The first elected representative from Clark County’s new District 2 is in for a challenge.
The district, which encompasses northwest Clark County and includes the cities of Ridgefield and La Center, will elect its first county councilor this November after voters approved a home-rule charter last year. District 2’s representative, as well as a countywide chair, will take their seats on the board of Clark County councilors next January.
But a shift in how Clark County operates could be accompanied by a shakeup in its political dynamic.
“If the philosophies and priorities of the two new elected (councilors) are significantly different, we could have some interesting policy debate,” Mark McCauley, acting county manager, said.
District 2 is at the heart of that shift.
The area is home to a diversity of people and places — obvious from a quick drive through the area — that will be a challenge to represent, no matter whom is elected.
There’s the suburban southern end that encompasses Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek. There’s quaint, homey downtown Ridgefield, which contrasts with the busy industrial complexes east of the city. Scattered throughout the district are rural, winding roads flanked on either side by farms, rural homes and swaths of forest.
Look deeper at election data and the portrait of District 2 becomes even more complicated. Unlike its more liberal and conservative neighbors — District 1 and District 4, respectively — an R or a D next to a candidate’s name holds less sway in Clark County’s District 2. The right Republican or Democrat could win the district, but previous election results predict a tight race.
Washington’s recreational pot shops broke another record on May 1, netting $1.83 million in daily sales and $459,203 in excise tax.
May 1 seems like an odd day for a new record, unless you consider that it was a Friday — which is often the best weekly shopping day for pot — and that sales are, for the most part, growing across the board at Washington stores.
But Brian Budz, one of the owners of New Vansterdam, has a different theory to the May Day success.
“I think it was a combination of the parties for the (Floyd) Mayweather-(Manny) Pacquiao fight and preparation for Cinco de Mayo,” Budz said, adding that several customers at his store told him they were stocking up for the boxing match.
The previous daily sales record was set on a Friday, April 17, heading into the 420 marijuana holiday weekend. Stores netted more than $1.76 million in sales that day, according to the state Liquor Control Board.
Vancouver stores are in many ways leading the pack when it comes to continued growth — with the city’s two biggest stores almost continually among the top three sellers in the state.
New Vansterdam has been the state’s top seller since recreational shops first opened in July, with nearly $7.98 million in sales to date, and Main Street Marijuana comes in second with more than $6 million to date. Seattle’s Uncle Ike’s is third with more than $5.88 million.
“It’s not really a huge secret that a lot of our success is attributable to our proximity to Portland,” Budz said. “Having a Denver-sized area at our disposal has been an immeasurable benefit for both stores.”
Sharon Culver never had any doubts that she’d earn her degree. But that doesn’t mean it came easy.
Since enrolling at Washington State University Vancouver five years ago, Culver has endured four surgeries because of various medical issues. She suffered a heart attack in January, then a return trip to the hospital in February.
She’s also 70 years old.
“I decided I was going to do it, and I was going to finish,” said Culver, who lives in the Salmon Creek area. “And that was it.”
Culver earned her bachelor’s degree in human development, with hopes of becoming a social worker. She was one of 975 WSUV graduates from the Class of 2015 honored Saturday during the school’s annual commencement ceremony.
Among the faces in the crowd were several of Culver’s family members, who stood and cheered when she crossed the stage at the Amphitheater Northwest. Culver has three children, 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Danielle Franklin, who lives in Woodland but works as a truck driver in North Dakota, made the trip to see her mother complete the journey.
“She’s my inspiration,” Franklin said. “She should be an inspiration to a lot of people.”
Culver has previously worked lengthy careers in both nursing and accounting. She also worked a brief stint as a school bus driver. Culver chose social work this time around, she said, because “I wanted to help people.”
At an age when many people are retired, Culver said she plans to work as long as she is able. She doesn’t have her next job lined up yet.
Recently released oil train safety regulations could undermine transparency efforts at the national level, but Washington state officials are hoping a new state law will ensure access to information about volatile Bakken crude oil moving through the region.
The new federal rules end the practice of railroads’ notifying state agencies.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., joined with other senators in urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to strengthen disclosure requirements.
“We call upon you to issue an Emergency Order that improves the process for providing detailed information on crude-by-rail movements and volumes to first responders, shifts the onus for information sharing onto the railroads and not communities, and allows for the continued public availability of broader crude-by-rail data on movements and routes,” the senators wrote.
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The recently passed state measure, House Bill 1449, which is expected to be signed into law next week, would require oil refineries to share information about type of oil and volume with both the state’s Department of Ecology and first responders. The information would be available in aggregate form for the public on a quarterly basis.
Railroads must give refineries details about the volume of the load and the type of oil. Unlike railroads, which are regulated for the most part at the federal level, refineries must abide by state law.
“(Railroads) have to report to refineries, it’s a product that’s getting delivered and the refineries are buying the product,” said Rep. Jessyn Farrell, D-Seattle, likening it to a grocery store’s preparing to receive a delivery.
Port of Vancouver Commissioner Nancy Baker said today she will not run for a third, six-year term on the port’s three-member board.
“I feel good about it,” Baker, first elected to the District 2 position in 2003, said of her decision. “I have done a very good job” at the port.
The announcement by Baker, 77, comes as five people so far have announced their candidacies for District 2 and as Baker and Commissioners Jerry Oliver and Brian Wolfe face public criticism for approving a lease for what would be the nation’s largest rail-to-marine oil transfer terminal.
The port was sued by three environmental groups who allege the port violated the state’s open public meetings law in deciding the oil terminal contract. The port denies wrongdoing, saying it rendered the suit moot when it held a second public hearing and vote on the lease.
For her part, Baker said there “comes a time when you’ve got to take a step back and think about yourself, your family and your world.” She added, “It’s not as if I haven’t done plenty for this community.”
Baker said she will serve the remainder of her current term, which expires Dec. 31. In January, Baker told The Columbian she planned to run for re-election. She made those remarks not long after the formation of Taxpayers for a Responsible Public Port. The port’s decision to sign the oil terminal lease with Tesoro Corp., a petroleum refiner, and Savage Cos., a transportation company, sparked the formation of the Taxpayers for a Responsible Public Port political action committee.
The group contends the port lacks public accountability and transparency. The group says it will examine, select and financially back candidates for port commission, including Baker’s position on the board.
The nonpartisan District 2 port race now has no incumbent attempting to hold onto the position. The filing period is between May 11 and May 15. If three or more candidates file for port commission, an Aug. 4 primary will occur. The top two candidates from the primary would move to the Nov. 3 general election. Only registered voters in District 2 are allowed to vote in the primary. In the general election, all voters in the entire port district may cast ballots.
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