I support Charter Review Amendment 5, appointed Department of Community Development director, and urge voters to vote yes.
The position of DCD should be appointed by the county commissioners and administrator like any other department head in Clallam County government and like every other county in the United States.
The incumbent DCD director, Mary Ellen Winborn agrees with me.
I want to make it clear that this is not about Director Winborn; in fact she is doing a great job and would also do a great job when or if the position becomes appointed.
The problem is that the elected position of DCD director does not have state constitutional recognition, applicable legislation (i.e. Washington RCW’s) or case law to enable or even define the position as an elected office. The result is conflict with the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), the legislative and executive branches of county government, requiring litigation in superior court.
I see this too frequently and offer a comparison of the elected office of sheriff as a contrast.
There is very little conflict between my position and the BOCC because of the large body of statewide case law, on-point RCW’s, and state constitutional references that clearly delineate responsibilities and protocol in carrying out the duties of sheriff and county commissioner.
When I have witnessed conflict between the BOCC and the elected DCD, I believe both sides were acting in good faith, but ultimately, the elected BOCC has the final constitutional authority and responsibility for the most if not all issues within DCD.
Bill Benedict
Clallam County Sheriff
Sequim