The Substack Shell Game

Memes of the Day

When County Appointees Swap Real Names for Alias Handles

There is a quiet game of hide-and-seek happening in the local digital public square, and if you aren’t paying close attention to the profile metadata, you might miss it entirely.

After recovering from a case of alligator bemusement, I recalled stumbling across a curious transformation in the comments of a Toxic Salsa article. A commenter who sits on an officially appointed county advisory board — the Clallam County Homelessness Task Force — underwent a digital makeover.

What used to be “Jai Porter” (a shorter version of task force appointee Jamie Porter) suddenly became “Chaos Coordinator.”

A comment from Jai Porter shown in a CC Watchdog article:

The same comment from the Toxic Salsa article with a new name:

Now, if you click on the profile, the underlying URL string still whispers @jaiporter. But in the daily bustle of Substack comment sections, the public no longer sees an acceptable shortened name of an advisory board appointee who helps review program proposals and guide funding recommendations for local housing issues. They just see a quirky, relatable screen name: Chaos Coordinator.

So, I took this scenario to Google AI to unpack the legal, ethical, and civic ramifications of local appointees playing with digital masks. Here is the breakdown of what the data shows, how it impacts the Clallam community, and why this digital shell game matters far more than a simple display name change.

The Appointee vs. The Citizen: Two Very Different Standards

To understand why a handle change matters, we first have to separate private citizens from public trustees.

As an independent writer (Clallamity Jen), I use a pen name. But I am an unemployed housewife; I don’t sit on county boards, I don’t manage public resources, and I hold no official advisory power over county commissioners.

An appointed task force member, however, holds a position of public trust.

When an appointee steps onto an official advisory board, they accept that their public opinions on relevant county policy come with scrutiny. While switching a display name to “Chaos Coordinator” isn’t illegal under Washington law — as long as official public records and meeting rules aren’t being violated — it introduces a distinct ethical friction point:

• The Illusion of Unbiased Consensus: When an appointee leaves comments under a handle like “Chaos Coordinator,” everyday readers assume they are hearing from an ordinary, independent neighbor. They don’t realize the commenter holds an institutional role with direct influence over local policy.

• Shielding from Accountability: It allows a public official to drop controversial or partisan takes into public debate without taking direct, real-name ownership of those statements.

A Tale of Two Appointees

To see what transparent civic engagement looks like, we only have to look at another local appointee: Denise Lapio.

Denise serves in an advisory capacity on a county committee performing functions similar to the homelessness task force. When Denise posts or comments on Substack, she uses her full, real name.

When Denise speaks, there is zero ambiguity. Whether you agree with her or not, she stands behind her words out in the open, taking full public responsibility for her input. Comparing the two highlights a clear ethical divide: one model embraces open transparency, while the other steps behind a digital screen.

The Restack: Amplifying Attacks on Local Nonprofits

The issue becomes even thornier when you look at what Chaos Coordinator is sharing with the community:

Sitting in her public Substack activity feed is a restacked comment originally posted in late June (back when the account still read “Jai Porter”). The restacked post launches a scathing attack on 4PA — a local private non-profit that addresses homelessness without taking government grants or taxpayer funds.

The restacked post doesn’t just debate policy; it takes sharp personal and financial digs:

“In 2024, 4PA paid 32% of its donors’ contributions on wages and benefits while relying upon the backs of a reported 300 volunteers. Who received those wages and benefits? 4PA claims to be ‘transparent.’ Where do we find this transparency? ... A project that will provide high barrier transitional ‘sheds’ for a dozen people. Head shake goes here.”

The post goes on to explicitly mock local figures and political candidates, adding: “Insert second head shake here.”

Why the Optics Are Terrible

When an appointed member of a county task force — whose job is to provide objective, evidence-based oversight — amplifies hostile, condescending attacks on a local housing organization, it creates immediate problems:

1. Perceived Bias: It signals to the public that a task force member holds an active ideological grudge against non-governmental housing models.

2. Unsubstantiated Financial Accusations: Coming from a random internet user, overhead complaints are standard online chatter. Coming from an appointed county official, amplifying unverified financial slurs gives those rumors implicit institutional weight.

3. Factional Mudslinging: It drags an advisory board that should be focused on community solutions into petty local political warfare.

The “Today” Account: Who Is Really Behind the Screen?

This brings us to the final, most troubling piece of the puzzle: Where did that restacked comment come from?

The original post was created by a Substack profile going by the handle today7890.

On today7890’s profile, there is zero identifying information. It is a completely blank, anonymous account. Yet, this blank account somehow possessed hyper-specific talking points about local nonprofit line-item overhead, equipment purchases, and local political figures. Even though the screenshot above indicates ‘The attachment is not available,’ it is uknown if the talking points came from the unavailable attachment.

When an appointed official (Chaos Coordinator) uses a handle to obscure her own display name, and then amplifies scathing insider attacks written by a totally blank profile (today7890), it opens up a massive well of reasonable doubt:

• Is today7890 just an everyday citizen?

• Is it another county insider speaking off the record?

