Sequim Gazette staff

Given one word to summarize her run for Clallam County Auditor, Kim Yacklin, 50, says “transparency” is key.

If elected, her first official act, she says, would be to post the county’s monthly expenditures online by each department, which is currently not posted online in its entirety.

“I think it creates open government and accountability to the people we serve,” she said.

Yacklin, a Tumwater native, has been in Port Angeles for 28 years and serving as Clallam County Health & Human Services administrative manager since 1992.

Looking to the auditor’s position, Yacklin said she’s been a manager for more than 24 years with many strengths in managing personnel and finances including experience working in the personnel/risk management department and public health department.

“I have the ability to go into (the auditor’s) department with fresh ideas,” she said.

Prior to Clallam County, she’s worked with the Department of Social and Health Services, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Employment Security Department.

On the issues

Following her first goal toward better transparency, Yacklin seeks to increase voter outreach and education.

“We’re consistently lower than Jefferson and Kitsap counties by 7-10 percent,” she said.

To counter that, Yacklin seeks to visit with civic groups and schools to talk about the voting process and encourage people to vote. She also seeks to maintain and better relations with customers, stakeholders and subagents, such as the licensing office in Sequim.

One long-range goal she hopes to implement is enacting a quality improvement process to look into savings, customer service issues and more.

“It’s an ongoing process that never stops,” she said. “I want to assure the public has access to all services and excellent customer service.”

Another issue Yacklin said she wants to investigate is that the county’s risk pool reports one of its highest claim payouts is due to the lack of supervisory experience and knowledge leading to mishandling employee actions. She said her experience in labor/personnel relations will be important in working with staff.

In the race for auditor, Yacklin said it’s been a big commitment but she’s met a lot of great people and learned a lot about the county.

If she won, Yacklin said she’d seek to put the county’s financial information online as soon as possible because it wouldn’t be difficult. If she were to lose her election, she intends to keep her job while remaining involved in electoral issues in the county.

Personal Life

Yacklin stays busy outside of the office, she said with family, gardening and volunteer work.

She and her husband, Brett, a retired Washington State Patrol sergeant, have two children together, Blake, 22, and Brianna, 12.

Yacklin said the campaign trail has led them postpone their annual summer vacation but “win, lose or draw we’ll go somewhere next year.”

As a volunteer, Yacklin helps coordinate activities and transportation for the Clallam County Special Olympics’ team Orcas, she helps coordinate the Clallam County courthouse’s United Way campaign, helps with the annual law enforcement torch run to benefit the Special Olympics and she helps at her daughter’s school. She also enjoys gardening.

For more information on Kim Yacklin, visit www.kimforauditor.com.