50 Comments
Dec 11Edited

Our community’s heavy reliance on government assistance leaves us vulnerable as Washington, D.C. moves toward increased austerity measures. Without investing in our future or building a diversified economy that supports private-sector jobs, we face the prospect of significant hardship. Signs of social unrest are already emerging as the divide between the haves and have-nots grows wider.

Our community has fostered a culture that not only depends heavily, but also celebrates, government assistance, grants, subsidies, and nonprofits, often to the detriment of private businesses—the true drivers of economic growth. This imbalance puts our local economy and I fear future public safety at serious risk. I am deeply concerned that few people in the COPA staff and City Council understand the real threat ahead and are willing to demand bold new thinking. Be prepared people, it will likely get worse before it gets better.

Reminder: Please see my earlier analysis of the draft version of the housing section within the comprehensive plan for Port Angeles. We are literally leaning into goals to remain economically depressed by embedding in our housing plan a target for 2/3rds of new housing to be for those making less than 50% of AMI (roughly $30,000). While in the next five years Sequim and Carlsborg will build just as many homes priced at approximately $500,000 or more. I can’t help but wonder if PA’s primary investment goal is to become the ghetto of Sequim? Those housing projects are not economically feasible - especially without massive government assistance - so perhaps we have reached rock bottom where we must focus on economic revitalization through private sector support.

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A robust economy is unsettling for the people who make decisions in this county because it threatens their lock on voters who enjoy the handouts and policies that support their emotions. This is by design.

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I would agree except from years of local experience, other than the JLT, I can not see Clallam County leadership design anything.

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See my comment about attending City Council member at last nights meeting….is it better than horrible?

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Hear hear

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Ron Allen is a businessman. He knows that a donation can become a thinly veiled bribe. Thanks, Jeff, for your reporting. Last night's presentation was difficult to sit thru because of the lack of information. The Q & A session was uninformative as well. I would have liked to have heard more audience comments, as I learned more from them.

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You're welcome. I'm still recovering from that drought presentation.

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The JST is the government in Clallam County. As taxpayers we pay the government salaries of employees on the Clallam County payroll but ultimately and loyally they work directly for the tribe. Since JST is a sovereign nation why aren’t they providing funding for their own needs like Clallam County has to do? They have plenty of infrastructure and financial income to provide for their own needs as Clallam County has to do to support county needs. Can Clallam County go to the other nation with their hand out? Can Clallam County write grants to JST, a sovereign nation, for County projects?

The “water forum” was a water farce in front of a seating room only packed Sequim Civic Center. The presentation was designed to lay ground work for a water crisis in the Sequim water shed citing the Dungeness River is the only river within the shed creating a crisis. Half of the data presented was data from 2009-2015 and Dungeness fish data showed fish populations within the last 10 years have increased not decreased. The opening comments stated the JST have been here for thousands of years as the original settlers and only 2% of the local population are farmers who need irrigation for farming. After repeated Dungeness history lessons designed for 3rd graders, soil compositions & statistical graphs and charts ended at 8:20, the event was advertised 6-7:30, Q&A finally began. No questions were able to be answered by the 5 women who gave the presentation even though Q&A was highly advertised. A city council member attended and said she had learned a lot, apparently she did not know very much about the environment she represents, very disappointed this is the representation governing the area.

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Maybe accepting grants demonstrates that the Jamestown Corporation cannot economically support itself and as such should lose their status with the BIA as being able to do so, and be under federal government control?

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The dual citizenship enjoyed by treaty signatory native American tribes is the very definition of discrimination. Most U.S. citizens are native born. What bloodline evidence is necessary to secure special rights beyond those of a native born United States citizen ? What are the known contributions of treaty tribes to our transportation, sanitation, education, technology and like systems ? Every human today has an ancestral history of waring with other groups, tribes, countries, continents, religions, etc.. Our entire planet is replete with conquered and/or abused populations. In this country we blatantly discriminate against the native born, allowing them limited rights, while we grant additional rights and opportunities to a minority group that can comply with some absurd and unknown evidence of a differing ancestral history. The abused aboriginal peoples and their abusers are no longer alive. What ever the price for a national guilty conscience might be has been paid in full. The guarantees of treaties do not include free access to infrastructure provided by non-treaty citizens. Those of verifiable aboriginal lineage, whatever that might be, must live within their treaty reserved boundaries or live as U.S. citizens; but not both. A simple cure to the discrimination of dual citizenship would be to disallow non-tribal access to tribal lands. How successful would the special rights casinos then be ? Woven bark nets, spears and hollowed out wooden canoes or technologically sophisticated vehicles and watercraft. Choose one, but only one.

