Port Angeles – The use of fluoride in the Port Angeles water supply appears to have been upheld, even after last night’s lengthy city council meeting.

Tuesday night’s city council meeting was again packed with people, there to participate in the public comment portion of the meeting. After about three hours of discussion on the topic, the council members agreed to vote on one of the five proposed options in the fluoride debate.

City Clerk, Jennifer Veneklasen, spoke with KONP about Tuesday night’s proceedings.

Back in December, the Port Angeles City Council members voted 4 to 3 in favor of keeping fluoride in the city’s drinking water supply.

That vote came despite a survey of city water customers, in which a 56% majority did not want fluoride in their drinking water.

Last night’s vote breakdown to continue using fluoride showed Cherie Kidd, Dan Gase, Patrick Downie, and Brad Collins in favor of continuing the city’s fluoridation, with Lee Whetham, Michael Merideth and Sissi Bruch in favor of going with option five.

Option five would have stopped fluoridation but called for up to $40,000 in funding for what the city called an “Oral Care Health Initiative.”

Members of the group “Clean Water For Clallam County”, are opposed to fluoridation and are vowing to change city government to recall the pro fluoride city council members they refer to as “the fluoride four”. Dr. Eloise Kailin, a retired professor of medicine, represents the group and spoke with KONP about what they plan to do.

467 signatures on the petition will be enough to start the process of changing Port Angeles government structure. That change could mean that all presently elected officials would have to undergo another vote to maintain their current offices.

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