PORT ANGELES — Mike Chapman will not seek re-election before his term expires at the end of next year, the Clallam County commissioner announced Monday.
Chapman, 51, was elected to the three-member Board of County Commissioners as a Republican in November 2000 and took office Jan. 1, 2001. He since has become a political independent.
He publicly announced that he would not seek re-election in framing a discussion about the future of county spending in a Monday commissioners’ work session.
In a later interview, Chapman said he did not want his changing views on county austerity to be seen as political.
“Four terms in one office is probably enough,” Chapman added.
“It will be time. I can focus for the next year-and-a-half on the economy, and maybe we can make some decisions that are not viewed as political calculations.”
Having focused on the struggles of the local economy for years, Chapman said it might be time for the county to invest some of its reserves in infrastructure development and organizations with direct ties to the economy.
The county board has traditionally maintained a fiscally conservative stance, building up reserves for a rainy day.
Chapman said changing that approach would be a “momentous decision” that should not be viewed through a political lens.
“I didn’t want people to think it was some cheap political ploy,” Chapman said.
“The last thing I wanted was a headline.”
With 21 months to contemplate his next career move, Chapman said he would likely seek employment in the private sector.
“We face so many issues that are so important right now,” Chapman said.
“I think the decisions the board is looking at need to transcend politics.”
Chapman made headlines in December 1999 by shoulder-tackling convicted al-Qaida-trained terrorist Ahmed Ressam in downtown Port Angeles.
Ressam was caught driving off the MV Coho ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles with a trunk full of explosives Dec. 14, 1999.
He fled after being stopped by customs inspectors at the ferry terminal.
Chapman, who was then a U.S. Customs inspector, leveled Ressam near the corner of Lincoln and First streets after a brief foot pursuit.
Investigators later learned that Ressam was on his way to bomb a Los Angeles International Airport passenger terminal on or around Jan. 1, 2000.
Ressam was sentenced to 37 years in prison in October 2012.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