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The water conservation forum demonstrated why our county tax dollars should not go to the NGO's and the tribe.

A. Tribal government is simply not used to dealing with public input because their form of government does not have an administrative process.

B. Tribal government obviously does not want to deal with non- tribal public.

It is clear that only the NGO process is all they are interested in, because everyone there takes that "we all live and work in tribal lands oath." Its a love in, or more appropriately a retribution hate in.

They will never admit the creation of a new tributary on the Dungeness created the riffles problem. They will never admit they manage the three rivers in the rain shadow differently.

I have been ignored for over two years on those issues and I still have not found not me from their family circus.

They are so far from natural it is laughable, yet they claim to be natural. 50 people doing lab experiments up and down the river walking in shallow riverbeds to solve a problem they created and don't have on Jimmycomelately and the Elwha. Of course salmon beds are resistant to their lab work and machinery work.

I need more than climate change and treaty rights to justify a take over and lab experiment in a land under treaty, using my tax dollars.

I can see them sending their "crackpot" emails this morning. I want my tax dollars and federal matching funds out of that show.

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John, I worked for the IHS (Indian Health Services) for over 20 years. There was HUGE waste of the money in EVERY department. The monies given was more to play with than to benefit the Tribes. It became more of "stealing" than benefiting. Who was to blame? The government for creating their "welfare society". Most of the elders said the worst thing that has happened to their youth was free handouts. The youth don't have work ethics because they can always fall back on free handouts or apply for the many programs the government offers. I don't blame the tribes, who wouldn't want "free", I blame the Dept of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs etc. for not knowing what they have created with the millions they hand out. I'm ashamed we did this.

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I grew up here. Many of my old tribal friends kept it together, many did not. Pulling money out of the river any time you needed was too easy. It was a recipe for addiction and abuse. So many died well before their time.

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Not only is Colleen Robinson, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, she also sits on the County's authorized NGO board (Clallam EDC) that made the decision to give money to Habitat. Whether she recused herself from the decision, or didn't weigh in I don't know, but it's hard to appreciate that ethical conundrum.

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Good grief. Thanks for catching that.

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An important distinction is that there is a separate committee comprised of business leaders and other citizens who review the Opportunity Funds and recommend their allocation (who receives funds and how much out of the total) to the County Commissioners. Its my understanding that the EDC can (and does) propose fund recipients, but their Board (including Colleen Robinson) does not influence the actual allocation.

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Dec 12Edited

Thank you for the clarification. I suppose that it's difficult to separate out influence though when the group is small in size and comprised of volunteers who will give their time to a cause. Ethical behavior, avoiding conflicts of interest are paramount in my book, and even perceptions of COI aren't good.

If I was to put my name in the hat to sit on this organization as a volunteer for the county who is asking for their input, my guess is that if I have a contrarian view to the group think then I won't be considered. And this is where the problem is. The county has many volunteer positions for these boards, but if I'm in opposition to what the commissioners want from the boards than am I able to participate?

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I agree, none of this is near a perfect system, and we should be tireless in our efforts to improve things. I think we also need to be careful about excessive criticism (but thorough with reasonable criticism) when things aren't operating as well as we think they should. These systems are so very complicated, and often times there are legitimate reasons things are setup. That is NOT to say that we shouldn't question them, and that's NOT to say we can't improve them at all. Just a general comment and philosophizing.

I appreciate your thoughts and perspectives on these concerns, they certainly make sense.

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Likewise, I appreciate the perspective you bring.

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Boy was I off on the cost of the Tribe’s decorations! Way, way off. I’m so grateful that my tax dollars benefit the benevolent Jamestown Tribe. There’s grant money funding those decos somewhere in the budget or Ron wouldn’t spend the money.

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The Xmas lights are absolutely outstanding and beautiful (especially this year, it certainly surpassed last years lighting) but the Tribe doesn't let it be known where they get the money (nor can be audited on how they spend funds) but they take all the credit for doing us a favor and adding Christmas cheer to our lives.

