2025 In Review: A Year of Questions, Trust, and Community

How Clallam County Solutions began, what we learned together, and why the work continues

A Moment That Asked a Bigger Question

In early 2025, I learned that I had been named a finalist for the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award. I was grateful for the nomination, but my first response was not pride. It was discomfort.

There are many people in our community doing extraordinary work, often quietly and without recognition. Being mentioned alongside past recipients and fellow nominees who have made such meaningful contributions left me feeling humbled and unsure that I truly belonged in that company.

I did not expect to win. When the night of the Chamber gala arrived and my name was announced, the emotions came quickly. Gratitude, surprise, appreciation, and a persistent feeling that the honor belonged to others as much as it did to me.

Accepting an honor I never expected, making a joke of my nervousness, supported by my wife, whose pride and joy in the moment meant more than the applause

In the days that followed, I spent time reflecting on why the recognition felt so uncomfortable. I eventually came to realize that the question was not whether I deserved the honor, but what responsibility came with it. Recognition, when received honestly, is not an endpoint. It is a prompt.

That prompt became a simple but demanding question: How could I do more.

I had spent years participating in boardrooms, public meetings, and online discussions. I had seen firsthand how quickly conversations could turn adversarial, how often nuance was lost, and how rare it was to find spaces focused on understanding rather than winning. At the same time, I had also seen dedicated people working hard to improve our community, often without visibility or acknowledgment.

Clallam County Solutions grew out of that contrast. The platform was created as a place to slow the conversation down, examine complex issues with care, and highlight the people and ideas working toward practical solutions. It was never meant to be about a single voice or a single perspective. It was meant to invite thoughtful dialogue and shared responsibility.

Looking back, 2025 was not a year of conclusions or answers. It was the year an idea became a commitment, and a commitment became a conversation.

Free to Read, Supported by Choice

The question of responsibility did not stop with the decision to launch Clallam County Solutions. It also shaped how the platform would operate.

From the beginning, I made a clear commitment that every article would be free to read. This was not intended to be a paywalled publication or a revenue-driven venture. The goal was to create a space where anyone in our community could engage with ideas, context, and thoughtful analysis without barriers.

The most meaningful progress happens when a community chooses understanding before opinion, and participation before criticism

At the same time, I chose to offer readers the option to support the work financially if they found value in it. That choice came with a second commitment. Fifty percent of any proceeds would be donated back into the community through local nonprofit organizations. If readers chose to support this platform, that support would circulate outward rather than accumulate inward.

I approached this model with very modest expectations. Long-form, solutions-focused writing already asks more of readers than a quick headline or social media post. Offering it for free while inviting optional support felt like an experiment rooted more in trust than in strategy. I was prepared for the possibility that no one would contribute at all.

What mattered most was staying aligned with the purpose of the platform. Accessibility, transparency, and community benefit were not secondary considerations. They were foundational choices meant to reflect the same values the writing itself aims to promote.

What the Response Made Possible

By the end of 2025, Clallam County Solutions articles had been viewed 11,631 times.

That number matters less as a measure of reach and more as a reflection of engagement. Each view represents time given by someone in our community to consider complex local issues and participate, even quietly, in a deeper conversation.

Alongside that readership, optional financial support totaled $1,068 over the course of the year. Every contribution was voluntary and offered in support of work that was already freely available. That level of trust is something I hold with great care.

From the beginning, I committed to returning half of any proceeds directly back into the community. In 2025, that commitment results in a $534 donation.

I am honored to direct this contribution to 4PA in recognition of the work they are doing and the long-term impact they continue to pursue in our community. Their efforts reflect the values this platform seeks to elevate. Practical problem-solving, collaboration, and a willingness to engage with complex challenges thoughtfully and compassionately.

What begins as dialogue and understanding can become real change. In 2025, support from this community helped fuel the on-the-ground work of 4PA, where volunteers, staff, and partners turned commitment into action.

This donation exists because readers chose to support thoughtful local journalism. Each subscription and contribution helped turn shared understanding into tangible support for an organization doing meaningful work on the ground.

Taken together, these responses point to something encouraging. People in our community are hungry for solutions, honest discussion, and opportunities to be part of making Clallam County better. When a community invests in understanding, that investment can extend beyond conversation and into real action.

