Matt Ready

The video below explains the Peninsula Health Alliance story, the mistakes made, and my decision to blow the whistle on it. I hope you will watch and listen to it and make up your own mind. The video ends with my comments for why I am running for reelection to the board to continue serving the community’s interests. Thank you for taking the time to try to make the best decision possible when you vote. Sincerely, Matt Ready

10/22/2025 PT Leader Publishes Op Ed from Commissioner Kees Kolff on the Peninsula Health Alliance

I have known Stu’s opponent Matt Ready for many years. I voted for him when he first won a seat on the Board 12 years ago and he supported my campaign 2 years later. To his credit, he got the Board to start recording public meetings. In addition, he and I were the first to raise questions about one executive session last February 5th. Several attorneys later confirmed that the Board had “inadvertently” exceeded what was allowed under the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) real-estate exemption. We should have used the legal exemption with an attorney present. We publicly apologized for the error.

[Comment inserted by Matt Ready: “We should have used the legal exemption with an attorney present.” Careful readers might ask, “what does that mean? “we should have used the legal excemption for executive sessions, secret meetings, with an attorney present on Feb 5, so we could have LEGALLY held that executive session AND DISCUSS THE PENINSULA HEALTH ALLIANCE PROPOSAL IN DETAIL WITHOUT TELLING THE PUBLIC.” I want to be clear, this interpretation of Kollff’s public testimony above is exactly what I know the entire board and CEO believe- they believe if they had a lawyer present on Feb 5, then they could have never violated the OPMA and then keep the entire proposal hidden as they did. It was nice of them to say this on the record outside an executive session. ]

Matt went on to publicize inaccurate information from that meeting that he was not allowed to share. He has now completely destroyed his ability to work effectively on the Board because of his wide-ranging conspiracy theory.

I find it very hard to believe that anyone would accuse all the Board Members of Jefferson Healthcare (JHC), CEO Mike Glenn, and Mike’s entire top leadership team, of conspiring to give away local control of the healthcare system we work so hard to build and maintain. He reported us, and all of our counterparts at Olympic Medical Center (OMC), to the Sheriffs’ offices in both Jefferson and Clallam Counties for criminal activity. He claims that 3 attorneys from different firms, and our long-term professional board consultant Karma Bass, all violated the OPMA. There are too many unsubstantiated claims to list.

Some community members have raised questions about Matt’s conspiracy claims in regards to the Peninsula Health Alliance (PHA) proposal sent to OMC earlier this year. OMC had sent out a request for proposals. The PHA was our creative, non-binding proposal to have JHC and OMC collaborate more effectively in the future. It was crafted by Mike and his leadership team with major input from Commissioners Bruce McComas and Jill Buhler Rienstra, as allowed by the OPMA.

When Commissioners Marie Dressler, Matt Ready and I first learned of the PHA in February, I was concerned that the draft organizational chart in the proposal did not clearly show what was intended. To clarify my understanding, I sent my own org chart to the Board and our CEO the very next day. It showed and described the two Boards governing locally and independently, voluntarily and publicly sharing resources, services and collective purchasing through the PHA, a completely separate organization. Matt Ready and the other commissioners did not disagree with this interpretation, and Mike Glenn confirmed that it accurately depicted how the proposal would work, and not Matt Ready’s claim.

 I was there in Sequim on March 28 when we presented the PHA proposal to OMC, and we emphasized the following:

 • No merger or takeover was ever proposed.

 • No financial bailout was involved.

 • No loss of local control was contemplated.

 • No negotiations would proceed without public involvement.

 • The PHA Board would include all 7 OMC and 5 JHC Board members, with a voting mechanism to share power equally.

I described to OMC the problem we were having with Matt’s misinformation and conspiracy claims, and they were shocked. Mike had signed a non-disclosure agreement, which is standard practice and was required by OMC. We were one of 4 finalists in their selection process, but were dropped from consideration in part due to Matt’s behavior. He continues to insist it was a binding proposal, similar to a merger, that would have destroyed our local control and financial stability.

OMC has now signed a non-binding “Letter of Intent” to explore a partnership with the University of Washington. Their success is crucial to ours, since we share many patients. Given cuts in healthcare funding and proposed reductions in Medicaid, we may want to consider partnering in a larger peninsulawide alliance in the near future. As is customary when even public entities seek partnerships, public input comes after the initial, non-binding proposals have been submitted. All final decisions are made in public, after public input.

