PORT ANGELES — The three candidates for Clallam County’s West End commissioner belabored property rights and community and government interaction at a Tuesday forum.
The forum, which drew about 35 people, was held during the regular Port Angeles Business Association meeting.
Mike Doherty, a Democrat from Port Angeles, a three-term incumbent, emphasized his experience working with local communities as well as state and federal agencies to draw resources to the area.
Bill Peach, one of his Republican challengers from Forks, criticized Doherty for getting in the way of business development.
Robin Poole, a Republican from Beaver, concurred with Peach.
The three face off in the Aug. 17 primary election, with the top two vote-getters — regardless of party affiliation — moving on to a runoff in November.
Ballots for the all-mail primary are scheduled to be mailed July 28.
Peach is the Quileute tribe’s executive director for the past year and a former Rayonier Inc. regional manager. He has said he would step down from the tribal position if elected commissioner.
“The role of the government is to set the stage, but they don’t create jobs — you do,” he said to business owners in the crowd.
“We need to get rid of barriers instead of farming out decisions to communities. Instead, the job is to go into that courthouse and push a button and make things happen.”
Poole, a UPS driver on the West End, said:
“The government should make a situation where [a business person] can do his job and get out of his way — cut the red tape so he can function.”
Doherty spoke of his work with the Clallam County Economic Development Council on cluster development.
“One thing in economic development we were doing very well for a while — and I’m not sure why the [Economic Development Council] hasn’t been pursuing it — is cluster development,” he said.
Cluster development brings many suppliers and industries together for more efficient work.
“It is also important to work with people in the community in defining a better fine line of government regulation and assistance,” he said.
Both Poole and Peach spoke against the use of committees to make decisions, but Doherty celebrated the committees as a way to involve the public in the decision-making process.
Poole passed on a question on how to deal with various layers of bureaucracy saying, “I’m a new guy to this game and there is a lot I’m not familiar with yet.”
Doherty said that to him, creating finer lines between levels of bureaucracy was important.
“Also it is important to monitor those multijurisdictional bodies because some of those have a person from a city and county and such and they aren’t as accountable to the voters back home,” he said.
“Concerned citizens should watch those because they are often voting on very large budgets and pay raises.”
Peach said that he would use the commissioner position to push back against the spending and unfunded mandates created by the bureaucracy in the state Legislature.
“I would push back — not to say that I will succeed but I will vocalize the concerns,” Peach said.
“We want to control our own county.”
In closing statements Doherty emphasized his support of local entities and job training.
“In general terms, we have been very supportive of opportunities in the county,” he said.
“I can’t say we have hopped on every bandwagon, but that is probably why we are fairly secure in our budget.”
Poole said he was planning on learning more about all the issues.
“This is my baptismal debate,” he said.
“I am a bit like a deer in the headlights, and I’m sorry for that.
“I’ll get more up to speed on the issues, and thank you for being people that care about this country and this county.”
Peach said he had the experience and drive to work for the citizens.
“The fundamental difference between me and my opponent [Doherty] is that he introduces values from outside the region which result in direct loss of property rights and the ability to conduct and grow your business, and I believe the opposite,” Peach said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
