(Airdate: September 20, 2022) Maryanne McNellis interviews Dr. Liza Mathias, who runs Uptown Dental in PT. She’s a true local, born and raised here. She was torn between art and science when she was in college. After a few years in dead-end, entry-level jobs in Seattle, a friend suggested dentistry might be her answer. Among those she consulted for career advice was Dr. Steven Scharf, her dentist since she was 3 years old. He was extremely enthusiastic. In fact, when she graduated from dental school he wanted her to join him in practice in Port Townsend. A few years later she bought him out – becoming the only female running a dental practice here. Dr. Mathias sees dentistry as the perfect union of art and science. She can be positively lyrical about shaping a crown just right. She views each mouth as an artistic challenge. Sculptors sometimes say they can see the shape that can emerge from inside a block of stone. This dentist believes in the potential beauty in the shapes and fit of teeth.

(Airdate: September 6, 2022) Maryanne interviews John Paul Davies, owner of Key City Fish. He started as a teen fishing in Alaska. When he was at the University of Washington he had a part-time job at a fish store. By the time he moved to Port Townsend in the early 1990s, John Paul (or JP) was ready to open a retail operation for New Day Fisheries. But selling from an outside tent wasn’t that profitable in winter. JP was laid off but saw it as an opportunity to start his own business: Key City Fish. Flash forward to today: Key City is now a local institution with both retail and wholesale operations. Most restaurants and specialty stores on the Peninsula stock Key City fish and meat. The Covid crisis actually strengthened retail sales as more of us became home chefs. But Covid hurt, of course. Most restaurants closed for a while. John Paul laid off staff but, with the aid of government programs, carried on. Now Key City is back on track with JP going strong and a vibrant younger generation in the wings.

(Airdate: August 23, 2022) Maryanne McNellis interviews Thomas Olson, Port Townsend’s Police Chief. There’s been a spike in violent crimes nationally since the beginning of the Pandemic. Fortunately, Port Townsend has not seen a corresponding crime wave. But it’s been a challenging beginning for Chief Olson, who has been on the job for less than two years. Due to a combination of retirements and staff adjustments only three officers have stayed with the department since he took over. It’s part of a national trend — thousands of officers have left policing in the past few years. Chief Olson’s priorities have been recruitment and hiring. Now he’s refocusing the department to “community policing.” Each officer will have a specific geographic beat with a goal to get out there and meet the community. More bike patrols are on the horizon. PT has only 15 officers for its 10,000 population. But Olson’s ambitious plans also include a defined strategic plan and state accreditation.

(Airdate: July 26, 2022) Maryanne interviews Bob Wheeler, Project Director for the Port Hadlock Sewer System. The sewer system has been talked about for years — but it’s finally happening. Land has been purchased for the wastewater treatment plant and bidding on contracts will begin this fall. Growth has been strangled without a sewer. The region’s current “rural” designation mandates one house per 5 acres. Businesses can’t grow due to septic restrictions. When there’s a sewer system, Port Hadlock can become an urban growth region. That changes everything. Apartment buildings and other multi-family housing projects are suddenly viable. Businesses such as QFC can finally expand the way they would like. Bob’s enthusiasm for the project is boundless. We may be nearing at least a partial solution to our housing crisis.

(Airdate: July 12, 2022) Maryanne interviews Betsy Davis, Executive Director of the Northwest Wooden Boat School. Falling in love with a wooden boat can be a life-changer as Betsy will tell you. After a career in high-tech and retailing her heart was captured by a 1914 wooden boat. Needless to say, it needed some TLC before cruising. Some people would just hire a team to restore the boat. But Betsy wanted to know how to do it herself, so she enrolled in a wooden boat school. Many stories later, she ended up as Executive Director of the Seattle Center for Wooden Boats. In 2014 she was hired as Executive Director of our local Northwest School of Wooden Boats. The school has flourished under her direction. And both Betsy and her boat,The Glorybe, have flourished here

(Airdate: June 28, 2020) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Richard Davies, senior public defender for Jefferson County. Richard and his team represent anyone in Jefferson County who needs state-funded legal representation after being arrested. He estimates that’s about 90% of all legal cases here. We actually have witnessed a drop in the crime rate here. Changing drug laws have helped reduce the overall number of felony charges. The pandemic also helped reduce crime numbers. Fewer people have been out and about and the police have been reluctant to pull over cars for things like broken tail lights. Still, Richard believes our legal system needs a thorough overhaul. Society is in the midst of change. For example, attitudes toward addiction have shifted. We now have a Drug Court which aims to “give people a hand up rather than a boot in the back.”

(Airdate: June 14, 2022) Maryanne McNellis interviews Amanda Milholland, director of both the Port Townsend and Chimacum Farmers Markets. Amanda’s a local girl with a passion for food. During her time with the Peace Corp in Uganda she learned the value of knowing just where her food was grown. In recent years, more and more people are wanting to know just how their meat, dairy, or produce is grown. The whole “farm to table” movement is based on that premise. Like all businesses, the farmers markets were impacted by the pandemic. But because they are considered “essential businesses” the time when they were actually shut down was fairly brief. Early on, traffic and revenue shrunk to about half of pre-pandemic levels. Food was still sold but popular events like cooking demonstrations and live music were cancelled for much of the first two years of the pandemic. But right now things are looking bright for the 2022 season. The number of vendors is back to pre-pandemic levels. Amanda is excited to report that music, cooking, and even story time for the kids are back this year. It’s the market’s 30th anniversary and everyone wants to celebrate this hometown treasure.

(Airdate: May 31, 2022) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews John Clise, a man who embraced and enjoyed several different careers over his first 90 years of life. John grew up in Seattle, served as a translator in the Korean war and finished his undergraduate degree at Stanford. After returning to the Pacific Northwest, he spent some years in his family’s business. He was working out of an office at the Pike Place Market, which at that time was under threat of developers turning it into offices and condos. John was part of the group that successfully “saved” Pike Place by getting its historic designation. He went on to become Executive Director of Pike Place for nearly a decade. Looking for a new adventure, John decided that Port Townsend would be his next home base. He soon realized that he had to find a career on the Olympic Peninsula. He found out that the venerable Aldrich’s Market was teetering on the brink of insolvency. So he bought it and owned and operated Aldrich’s for years. During that time he also turned to local politics — serving on Port Townsend City Council and becoming Mayor in an era before the town had a City Manager. The job was much different than it is today. At some point John thought he might retire. He sold the store and completed his mayoral duties. But he’s not exactly one to sit back and take in the view. He was soon mentoring small businesses and became a versatile actor with Key City Players, playing everything from kings to monsters. He also volunteered and became a key part of the team at KPTZ-FM. What’s next?

(Airdate: May 17, 2022) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Monica MickHager, a  first-term Port Townsend City Council member. Monica has been involved in city politics for years, serving over a decade on the Planning Commission, many years on Parks & Recreation and School District committees plus 19 years with the PT Film Festival. But running for elected office was a big step. She took office in January 2020, just before the pandemic shut everything down. Monica had campaigned aggressively on getting the town’s debt load under control and repairing our pothole-riddled streets. But with the city under strict emergency orders, there was little chance for major change. Still, Monica’s stint as a council member has been eye-opening. She understands more fully why it takes so very long for the city to change policies. That doesn’t mean she has given up on her goals. In addition to focusing on debt reduction and streets, she is also working on affordable housing, renters’ rights, and parking management. And then there’s the ever-growing deer herd in Port Townsend. Monica has meticulously studied every issue and is ready to suggest what she sees as better solutions. Not everyone agrees, of course.