Marine Stewardship in Action: Recap of the April 20 MRC Meeting Citizen Science and the Social Contract: Monitoring the Health of Our Maritime Corridors

What do dead birds tell us about the health of Port Angeles? 🐦🌊

My latest recap of the Clallam County MRC meeting covers citizen science, eelgrass restoration off Ediz Hook, and how we protect the assets that sustain our maritime economy.

Read more: tinyurl.com/2wxve3cv

The $216 Million Question: Accountability, Reciprocity, and the Municipal Social Contract A Teacher’s Deep-Dive into Infrastructure Stewardship, Public Safety, and the Mechanics of Growth

How does Port Angeles solve a $216M infrastructure debt while protecting public safety and recruiting new doctors and teachers? It’s all about the Social Contract.

A deep dive into zoning, fiduciary strategy, and the mechanics of growth.

Read more: tinyurl.com/5bka4hb3

Locking in the Future: Powering Port Angeles Through 2044 Building a Foundation of Predictability: Intent and Action within the BPA Provider of Choice Contract

Port Angeles is locking in its energy future! The UAC recommended a 20-yr fixed BPA rate to protect residents from market price spikes through 2044. We’re choosing price certainty over the market gamble to support housing and local growth.

Details: tinyurl.com/5avmdvcf

The 120-Day Mandate: Establishing Predictability in Port Angeles’ Public Spaces Building a Foundation of Predictability: Intent and Action within the 120-Day Stability Framework

Port Angeles deserves predictability. My latest update breaks down the 120-Day Stability Framework: a rules-based approach to public spaces, managed sheltering, and regional funding alignment to ensure our city's vision becomes a reality.

Read more: tinyurl.com/2s3kc46d

The 120-Day Stability Framework: A Recap of the April 7th City Council Meeting Moving from Reactive Management to Systemic Solutions for Public Spaces and Community Safety

Port Angeles City Council just set a 120-day clock to move from reactive encampment management to a systemic "Stability Framework." 🏛️📉

Recapping the April 7th meeting:
🔹New public-facing SOPs
🔹Managed sheltering
🔹Regional funding oversight

Read more: tinyurl.com/5x828dr7

#PortAngeles #WAPol

The Final Polish: Closing the Loop Before the April 7th Dais Addressing the "Action Gap" and Strengthening the Architecture

Port Angeles Update
I’ve spent the month seeing our ground-level reality firsthand. Tomorrow, I’m proposing 7 asks with 30/60/90-day timelines for an SOP, Safe Parking, and a Joint Oversight Board to move from reactive management to results.

Full essay: tinyurl.com/mvswp7k7

#PortAngeles #LocalGov

The Architecture of a Decision: Legal Guardrails and Local Reality Mapping the Roadmap for the April 7th Strategic Direction Session

I’m providing a clear roadmap for our April 7 work session. I am asking staff to develop 7 specific directives, including a Joint Oversight Board, a STEP housing model, and a public Stability Dashboard to track real-time progress. Full essay: tinyurl.com/549h4v2s
#PortAngeles #LocalGov #Transparency

The Intergovernmental Nexus: A Deep Dive into Jurisdictional Architecture Mapping the Legal, Fiscal, and Operational Boundaries of Port Angeles.

Ever wonder why local gov feels stuck? It’s often by design. My latest deep dive maps the "Intergovernmental Nexus" in Port Angeles—from unfunded state mandates to the legal silos that stall housing & climate action.

Mapping the system to fix the system: tinyurl.com/mv695m22

This is so disrespectful. The First Lady should be promoting education and the creation of living-wage jobs. This is what privilege and narcissistic behavior brings. We need to fight like hell to put people in office who will challenge the absurdity of this administration and support educators.

Housing, Homelessness, and Economic Development Are the Same Conversation What recent discussions in Port Angeles reveal about affordability, public space, and the local economy

New essay: housing, homelessness, public space, and economic development in Port Angeles are all connected.

What we see is often the result of upstream bottlenecks in housing, behavioral health, and system coordination.

We need to treat this as one system.

tinyurl.com/yfsehj3v

City Council Recap: Broadening the Record Before April 7 The March 17 meeting brought housing, shelter, health care, church, downtown, and aging-homelessness perspectives into the City’s ongoing public process on encampments, homelessness, public space, and

I published my recap of the March 17 Port Angeles City Council meeting, focused on how the City is broadening the public record on homelessness, encampments, public space, housing, and community stability ahead of the April 7 work session.

tinyurl.com/356sr9v2

Marine Resources Committee Recap: Olympia Oysters, Forage Fish, and the Work of Long Term Stewardship The March 16 meeting focused on native oyster restoration in Sequim Bay, early pinto abalone planning, forage fish monitoring, and the patient local work that makes marine recovery possible

I published a recap of the March 16 Clallam Marine Resources Committee meeting, focused on Olympia oyster restoration, forage fish monitoring, pinto abalone planning, and long term marine stewardship.

Read here: tinyurl.com/4svzymv9

Utility Advisory Committee Recap: A Street Wastewater Capacity and the Work of Getting Ahead A March 10 discussion on sewer capacity, stormwater pressure, project cost risk, and why proactive utility planning matters for Port Angeles

I published a recap of the March 10 Utility Advisory Committee meeting on the A Street wastewater project, stormwater concerns, and why proactive utility planning matters.