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How benevolent :)

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On the bright side; at least now the tribe's propaganda will have a more professional spin to it. And if you want this information in front of Congress, by all means send it to them, but don't bother sending to our Washington state representatives; we know where their loyalty will lie. That would be as useless as sending to our representatives in Olympia. Perhaps Speaker of the House and/or Minority leader of the Senate, or pick an appropriate Committee Chair.

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Once again, THANK YOU, JEFF!

I think the title should read "How County Commissioners, Local Tribes, and Unfair Business Practices are Destroying a Rural Community". I really wish the goings on here were brought to the attention of Congress, so they could see how these reparations to tribes are being abused to the detriment of the community at large.

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You're always welcome, NOI.

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I agree that excessive dependency on government handouts can make us vulnerable to the unpredictability of external decisions. Our region faces real economic challenges, and while grants and aid are essential in the short term, our long-term focus must be on building a self-sustaining economy.

That said, I believe it would be unwise to dismiss opportunities simply because systems are imperfect. While striving for improvement, we should utilize available resources to create progress. As Mark Cuban aptly states, 'perfection is the enemy of progress.' This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t critically evaluate policies, but rather that we should avoid letting cynicism prevent meaningful action.

I also disagree with blanket claims that all leaders—governmental or corporate—act with ulterior motives. Many I know are deeply committed to their communities, including the CEO of PBH, whose passion is aiding those in need, and the CEO of Habitat, who empowers others through homeownership. Constructive dialogue and collaboration, rather than suspicion, are key to addressing these complex issues effectively.

Ultimately truth should not be afraid of questioning - it should be able to win out. We also have to be open with our perspectives and perceptions and listen to understand. In my opinion that's how we get to constructive solutions.

Not that any of this is even remotely easy... but making big (and needed) change seldom is. We've all got work to do!

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Bejamin Franklin wrote, "Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes." That saying is now shot all to hell.

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Question for Jeff Tozzer: your article rightfully(?) complains about the Tribe, and it's ability to win bids over local (tax-paying) contractors.

But what's the solution? Grant-winners can't legally exclude the Tribe, or ignore their bids. They're considered local, by the definitions of the granting agencies. The people who do the work still pay income taxes, purchase from non-native stores, and many live on taxable land, obviously.

Complaining about the advantages Jamestown has, without offering potential solutions that could work more fairly, just amplifies the thinly-veiled racism in this county.

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1) I'm not complaining; I'm stating facts.

2) I believe spreading awareness and allowing transparency is the first step to the solution. I didn't know Habitat for Humanity wasn't even shopping around to compare prices. I didn't know the Tribe gave them a recent $50,000 donation to Humanity. We used to have newspapers that covered this; now, we don't. Personally, I've decided Habitat for Humanity will not receive my donations to the community. That's where my solution begins.

3) I didn't say workers don't pay taxes; I said the Jamestown Corporation does not.

4) ***The biggest*** thing we can do is separate this issue from racism. If I shamed people who criticized this blog for being thinly veiled homophobes, would that be appropriate or constructive? No, it would be a lazy and disingenuous argument intended to distract. Shame is powerful, and some in the community have weaponized it to keep people silent.

Growing up gay, I heard, "We don't want special rights. We want equal rights." Apply that philosophy to government agencies and community leaders deciding who gets preferential treatment -- is one group, identified by genetics, being treated "equal," or is it being treated "special"? Racism is defined as treating one group differently than another based on race.

I'm not the one being racist.

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Wait wait wait ! Here it comes Boom ! The Race Card ! You Win ! !

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I am a native born American, member of “TRIBE USA”, and pledge my allegiance to ONE NATION, the U.S.A., as should all of us. To allow any separate sovereign nation within our borders seems the antithesis of one nation. The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe operates as a business within the borders of the United States of America and should be treated as a business, and therefor required to remit the same fees and be subject to the same restrictions as the rest of our one nation. To infer racism is to dishonor those of us who seek true equity, not preferential treatment for any one group.

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"Grant winners can't legally exclude the Tribe". That's fair, no one should be excluded. But they are. Did you know that almost every grant offered by Commerce, the main agency handing out the money, only allows tribes and the "underserved" to apply? Isn't that unfair and isn't that racism?

"...and many live on taxable land, obviously." The tribe plans to build housing strictly for their employees. Rules for putting land into trust were recently changed to streamline the process, so that will happen even quicker now. Per a 2022 meeting with the tribe and city, the tribe employees "a little over 900" and within the next five years (bringing us to 2027) expects that will increase to 1100 or 1200. How many homes will be built for tribal employees only, homes that will soon be off the tax rolls?