 In this election we have a clear choice. Stu Kerber works for a small financial services firm he helped start, helping farmers in Eastern Washington work through generational transitions and financial problems. He built his career on relationships and knows how to manage conflicts professionally. As the father of 2 small children, he will bring a young parent’s perspective to the Board. We need challenging and different opinions on the board, but we also need collaboration. Stu Kerber will add both. The value of local control has and will always guide our Board, our CEO Mike Glen, and his leadership team in the future as we continue to expand the secular healthcare services this community needs.

NOTE: This opinion is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of my fellow Board members.

“We should have used the legal exemption with an attorney present.“

“We should have used the legal exemption with an attorney present.“

“We should have used the legal exemption with an attorney present.“

Reprinted here with Vernon’s permission.

To: Commissioners Rienstra, McComas, Dressler, and Kolff
From: Vernon Lauridsen, 141 Pine Dr, Port Townsend, WA 98368
Re: Open Public Meetings

As a member of the public—and more particularly, a patient of Jefferson Healthcare—I think we deserve better. You are commissioners of a public entity. You took an oath swearing to adhere to the laws of Washington State. Certainly now the facts and law are clear. Are you so full of hubris and vindictiveness that you will not simply acknowledge your mistakes? Rather, your response is to attack the messenger. Censure him. Really, in this day and age?

The Open Public Meetings Act declares:

“Public agencies… exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business. It is the intent of this chapter that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.” 

“The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed and informing the people’s public servants of their views so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.”
(RCW 42.30.010)

“All meetings of the governing body of a public agency shall be open and public…” (RCW 42.30.030).

A meeting takes place when a majority of the members of a governing body gather, either in the presence of one another or electronically, with the collective intent of transacting the official business of the public agency. A series of gatherings among less than a majority of the governing body that eventually turns into a majority qualifies as a meeting.
(Open Public Meetings Act, Municipal Research and Service Center, pages 6–7, July 2024).

Importantly, every member must complete training on the requirements of the Act within 90 days of taking their oath of office and at least once every four years thereafter (RCW 42.30.205). Ignorance or inadvertence is really not a viable excuse (online training is available through the MRSC). Members who attend meetings where action is taken in violation of the Act are subject to consequences. Violations, although not criminal, may result in a $500 monetary penalty (RCW 42.30.120).

But the critical consequence is that any ordinance, resolution, rule, order, or directive adopted in violation of the Act is simply null and void (RCW 42.30.060).

The events described in Commissioner Kolff’s opinion piece published in the October 22nd edition of The Leader constitute a meeting in violation of the Open Public Meetings Act. A proposal was drafted with the participation of a minority of the commissioners. The proposal was then distributed to the remaining members. Commissioner Kolff had concerns with the proposed organizational chart. He sent his own organizational chart to the entire board and CEO, which was then collectively discussed and agreed upon with the exception of one member.

You held a plainly illegal meeting in violation of the Open Public Meetings Act. The non-disclosure agreement signed by your CEO did not take precedence over state law. If that were the case, state law would be meaningless. Your effort to ratify the proposal through an admittedly illegally convened executive session grounded upon a “real estate purchase” exception hardly changes the outcome.

The whole process was folly from the outset. Olympic Medical Center’s demand for a non-disclosure agreement should have been a nonstarter. You were required to violate the Act in order to participate. Censuring the one commissioner who had the good sense to object just compounds the senselessness of the entire process.Vernon Lauridsen
cc: Matt Ready
Editor of The Leader

This is Jason Victor Serinus’s audio recording of the Rotary Hospital Commission Forum. (MP3 | WAV)

As I sit down to write this on October 24, 2025, I find myself reflecting on the events of the past few days with a heavy heart. Serving as a commissioner for Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2 has been one of the great privileges of my life, but it has also brought moments of profound disappointment. The actions of my fellow commissioners, our CEO Mike Glenn, and even the commissioners at Olympic Medical Center (OMC) have culminated in a series of decisions that prioritize secrecy over openness, loyalty to internal policies over adherence to the law, and retaliation over accountability. It’s disheartening to see public servants—people I respect and have worked alongside—choose paths that erode the trust our community places in us. Yet, amid this disappointment, I hold onto hope that the legal process now underway can serve as a catalyst for truth, healing, and a stronger foundation for Jefferson Healthcare and the people it serves.

