stories reveal a common thread: when public dollars bleed into unaccountable programs and identity-driven gestures, the public interest ofte...

At a recent City Council meeting, Port Angeles unveiled its 20-year Comprehensive Plan—but tucked into the late-night discussion was a surprise proposal to replace standard tribal consultation with the international doctrine of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), which would give sovereign nations the power to approve or veto city projects. FPIC is a U.N. standard designed for major industri...

Every week brings a new contrast between what local government says it values and what its decisions actually reveal. Whether it’s a farmer’s market that has to be scrubbed of human waste while a “Portland Loo” sits unused a few feet away, or a public hospital board holding special meetings without recordings, or millions in Climate Commitment Act money bypassing the people who pay the bill. Any w...

In this in-depth investigation, Jake Seegers exposes how Clallam County’s rapidly expanding harm-reduction program is driving a local environmental crisis — from needles and pipes scattered along salmon streams to charred debris fields left unaddressed on public land. Despite rising drug-related ER visits, escalating pollution, and an explosion in HRHC encounters, county leaders continue to fund t...

Clallam County politics didn’t take Thanksgiving week off. From an Ethics Commission breakthrough to a mysteriously funded church program with zero participants; from activists boycotting Home Depot—except when they need to potty—to a hospital that can’t manage basic transparency in 2025, this holiday brings no shortage of eyebrow-raising moments. Yet amid the hypocrisy and misplaced priorities, t...

Clallam County is raising property taxes again, insisting that growing expenses leave them no choice. Yet the same leadership that won’t send a follow-up letter to the Jamestown Tribe about lost tax revenue has continued to fund nonessential programs—most notably a county poet laureate. In a county struggling with homelessness, addiction, attrition in law enforcement, and shrinking tax rolls, resi...

Over just nine days, Clallam County has seen an officer-involved shooting, a barricaded armed felon dying by suicide, and a gunman fleeing through a residential neighborhood. These are not big-city headlines—they’re our daily reality. While public safety agencies struggle with historically low staffing and a county culture permissive toward drugs and repeat offenders, “leaders” continue prioritizi...

At recent meetings of the Clallam County Charter Review Commission, one pattern has become impossible to ignore: certain agenda items keep getting blocked—not by policy, but by personalities. Attempts to seek clarity on public spending, governance processes, and potential legal violations have repeatedly been shut down by the Commission’s Executive Committee. Meanwhile, the same leaders who campai...

In this deep-dive investigation, Jake Seegers uncovers how Clallam County’s health bureaucracy is funding its own research to justify the very harm-reduction programs that have coincided with skyrocketing overdoses, higher ER visits, and the loss of federal support. While county officials scramble to protect their narrative — even paying for a “gaps study” designed to validate existing policies —...

Clallam County is delivering quite a week: children’s books shaping political worldviews, tribes reviving historic land claims, repeat offenders cycling through the system, and millions in state tax refunds kept out of public view. Add unpopular government expansion proposals, a shaky conservation district appeals process, and budget “crises” that conveniently ease after voters reject new taxes —...

When a Port Angeles resident noticed a suspicious booking name on the Clallam County Jail Roster, their quick action uncovered a man with a long criminal history. His arrival raises uncomfortable questions about why repeat offenders are finding Clallam County so attractive—and why ordinary citizens are now doing the accountability work their government won’t. A name that didn’t add up Yesterday, a...

Whatcom County just proved what a Charter Review can accomplish when leaders prioritize the public—performance audits, budget transparency, real accountability. Meanwhile, Clallam County has spent nearly a year debating feelings, deflecting questions, and guarding special interests. Instead of reforms that strengthen good governance, the Review has devolved into a masterclass in how political loya...

Public institutions run on trust — but trust requires honesty, accountability, and leaders who take their responsibilities seriously. Here are ten stories that cut through the PR fluff and highlight what’s really happening across Clallam County and the Olympic Peninsula. From violent crime swept under the rug, to taxpayer-funded junkets, to dubious “leadership conferences,” to mismanaged public fu...

Have you ever suspected that what local government and the nonprofits living off your tax dollars are telling you just isn’t true? This week’s Sundays with Seegers podcast interview takes us on a raw, emotional journey through the eyes of a survivor—14 months clean, and finally seeing the system for what it is. Jake Seegers doesn’t sugarcoat it: low-barrier housing destroyed by tenants, harm-reduc...

Some readers have said that CC Watchdog is cherry-picking when we point out the steady stream of out-of-town offenders flooding our local jails. So we’re digging deeper—one case at a time—to ask the question: How many out-of-state criminals does it take before Clallam County admits there’s a problem? The Case of Labran Kourtney Mohammed Labran Kourtney Mohammed, age 39, was booked into the Clallam...

The louder you shout, the more Clallam County Commissioners listen — especially if your resume includes “climate activist,” “Earth Law Center,” or “rights of nature.” Meanwhile, the people who actually live, work, and pay taxes here are lucky to get three minutes at a microphone. From timber policy to water rights, our local leaders seem more interested in entertaining activist lectures than heari...

From repeat offenders cycling through the courts to taxpayer-funded mismanagement, this week’s stories highlight what happens when accountability takes a back seat. Whether it’s local boards asleep at the wheel, politicians dodging transparency, or organizations rewriting history while preaching equity, one theme runs through it all—rules for some, excuses for others. A Familiar Face in the Police...

Clallam County taxpayers are footing the bill for “compassionate outreach” programs run by nonprofits whose staff and leaders sometimes behave in ways that would never be tolerated in government service. When citizens question it, they’re told it’s none of their business. But it is their business—because it’s their money. Who’s Really in Charge? The controversy began when citizens discovered that...

It’s time to rediscover what Clallam County can be — and it starts with one simple idea: dreaming something new, and building something better together. Listen to a powerful new podcast interview with Jake Seegers . Jake shares why he’s running and what his Clallam County Dream looks like. Over the next year, he’ll be documenting our county’s “Clallam County Dreams” — the hopes, struggles, and sto...

Public safety, transparency, and common sense — too often missing from Clallam County’s agenda. The Halloween Catch-and-Release Michael Heller, a man well-known to local law enforcement , was arrested on Halloween for multiple charges — including malicious mischief, assault, and obstructing officers — only to be released from Clallam County Jail after five days. Heller has long been a fixture in p...

A fraud investigation report released Monday by the Washington State Auditor’s Office found that the William Shore Memorial Pool District , led by Executive Director and Port Commissioner Steve Burke , lacked basic financial controls, resulting in at least $41,000 in personal benefit to Burke and $25,980 in additional questionable spending over a six-year period. The 10-page report details how Bur...