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Yikes! The Jamestown Tribal monopoly is coming faster than I thought. In fact, it is out of control and obviously with all the palms being greased, it will be out of our hands. I think the blood quantum for JKT is 1/8th. To keep the people and funding momentum up as they get assimilated, they may have to lower its quantum to 1/74th.

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They're on that, too. From their October newsletter: "I support lowering blood quantum for citizenship...it is vital to maintain the level of service to our existing population while looking at ways to expand citizenship."

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The Az Navajo's quantum is now 1/16, I imagine that will be the next drop for the Tribe. Do they disappear at 1/148? That would have the quantum at .0068%

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Find that in writing please. It racism and a new USDOJ Civil rights unit may care.

We know there are only 600 of them and we know every Christmas they shine like 2000. They should pay proportionate user and impact fees then see how much they want to shine.

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Not sure if you're asking me or another poster for something in writing? If you're looking at my comment about blood quantum LaTrisha Suggs, who was running for treasurer, made the comment in the newsletter. It's on page 9.

https://jamestowntribe.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/October-Tribal-Newsletter_DIGITAL_09232024.pdf

Also a couple days ago I came across this CC Hazard Mitigation Plan and the paragraph about future growth. To see it on the page, open this link then look at "Volume 1" page 1816.

https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/1822/Hazard-Mitigation-Plan-Update

FUTURE GROWTH:

1. The MJHMP is required to document projected population growth out to 2030. How does Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe plan for population growth/ expansion of tribal services? (could be housing, utility, social services)

Tribal enrollment is based on blood quantum which is a system that inevitably leads to a diminishing population (number enrolled of Tribal Citizens). Many Tribes are contemplating how to address declining populations. Jamestown establishes its own enrollment criteria and there will likely be a

change in criteria that would expand enrollment within the next decade. Many considerations are given when contemplating any adjustment to enrollment criteria and there is no clear path regarding this complex topic currently.

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Thanks. I was referring to Commerce limiting grant opportunities. Maybe they plan to mate with climate migrants?? Good info still.

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I'm on the Commerce mailing list but unfortunately that's one thing I haven't saved.

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I am betting "Results Washington" has some kind of executive order from the "governors goal council" under the equity schtick that they collate about to all the agencies. I bet its there or other places. Its a dog whistle for campaign and non-profit funding. That's what they do with the ICLEI stuff. They use it to show the stakeholders...hey look what we are doing. Come join us..

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BS. Stating facts is not racism, thinly veiled or not and calling race out to keep from hearing the facts is asinine.

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It isn’t so much as excluding the Tribe. It’s when they more often than not become your go to. There happens to be a theme, if you will, of favoring going on. Back room deals, subversive mischief and the political foot in the door. Aware or not…. Our county is in trouble…. If you are a property owner it might be wise to dig deeper. Altruism has its boundaries …

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All businesses run on the same level playing field not an anti trust for one and a hamster wheel for the other.

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"thinly-veiled racism in this county." Pointing out ant trust advantages and bad policy they can't or don't want to bother explaining is not racist, its called public participation. Just because some of the community has not sold out and declared we live and work in tribal lands, is not "thinly-veiled racism in this county," its the best form of government in the history of the world. Tribes are tribe for a reason. People move on when they see bad leadership in any culture. That is why we have 30 plus different tribal governments. Are all the other tribes racist because they can't form one big tribe/ No. Stick to the policy dispute or knock on the door of an NGO and take the "i live and work on tribal land oath. They will be glad to have you. I have sent 2 years of suggestions. They have only interests in the global and tribal lens.

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Sometimes words fly out, and meaning stays behind, because typing can't always convey thoughts. I'd like to understand your perspective on this thinly-veiled racism.

Are you saying that an article like this is fine as long as solutions are given at the same time?

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Well said as always John. We have paid our dues. Did this country ever repay the Vikings or the Irish who settled here before many people. If you want to live in this country great if not get out. So tired of working hard all my life to not to be able to enjoy what I worked for.

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The last comments made in reading thru this piece sounds like gaslighting?

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I meant the non answers the men in charge said they didn't know the answers or to go ask someone else!

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Thanks for clarifying.

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What specifically are you talking about is gaslighting?

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