(Video now added) City council candidates have differing views

Vancouver City Councilor Bart Hansen and his challenger in November’s election, Justin Forsman, faced off in a Columbian editorial board meeting Wednesday, offering a distinctive contrast between the two candidates.

Their resumes are wildly different, as are their visions and expectations for the city — except when it comes to helping the homeless and vulnerable, which both are passionate about.

Hansen, 40, a key accounts manager for Clark Public Utilities, said his top issue is transportation — finding a sustainable way to pay for street maintenance, construction and repairs. Hansen said a blend of funding sources to pay for streets, including a $20 car tab fee, probably will be needed. An uptick in sales tax and property tax from the growing economy will help, too, he said.

“It’s going to take some political courage to get something done,” Hansen said.

When it comes to streets, Forsman, 27, suggested putting the $800,000 the city is receiving this year in recreational marijuana excise tax money toward building roads. He doesn’t support any tax hikes. He thinks the city should ease congestion and idling traffic by adding more flashing yellow lights and employing “smart” technology at intersections.

Hansen, on the other hand, said it would make more sense for the city to spend the marijuana excise tax money on public safety with the addition of traffic patrol officers and property crimes detectives.

Forsman, a part-time student who said he has attended part of one city council meeting and watched others on CVTV, is running for office because “I am truly for the people. … I’ve walked in the shoes of the citizens.”

He wants to eliminate housing discrimination, an issue he’s personally encountered as a convicted felon with credit problems. He lives in a trailer on someone’s property, trying to scrape together enough money for gas and cat food, he said.

Forsman, whose rap sheet includes property crimes such as burglary and theft, doesn’t think his past criminal history is relevant in this election.

Forsman, too, favored an advisory vote. He said he’s not a fan of fireworks because they scare animals and cause distress to military veterans.

“Does that really represent the Fourth of July? Does that represent independence? I don’t think so,” he said.

Likewise, both Forsman and Hansen oppose a proposed crude oil-handling facility at the Port of Vancouver. Hansen has safety concerns. Neither wants to see the city go in the direction of fossil fuels.

Hansen’s biggest achievement on the council has been this fall’s launch of the Youth Opportunity Pass Program, which provides 1,500 free bus passes and free entry to the city’s community centers to low-income students in the Evergreen and Vancouver school districts. Hansen, who conceived the idea as a way to provide transportation for students after school to a safe environment to study or recreate, was able to get approval for the project from the city council, the school districts, Clark County and C-Tran.

Hansen also helped develop the city’s utility assistance program, in which the city helps struggling working families pay their utility bills through donations from other customers. The program is modeled after Clark County Public Utilities’ Operation Warm Heart.

“I want to drive home more projects like that, that help folks,” said Hansen.

Forsman wants to insulate the local power grid, saying that if it fails, 9 out of 10 people could die. He also wants to ensure the United Nations doesn’t impose sanctions on the city, he told the editorial board.

“I want to do everything I can for freedom, liberty,” he said.