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Key Areas of Focus

My key areas of focus come from my desire to increase citizen access to their local government, improve services provided by local government, and create an approach to governing and budgeting that is planned and sustainable.


Area 1. Improve County Planning - both Long and Short Term

Improving our planning will allow us to improve customer service, better support sustainable economic development, and both anticipate and control budget line items.

Examples:
  • Partner with the EDC and other local governing bodies to create a long-term, sustainable "roadmap to success" for Clallam County economic development.
  • Do an in-depth assessment of what the drivers are currently in our economy, and (realistically) what they are likely to be in the next 20 years. This assessment should also include an analysis of the latest U.S. Census information, to inform our expectations for growth in, and migration to, Clallam County for the next generation.
  • Review regulations to remove impediments and redundancies in serving citizens and businesses, and to make them fit with the County's long-term assessment and economic development plan.
  • Address long-term food security, and support our local agricultural economy by partnering with local ranchers on a USDA approved meat processing plant. This would also address air quality issues by significantly reducing the number of miles our local ranchers are required to drive to get to the closest existing facility.
  • Further explore cost-effective ways to partner with/learn from other local and regional governing bodies.

Area 2: Address Systemic Problems within the County

This would allow the County to function more efficiently, more cost effectively, and increase public involvement and confidence in local government.

Examples:
  • All future hiring of department heads should follow an open hiring process - not a process approved in a closed-door meeting and not a process that limits the County's ability to hire those most qualified and current in their field.
  • Address redundancies, communication breakdowns and departmental "rivalries" that result in wasted resources and staff time.
  • Create a succession plan to account for anticipated retirements, to avoid the loss of valuable institutional knowledge. Cultivate the next round of leaders, and cross-train County workers where feasible.
  • Implement a LEAN budgeting process to cut waste, and increase efficiency.
  • Implement Courthouse energy policies that have been studied for the past 2 years.

Area 3: The Environment and Economic Development

Acknowledge that both our economy and our quality of life are driven by the health of our environment, and understand that in the long-term, environmental protection will improve our economy and quality of life. Both of these factors will also make us more able to attract visitors, businesses and investors to Clallam County.

Examples:
  • Look for ways to work within existing rules and regulations, and promote what we have to offer to businesses, investors and visitors within those guidelines. Work with the Department of Ecology - make them our ally in promoting Clallam County as a great place to do business.
  • Acknowledge that a great many environmental concerns are very much mainstream American concerns, and that places that do not embrace these social trends will be put at a competitive disadvantage.
  • Explore ways for the County to partner with/invest in local "green" initiatives that will create jobs - such as working with Battelle, ACTI, Lev-X and other locally-based companies.
  • Explore all the ways that "green" technology can be used to save the County money, improve our local environment, and give us a marketable identity as a forward-thinking municipality.
  • Look at ways that fighting or putting off State and/or Federal mandates can actually cost the County money. A $50,000 mandate that is delayed for years could end up costing twice that due to inflation and changes in the economy.
  • Look for ways to market the outdoors, rural nature of Clallam County to a full-spectrum of potential visitors, investors and residents. Market the Olympic National Park and Olympic Discovery Trail to younger hikers and bikers, our cultural resources and access to Victoria to retirees, etc.