City of Port Angeles

Incumbent LaTrisha Suggs is running to retain her seat in Port Angeles City Council, Position 1 which she was appointed to in 2019, becoming the first Native American city council member. Suggs is a restoration planner and worked with the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe on the removal of the Elwha River dams, the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. Now, she serves on a number of committees including the Clallam County Marine Resources and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, looking at environmental impact and community wellbeing.

Suggs is proud of the council’s recent accomplishments including providing rental, mortgage, and utility support to residents hurt by the pandemic, balancing the budget, and the Rediscovery program, which brings social workers into emergency response work. If re-elected, she wants to address housing insecurity, enhance the commercial district, develop solutions in the childcare crisis, and update city codes.

Challenging Suggs is Adam Garcia, who works for the Veterans Health Administration doing in-home care. Unfortunately, Garcia wants to cut social services, prioritize business interests, and criminalize Port Angeles residents struggling with addiction and those without stable housing. He is not a progressive candidate.

LaTrisha Suggs is the best choice in this race. She deserves your vote to continue serving in Position 1 on the Port Angeles City Council.

Incumbent councilmember Mike French is running to stay in Position 1 on the Port Angeles City Council. French runs First Street Haven Restaurant in downtown Port Angeles. He has extensive community leadership experience and currently serves as the president of the Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic board and as a member of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce board. He has been endorsed by the local Democrats in this race.

French joined the council in 2018 and helped with the Capital Facility Plan, affordable housing development efforts like zoning reform, citywide partnerships to secure permanent housing for unhoused community members, and programs to shift some police responsibilities to social workers. If re-elected, he wants to focus on improving public infrastructure, creating affordable housing and utilities, supporting the business community, and building a strong local economy.

Challenging French is John Madden, a leak detection specialist and a part of the slate of candidates from the far-right Independent Advisory Association, which is led by a conspiracy theorist. Madden is campaigning on a vague, conservative agenda to prioritize businesses and criticize the existing council. He does not have a campaign website as of late September.

Mike French is the best candidate in this race. He deserves your vote for Port Angeles City Council, Position 1 to keep bringing community-minded leadership to the council.

Incumbent Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin is running to retain his spot serving Port Angeles in Position 3 on the city council. Schromen-Wawrin was first elected to the council in 2017. Previously, he worked as a science teacher before getting a law degree and practicing constitutional law. Now, in addition to council work, Schromen-Wawrin chairs the Clallam Transit board and serves on the policy committees for the Association of Washington Cities and the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance.

During his time on the council, Schromen-Wawrin has worked to increase affordable housing, develop childcare programs, maintain stable utility rates, and support small businesses (especially through the pandemic). Now, he is running to build a local economy that works for everyone, continue to expand affordable housing, and strengthen the council’s communication and transparency. In this race, he earned endorsements from the local Democrats and other progressive organizations.

His opponent Jena Stamper is running with Clallam County's Independent Advisory Association, a far-right group led by a conspiracy theorist, in order to challenge Schromen-Wawrin’s seat and bring conservative values to the council. The Associated Press covered both Stamper's false claims and the lies pushed by the group, noting that their theories on homelessness are unsubstantiated. She is a chiropractor and business owner. If elected, Stamper wants to prioritize business interests at the cost of community-strengthening social services and making Port Angeles an inclusive place for all to thrive.

Schromen-Wawrin is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for Port Angeles City Council, Position 3.

Kate Dexter has been on the Port Angeles City Council for four years, serving as deputy mayor for two years and as the current mayor since 2020. Now she is running to retain her seat in Position 4 with the support of local Democrats and Port Angeles community members. Outside of public service, Dexter works in Peninsula College’s Nursing department as an administrator and chairs the City of Port Angeles Utility Advisory Committee.

On the council, Dexter has worked to increase affordable housing options, achieve a balanced budget at the end of 2020, navigate the pandemic, and implement and expand the program to bring social workers into the city’s public safety response. Her campaign priorities in this race include investing in public infrastructure, generating living wage jobs, developing more affordable housing options, creating opportunities for the city's youth, and continuing to encourage transparency and open communication between the council and Port Angeles residents.

In this race, Dexter is opposed by right-wing candidate John Procter, who ran a private veterinary practice before retiring. Procter is another candidate with the right-wing Independent Advisory Association, which is led by a conspiracy theorist. He is campaigning on the single issue of the housing crisis by using offensive and divisive language to unfairly blame unhoused community members for the complex issues facing the city.

Kate Dexter is the clear choice for Port Angeles City Council, Position 4. She deserves your vote to keep bringing community leadership and Democratic values to the council.