A Forks city councilwoman says she was threatened by a member of sheriff’s candidate Joe Martin’s campaign staff following a candidates forum last week.
The Forks Police Department investigated the claim by Councilwoman Denise Graham and forwarded the results to the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office this week to determine if they warrant any charges, Mayor Nedra Reed told Peninsula Daily News.
Martin campaign chairwoman Patti Morris, who Graham alleged threatened her, would not comment on the allegation Tuesday other than to call it “outrageous.”
“I can tell you it was politically motivated,” Morris said.
“It’s totally politically motivated and it’s outrageous.”
The allegation apparently stems from a candidates forum between Martin and challenger Soeren Poulsen in Forks on Oct. 12.
Relationship with City Hall
Graham says she questioned Martin, the current Clallam County sheriff, on his department’s relationship with the city, which has been rocky in the past few years.
After the forum ended, Graham said Morris approached her and “wanted me to rethink my vote.”
That’s when Graham said Morris — who is the grant coordinator of the $5.8 million federal grant for OPSCAN, a multi-agency project, including Forks, to create a public safety communications backbone around the Olympic Peninsula — told the councilwoman she might reconsider funding for the project.
“I was intimidated by that,” Graham said.
