Analysis: 5 takeaways from Tuesday’s primary

With voter turnout at 25.69 percent as of Friday’s ballot count, it’s hard to think of last week’s primary election as a pivotal moment for Clark County. But it may have been.

The voters who filled out their ballots set the new county charter — think of it as a county constitution — further down the road to implementation. They also eliminated all three current county councilors from contention to be the group’s first chair.

Though the election isn’t due to be certified until Aug. 18, there are already at least five obvious takeaways from this year’s primary. It’s likely the savvier candidates will heed these lessons as they prepare for Nov. 3:

1. Spending doesn’t translate to votes

Big spenders saw mixed results in local races, with the biggest spender of all, Republican Clark County Councilor David Madore, failing to advance to the general election.

Madore’s powerhouse of a primary campaign was visible nearly everywhere this election: in television and radio ads, in glossy mailers and in road signs. All told, Madore raised $259,719, of which $240,124 was his own money. He spent $188,448.

An independent political action committee, Keep Clark County Working, paid consulting firm Jamestown Associates $147,497 for pro-Madore television ads. Clark County businessmen Ken Fisher, founder and CEO of Fisher Investments, and Clyde Holland, CEO of development company Holland Partners, were the key donors for that group, having donated $75,000 each.

Together, the spending for Madore totaled $21.09 per vote — the equivalent taking each of the 15,925 people who voted for Madore out to dinner. Yet Madore finished third.

Contrast that with top vote earners Marc Boldt, no party preference, and Mike Dalesandro, a Democrat. They spent $11,178 and $4,219, respectively. Dalesandro, who spent $846 of his own money and took out $1,500 in loans, spent less than any other chair candidate — about 25 cents per vote.

In the Clark County council District 2 race, Republican Mary Benton raised $18,599, including $2,500 from loans, and spent $15,309 — more than any other District 2 candidate. Benton earned 3,182 or 17.84 percent of the votes, finishing in fourth place.

In two other races, the candidates with the top funding also got the most votes.

Vancouver port commission candidate Lisa Ross raised $22,033, more than any of her six opponents. Her campaign was funded largely by Madore and Holland. Madore sank $11,000 into Ross’ primary campaign, while Holland contributed $5,000.

Ty Stober, meanwhile, was the top fundraiser for the Vancouver City Council Position 5 race, receiving $30,676, and spending $21,037. He financed $1,462 of the campaign with his own money.

Linda Glover, the second-place finisher, received $15,085 for her campaign fund, including $3,000 in loans. She spent $9,899.

2. We’re ready for new faces

The primary election results made it clear Clark County voters are ready for a change in leadership on the county council — and for current leaders to take a backseat.

Marc Boldt and Mike Dalesandro prevailed in the race for Clark County chair over three sitting councilors, Republicans David Madore, Tom Mielke and Jeanne Stewart. Madore and Mielke have both taken turns as the appointed chair of the board, performing many of the duties of the new elected chair position.

“(Voters) are looking for a change,” Dalesandro said on election night.

Neither Boldt nor Dalesandro would be newcomers to elected office. Boldt in particular is a familiar face in county politics, having served on the Board of County Commissioners as a Republican for eight years, and before that as a 17th District state representative. Madore ousted Boldt from his county job in 2012.

Dalesandro would be new to county government, but he was elected to the Battle Ground City Council in 2013.

One incumbent in local races succeeded: Mavis Nickels, a candidate for Battle Ground Public Schools director No. 4, earned 4,251, or 47.68 percent, of the votes, becoming the top vote-getter in that primary.

The other three primary races — Port of Vancouver District 2 commissioner, Vancouver City Council Position 5 and Clark County council District 2 — were open races with no incumbent.

3. Stealth campaigns don’t succeed

Political candidates typically give interviews to reporters, seek media publicity, participate in campaign forums and take a position on issues. They want to get their names out there and give voters an idea of how they differ from their opponents.

However, a handful of Clark County candidates vying for public office in Tuesday’s primary opted out of conducting traditional campaigns — and none of them are advancing to the general election.

Take Vancouver City Council candidate Kathleen Metzger, who ran against Ty Stober and Linda Glover for an open seat being vacated by Larry Smith. When she filed for office minutes before the deadline, she didn’t have her campaign platform developed yet, so there was little to report in the first story about her candidacy. In early July, Metzger declined to participate in The Columbian’s editorial board meeting as well as a League of Women Voters candidate forum, depriving the public of two more opportunities to get to know her.

