CC Letters: Issue No. 63
RE: Canceled Meeting; Harm Reduction; Voting Integrity; Future Water Supply; 6992 Old Olympic Highway
Mission Statement: To preserve and publish citizen correspondence with local government as a public record of civic participation.
Subject: RE: Canceled meeting with Board of Clallam County Commissioners
Date: 7/19/2026 2:07:49 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: [Redacted]
To: loganathan_naidu@ios.doi.gov
July 19, 2026
Nathan Naidu
Deputy Director of Intergovernmental and External Affairs Department of the Interior
Dear Mr. Naidu,
I am writing to you as a concerned citizen, who was disappointed that your proposed meeting with the Board of Clallam County Commissioners (Clallam County, Washington) on Monday, June 29, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. during its regularly scheduled Work Session meeting was canceled by you. According to your email exchange with the Clerk of the Board and Commissioner Mark Ozias, you expected a closed unofficial meeting and not a meeting with transparency and open to the public.
As someone who regularly attends the Tuesday BoCCC Regular meetings, I had made a special trip to publicly view the scheduled meeting on Monday. I was disappointed to hear Comm. Ozias read your email detailing your concern of an open (on the record) and transparent meeting instead of a closed door introductory meeting.
I am a taxpaying American citizen, and I object to a closed door meeting, as my taxes help pay for the Department Of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs. Our commissioners are also paid by the taxpayers, and I applaud them for wanting to have a transparent introductory meeting and discussion with you as a representative of this federal department.
Mr. Naidu, I respectfully request that you reconsider your position and reschedule the meeting to include public access. A Work Session meeting by the BoCCC does not involve questions or comments from the public. We in attendance can only watch; thus, there are no interactions with individual persons and the original timeline is maintained.
Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this important matter.
Sincerely,
[Redacted]
to: “Gores, Loni” <loni.gores@clallamcountywa.gov>, “Mielke, Todd” <Todd.Mielke@clallamcountywa.gov>, allison.berry@clallamcountywa.gov, “LoPiccolo, Kevin” <kevin.lopiccolo@clallamcountywa.gov>
bcc: clallamityjen@gmail.com date: Jul 24, 2026, 12:34 AM
subject: Missed Opportunity to discuss Harm Reduction strategies at the July 21 Behavioral Health Advisory Board meeting
Hi Loni,
Please share my public comments below with the Commissioners. Thank you.
Dear Clallam County Commissioners, Todd Mielke, Dr. Berry, and Kevin LoPiccolo,
I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the missed opportunity for a meaningful public dialogue about questions raised by District 3 commissioner candidate Jake Seegers. Specifically, these concerns regard whether the Clallam County Public Health harm reduction clinic actively offers clients resources and paths toward recovery from addiction, rather than solely supporting continued substance use.
When community members raise concerns about the scope of public health harm reduction programs, those issues deserve to be addressed with current facts. I am concerned by Chairman Mike French’s decision to disengage from this topic by stating that the board would not engage in a back-and-forth discussion with Mr. Seegers, who presented facts and field experience. As chairperson, shouldn’t you be encouraging meaningful discussion?
This situation raises questions about why Public Health Officer Dr. Alison Berry is not actively promoting and educating the public on paths to recovery. Most major metropolitan cities are implementing a “recovery first” model, and I question whether Dr. Berry is receiving the necessary education to effectively manage these responsibilities. Additionally, I would like to know why Chairman French is not challenging this Board to consider a “recovery first” model or implement a drug-free education program? Leaders seek solutions and continuous improvement.
Public Health Officer Alison Berry is failing the community by not recognizing that harm reduction alone is not a path to recovery. I agree with Jake Seegers that individuals who repeatedly use harm reduction services should be actively offered a path to recovery.
What is Public Health and its partners doing to support the Lucas Petty Act?
Respectfully,
[Redacted]
[This is a response to an email published in Issue No. 62]
From: Riggs, Shoona <shoona.riggs@clallamcountywa.gov>
To: [Redacted] Sent: Friday, July 24, 2026, 11:11:20 PM PDT
Subject: RE: Stop and investigate voting integrity in Clallam County
[Redacted],
Thank you again for contacting the Clallam County Auditor’s Office and sharing your concerns.
After receiving several inquiries regarding the July 25 voter outreach event, our office reviewed the information provided, contacted the event organizers directly to better understand the planned activities, and consulted guidance from the Washington Secretary of State’s Office regarding applicable election laws and procedures.
