Intro Haiku:
So many problems
It's solution Saturday
Let's talk about that
Big Cat Update:
The big cat mountain lion returned Friday night a little after 7pm, about 39 hours after its last visit; it was hanging out around the bunny hutches; this time our camera alerted us after it had recorded one clip, and then we continued to watch it in real time until it left the property.
Nothing happened to the bunnies and my husband reported it to the local authorities, though the animal division isn’t back until Monday morning and the report will be passed on to them. I posted a new video on YouTube showing the camera footage:
Making Solutions:
(I used my Echo Show 8 device, a.k.a Alexa, while doing dishes to dictate my ideas for this podcast; it took what I said and put it into an outline. This article is a mix of Alexa’s outline and my own writing; the ideas are all mine, the difference is Alexa used better language.)
For all the problems, there are solutions.
While the goal is to solve a problem, sometimes problems can’t be solved — for instance, getting Mark Ozias to answer a question directly and to the point — but I don’t think that means it’s a reason not to try and find solutions because it can still lead to something good.
I wanted to highlight a few of the solutions I see being implemented in the Watchdog community.
Food and Finance Podcast: Information Sharing as a Solution
The end of Jennifer’s comment: How to stop the abuse? I don’t know, how can the Food Bank separate one from the other? I don’t think they can income wise.
Since the food bank is prohibited from asking about people’s income, it doesn’t fall on them to address that issue.
How can the issue be addressed then?
My solution is through individuals. I’m not interested in asking people to tell me their income so I can school them; what I did do is make a podcast sharing my own experience with financial struggles and poverty-level incomes, and “connecting the dots between financial discipline and food security,” as another comment by Neural Foundry stated.
When people listen to the podcast and learn from it; and share it with others so they may learn from it too, that is information sharing as a solution.
Clallam County Watchdog’s article, Not Their Park to Give Away: Engagement as a Solution
A comment from No One Important stated at the end: We MUST get the word out to all, and quickly! What can I do to help, Jeff?
Jeff’s response: You're doing it! Spreading the word helps and is effective.
Evidence of impact:
Increasing subscriber count: 3,791 subscribers in just over 2 years
Rising download numbers: over a million podcast downloads now
Increase in public attendance: Over 60 people attended the RV ordinance commissioner meeting, with another 50 online. Even Towne Road didn't draw those numbers.
Significance of information dissemination: That happened because people are reading Jake Seeger's articles and becoming more engaged.
Community engagement is an active solution; and sharing information online and being a digital warrior in the 21st Century fosters community engagement in cyberspace.
Photography: Visual Documentation as a Solution
Capturing real-life street views in local communities
Powerful alternative for non-writers to share experiences
Imagery as a universal language to convey community issues
Enhancing awareness through visual storytelling
Facilitating information spread via compelling visuals
By providing a form of visual documentation of what is happening in a community, on the public streets, where not everyone goes every day, this becomes a solution in that it is information sharing that is openly available to the public when posted on free blogs.
4PA: Hands-On Community Cleanup as a Solution
Nonprofit organization tackling Clallam County cleanliness
Addressing homeless encampments and environmental concerns
Removing debris, garbage, and litter from city and county areas
Improving local environmental conditions
Enhancing quality of life for residents
Cleaning debris and hazardous waste in order to improve the environment and increase the qualify of life for those in Clallam County is a solution that 4PA provides that all can enjoy the benefits of, and they deserve being supported for what they do.
Alternative Information Platforms: Fostering Community Engagement
Substack blogs: Interactive platforms for community dialogue
Direct author-reader communication channels
Commenters and readers can connect with the author of the articles, unlike newspapers that keep the reader disconnected from the writer and the editor
Free, localized information about cities and counties
The more people learn about where they live, the more they become engaged in where they live
Filling gaps left by mainstream and legacy news outlets
Clallam County cannot rely on Sound Publishing alone; without Clallam County Watchdog, and other alternative information sources, the people out here would continue to be in the dark about issues that actually matter.
Such as a county commissioner discussing plans to hand off a public park to the Jamestown Corporation without public input, as CC Watchdog reported on; or a local judge appointing his close personal friend to represent a murder suspect, as reported by the Olympic Herald.
Diverse content formats enhancing information accessibility
More information is able to get to more people online than in a newspaper; and even though mainstream media has their news online, the content is the same across the board — it lacks critical investigative thought.
For those who don’t rely on a newspaper or mainstream media for their sources of information, blogs and online websites run by independent writers is another solution that creates community engagement.
Creating Community as a Solution
Alleviates isolation
Strength in numbers
Watchdog community benefits
Provides connection between people
Whether they are local or living far apart, they create a connection that makes them community in an online setting
Offers direction, inspires action
For those who are unsure of what they can do, articles on the Watchdog offer suggestions of attending meetings and redressing government
Commenters sharing what they are doing also inspires action
These are all solutions
Redressing Government as a Solution
Expressing concerns to elected officials:
Sharing responses (or lack thereof) with others
Illuminating the communication process
Information sharing as a key to understanding
Citizen-Organized Town Halls: Empowering Community Voices as a solution
Grassroots initiative in response to local commissioners’ inaction
Collaboration with interested elected officials from various capacities
Platform for community members to voice concerns collectively
Demonstration of public interest and engagement in local issues
Catalyst for dialogue between citizens and representatives
Potential springboard for developing community-driven solutions
Highlights official disengagement if local representatives fail to attend
Serves as a record of community efforts to engage with their government
I shared a guide for a Citizen’s Town Hall in my article When Grievances Go Unanswered
I am interested in making a town hall happen with others who want the same; it doesn’t take a formal committee, just people who want to make it happen getting together to brainstorm.
The guide recommends a grange hall as an ideal location; here is the website to the Sequim Prairie Grange where meeting space is available to rent.
For anyone who has experience in event planning on this level, please reach out to me with ideas to figure this out. This is a solution that Clallam County needs.
Thank you for listening & sharing!
Get Your Emails to Elected Officials Published in Clallam County Letters:
Clallam County Letters accepts emails to county, city, state, and federal government officials.
Clallam County commissioners can be redressed by the people via email:
Mark Ozias: Mark.Ozias@clallamcountywa.gov
Randy Johnson: Randy.Johnson@clallamcountywa.gov
Mike French: Mike.French@clallamcountywa.gov
Loni Gores, Clerk: Loni.Gores@clallamcountywa.gov
Find all other Clallam County officials, offices, and employees in the staff directory.
To have your letter published in Clallam County Letters, please include clallamityjen@gmail.com in the CC or BCC fields.