In addition, she declined to provide basic information about herself to a Columbian reporter, and she was spotted at only one city council meeting in the weeks leading up to the primary.

Eventually, Metzger’s campaign website went up, and then she began running radio ads. But it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, Stober and Glover had been aggressively fundraising, door-belling and putting up signs. According to the Public Disclosure Commission, Stober raised $30,676 and spent $21,037. Glover raised $15,085 and spent $9,899. Metzger raised $1,304 and spent $1,200.

Based on the primary results, Stober and Glover’s efforts clearly paid off. Stober led with 41.43 percent of the vote, followed by Glover with 36.49 percent. Metzger trailed well behind at 21.36 percent, as of Friday’s returns.

Mary Benton, a Republican candidate for Clark County council District 2, also ran a quiet campaign.

Benton, at least, had some name recognition from her husband, state Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver. It may never be clear whether that helped or hurt her in this election, but Benton didn’t shy away from the association; her signs dotting District 2 followed the same color and design of her husband’s Senate campaign signs.

Benton did not participate in the League of Women Voters forum, or agree to an interview with the Columbian’s editorial board. (The editorial board decides on the newspaper’s Opinion page policy and candidate endorsements.)

She met with a Columbian reporter once, but otherwise only responded to emails. During that meeting, Benton said she preferred to stay out of the spotlight, instead focusing on one-on-one interactions with potential constituents.

Benton did have some financial backing. According to the PDC, Benton raised $18,599.40 and spent $15,308.67.

Benton’s strategy, ultimately, did not pay off. As of Friday, Benton was running fourth in the five-candidate contest, taking 17.84 percent of the vote.

4. County charter proponents are still paying attention

In the two Clark County council races, advocates for the home-rule charter succeeded. Charter opponents didn’t.

And after all, both elections are only happening due to the implementation of the charter, a sort of county government constitution that was passed by voters in 2014. The county chair and District 2 positions were created by the charter.

Marc Boldt was a member of the board of freeholders that developed the charter. Smooth implementation of the charter was among his campaign priorities.

“The new charter makes local government more accountable to the voters and increases citizen representation,” Boldt’s website said.

The other advancer in the county chair race is Mike Dalesandro. He campaigned by citing the charter as proof that Clark County is ready for a new name and face. He said he would challenge the status quo.

“I fully support the charter and I believe that if you’re going to serve as chair that you need to fight for and believe in the form of government you’re representing,” Dalesandro posted on his Facebook page a week before the election.

In the council District 2 race, Democrat Chuck Green has been an active charter advocate, hosting charter education workshops with former Clark County Commissioner Betty Sue Morris. He also gave presentations to the board of freeholders during the development of the charter, and has criticized the council for being slow to implement the law.

While not a charter advocate, District 2 Republican Julie Olson has called on her experience as a Ridgefield school board member as evidence that she’s familiar with the charter form of government. The legislative body sets policy and directs the manager, while respecting the difference between the two.

“It’s something the voters clearly wanted to make a change,” she said.

The three current councilors who ran — Republicans David Madore, Tom Mielke and Jeanne Stewart — have been criticized for running for a seat that would not exist were it not for the charter, when all three were opposed to its creation in the first place. Both Madore and Mielke have said the charter removes representation from the people, while Stewart has criticized it for being a reactionary measure to remove powers from current county leaders.

5. Voters remain apathetic about local elections

A small percentage of the county’s population is once again deciding who will hold powerful positions throughout the county. Those positions include the chair of the Clark County council and the next Port of Vancouver commissioner, who will have a say in whether the oil-by-rail terminal is built.

Voter turnout in this year’s primary election was dismal. But unlike in previous years, Clark County’s voter turnout of 25.69 percent (as of Friday) topped the state’s 23.7 percent turnout.

“People say when there is something on the ballot they care about, that they are concerned about, they vote,” said county Auditor Greg Kimsey. “And if there isn’t, they don’t vote.”

Nationwide the number of people who bother to vote has been diminishing. In Washington, it’s often the case the general election results are the same as the primary. There are exceptions, but the primary result often foreshadows what’s to come in the general election.

With the hopes of boosting voter turnout, the Clark County Elections Department had two new ballot drop boxes this election cycle, one at Fisher’s Landing and the other in Battle Ground. More than 26 percent of the county’s voters chose to vote using a ballot drop box.