Let me share the full context of what has transpired, starting with the board’s decision to censure me on October 22, 2025.

The Censure Resolution: A Step Backward for Accountability

On Wednesday evening, the Jefferson Healthcare Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to pass Resolution 2025-26, officially censuring me for what they describe as violations of our Board Book’s Code of Conduct. I was the sole dissenting vote. The resolution accuses me of wrongly challenging the legality of certain actions related to the Peninsula Health Alliance (PHA) proposal—a non-binding plan to explore a partnership with OMC that would have created a new nonprofit governed by all 12 elected commissioners from both districts, inherently giving OMC a majority.

Here’s the full text of the resolution for transparency:

JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL DISTRICT NO. 2
RESOLUTION 2025-26
A RESOLUTION OF CENSURE BY THE JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL DISTRICT NO. 2 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF COMMISSIONER MATT READY

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners finds that Commissioner Matt Ready is in violation of the Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2 Board Book; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners finds that Commissioner Ready has wrongly accused CEO Mike Glenn of illegal action regarding the Peninsula Health Alliance proposal despite the following rule contained in our Board Book bylaws which states:
“The Board retains ultimate responsibility for all actions and operations of the District, but grants all operational authority, per RCW 70.44.080, to the Board-appointed Hospital District Superintendent, also known as Administrator or Chief Executive Officer, hereafter referred to as the ‘CEO.’” ; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners finds that Commissioner Ready claims that it was illegal for Commissioners Bruce McComas and Jill Buhler Rienstra to participate in crafting the Peninsula Health Alliance with Mike Glenn and his leadership team, when this type of collaborative work is legal under the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) if it involves a minority of the Board members; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners finds that Commissioner Ready insisted that the District’s contracted professional consultant Karma Bass and an independent attorney Oskar Rey violated the Open Public Meetings Act by performing “serial meetings” while gathering input from individual members of the board in preparation for retreats and a legal opinion, even though attorneys at the state-funded Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC), and an independent attorney confirmed that those actions were legal; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners finds that Commissioner Ready filed criminal charges with both Jefferson and Clallam County sheriffs and the Washington State Attorney General’s office against the Jefferson Healthcare and Olympic Medical Center boards, staff and attorneys involved in their RFP process for violations of the OPMA, despite the declaration within the 47 violations section of OPMA RCW 42.30.120 (3), which states, “A violation of this chapter does not constitute a crime…”; and

WHEREAS, the Board Book of Jefferson County Public Hospital District #2 serves as our bylaws and has a code of conduct section specifying among other things that:
“Commissioners will support the legitimacy and authority of the final determination or action of the Board on any matter, both publicly and privately, irrespective of the individual Commissioner’s personal position on the issue.”;
and WHEREAS the Board Book also states that: “Any action taken by a commissioner found in violation of any Board or District policies may subject the offending Commissioner to Board sanctions, including, but not limited to, official censure.”

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The undersigned Board of Commissioners feel obliged to and do officially censure Commissioner Matt Ready for his continued violation of the Code of Conduct specified in our Board Book

APPROVED this 22nd day of October 2025.

APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION:
Commission Chair Jill Buhler Rienstra: y_________________________________
Commission Secretary Marie Dressler: y_______________________________
Commissioner Bruce McComas: ___y_____________________________
Commissioner Kees Kolff: _____y________________________________
Commissioner Matt Ready: ___Nay_________________________________

This resolution, in my view, misrepresents the facts and elevates internal policy above state law. It disappoints me deeply that my colleagues would frame my efforts to uphold transparency as a breach of conduct, especially when independent legal reviews—including one commissioned by Jefferson Healthcare itself—have confirmed violations of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). Reporting potential misconduct isn’t defiance; it’s fulfilling my oath of office.

My Response: Standing Firm for Transparency

The day after the censure, on October 23, 2025, I issued a press release to address these accusations directly. I believe it’s important for the community to hear my side unfiltered, so I’m including the full text here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2025

Contact:
Matt Ready, Hospital Commissioner
📧 readyforhealthcare@gmail.com
🌐 www.ReadyForHealthcare.org

Jefferson Healthcare Board Censures Whistleblower Commissioner Matt Ready

Summary for Editors:
Jefferson Healthcare Commissioner Matt Ready was formally censured by a 4–1 board vote Wednesday night. He contends the resolution contains multiple false statements, asserts that corporate loyalty supersedes the law, and represents retaliation for his efforts to expose violations of Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act and to report potential criminal conduct to authorities.

