Vancouver’s next mayor will either be a long-time community volunteer and current city councilor or a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who has sharply criticized the city’s leadership.
On election night, Vancouver City Councilor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, who serves as mayor pro tem, won 63 percent of the 15,981 ballots counted. Steven Cox, a political newcomer and a precinct committee officer with the local Republican Party, will face her in the general election after receiving 20 percent of the vote.
“My stomach has been in flip flops for days,” said a giddy McEnerny-Ogle. “This is very exciting.”
Going into the general election, McEnerny-Ogle said she’ll go “after the issues a little tighter” while continuing to doorbell.
Cox couldn’t be reached for comment. But he’s criticized the city’s handling of transportation, as well as housing and homelessness.
Scott Campbell, the government and community affairs liaison with Waste Connections, leads the race for Vancouver City Council Position 1, with 55 percent of 15,506 votes counted as of election night. He’ll face Maureen McGoldrick, who received 16.8 percent of votes cast. McGoldrick kept a low profile during the race. She raised no money, didn’t show up for an interview with The Columbian’s Editorial Board and didn’t submit a photo for the voters’ pamphlet. A call to the “503” phone number listed on her campaign filings was not answered.
“I’m overwhelmed. I’m deeply humbled. I’ve got great support in this community,” Campbell said. “Everything that I’ve done has led up to wanting to be on city council, and I hope I can represent the citizens of the city of Vancouver.”
Businesswoman Linda Glover received 62 percent of the vote out of 15,464 votes counted on election night. Michelle Beardshear, a neighborhood activist and Clark Public Utilities employee, received 21 percent of the vote in the Position 3 race.
“I’m excited, relieved and looking forward to continuing the campaign,” said Glover. She attributed her success attending campaign events and talking to voters, a strategy she said she will continue into the general election. “I’m glad I have a nice lead,” she said. This is Glover’s second time running for city council. She lost to Ty Stober in the 2015 general election by about 2 percent of the votes.
“I really did a grass-roots campaign,” said Beardshear, a political newcomer. “I visited neighborhood associations and got out in front of people.”
Low voter turnout
Vancouver City Councilor Jack Burkman, who is retiring from his Position 1 seat, said that candidates that have been out in the community are typically the ones that prevail.
But he said he was particularly dismayed by the low voter turnout.
“A lot of people I’m talking to say, ‘What primary?’ ” he said.
On election night, Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said he’s now expecting 20 percent voter turnout in Clark County, down from an earlier projection of 25 percent. Kimsey said that he based his prior projection on previous primaries. But he said the rate at which ballots have been coming in led him to revise his expectations.
The results will be finalized on Aug. 15.
