Jon Hamilton - Port Angeles City Councilmember

06/11/2026

I published a new recap of the June 9 Utility Advisory Committee meeting:

Keeping the Lights On and the Rates Stable
A recap of the June 9 Utility Advisory Committee meeting

This was a short meeting, but it covered two important pieces of Port Angeles’ long-term planning: the Electric Utility 2026 Power Resource Plan and the 2027–2032 Capital Facilities Plan / Transportation Improvement Plan.

The article explains how the City plans for future electric demand, why Port Angeles remains a Bonneville Power Administration customer, how Tier 1 and Tier 2 power affect long-term rate planning, and why the current forecast shows the City remaining below the Tier 2 threshold under present assumptions.

It also recaps UAC’s review of the CFP/TIP, including the updated TR0919 School Safety Lighting project. The current scope removes cameras and focuses on flashing lights and speed feedback signs in school zones.

UAC made advisory recommendations. Final decisions still go through the City Council’s public meeting and public hearing process.

Read the full recap here:

A recap of the June 9 Utility Advisory Committee meeting

06/07/2026

I published a new long-form civic education article:

How Port Angeles Decides What Gets Built
A guide to the CFP/TIP, grants, unfunded projects, staff capacity, and public trust

The article explains how the City’s Capital Facilities Plan and Transportation Improvement Plan help connect infrastructure needs with adopted plans, funding sources, grant opportunities, staff capacity, public hearings, and long-term affordability.

I wrote this because residents often ask fair questions: Why does one project move forward while another waits? What does “unfunded” mean? How do grants shape timing? Why does staff capacity matter? How does public testimony fit into the process?

The article uses current examples, including school safety lighting, Ediz Hook Boat Launch, Valley Creek, pavement management, Complete Streets, the Transportation Benefit District, and wastewater infrastructure.

The main point is simple: the CFP/TIP is not a wish list and it is not a blank check. It is one of the City’s main public tools for deciding what gets built, what gets repaired, what waits, and why.

Read the full article here:

A guide to the CFP/TIP, grants, unfunded projects, staff capacity, and public trust

06/04/2026

I published a new Substack recap of the June 2 Port Angeles City Council meeting.

This meeting moved the 2027–2032 Capital Facilities Plan and Transportation Improvement Plan from work-session review into the formal public hearing process.

The article covers several major themes from the meeting:

Ediz Hook boat launch testimony and the petition submitted into the public record;

Valley Creek restoration and long-term stewardship;

The addition of an unfunded planning item for youth baseball and softball facilities;

The shift from traffic safety cameras to school safety lighting;

The pavement management presentation showing the larger infrastructure maintenance challenge facing Port Angeles;

And my Council report from the meeting.

My main takeaway is that infrastructure planning is not abstract. It is the public record of what we choose to preserve, repair, prioritize, and build for the future.

Read the article here:

Ediz Hook, youth fields, school safety lighting, pavement management, and the infrastructure choices behind Port Angeles’ future

05/25/2026

🏛️ The Fabric of Remembrance: Sentinels of the Sound and the Continuous Local Grid

In local government, it is easy to view peace, financial stability, and public safety as static assets—things we simply inherit. But true stewardship means recognizing that a stable society is a dynamic, fragile contract between the past, the present, and the future.

On this Memorial Day, I’m stepping back from the daily mechanics of our council floor to examine the deep, structural military landscape of the North Olympic Peninsula and how it directly shapes my work and direction for the future of Port Angeles.

Inside this long-form reflection:
⚓ Sentinels of the Sound: Mapping the tactical engineering and foresight of the late-19th-century "Triangle of Fire" defense network (Fort Worden and Fort Flagler, stretching to the heavy 16-inch batteries of Salt Creek.
👥 The Homefront Matrix: Remembering the immediate, grassroots coordination of December 1941 when local volunteer guards stood 24-hour watches over our harbor alongside the active anti-submarine patrol sweeps of USCG Air Station Port Angeles.
🎖️ Lineage of Local Valor: Highlighting the deep perseverance and selflessness anchoring our community through the lived accounts of regional Medal of Honor recipients Francis Bishop, Richard Anderson, and Marvin Shields.
🔄 The Civic Stewardship Continuum: Why present-day operational maintenance—like insulating working families from utility rate shocks and defending our regional infrastructure grids—is how we actively validate and preserve our inherited history.

Read the full long-form piece here:
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How the Olympic Peninsula’s Military Landscape and History Shape a Structural Vision for Modern Civic Stewardship

05/25/2026

🎼 Community Continuity in Action: The Juan de Fuca Festival

My family and I spent the afternoon taking in the Juan de Fuca Festival, walking through the street vendor markets and listening to some incredible live music right here in the heart of the city.

When we talk about municipal stewardship and building high-quality neighborhoods, we aren't just talking about utility grids and code enforcement. We are talking about preserving the safe, welcoming civic spaces that allow events like this to flourish.

The Juan de Fuca Festival remains one of the most unique, enduring traditions that Port Angeles puts on every Memorial Day weekend. It stands as a powerful testament to what our local arts networks, volunteers, and downtown partners can achieve when they pull together to anchor our regional culture.

Thank you to all the organizers, vendors, and musicians who worked tirelessly to make this weekend a success for our community.