On October 22, 2025, the Jefferson County Public Hospital District #2 Board of Commissioners voted 4–1 to censure Commissioner Matt Ready, who cast the lone dissenting vote.

The resolution accuses Ready of violating the board’s Code of Conduct for publicly criticizing the board and for reporting potential violations of Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and possible criminal conduct to authorities.

Commissioner Ready responded:
“This censure isn’t about professionalism—it’s about punishing transparency.
I will never agree that loyalty to the board outweighs loyalty to the people and the law.”

Background
The dispute stems from the Peninsula Health Alliance (PHA) proposal—a non-binding plan created by Jefferson Healthcare CEO Mike Glenn and two commissioners to explore partnership with Olympic Medical Center (OMC).

The document proposed a new nonprofit governed by all 12 elected commissioners—seven from OMC and five from Jefferson Healthcare. It contained no alternate or “equal-voting” formula, giving OMC an inherent majority.

The proposal was first presented to the Jefferson board in an executive session on February 5, 2025, labeled under the “real-estate” exemption of the OPMA.

According to a confidential legal review by Ogden Murphy Wallace PLLC, commissioned by Jefferson Healthcare itself, this session violated the OPMA because it discussed matters unrelated to real estate. An independent attorney, Austin Hatcher, reached the same conclusion.

Ready further contends the board conducted an illegal straw poll during the February 5 executive session, effectively approving the submission of the proposal to OMC outside a lawful public meeting.

He also alleges that the CEO and several commissioners made false or misleading statements to the public regarding the proposal in an effort to conceal its existence—actions he reported to law enforcement as possible acts of fraud.

Ready’s Position
“The district’s own lawyers confirmed the February 5 meeting violated the Open Public Meetings Act,” Ready said.
“Rather than conduct a professional root-cause analysis and correct course, the majority has chosen to censure the one commissioner who insisted on following the law.”

Ready denies claims in the resolution that he attempted to file OPMA violations as criminal charges. He clarifies that his reports to the Jefferson and Clallam County sheriffs alleged potential fraud and official misconduct by leadership—not staff—and that reporting potential criminal acts is part of a commissioner’s oath of office.

He adds that denying the existence of the Peninsula Health Alliance proposal and claiming the February 5 executive session concerned real estate were false statements that warranted investigation as possible criminal fraud, a felony.
Also, approving or advancing the proposal during executive session constituted unauthorized board action and potentially official misconduct, a gross misdemeanor under state law.

Code of Conduct Questioned
The censure cites a Jefferson Healthcare policy requiring commissioners to “support the legitimacy and authority” of all board actions, even when they disagree.

Ready calls that interpretation unethical and unconstitutional:
“No public official is obligated to support the legitimacy of an illegal act.
My oath of office to defend the Constitution supersedes any corporate policy.
The people of Washington did not give public servants the right to decide what’s good for them to know and what isn’t. The Open Public Meetings Act exists to stop exactly this kind of secrecy.”

Broader Implications
The censure follows months of public controversy since Ready revealed the Peninsula Health Alliance proposal in March 2025—prompting front-page coverage in the Port Townsend Leader and multiple independent legal reviews.

Ready contends the censure constitutes retaliation against a whistleblower, an act explicitly prohibited under Washington law.

“The board majority has spent a year denying wrongdoing instead of confronting the illegal secrecy that started all this,” Ready said.
“Tonight’s censure confirms their commitment to retaliation over transparency, learning, and genuine reform.”

Closing Statement
“I’ve tried to serve this community with honesty and transparency.
It’s surreal to watch colleagues argue that seven equals five and secrecy equals openness.
The voters will soon decide whether they want a hospital board that values accountability, openness, and lawful process.
If I’m reelected, I’ll keep fighting for transparent, responsible governance.
If not, I’ll leave grateful for the chance to serve—and confident that truth eventually prevails.”

For Full Context and Public Record
Commissioner Ready maintains a full archive of 11 years of blogs, meeting videos, and public records, including video of the October 22, 2025 meeting where this censure was discussed and passed, available at:
👉 www.ReadyForHealthcare.org

Background Links
🎥 Video: The Peninsula Health Alliance Story
https://youtu.be/5MzIY0g1XoY?si=fqF8tA_HJ7Ud9R30

🎥 Video: Public Meeting—Jefferson Healthcare Board Discusses and Passes the Censure Resolution
https://youtu.be/50atzlro_RQ?si=8NslPRv1sNaB9zDw

📄 Document: Peninsula Health Alliance Proposal (PDF)

This statement reflects the views of Commissioner Matt Ready and is provided as a matter of public record and transparency.

