Hoquiam Ward 6 City Councilor Dave Hinchen took to Facebook Friday afternoon to announce his resignation.

Hinchen was appointed to the Hoquiam City Council and sworn in in April of 2018, ran unopposed and won election in 2019, and won re-election while once again running unopposed in 2023. The city of Hoquiam will now engage in an appointment process.

Hinchen wrote:

To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter to inform you that I am resigning my position as the 6th Ward Councilman. It is with deep sadness that I felt the need to get away from the city of Hoquiam and move to another county. I am a born and raised Hoquiam Grizzly. I love the city and the people who live here. However, I cannot continue to watch what is going on in our school district and within our city administration and government. The fallacies and the self-serving leadership in both of these entities is gross, and some people need to take some ownership of the massive downfall of both. To watch the school administration go after a coach and teacher the way they did this year was truly disappointing and seemingly unwarranted. And to watch our city administration continue to give themselves and all of the employees raise when our citizens our struggling as we continue to raise utility rates is absolutely disgusting to me. When I asked them to get “creative” and figure out how we can impede the rate hikes, they said it is not possible. However, when they were getting raises for the employees there was a shortfall of money, but they were able to get creative and figure out where these funds were going to come from (General Fund). I realize that council needs to approve these things before they are to be in place, but we have failed the people massively in this as well. I implore my fellow council members to ask questions, question the information from this administration as I have learned that they have an agenda and will give us the information in the slant that they want you to vote. I would also like to tell the citizens of Hoquiam to do your research of the people you are electing to office and realize that many of them are not like minded people of our area. We should have people in office that understand Hoquiam and truly represent the people of this great city.

Like I said, I am a born and raised Hoquiam Grizzly and I have my whole family there, shoot my whole life is there. And to say that I am upset enough to feel the need to get out of there is saying something. I am in way advocating people to move away, but I felt the need to let people know what they already have known: Hoquiam is broken and it’s going to take the citizens of Hoquiam to fix it, because the leadership only care about their money.

David E Hinchen

6th Ward councilman