YOU Can Find Local Public Meetings & Get Email Notices

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” - Faust, Goethe

Did you know you can sign up for email notices for public meetings in Clallam County and our respective cities? I’ll show you how to stay connected to local government and (if you choose) focus on the topics/meetings that most interest you.

Jeff routinely posts links to meetings and agendas for upcoming public meetings, often on short notice. In reality, anyone with internet access can see a running log of all public meetings, with agendas. Further, anyone can sign up for email and/or text notifications for any and all Port Angeles, Sequim, and County meetings—the moment they are posted!

Here’s what works for me: I like email and text notifications because I know when a meeting has been added, canceled, or adjusted well in advance of Jeff’s emails about the same subject. I also select which meetings/committees I want notifications for; meaning, I can focus my energy where I feel it’s most needed or relevant to my skills. I also receive this information with enough time to prepare myself and do my own research (public meetings generally require a certain level of “notice” for this reason). This also gives me time to think about and write a public comment, if I’m unable to attend the meeting. This is a marked difference from Jeff’s 6:00am emails to attend 9:00am meetings, like his post today in “Selective Outrage.”

Getting on email lists is also an excellent way to know about newly emerging topics, even before it hits the papers or Substack. I’ve found it can also be a gateway to getting on committees; and to be more involved in local governance in general.

Here’s what to do:

Clallam County:

• Meetings & Agendas posted here: https://clallamcowa.portal.civicclerk.com/

• Sign up for public notices and meetings alerts: https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/list.aspx

• Bonus: Board of County Commissioners Contact Page: https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/186/Board-of-County-Commissioners

• Bonus: Citizen Participation Page: https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/696/Citizen-Participation

• Bonus: A “how to” for Public Input & Citizen Participation Guide: https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/227/Public-Input-Citizen-Participation

City of Port Angeles:

• Meetings & Agendas posted here: https://www.cityofpa.us/583/Meetings-Agendas

• Sign up for public notices and meetings alerts: https://www.cityofpa.us/list.aspx?Mode=Subscribe#newsFlash

• Bonus: How to contact City Council: https://www.cityofpa.us/137/City-Council

City of Sequim:

• Meetings & Agendas posted here: https://sequimwa.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingSchedule.aspx

• Sign up for public notices and meetings alerts: https://www.sequimwa.gov/list.aspx

• Bonus: How to contact City Council: https://www.sequimwa.gov/67/City-Council

City of Forks:

• City Council Agendas: https://forkswashington.org/document-category/council-agendas/

• Bonus: How to contact City Council: https://forkswashington.org/city-government/city-council/

Other (incomplete list based on prior articles in Clallam County Watchdog):

• Sign up for Clallam Conservation District’s email & get board meeting info: https://clallamcd.org/

• North Olympic Development Council:

  • Events & Meetings: https://www.noprcd.org/events

  • Contacts: https://www.noprcd.org/contact

• Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network (including ways to connect):

  https://www.straitern.org/

Jeff espouses “transparency,” “getting involved,” and “showing up,” but he doesn’t empower his followers by teaching them how to find public meeting info. I suspect Jeff isn’t motivated to have folks sign up for email alerts, in part because his success is built on making you believe he’s sharing information only he’s skilled at finding. Further, sending out an alarming and time sensitive email creates an “illusion of urgency,” which is an effective tool in fomenting emotional responses without time for deeper inquiry.

Jeff’s 6am calls for 9am action are designed to manipulate you into responding a certain way: emotionally and without much thought.

I’d rather folks be properly informed and have time to do their research so they can fully participate in local discussions. The best way to accomplish this is to get public notices the moment they are posted; sign up for email and text notifications right now!

See you at a future public meeting!