arely has an incumbent politician fallen so far, so rapidly as Washougal Mayor Stacee Sellers. Four years ago she received 55 percent of the votes and began her first term guiding Clark County’s fourth-largest city. But this year that support plummeted to just 26 percent of the votes on Nov. 3. Four days earlier, she had been censured by the Washougal City Council after a scathing report earlier this year from the state auditor, plus revelations of about $100,000 in unaccounted funds from city-sponsored events and charges of almost $700 on Sellers’ city credit card for food and alcohol during a business trip to Las Vegas.
After the election, Sellers went on vacation. Certainly nothing wrong with that on face value, but unlike previous vacations, she did not return e-mails and phone calls from city department leaders while she was away. That prompted Sean Guard — the man who had defeated Sellers with 72 percent of the votes — to predict last week: “I think we’re finding the epitome of the definition of lame duck.” And when asked if Sellers should resign before completing her term through December, Guard noted that “there are an awful lot of folks in the community who would just as soon see her take the high road and do what’s best for the community. If the last week or 10 days is any indication, it’s going to be a long six or seven weeks” before he takes over in January.
On Monday, Sellers did precisely that — what’s best for the community — and resigned by e-mail, effective immediately. Thus ends the meteoric mayoral term of the woman who dazzled voters back in 2005. In a Tuesday Columbian story by Marissa Harshman, Guard said, “In the end, I think (Sellers), hopefully, thought of the citizens.”
Credit Sellers with making the best decision for her constituents, to remove herself from the political turmoil in Washougal and give city employees and local residents six weeks to pause, collectively take a deep, cleansing breath and prepare for Guard to take over. Mayor Pro Tem Molly Coston will serve in the interim.