The lesson from Tuesday’s primary election is thus: Clark County is too big, too proud, too resilient to allow a single person to impose his or her will upon county government.
David Madore was sent packing by voters, failing to advance out of the primary in a quest to retain his seat on the county council. And if it seems that Madore has garnered a lion’s share of the attention surrounding last week’s election, it is because of the singular fashion in which he has tried to bend county government to suit his wishes over the past four years.
There undoubtedly are a variety of individual reasons that voters rejected Madore’s re-election bid. The hiring of Don Benton to head the county’s Department of Environmental Services certainly was one, but the manner in which Madore responded to criticism of the move — first by defending the indefensible and then by blaming others — likely resonated even more strongly with voters.
Policy disagreements also played a role. There was reason to take issue with Madore’s continued support of a fee waiver for commercial developers — despite evidence that it was counter-productive. And there was reason to challenge his efforts to unilaterally develop the county’s plan for growth management. That is politics; dissent is inevitable, and what often matters is how you respond to such dissent.
In the end, Madore arrived on the county council after being elected as a promising outsider in November 2012 and quickly learned an immutable lesson of politics: Winning is easy; governing is harder. His brand of governance, in which he ignored advice and bristled at criticism, did not provide citizens with the kind of leadership they desire and deserve. Regardless of your political beliefs, it remains important to work well with others and build coalitions in order for governmental bodies to properly function.
And yet, as mentioned, Clark County is much bigger and much stronger than a single politician. Therefore, Tuesday’s primary set the stage for an interesting November general election in several areas.
John Blom and Tanisha Harris were the top two vote-getters for Madore’s seat on the county council and will compete for that position; Monica Stonier and Alishia Topper are talented and bright candidates in a race to replace Jim Moeller in the Legislature; and Vicki Kraft and Sam Kim advanced out of a competitive six-person contest for state representative from the 17th District. In addition, Tim Probst and Lynda Wilson promise a competitive battle for state senator from the 17th District — a race in which they were the only candidates and in which the primary vote was decided by a razor’s edge.
Voters in November also will choose between Jay Inslee and Bill Bryant for governor, and select candidates to fill all of the state’s executive positions, such as secretary of state and attorney general. While voters between now and November will be most intrigued by the presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, it is important to remember that, in many ways, state legislators and county councilors and other local officials have a larger impact on the daily lives of citizens in Clark County. The county’s growth-management plan, to use just one example, will help define the region for decades to come.
With Madore leaving office in January, local politics will have a much different feel in the coming year. We trust that difference will be one of sound governance rather than self-serving intransigence.