Full Text of the Censure Resolution
(Reprinted for transparency and public access.)

In sharing this, I want to emphasize my disappointment—not in disagreement itself, which is healthy in any board—but in the choice to punish calls for transparency rather than address the underlying issues.

The OPMA Lawsuit: Perhaps A Necessary Step Toward Truth

Adding to this unfolding story, on October 23, 2025—the same day as my press release—community advocate Arthur West filed a lawsuit in Jefferson County Superior Court against Jefferson Healthcare, several commissioners, and CEO Mike Glenn. The complaint alleges multiple violations of the OPMA related to the handling of the PHA proposal, including unlawful executive sessions, serial meetings, and misuse of exemptions. I had no idea such a lawsuit was coming.

For the sake of completeness, here’s the key content from the complaint. (Note, the lawsuit misnames some of the commissioners of Jefferson Healthcare, an oversight I am sure they will correct.): Direct link to pdf (link)

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY

Arthur West,
Plaintiff,
v.
Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2, d/b/a Jefferson Healthcare;
Jill Buhler-Rienstra, Board Chair; Bruce MacFarlane, Commissioner; Kees Kolff, Commissioner; Teresa Bradley, Commissioner; Thomas O’Brien, Commissioner; and Mike Glenn, CEO,
Defendants.

PLAINTIFF’S ORIGINAL COMPLAINT

I. INTRODUCTION
1.1 This is an action under RCW 42.30, the Open Public Meetings Act (“OPMA”), arising from unlawful secret deliberations by Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2 (“Jefferson Healthcare”) and its governing board concerning creation of a private nonprofit entity known as the Peninsula Health Alliance (“PHA”), intended to merge or coordinate governance with Olympic Medical Center (“OMC”).
1.2 Between February and May 2025, Jefferson Healthcare CEO Mike Glenn and Board Chair Jill Buhler-Rienstra convened and facilitated multiple meetings, executive sessions, and serial communications among a quorum of commissioners without proper public notice, agenda posting, or lawful statutory exemption.
1.3 Plaintiff seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, statutory penalties against the governing-body members, and such further equitable remedies as may be just.

II. PARTIES AND JURISDICTION
2.1 Plaintiff Arthur West is “any person” within the meaning of RCW 42.30.130, and resides in Olympia, Washington.
2.2 Defendant Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2 (“Jefferson Healthcare”) is a public hospital district and “public agency” under RCW 42.30.020(1)(a).
2.3 Defendants Jill Buhler-Rienstra, Kees Kolff, Bruce MacFarlane, Teresa Bradley, and Thomas O’Brien are elected commissioners and members of the governing body of Jefferson Healthcare, subject to RCW 42.30.
2.4 Defendant Mike Glenn is the appointed Chief Executive Officer of Jefferson Healthcare. He is not a member of the governing body but is named as a non-member participant who knowingly facilitated or directed acts violating the OPMA. Plaintiff seeks declaratory and injunctive relief against him under RCW 42.30.050 and .060 but does not seek personal penalties under RCW 42.30.120.
2.5 Jurisdiction and venue are proper in Jefferson County Superior Court under RCW 4.12.025 and RCW 42.30.120.

