Public commenters urge audit of Chambers Bay, raise concerns about appointed clerk; council hears veterans' survivor praise

During the meeting’s community forum the council heard several substantive public comments.

Ken Paulson urged the council to examine Chamber(s) Bay Golf Course’s finances and suggested the county consider auditing the course or exploring sale/lease options to stop ongoing losses. Paulson said losses at the course are “hidden” and asked the county to make public how much money has been spent beyond the $23 million used to build it.

Karen Shuey, the widow of Pierce County sheriff’s deputy Daryl Shuey, praised a recent county policy change that makes memorial‑wall inclusions at the Pierce County City Building consistent with the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Shuey said her husband, who served nearly three decades, had previously been denied inclusion and thanked the executive and council for the correction that will prevent future families from facing inconsistent treatment.

Heather Benedict, a Pierce County property owner participating by Zoom, alleged operational failures tied to the county’s appointed clerk of superior court structure. Benedict said the appointed‑clerk model concentrates accountability inward to the executive rather than to voters and described measurable failures she attributes to that structure: a $1,000,000 settlement in 2025 to the appointed clerk, a five‑month vacancy in the clerk’s office, and state‑auditor findings she summarized as more than $1.89 million improperly dispersed to trust funds. Benedict urged the council to examine structural risks and asked the public to engage with the Charter Review Commission’s work.

The meeting transcript records these assertions as public comment; the council did not take immediate formal action in response in the same session. No on‑the‑record rebuttal or administrative response to Benedict’s factual assertions appears in the transcript. The claims are therefore recorded here as raised during community forum and unresolved on the meeting record.

The chair closed community forum after callers finished and the meeting proceeded to announcements and adjournment.