Rob Ollikainen

Peninsula Daily News

Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman has shifted his focus to the 24th Legislative District.

The 16-year commissioner is preparing for his first term in the state House of Representatives, where he will represent Clallam, Jefferson and parts of Grays Harbor County.

Chapman, D-Port Angeles, will serve as a member of the House Public Safety Committee, Transportation Committee and as vice chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, he said.

“Those three committees, they’re so important to the 24th Legislative District,” Chapman said after what he expected to be his final meeting as a county commissioner Tuesday.

“I’m looking forward to pulling up my sleeves and getting to work.”

Chapman will join another former Clallam County commissioner, Sequim Democrat Steve Tharinger, in the state House when the Legislature convenes in Olympia on Jan. 9.

Former House Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, will represent the 24th District as a state senator, replacing longtime Hoquiam Democrat Jim Hargrove, who has retired.

Chapman took county office as a Republican in 2001. He became an independent in 2008 and joined the Democratic Party in 2015.

Chapman said the U.S. Highway 101 bridge over the Elwha River would be “front and center” in his work on the Transportation Committee.

The state Department of Transportation is mulling a set of options to retrofit or completely replace the 90-year-old bridge. Chapman said he would work with state officials to “find the right solution to maintain that transportation corridor.”

The Public Safety Committee encompasses both public safety and natural disaster planning. Chapman, a former law enforcement officer, said he would likely be more focused on the latter.

“That’s an area I really want to delve into and make sure that the state’s resources are available for a district like ours should we have a natural disaster,” he said.

The 24th District is geographically isolated and includes a stretch of tsunami-prone coastline that stretches south to Ocean Shores.

The Ag and Natural Resources Committee will “continue the conversation” about the proper role of state timber management, sustainable harvest levels and “making sure that that part of our economy continues to be strong,” Chapman said.

Prior to running for county commissioner Dec. 14, 1999, Chapman, then a part-time customs inspector, chased down and tackled Ahmed Ressam in downtown Port Angeles after he fled when material to make explosives was found in his car.

Investigators learned that Ressam, an Algerian national who had attended Osama bin Laden’s terrorist training camps, was on his way to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 1, 2000, when he was stopped by Chapman and other customs inspectors at the MV Coho terminal.

“I consider you a true and legitimate American hero, and it has been a pleasure and an honor to serve next to you this year,” Commissioner Mark Ozias told Chapman on Tuesday.

“I wish you the best of luck moving forward, and I’m looking forward to lobbying you about all kinds of things that Clallam County residents need in your new position.”