After completing our review, our office found that the activities described are generally permitted under Washington law. This includes assisting voters with voter registration through VoteWA.gov, helping voters print replacement ballots through VoteWA.gov, and returning a voter’s sealed ballot with the voter’s permission.
VoteWA.gov is the official voter information portal for Washington state. Voter registrations and replacement ballot requests submitted through this site are still processed through the county elections office, where identity verification and other required safeguards occur before any registration or ballot is accepted.
While Washington law allows a voter to authorize another person to return their sealed ballot, voters always have the option of returning their own ballot using an Official Ballot Drop Box or by mail. Our office encourages voters to return their own ballot whenever possible. If they choose to have someone else return their ballot, we recommend that they entrust it only to someone they know and trust.
Washington law does not generally require private individuals conducting voter registration assistance to receive formal certification or approval from county election officials. That said, the Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) does provide training for those wishing to assist others with voter registration. Organizations and members of the public are also welcome to contact our office with questions or for guidance regarding voter registration activities. Here is a link to the OSOS webpage for Voter Outreach and Education Materials.
I appreciate you taking the time to reach out. Questions from the public give us the opportunity to explain Washington’s election processes and help ensure voters have accurate information. If I did not address one of your specific questions, or if you would like additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you,
Shoona Riggs | County Auditor
Clallam County Auditor’s Office
360.417.2222
223 E 4th St, Suite 1 | Port Angeles WA 98362
shoona.riggs@clallamcountywa.gov
www.ClallamCountyWA.gov
[This is a response to an email published in Issue No. 59]
From: LaTrisha Ollom-Suggs <LOsuggs@cityofpa.us>
Date: Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 5:32 PM
Subject: Re: Port Angeles future water supply
To: [Redacted]
[Redacted],
Thank you for the email, sorry it too, me awhile to reply, this is something that has been on my mind. Below are my answers to your questions, I have answered them the best I can. In addition the ONP has a webpage on dam removal, that has lists extensive research publications: Elwha River Restoration Research Publications - Olympic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
How does preventing timber-cutting in the Elwha drainage promote a future water supply for the city? Although sediment releases and turbidity have previously challenged the city’s Ranney well, can you provide the data that shows how the sediments from a timber harvest would be as or more detrimental than the sediments released upon removal of the upriver dams?
Comparing dam removal to timber harvest is not a direct apples-to-apples comparison. Dam removal released tens of millions of cubic yards of stored sediment over a relatively short period, and NPS mitigation required construction of the Ewha Surface Water Intake Facility to remove sediment prior to dam removal, and the filtered water during dam removal was transported to the city’s municipal/industrial users. This facility is not in use as we do not have the turbidity seen during dam removal. Whereas timber harvest generally affects sediment delivery through increased erosion, altered hydrology, and road drainage. Sedimentation through erosion and timber harvest has been a discussion point for decades by DNR, Tribes, Municipalities.
Intact, biodiverse mature riparian forests play a critical role in maintaining instream flows, water quality, and watershed resilience, although they do not necessarily increase the total amount of water in a watershed. Instead, they regulate when, where, and how water moves through the landscape, helping streams maintain more consistent flows throughout the year.
Mature riparian forest help maintain instream flows by:
Increasing Water Infiltration and groundwater recharge.
Slow surface runoff
Reduce evaporative losses from streams
Improve soil water storage (undisturbed forest soils contain, high organic matter, large pore spaces, extensive fungal networks), which also soils to function like a sponge, storing winter precipitation and slowly releasing it back to streams throughout the year.
Stabilize Streambanks
Maintain floodplain connectivity
Increase watershed resilience to climate change
These functions become increasingly important as snowpack declines and precipitation patterns become more variable.
Is there data that demonstrates how much a timber sale in the vast Elwha drainage would impact the groundwater table that recharges that Ranney well during dry periods?
This is a great question, and we have asked DNR to look into how cumulative timber harvests impacts in the Elwha Watershed, we are concerned with hydrologic changes due to dam removal and climate change and it is our responsibilities as leaders to ask how the actions of DNR impacts the City’s sole water supply. Currently DNR only looks at single sales rather than cumulative sales and cumulative impacts. Since dam removal, there have not been new hydrologic studies, watershed models, or monitoring data that quantify the relationship between a proposed timber harvest area and groundwater levels or baseflows supplying the Ranney Well. The lack of these studies is a concern that I continue to raise.
