By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – A Port Angeles City Councilor has announced his candidacy for Clallam County Commissioner, challenging incumbent Bill Peach.
Mike French has announced his campaign to represent the west end’s District 3. A two-term City Councilmember who was born and raised in Clallam County, French lives on the west side of Port Angeles with his wife and two children. He’s a graduate of Central Washington University and has owned and operated the First Street Haven Restaurant in downtown Port Angeles for over a decade.
French has served on a number of local boards and committees including the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic and the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission, and believes his youth and broad experience will help him bring fresh ideas and energy to the Commission.
One priority will be addressing the area’s housing crisis.
“A lot of people here talk about affordable housing, meaning that, you know, 40-to-60 percent of area median income, but I think we need to start talking about housing affordability. Because it’s not just one segment of our population that is struggling with housing. We have people at all income levels who don’t have enough options. And so, what I think we want to be focusing on is, how do we get more options for all of our neighbors so that everyone can have housing affordability.”
We asked French to talk a little about the district he wants to represent, in terms of its cultural and economic diversities.
“It’s going to be a challenge, to be honest. It’s a big district. It is a really interesting district, like you said, both in demographics for income and for, you know, diversity. We have, you know, native tribes, we have a really great West End, we have a lot of the chunk of Port Angeles is in that District, as well. And so, I’m going to have to make sure I’m getting out there and listening to the constituents of that area. I’m looking forward to it, to be honest, though. I really like being in front of people and talking about the issues.”
How does he think he might differ from Commissioner Peach in terms of his approach and priorities?
“There’re going to be some generational differences, the way we see issues. One of the themes I think of my campaign is going to be “vision in the future”, and how are we making a strategic plan to execute our vision as a county? That’s something that, you know, when you’re younger, I think that you’re looking forward a lot more about what’s going to happen later. You know, he’s been really focused on forestry and some of those economic development issues. I don’t fault him for that. I think those are perfectly reasonable issues. And you know, you look at what’s happening in Forks, with the mills reopening. That’s really impactful from an economic development stance. But also, we have to understand that those workers need places to live. So that’s an issue I think we’re going to hear a lot more talking about in this campaign.”