05/21/2026

🏛️ Navigating the Grid: Accountability, Resiliency, and the May 19th Council Framework

If you want to understand the true posture of a community, don't look at it when its chambers are quiet. Look at it when the room is packed, when the public comment clock is ticking, and when immediate localized anxieties meet long-term economic development.

I have published a comprehensive, line-by-line breakdown of this week's exhaustive City Council session, detailing exactly how the mechanisms of local government operated, how we voted, and precisely why.

Inside this long-read analysis:
⚓ The Brix Marine Street Vacation: Why I voted "yes" to protect family-wage maritime jobs while explicitly demanding unyielding critical area enforcement when downstream permits arrive.
👥 Section I Public Feedback: Capturing the vital, competing neighborhood and humanitarian perspectives that shaped our public space stability framework debates.
🛠️ Capital Utility Realities: Operational mechanics on the 24-hour Public Restroom Program (including industrial grinder innovations) and the reality of our flat-lined Parks maintenance headcount.
📋 Chronological Council Report: My full, intended floor statement spanning prevention science updates from Dr. Jason Kilmer, UAC infrastructure limits, and critical upcoming regional co-governance sessions.

Read the full transparency update here:
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A Line-by-Line Breakdown of Public Feedback, Capital Utility Decisions, and Strategic Postponements within the 120-Day Mandate

05/20/2026

🌊 Guarding the Coast: Science, Community Action, and the Nearshore Grid

When we look out across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles, it is easy to view the waterfront simply as a scenic backdrop. But that shoreline represents something far more critical: it is the literal ecological buffer of the Olympic Peninsula.

Following Monday's hybrid meeting of the Clallam County Marine Resources Committee (MRC), I am moving line-by-line through the agenda to connect the dots between marine data and our broader local policy goals.

This week’s long-read features a scientific deep dive into the foundational cornerstone of our marine food web: Forage Fish.

Discover:
🐟 Why Surf Smelt and Pacific Sand Lance are the "canaries in the coal mine" for nearshore health.
📊 How volunteer sediment sampling directly impacts local zoning decisions, halts hardened shoreline armoring, and protects critical overhanging canopies.
🛠️ How this data informs municipal engineering—from Ediz Hook habitat restoration to public infrastructure.

Our local salmon recovery is a mathematical impossibility without abundant, healthy forage fish populations. Read the full line-by-line recap and science breakdown here:
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Line-by-Line Agenda Recap of the May 18th Clallam County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) Meeting

05/16/2026

🌍 The Interconnected City: Safety, Stewardship, and the Invisible Foundation

Every week, my inbox acts as a real-time heat map of community anxiety: from ALPR privacy guardrails to zoning questions. But true leadership means pulling back the curtain, separating rumor from reality, and examining how these individual flare-ups connect to the deeper, quieter systems keeping Port Angeles running.

Ahead of our pivotal May 19th City Council meeting, I’m breaking down the actual data and operational realities behind our upcoming decisions:
🔹 acceptance of the HB 2015 grant for 4 new police officers
🔹 the real resource chokepoints facing our Parks maintenance crews (who haven't seen a headcount increase since 1991)
🔹 my explicit stance on demanding regional funding co-governance with Clallam County.

A city is a living network. We cannot solve a regional humanitarian crisis on a municipal budget alone, and we cannot build workforce housing if our wastewater capacity is maxed out. Read my full, data-backed Saturday Long-Read analysis here:
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Why a Sewer Pipe, a Police Officer, and a Regional Shelter Plan Are the Same Conversation

05/14/2026

Ever wonder how the City decides which roads to fix or which pipes to replace? It all starts with the Capital Facilities Plan (CFP)—the 389-page "instruction manual" for Port Angeles’ future.

In my latest recap of the May 12 Utility Advisory Committee meeting, I break down:

• 🛠️ The "Dig Once" Philosophy: Why coordinating utility and street repairs saves your taxpayer dollars.
• 💰 Rate Stability: Clarifying why these major projects don't cause unexpected bill spikes.
• 🌊 The "A" Street Project: Why upgrading our wastewater capacity is the key to unlocking new housing.
• 🗣️ Your Voice: This is a preliminary plan, and I want to hear your thoughts on our 6-year outlook.

Read the full breakdown here:

Navigating a 389-Page Plan to Protect Our Infrastructure and Your Rates

05/07/2026

Our May 5 City Council meeting marked a major shift in how we approach public safety and economic growth in Port Angeles. We are moving from "survival mode" to proactive community support.

Key Highlights:

👮 Securing the HB 2015 Grant: I voted to accept a $785,680 grant to hire 4 new police officers. It’s a win for the city to have the state cover 75% of these initial costs.

💰 Sustainable Funding: I support using a sales tax rather than property tax for long-term funding. This ensures out-of-town visitors help pay for the services they use, reducing the 100% burden on local residents.

🚑 Fire & EMS Expansion: I was proud to vote for a second peak-hour ambulance unit. It’s a data-driven, self-sustaining move that reduces "level zero" events for our neighbors.

📈 Economic Growth: 2025 saw $83M in construction valuation—our "Growth From Within" strategy is working.

Read the full report on how we’re strengthening our social contract:

Economic Resilience, Proactive Policing, and Strengthening the Social Contract