LETTER: Clallam commissioner hasn’t fulfilled his duty to the people

Mike Chapman has let politics, not facts, guide his decision-making.

Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman has not served the people of Clallam County well nor carried out his fiduciary responsibilities in many ways.

Inappropriately, he does not support the fluoridation of the Port Angeles water.

As a member of the county Board of Health, his duty is to support the surgeon general’s support of fluoridation of community water systems to improve the dental and medical health of communities.

Due to political pressure, he would rather deny all the children the easy and cost-effective way to get the benefits of fluoride.

The sirens of deceit and misrepresentation have become his guide posts.

Another fiasco occurred when Mr. Chapman said he was “offended” after Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols filed a civil lawsuit against the county Treasurer Selinda Barkhuis.

He said it was without the board of commissioners’ concurrence.

However, Mr. Chapman knew that his statement was wrong, yet he tried to blame Mr. Nichols to deflect political pressure from himself.

He was forced to be truthful, and the PDN’s April 24 headline read, “Clallam board to prosecutor: We apologize.”

To cloud the aforementioned debacle, Mr. Chapman used the financial committee to please the treasurer and abrogate a legal decision of the board — a waste of staff time.

Commissioners are there to lead, not follow.

Sadly, Mr. Chapman has flaws in judgment and has not fulfilled his fiduciary responsibilities.

Jim Leskinovitch,

Port Angeles

Leskinovitch is a member of the Olympic Medical Center board of commissioners.

More in Opinion

Suzy Ames.
POINT OF VIEW: Together, we are resilient

I’VE LIVED IN this community for almost three years now. I know,… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Bale bucking blues

DRIVING AROUND THE old hometown can make you feel old. Gone are… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Survival of the wilderness pests

THIS IS A story about wilderness pests. It is told as a… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The camas are blooming

THERE’S A LITTLE piece of history blooming now right along U.S. Highway… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The call of the Swainson’s thrush

THIS MUST BE my favorite time of year. We’ve emerged from hibernation… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The Olympic Peninsula driving guide

THE SIGNS OF the season are everywhere. The roar of the lawn… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: River birds decline, forecast the future for us

IT WAS DAYLIGHT on the river and no birds sang. It was… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: We’re opening the Upper Hoh Road

OFTEN WHILE GLIDING along the paved roads of the Olympic Peninsula, you… Continue reading

OUR VIEW: Community continues to support local journalism

LOCAL NEWSPAPERS CONTINUE to decline at a rapid rate, from an average… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A family favorite skunk cabbage recipe

THE SKUNK CABBAGE is a swamp-dwelling harbinger of spring. Named for its… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Fond memories of opening day

ONE OF MY many guilty pleasures is to look through copies of… Continue reading

Mike Glenn.
Take care of rural communities, hospitals

SAY WHAT YOU want about the efforts to downsize the government in… Continue reading