III. ALLEGATIONS
3.1 On or about February 5, 2025, Jefferson Healthcare commissioners met in executive session to discuss the Peninsula Health Alliance proposal. No valid exemption under RCW 42.30.110 applied, as no pending litigation, specific threatened litigation, or real-estate transaction existed.
3.2 March 26, 2025 Board Meeting (“Project Driftwood”) – During this meeting, Commissioner Matt Ready attempted to raise concerns regarding undisclosed negotiations with OMC. Chair Buhler-Rienstra silenced discussion and adjourned into executive session under purported “legal advice” grounds. Emails later disclosed show that drafts of the merger proposal were circulated privately among a subset of commissioners and Jefferson Healthcare’s counsel, Brad Berg.
3.3 April 2025 Serial Meetings – After Ready’s objections, CEO Glenn and Chair Buhler-Rienstra arranged one-on-one, unrecorded telephone meetings between consultant Karma Bass and each commissioner regarding the merger. These meetings were un-noticed, undocumented, and occurred outside public view. Such “hub-and-spoke” communications constitute unlawful serial meetings under Wood v. Battle Ground Sch. Dist. No. 119, 107 Wn. App. 550 (2001), and Egan v. City of Seattle, 173 Wn. App. 492 (2013).
3.4 May 23, 2025 Meetings with Legal Counsel – An executive assistant, acting under CEO Glenn’s direction, scheduled private one-hour meetings between each commissioner and attorneys from Ogden Murphy Wallace PLLC concerning the alliance. These separate, sequential interviews again constituted a prohibited serial meeting.
3.5 Non-Disclosure Agreement – Commissioners and staff represented to the public that discussions were bound by an NDA that was never approved or voted upon by the full board. Even fellow commissioners were denied access to the document. Use of such an NDA is incompatible with the fiduciary obligations of public officers and violates the public-access policy of RCW 42.30.010. Approval of the NDA by the Board appears to have been accomplished in violation of the OPMA.
3.6 Independent Legal Opinion – On May 23, 2025, journalist Alison Arthur obtained an opinion from attorney Michele Earl-Hubbard of Allied Law Group, confirming that no exemption under RCW 42.30.110 authorized any executive session to discuss alliances or mergers. Her conclusion:
“No, the agency absolutely cannot legally use the ‘real estate’ or ‘potential litigation’ executive-session grounds to discuss creation of this new entity… So no — they are breaking the law meeting in secret under either of those two exemptions.”
3.7 Sheriff’s Investigation – Detective Sergeant Derek Allen of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated and reported:
“The actions likely violate the OPMA and may constitute official misconduct if intent is proven.”
The report was transmitted to the Jefferson and Clallam County Sheriffs, the State Auditor, and the Washington Attorney General’s Office.
3.8 Despite these findings, the board has neither rescinded the NDA nor conducted any public review of the Peninsula Health Alliance plan.

IV. CAUSES OF ACTION
4.1 Violation of the Open Public Meetings Act (RCW 42.30)
Defendants held one or more meetings in violation of the OPMA by:

• Conducting secret deliberations and serial meetings;
• Using false statutory exemptions;
• Approving or ratifying actions outside public session;
• Failing to provide proper notice or maintain minutes.
  4.2 Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (RCW 42.30.130)
  Plaintiff is entitled to declaratory judgment that these actions violated the OPMA and to injunctive relief restraining future violations.
  4.3 Civil Penalties (RCW 42.30.120)
  Each member of the governing body who knowingly attended a meeting where action was taken in violation of the OPMA is personally liable for a $500 penalty for the first violation and $1,000 for each subsequent violation.
  4.4 Attorney Fees and Costs (RCW 42.30.120(4))
  As the prevailing party, plaintiff is entitled to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and all costs of suit.

V. PRAYER FOR RELIEF
Plaintiff Arthur West respectfully requests that this Court:

1. Declare that Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2 and its board violated the Open Public Meetings Act;
2. Enjoin defendants from further violations of RCW 42.30;
3. Impose statutory civil penalties on the individual commissioners;
4. Award plaintiff his costs and reasonable attorney’s fees; and
5. Grant such further equitable or legal relief as the Court deems just and proper.

Dated: [undated in provided copy]

Respectfully submitted,
Arthur West
120 State Ave. NE #1497
Olympia, WA 98501
Pro Se Plaintiff

This lawsuit echoes many of the concerns I’ve raised over the past months. It’s disappointing that it has come to this—legal action against our own district—but it underscores how far we’ve strayed from the principles of open governance. The involvement of OMC commissioners in the PHA discussions without proper transparency only compounds the issue, as it affects communities across the peninsula.

Looking Forward: Hope in the Pursuit of Truth

As we navigate this challenging chapter, I remain hopeful. A legal process like this lawsuit can be cathartic, forcing us to confront uncomfortable truths through evidence and impartial review. It offers a chance for Jefferson Healthcare to rebuild on a foundation of genuine accountability, where decisions are made in the light of day, and where loyalty to the law and our community comes first. For the residents who depend on us—patients, staff, and families—this could mark the beginning of a more transparent, resilient institution.

I invite you to review the full archives on my website, www.ReadyForHealthcare.org, including videos and documents linked in the press release. Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome; together, we can advocate for the healthcare system our community deserves.

With respect and optimism,
Matt Ready
Jefferson Healthcare Commissioner