The need for affordable housing is a pressing issue in many communities, including Port Angeles. To address this, it is crucial to build more apartments and increase the availability of housing options. This requires collaboration between the City, County, State, and Federal Government to ensure sufficient funding and resources are allocated for housing development. It is important to recognize that the current inflationary pressures may result in increased taxes, and therefore, expanding the tax base through housing development becomes even more critical to avoid negative economic impacts.

Short-term rentals can provide additional accommodation options for tourists but there are concerns related to their impact on the availability of long-term housing. Through regulation, properly licensing, and correct zoning we can strike a balance between allowing this form of accommodation and ensuring that it does not exacerbate the shortage of available housing units. Additionally, by imposing appropriate fees on short-term rentals, our city can generate revenue that can be reinvested in housing initiatives. A full ban on short-term rentals could have devastating effect on our lodging tax revenue, local economy, and housing market. 

To foster better communication and engagement between citizens and the local government, it is beneficial to encourage the formation of neighborhood associations. These associations provide a platform for residents to come together, discuss common issues, and share suggestions or concerns. By establishing representative channels between the neighborhood associations and the city council, citizens can effectively communicate their needs and expectations, while council members can gain valuable insights into the community’s priorities. This two-way communication promotes a sense of collaboration and helps ensure that decisions made by the council are responsive to the needs of the neighborhoods they represent.

I fear that our cities infrastructure is deteriorating faster than we can repair it. We currently have many projects that are unfunded and worse projects that are unaccounted. Our Capital Facilities plan doesn’t capture all the needed repairs. I will fight to make sure our CFP accurately reflects to the need. We are on an unsustainable path and something needs to happen fast. I believe we should be constantly hounding federal elected officials for substantial funds to improve our infrastructure. Decades on band-aids are worsening the problems.  Investing in large scale projects as opposed to long-term slow progression gives the environment time to rebound after completion and costs significantly less in the long run. 

In order to promote economic prosperity, it is important to focus on expanding partnerships and attracting living wage jobs to the area. This can be achieved through initiatives such as business development programs, attracting companies and industries that provide higher-paying jobs, and fostering an environment that supports entrepreneurship and innovation. By expanding the local job market and increasing the availability of well-paying jobs, the community can experience economic growth and improved standards of living.

 As a council member I can’t say to reach out to specific companies or industry leaders and ask that they come to Port Angeles but I will continue supporting policies that advance the mission on living wage jobs and entrepreneurship in our community.

I will continue to advocate for the city to invest in a robust digital infrastructure. If our city had a digital portal either Web based or App based for citizen to easily report infrastructure issues, code compliance issues, trash, graffiti, etc. The city could save both time and money in consultants and staff to index these problems. Our digital infrastructure is over 20 years old and by investing smartly we can potentially attract new job makers to our city and keep Port Angeles at the cutting edge of the modern economy.