Letters to the editor
Published 1:30 am Monday, October 26, 2026
Washington State Guides Association supports coastal river closures
Washington State Guides Association stands behind WDFW’s decision to close fishing on the Chehalis, Humptulips, Willapa, Naselle, and other coastal rivers starting October 24th.
This is exactly the kind of closure guides understand and support. Near-historic low flows from this year’s drought, combined with coho returns running well below pre-season forecasts, mean fewer fish are making it to their spawning grounds. Protecting this year’s stock is what protects the future fisheries.
We know closures like this are hard on our members and the communities that depend on these rivers every fall. But WSGA’s position has never wavered: fish first always. When conservation is the real reason behind a closure, we support it.
WDFW made the right call here and is hoping to reopen the water as soon as flows and fish numbers support it. We’ll keep working with the department on getting our members accurate, timely information as this drought continues to play out.
Washington State Guides Association
Judge Valentine the right choice for District Court
I am writing to endorse Megan Valentine for District Court judge. She is hardworking, honest, and ethical. The same cannot be said about David Mistachkin.
I was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Municipal Court Judge in Grays Harbor for many years and had the misfortune of encountering his behavior as he represented clients. Once again, after losing an election he is running for judge and in the process, trying to whitewash his past unethical behavior.
As a judge, Mistachkin believed he should get preferential treatment from law enforcement. An example of this occurred on February 12, 2024 during his alcohol-related driving arrest. An officer wrote in his report that Mistachkin was “confrontational” and “argumentative” during the DUI processing and “at times seemed to be posturing up as if he was getting mad.” His lawyer “had to physically hold him back.” Mistachkin subsequently tried to make money off this case by suing the responding officers and Grays Harbor County. On July 13, 2026, Judge Theresa Fricke of U.S. District Court in Tacoma, threw the case out by granting a summary judgement for the county and the officers.
On February 13, 2024, the day after his run-in with the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, Mistachkin presided over a trial where the defendant was charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer. Apparently, Mistachkin was still upset from the night before. The jury convicted the defendant, but Mistachkin later threw the verdict out, repeatedly calling the testifying officer a liar. Mistachkin also accused the prosecutor of trying to cover up the supposed lies. In a scathing decision, the Court of Appeals overturned Mistachkin’s rulings, and reinstated the conviction. The court stated that Mistachkin’s conclusions were untenable and unsupported by the facts. His conduct was “incomprehensible” and “egregious.” The Court ruled that all 32 findings of fact and 19 conclusions of law entered by Mistachkin were “invalid.” Is it any wonder that law enforcement has endorsed Megan Valentine and not Mistachkin?
Finally, ask yourself would not other Judges who have worked closely with Mistachkin be familiar with his honesty, ethics, impartiality, and Judicial temperament? Why then do the following Grays Harbor County elected judges endorse Valentine: Katherine Svoboda, Steven Jackson, Andrea Vingo, Stephen Brown (retired), and David Edwards? Please visit re-electjudgevalentine.org and look at the dozens of judges that support her. Then go to Mistachkin’s page. Why so few judicial endorsements for Mistachkin? Because the judges are remarkably familiar with both candidates’ ethics and integrity.
Please join the above judges and law enforcement in voting for honesty, ethics, and integrity for Grays Harbor. Vote Valentine.
Paul Conroy
Aberdeen