• Or is it a secondary burner account used to launch attacks that can then be “helpfully” restacked by official handles?

Without real-name transparency, the public has no way of knowing. This isn’t just a minor technicality; it is the textbook definition of astroturfing — creating a hall of mirrors where insiders validate anonymous commentary to manufacture fake grassroots consensus.

The Broader Impact on Our Community

When one appointee hides behind a handle, it creates an isolated oversight problem. But if this becomes a accepted culture among local appointees and county insiders, the civic damage multiplies:

• Paranoia Replaces Trust: When citizens realize officials use handles, every anonymous account in local comment sections becomes suspect. Genuine community debate devolves into guessing games over who is running which burner profile.

• Chilling Effect on Citizens: Everyday residents trying to engage in local government find themselves publicly torn down in comment threads by accounts that might secretly belong to the very officials drafting county policy.

• Erosion of Open Governance: It creates a shadow dialogue that undermines the spirit of Washington’s open government and public transparency standards.

Conclusion: Step Out From Behind the Mask

Public service is not mandatory. If you accept an appointment to represent the community on a county task force, you accept the obligation to operate in the light.

Using handles like Chaos Coordinator while amplifying anonymous hit pieces from blank accounts like today7890 erodes public faith in the local boards. This community deserves the same straightforward transparency practiced by appointees like Denise Lapio: say what you mean, stand by your views, and use your real name.

Until then, the rest of us will keep taking screenshots, connecting the handle dots, and keeping the lights turned on.

What are your thoughts on local appointees using handles in public comment sections? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

A Quick Note on My Own “Mask”

Every so often, someone tries to pull a quick “gotcha” in the comment sections, pointing out that I publish as Clallamity Jen instead of printing my full legal name at the top of every post.

So let’s clear up the difference yet again, because equating an independent blogger’s pen name with an appointed official using an alias handle is fundamentally missing the point.

Writing under a pen name isn’t a secret ploy to hide from the community. It’s a publishing brand — and a long, honorable tradition in American political commentary dating back to the nation’s founding. When James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote The Federalist Papers, they signed them as Publius. When Samuel Clemens wrote, he called himself Mark Twain. When Benjamin Franklin wanted to poke at local civic life, he wrote as Silence Dogood.

More importantly, look at the fundamental differences in our roles:

• I am a private citizen and an active creator. I am an unemployed housewife, but I work hard at this craft every single day. I produce a massive volume of original content — from the text and deep-dive research to the memes, graphics, and podcasts. Even when I use AI as a research tool, the core ideas, direction, and editorial voice are entirely my own. I don’t just sit in comment sections lurking or clicking “restack” on other people’s posts; I build and publish full-scale, daily independent media.

• I hold zero public power. I hold no government position, I advise no city or county commissioners, I control no public budgets, and I have zero official authority over anyone’s life or taxes. My identity is out in the open when I’m out and about in the community, and my accountability lies strictly in whether you, the reader, find my writing worth your time.

• They are public trustees. An appointed board or task force member steps into an official position created by county government to guide public policy and advise elected officials. They hold institutional influence over public strategy and taxpayer resources.

When a private citizen uses a pen name to publish original, daily independent media, they are exercising their First Amendment rights in a time-tested tradition. When an appointed county official uses a handle like Chaos Coordinator to leave comments and restack anonymous hit pieces, they are blurring the lines of public accountability.

Which leaves me with one simple question for those who love to obsess over my blog handle while ignoring the digital shell games of local officials:

Why is your concern directed at a private citizen producing daily content with zero public power and zero public funds, rather than at the appointed officials who use online handles to obscure their identities while influencing local governance and eroding public trust?

🤖 Obligatory AI Disclosure (Before Someone Tries to Unmask the Robot)

Disclaimer: In the spirit of total, unvarnished transparency — something the local appointed boards might consider trying sometime — I would like to disclose that Google AI was harmed, interrogated, and thoroughly utilized in the research and drafting of this article.

However, rest assured that no artificial intelligence was allowed to run wild or operate under a sneaky handle. Every prompt was issued, every data point was scrutinized, and every editorial conclusion was guided directly by my own human will, discretion, and relentless concern for local public accountability or at least for memeing and calling out the hypocrisy.

Algorithms don’t care about local civic standards — community watchdogs do. Consider this piece 100% AI-assisted, 100% human-directed, and 100% dedicated to keeping local governance out in the open.

Thank you for laughing, reading, sharing & subscribing!

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Sign the Change.org petition that started the trend — help it get to 600 signatures!

No Hygiene or Harm Reduction programs at William Shore Aquatic Center in Port Angeles, WA.

Help get the petition to 600 signatures! You can sign the petition without displaying your name; the signature still counts, but if you want your name not to be seen by others, uncheck the box about displaying your name before clicking the submit button. Thanks to Terri D. for starting the petition!

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Community Opportunities:

4PA:

Calico Cat Social Club:

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✍️ Redress State Legislators in District 24:

• Senator Mike Chapman: (360) 786-7646, email form

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✍️ Redress Clallam County Commissioners:

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