Please elaborate on how year-round water conservation helps the City with dry season water shortages. If our community uses water in a normal, rather than conservation mode, during the wet season is there data that shows that the Ranney well or the Elwha Alluvial Aquifer the city depends on will be impacted later in the season?
Conservation reduces overall pumping demand; Even if wet-season conservation does not directly “store” water for summer, lower annual demand can:
Reduce stress on the Ranney well.
Allow groundwater levels to recover more quickly after pumping.
Extend the life of pumps and infrastructure.
Provide additional operating flexibility during emergencies.
Climate variability; Utilities are increasingly planning for:
Reduced snowpack.
Earlier snowmelt.
Longer summer droughts.
More variable precipitation.
Year-round conservation is viewed as increasing resilience to uncertain future conditions. The city promotes water conservation, please see the city’s site: Residential Conservation and Rebates | Port Angeles, WA - Official Website
The city also has a water shortage response plan, please check out the webpage: Water Shortage Response Plan | Port Angeles, WA - Official Website
The city municipal and industrial users are not the only ones using the Elwha River, the Elwha River is one of the most significant salmon restoration watersheds in the United States following dam removal. The watershed now supports recovery efforts for multiple ESA-listed salmonids, while its mature forests provide essential nesting habitat for marbled murrelets and northern spotted owls.
Other ESA-listed or Protected Species That May Occur
Depending on location within the watershed, additional federally protected species may include:
Whitebark pine – Threatened; occurs at high elevations within Olympic National Park.
Sockeye salmon – Certain populations associated with Olympic watersheds are federally listed, although sockeye are not a major component of the Elwha compared to Chinook, coho, pink, chum, and steelhead.
I understanding that water treatment facilities sometimes reduce treatment during periods of high river flows due to increased sediment loads. Isn’t the new treatment plant adjacent to the river provided to the city by the National Park Service capable of adequately removing those sediments?
The Elwha Surface Water Intake facility I believe is not currently in use, it was meant for the high pulse flows of sediment to mitigate for dam removal. There may be a reason for the city to start the facility up, but I believe the city is not using the facility.
Given the City’s 18 million gallons of water storage capacity that is equivalent to only 4-9 days of normal use (depending on the season), what have you done to augment the City’s long-term water supply in anticipation of low snowpack years and the disappearance of our glacial “reservoirs?”
I believe Nathan West, City Manager, has answered this question for you regarding the groundwater well study that would be used to supplement the city’s water supplies, specifically during low flow seasons (Mid-Summer to Early Fall). We have seen that early rain delayed late into October.
In my roll on the Washington Water Trust, as a board member, the policy goals are to preserve and restore instream flows in rivers throughout the State of Washington. In the Dungeness there is an active Aquifer Recharge program managed by WWT, in addition WWT partners with local irrigators to delay irrigation and promote pulse flow events at times agreed to by partners with the goal of providing flows necessary for when salmon are trying to migrate upriver.
Washington Water Trust has been asked to participate in roundtable discussions that focus on Governor Fergusons Washington Water Initiative, which brings together stakeholders to find solutions to the water crisis, please see Department of Ecology’s webpage, as they have been asked to lead this initiative. It is a statewide effort to modernize water management and secure reliable supplies for people, fish, and agriculture amid persistent, record-breaking droughts: Washington’s Water Future - Washington State Department of Ecology
I am on this board for my regular job, it has helped me to bring the issues and solutions back to not only my employer but to the City of Port Angeles, and advocate to protect rural municipalities and share our concerns.
How does promoting additional housing in the City comport with a diminishing, unsecured source of water?
I think we need to recognize that these objectives are not necessarily inconsistent, but they do require careful planning. In 2022 the City of Port Angeles adopted the Climate Resiliency Plan: , Climate Resiliency Plan | Port Angeles, WA - Official Website , the city also promotes water conservation, the City has a Critical Areas Ordinance which is under review, see how to get involved: Critical Areas Ordinance Updates | Port Angeles, WA - Official Websit (looks like July 22nd and August 26th are opportunities to learn about the project, and you can attend virtually also). The city also updated the Comprehensive plan and moving toward implementation, see webpage: Vision 2045 Implementation | Port Angeles, WA - Official Website
I apologize it took me so long to respond, your questions were detailed.