Read here: tinyurl.com/yn39jw44

Holding the Middle: What I Heard This Week, What I Saw on the Ground, and What I Am Focused on Next Holding the Middle: What I Heard This Week, What I Saw on the Ground, and What I Am Focused on Next

Published a new long form essay connecting the State of the City address with resident feedback and a Tumwater Creek corridor site walk. Framed around two questions: governance systems and a lawful, consistent, measurable approach to public space stewardship. tinyurl.com/2nbhsyzb

From February 17 to March 17: What We’ve Learned So Far A plain-language recap of what we’ve heard, what the evidence says, and what I’m researching next

New long-form essay: what we’ve learned so far from the Feb 17 + Mar 3 Council presentations on housing instability, homelessness response, harm reduction, and behavioral health. Reminder: April 7 is a direction-to-staff work session, not a decision night. tinyurl.com/5amk623k

March 3, 2026: Process updates, public safety systems learning, and community partnerships A recap of recognitions, core governance actions, and the first set of presentations preparing for the April 7 work session on camping and homelessness

Port Angeles City Council (March 3, 2026) recap is up: tinyurl.com/yaxm52xb

Two Council actions + system briefings to prep for the April 7 work session on camping/homelessness: County coordination/funding, public health harm reduction, and behavioral health outreach + housing supports.

Invisible Infrastructure and the Question of Capacity The Work You Do Not See, and Why It Determines What We Can Accomplish

New essay: Invisible Infrastructure and the Capacity to Deliver.

Housing, public safety, environmental cleanup, and economic growth all depend on systems most people never see. Capacity determines outcomes.

Read here: tinyurl.com/ajfysyvc

Strategic Planning in Real Time February 24, 2026 City Council Work Session Recap

City Council met to review and update our 2025 to 2026 Strategic Plan.

With new priorities like criminal justice coordination and encampment response, the key question was sequencing and capacity.

I shared thoughts on benchmarks and timelines.

Full recap:
tinyurl.com/yktud82e

From Watershed to Nearshore What the February 23 Marine Resources Committee Meeting Shows About Monitoring, Risk, and Responsible Planning

New Substack recap of the February 23 Marine Resources Committee meeting.

Emergency response, kelp and eelgrass monitoring, shoreline planning, and why nearshore science matters for Port Angeles policy decisions.

tinyurl.com/8db2jy5t

From Reaction to Strategy: How Local Government Actually Solves Complex Problems When urgency rises, disciplined process matters most.

This afternoon I published a new Substack essay.

The Feb 17 Council meeting began a three-meeting sequence before April discussion on housing and homelessness.

Habitat. Salvation Army. 4PA.

Policy should follow structure, not headlines.

Read here:
tinyurl.com/db3h3j5x

February 17, 2026 City Council Recap Three back to back presentations on homelessness response, plus an infrastructure item that matters for how the City runs

City Council Recap (Feb 17): learning-focused presentations on homelessness response + community cleanup, plus a key infrastructure vote to strengthen reliability/security for utility systems (dark fiber/SCADA). Full recap: tinyurl.com/2ryf7tpd

Infrastructure, Evidence, and the Discipline of Stewardship How Sewer Finance, Watershed Data, and Technology Governance Share the Same Standard: Documentation Before Decisions

New long-form essay published:

ALPR updates. Sewer infrastructure. State legislation. Public trust.

What CIPP lining is and how it extends pipe life 50–100 years.
Where ESSB 6002 stands.
Why documentation comes before conclusions.

Full piece here:
tinyurl.com/5ewhfn7v

The $200,000 Hole in the Ground What the Utility Advisory Committee Discussed About Sewer Infrastructure and Why It Matters

New recap is live.

The Utility Advisory Committee reviewed sewer rehabilitation funding, the 2040 proactive maintenance timeline, State Revolving Fund financing, and system development charges.

Invisible infrastructure, but real long term implications.

Full update:
tinyurl.com/244u9b6z

Automated License Plate Readers in Port Angeles What We Know, What We Do Not Yet Know, and Why Process Matters

I’ve published a long-form essay on Automated License Plate Readers in Port Angeles, focused on what we know, what we don’t yet know, and why documentation and process matter when evaluating public safety technology.

Read here: tinyurl.com/5bvfwpzv

Update from the City Manager today: the three ALPR cameras in Port Angeles were turned off and removed as of Feb. 6. They will remain off while City Council takes time to learn more and consider next steps.

Process, Planning, and Public Trust A recap of the February 3, 2026 Port Angeles City Council meeting

February 3 City Council meeting recap is posted.

I cover public comment themes, the Feiro Marine Life Center presentation, key votes, and next steps on ALPRs. Focused on process, fiscal stewardship, and what comes next.

tinyurl.com/yuct8k32

Forestry, Finance, and the Future of Our Watershed Why I support modernizing our trust lands, but why we need a pilot project to prevent a tax shift onto Port Angeles residents

New long-form essay on trust lands, watershed protection, and fiscal responsibility.

I support conserving the Lower Elwha Watershed, but long-term ecosystem service contracts must be proven before shifting costs onto local taxpayers.

A pilot project gets the math right.

tinyurl.com/2j6fan3f

How Solid Waste Decisions Affect City Rates Notes from My First Solid Waste Advisory Committee Meeting

Posted a recap of my first Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting.

SWAC advises on garbage, recycling, and disposal systems that affect local utility rates. The meeting focused on cost control, planning updates, and practical issues residents should know.

tinyurl.com/2p9n8rcf

Learning Before the Gavel What the January 26 Marine Resources Committee Meeting Shows About Science, Partnerships, and Oversight

Posted a recap of the Jan 26 Marine Resources Committee meeting.

The discussion focused on marine science, shoreline stewardship, and coordination that saves public dollars. These are technical meetings, but they shape real outcomes along our coast.

Full recap:
tinyurl.com/2rvkbush

Governing With Discipline in a Constrained Year From early-year friction to the real work ahead

Governing in 2026 means realism.

After City Action Days, one thing is clear: the state is cutting back, not expanding. That makes debt-free budgeting, careful planning, and steady governance more important than ever.

I wrote about what this means for Port Angeles here:
🔗 tinyurl.com/3ehbe3n2