State Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, announced Tuesday that she would run for the chairperson position of the newly formed Clark County council.
If elected as county chairperson, Rivers said, she anticipates continuing to work as a state senator. She referred to both jobs as being part time.
“After all, the very nature of the chair position is part time, like all the councilor positions,” Rivers said in a written announcement. “That is what the people have demanded through their vote on the charter; I intend to honor their wishes and look forward to serving all the people of Clark County.”
She is the third person to disclose her intent on running for the position following the announcements of Marc Boldt, a former Republican county commissioner and state legislator, and Commissioner Tom Mielke, also a Republican and former state legislator.
The election of the chairperson will take place in 2015 as part of the county’s transition to a charter form of government.
“With a new governmental system we will require experience, patience, a proven record of bipartisanship and a vision of a great future for Clark County to make it work,” Rivers said. “We also must put our political divisions aside and pull together as a community to address the problems confronting us.”
Rivers, re-elected this week to her Senate caucus position as majority whip, said in October that she was contemplating a run at the county position, which will guide the direction of the five-member council. She said she decided to announce her intention to run after hearing from supporters. “I just thought we needed to get on with this,” she said.
Rivers also served on the Clark County Board of Freeholders, which was responsible for drafting a county charter.
She said there was precedent for a state senator to serve concurrently as a county commissioner, pointing to Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, a Mason County commissioner. The two have talked about what it takes to hold both positions, Rivers said.
She said the county is at a crossroads and she would work to bridge the partisan divide. “It’s time to move forward,” she said.
While Boldt and Mielke have expressed interest in the at-large position, which will be elected countywide, neither have started campaigning in earnest.
Rivers said she began talking with supporters on Tuesday and considers her campaign started.
Another name tied to the chairperson position is retiring Sheriff Garry Lucas, also a Republican who sat on the board of freeholders. He has played coy with his political future, though, saying only that he has thought about running for the position.
The council chairperson will be one of two new positions added through elections in 2015. The other will be for a representative of the newly created District 2, which encompasses northwest Clark County, including Ridgefield and La Center.