Respectfully
LaTrisha Suggs
From: noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com>
Sent: Friday, July 10, 2026 8:46 AM
To: zEnviroHealth <web_EnviroHealth@clallamcountywa.gov>
Subject: Online Form Submission #10112 for Health & Human Services Contact Form
Health & Human Services Contact Form
Department: Environmental Health
First Name: [Redacted]
Last Name: [Redacted]
Phone: [Redacted]
Your Email: [Redacted]
Subject: 6992 Old Olympic Highway, Sequim
Comments
Dear Alison Berry,
Do you job and condemn this toxic property and the squatters that are living in a toxic environment. My neighbors mail was stolen and found at this location. 40 calls to the Sheriff’s Office have been recorded. Do you job or resign. I am disgusted by your lack of action. You have made Clallam County a destructive destination for drugs and criminal activity. The cost to deal with your in action will eventually bankrupt Clallam County. I request an answer to this citizen complaint asap.
— — —
On Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 4:00 PM zEnviroHealth <web_EnviroHealth@clallamcountywa.gov> wrote:
Hello [Redacted],
Thank you for contacting Environmental Health. Your concerns have been forwarded to the appropriate staff members. The address mentioned is currently under active investigation.
🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
Clallam County Environmental Health
360-417-2258
Always working for a healthier Clallam County!
Go to our website: www.ClallamCountyWA.gov/EH
— — —
to: zEnviroHealth <web_EnviroHealth@clallamcountywa.gov>
bcc: clallamityjen@gmail.com date: Jul 16, 2026, 4:46 PM
subject: Re: Online Form Submission #10112 for Health & Human Services Contact Form
Dear Clallam County Environmental Health,
Regarding my submission #10112, when can I expect a formal reply regarding the toxic property at 6992 Old Olympic Highway?
This property has been a hazard since 2015. Additionally, stolen USPS mail belonging to two of my neighbors was recently found there, and the location is the subject of frequent 911 calls.
Why has Public Health not cleared this property? The citizens of Clallam County are entitled to public health and safety, yet repeated emails requesting action continue to be ignored. I look forward to your prompt response.
[Redacted]
— — —
On Fri, Jul 17, 2026, 2:50 PM Garcelon, Jennifer <jennifer.garcelon@clallamcountywa.gov> wrote:
Dear [Redacted],
Clallam County Environmental Health is working with Clallam County Code Enforcement on the code violations at 6992 Old Olympic HWY. A property owner has been established and actions have started. Dump vouchers from Code Enforcement allowed over 2,000 pounds of solid waste to be removed from the property in the past few weeks.
Thank you,
Jennifer Garcelon
Next Issue: Thursday, July 30, 2026
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
✍️ No Hygiene or Harm Reduction programs at William Shore Aquatic Center in Port Angeles, WA
From the petition:
Please sign this petition to demand that the Clallam Department of Health and the William Shore Memorial Pool Board members Clallam County Commissioners Mike French, Randy Johnson, Port Angeles City Council Members Mark Hodgson and LaTrisha Suggs, and Greg Shields reject a hygiene center and shower voucher program now and in the future.
There are 78 Port Angeles Police reports that document the William Shore Aquatic Center generated far more calls related to social disorder, transient activity, mental health concerns, family disputes, and public safety issues than it did to actual swimming or recreation.
🇺🇸 Response from the U.S. Department of the Interior:
From Clallam Freedom Alliance re: Stop the Transfer of Dungeness and Protection Island Refuges (Sign & share petition here):
A physical mail response came in from Thomas A. Blaser, Chief Adminstrative Judge of the US. Department of the Interior.
He told us to send all concerns to the: Northwest Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 911 Northwest 11th Avenue, Portland, OR, 97232-4169.
As we now know calling is best: 360-291-7684.
✍️ Redress State Legislators in District 24:
Senator Mike Chapman: (360) 786-7646, email form
Representative Adam Bernbaum: (360) 786-7916, email form
Representative Steve Tharinger: (360) 786-7904, email form
✍️ Redress Clallam County Commissioners:
Mark Ozias: Mark.Ozias@clallamcountywa.gov
Randy Johnson: Randy.Johnson@clallamcountywa.gov
Mike French: Mike.French@clallamcountywa.gov
Loni Gores, Clerk: Loni.Gores@clallamcountywa.gov
Find all other Clallam County officials, offices, and employees in the staff directory.
To have your letter published in Clallam County Letters, please include clallamityjen@gmail.com in the BCC field or forward the email after sending.
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Each time I read these letters from the public, I learn something new. Thank you all for being engaged and caring citizens.