The Conversations That Took Shape

The articles published in 2025 were not written in isolation. Together, they form a broader conversation about how Clallam County works, where it struggles, and where opportunity exists if we are willing to engage thoughtfully.

Several recurring themes emerged over the course of the year.

Housing and Affordability
A number of articles focused on housing, including the role of Habitat for Humanity, common misconceptions around funding and operations, and the real costs and constraints of building homes in a rural community. These discussions explored how housing stability affects families, workforce participation, and long-term community health.

Homelessness
Rather than offering quick conclusions, the homelessness series examined root causes, system limitations, and the human realities behind the issue. The emphasis was on understanding complexity, acknowledging tradeoffs, and resisting the temptation of simple answers to deeply layered challenges.

Civic Process and Local Decision-Making
Several pieces sought to explain how local governance functions in practice, from planning processes to regulatory boundaries. The goal was to provide context, reduce mistrust, and clarify why many decisions involve balancing competing priorities rather than choosing between right and wrong.

Economic Development and Workforce
Articles addressing workforce development and economic growth highlighted the interconnected nature of jobs, housing, and opportunity. These conversations emphasized the importance of long-term thinking, cross-sector collaboration, and investments that strengthen the community as a whole.

Community Trust and Public Dialogue
Some writing focused on how we talk to one another, particularly in online spaces. These articles addressed misinformation, public criticism, and the challenge of maintaining respectful dialogue while still engaging honestly with disagreement.

Across all of these topics, the intent remained consistent. To prioritize substance over outrage, context over assumptions, and collaboration over division.

Carrying the Work Forward

As I look toward 2026, I feel a renewed sense of purpose rather than a sense of completion.

There is still important work ahead, particularly in bringing the homelessness series to a thoughtful and responsible conclusion. These are conversations that deserve care, patience, and follow-through. Rushing to wrap them up would undermine the very principles that guided their beginning.

Beyond that series, several other topics are already taking shape. Some will build on familiar themes like housing, workforce development, and civic responsibility. Others will explore emerging issues as our community continues to change. Not every idea will become an article right away, and that restraint is intentional.

Balancing this work alongside family, career, and other commitments has reinforced an important discipline. This platform is at its best when each article is given the time and focus it deserves. I would rather publish fewer pieces that are thoughtful, accurate, and genuinely useful than chase volume for its own sake.

Looking ahead, my commitment remains steady. To ask better questions, to listen carefully, and to continue creating space for dialogue that helps move our community forward.

Lowering the Barrier, Preserving the Depth

One of the lessons from 2025 is that while long-form journalism resonates deeply with many readers, time and attention are limited resources. Interest does not always align with availability.

To make this work more accessible, I will be introducing TL;DR versions of select articles (“too long; didn’t read”). These summaries will offer a concise overview of key ideas, essential context, and central questions explored in the full pieces. They are designed to help readers engage with the work in a way that fits their schedule.

Long-form journalism will remain the foundation of Clallam County Solutions. Depth, nuance, and careful analysis are not being replaced. The TL;DR versions are meant to serve as an entry point, whether that means a brief read on its own or an invitation to explore a full article later.

The goal is simple. To make thoughtful dialogue easier to enter without compromising the substance that gives it value.

Gratitude and the Road Ahead

Above all else, I want to express my sincere gratitude.

Thank you to the readers who spent time with these articles, whether you read one piece or followed the platform throughout the year. Thank you to those who asked thoughtful questions, shared feedback, and engaged respectfully, even when perspectives differed. Thank you to those who provided guest articles or contributed their time and thoughts to other articles. And thank you to everyone who chose to support this work financially, not because it was required, but because you believed it had value.

I am also deeply appreciative of the individuals and organizations working every day to strengthen our community. Much of this work happens quietly and without recognition. Volunteers, nonprofit staff, board members, educators, and neighbors who step forward when something needs doing are the true backbone of Clallam County.

Clallam County Solutions exists to highlight those efforts, to learn from them, and to encourage more people to engage in ways that feel meaningful and sustainable. Progress is rarely the result of a single idea or voice. It grows from people showing up, listening, and choosing to work together.

I look forward to continuing this journey with you. There is more to explore, more to understand, and more opportunities to turn thoughtful dialogue into positive action. I am grateful to be part of a community willing to do that work together.