Bridging the Divide: Inside Pacific County Voices Uniting’s Mission and Operations

Pacific County Voices Uniting (PCVU) has found itself at the center of local discussions, facing questions regarding its operation, funding history, and political engagement. To clear the air and address public discourse, PCVU Executive Director Bethany Barnard sat down to discuss the organization's actual scope, funding practices, and ongoing efforts to foster civil participation across the entire county.

Clearing Up Funding and Campaign Allegations

Recent allegations have suggested PCVU has funneled public funds or made direct contributions to a local political candidate. Barnard firmly clarified how the organization handles finances, emphasizing the separation between institutional funds and personal staff actions.

In clarifying how staff members participate in political events, Barnard noted, “that actually isn't really PCVU. That would be like... I do it. Does that make sense? Or like different staff does it, but that's with their own money... PCVU doesn't like reimburse or do stuff like that.”

To maintain full transparency, Barnard noted that PCVU files in-kind independent expenditures with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) for campaigns such as No Hate in Washington State and Initiative 645, with reports due on the 10th.

Setting the Record Straight on County Grants

In specifically addressing rumors of funneling county funding, Barnard chuckled that PCVU has received one grant from the county, and it was technically only funneled. PCVU was the recipient as a subcontractor through Pacific County Health and Human Services via a Washington State Department of Commerce grant. 

“We had very specific grant deliverables, and it was all about community outreach on getting people signed up for services,” Barnard said. “In the wake of COVID and everything like that, offices were still like not completely open, or they were like hybrid situations, especially here in Pacific County.

“Our job was to work with folks on getting them signed up for unemployment, getting them signed up for their EBT benefits, whatever it was that they needed to get signed up for. We were helping with that. We had very specific grant deliverables that we were doing... we could only count certain employees' time and effort. Every invoice and everything had to go through like this strenuous accountability thing that was not only approved by the county, but that was approved by the Department of Commerce,” Barnard added.

Aside from that specific historical grant, Barnard confirmed, “We have not received any funding besides that grant from the county since then”.

Core Mission and Identified Populations

The organization deliberately centers outreach on what Barnard and PCVU call “identified populations,” which are underrepresented and underserved groups defined as Indigenous people and people of color, LGBTQI2S+ individuals, and people living with disabilities both invisible and visible.

While that explanation alone may appear overly specific, Barnard notes that while the identified populations receive focus, the overall goal of PCVU is far more far-reaching.

“We want to really build a healthy culture of civic engagement...” Barnard said. “We know that our identified populations have been often forgotten or silenced, so we want to work to, you know, uplift the voices of those most historically underrepresented”.

PCVU and Barnard believe that their mission can help make a progressive difference that narrows the gaps of social divide.

“We really feel that if we can, work by helping folks with voter education, to... letting people feel like that they have enough education to vote, that they might feel that empowerment to vote,” Barnard said. “When they never felt like they could be included in that space before, and then potentially, building them up in that aspect to then run for these elected and appointed positions to help build reflective representation”.

Uniting the North–South Divide

One of the distinct pillars of PCVU is the philosophy of uniting the divided geographic regions of Pacific County. Barnard emphasized that despite the cultural and operational separation between the north and south county regions, the area functions as a singular community.

“We really do want to... bring in this... belief in collaboration, and we feel that we have an opportunity to work towards a common agenda by working with community partners that serve our rural frontier county,” Barnard said. 

“We have this divide, right? This north and south divide, that really has its own unique culture and... that they operate completely separate, but we really are one community, and we need to think as one community, and we need to provide services for this whole entire area, right?” Barnard added.

Achieving this requires working alongside local leaders, policymakers, and service providers to make complex public systems more navigable. Barnard noted that the system “is truly not meant for everyone, unfortunately,” while also emphasizing that staff work out in the field to help people access support networks.

Open Doors and Ongoing Dialogue

While acknowledging that criticism and feedback are natural parts of organizational growth, Barnard stressed an ongoing openness to dialogue, specifically stating, “When people provide us feedback, we try to really be receptive because that's going to help us meet their needs better”.

One recent allegation that has struck a nerve is that PCVU is solely supportive of only identified populations and limits involvement with the organization to these specific populations. Barnard notes that is far, far from the truth.

“It's open to anybody who wants to be a part of and take action with PCVU. You're more than welcome, and we have various ways to take action, from signing up to receiving our newsletter to volunteering, participating in lobby days of action, and then also we have... donating to PCVU”.

In the seven years that PCVU has been an active organization in Pacific County, members have championed for change and worked diligently to make all voices heard. From holding fundraisers to hosting political candidate forums where the tough questions are asked, they are chipping away at a historical divide.

“We really view ourselves as evolutionary,” Barnard said. “We are a baby org in a lot of ways, but it's really important for us to grow as an organization, to meet the needs of our community...”

Before the interview ended with the Observer, Barnard was asked about her philosophy, since she likes to hold open dialogue, even when it is over a contentious topic. She credits that to the way she was raised, with how her mom— a Native American who came from a background of generational trauma and boarding school survival—and her dad, an elected official of European descent, addressed disagreement or contention.

“They sat down at the table, and they taught us whether it was at home or whether it was somebody like my dad. People came because my dad was an elected official,” Barnard said. “People come to the house. People call whatever.

"I'll tell you, my dad would sit down and he'd listen, and he would teach us that you had to be open to having conversations. They both did. You had to listen to both sides. Doesn't mean you agreed with it, but you had to listen, and you had to work together to do what was best...” Barnard added.