For armchair politicos with an eye on this year’s heated election season, the Clark County Council races are arguably the local contests to watch.
And if it’s any indication from the recent chattering of bloggers, wonks and gadflies of all kinds, the races for Clark County Council District 3 and District 4 are about the personalities. Do voters want to see more of the leadership style of Republican Councilors David Madore and Tom Mielke? Or are they ready for a change?
District 4 Councilor Mielke, 74, will retire at the end of this year after eight years on the dais. Republicans Eileen Quiring and Jennifer McDaniel, as well as Democrat Roman Battan, are running to succeed him.
District 3 incumbent Madore announced his bid for a second term at the Clark County Republican Party Convention earlier this year. Republican John Blom and Democrat Tanisha Harris are running to take his seat.
And indeed, all candidates — except Madore, who did not return a request for comment — emphasized a need for collaboration and bridge building in some way.
“We’ve got a lot of political theater,” said Battan, the 35-year-old owner of a Camas advertising and marketing firm.
Effectiveness debated
Clark County council meetings as of late have become predictable.
“By a vote of 3 to 2,” the story starts on most controversial decisions by the county’s governing body. Madore and Mielke have been pitted against Republicans Julie Olson and Jeanne Stewart, and Council Chair Marc Boldt, no party preference.
It’s easy to see the upcoming elections as a straw poll of which voting bloc Clark County prefers.
For example, many have begun to lump District 4 candidate Quiring and Madore into the same camp.
Quiring, who has received endorsements from both Madore and Mielke, objects to the comparison. She said her experience as a Clark County planning commissioner and Oregon state legislator speaks for itself.
“That’s the part that kind of dismays me,” she said. “I had served in public office and I have a history and a voting record.”
She noted, however, that she stands with Madore in many cases.
“I agree with a lot of (Madore’s) policies,” she said. “I do believe as a businessman, he sees bringing about some good things from a business perspective to Clark County.”
Washougal City Councilor McDaniel had pointed criticism for Mielke, saying he’s done a poor job representing his constituents.
“Our representative is ineffective,” McDaniel said. “I don’t think he’s able to get much done. He’s not adjusted well to the charter.”
Battan called on the council to get away from the partisan bickering and “get back to work.”
“We need to start being objective and being more task-oriented,” Battan said.
There’s a similar tone among District 3 candidates, who also have called for more effective leadership in the county.
Blom, a real estate agent, said he wants to work to rebuild relationships between the county and various cities and nonprofits, something that’s been lacking on the Clark County Council in recent years.
“We need to be able to work collaborative with other groups and jurisdictions,” he said.
Blom also said it’s easy to run a campaign by “painting the other side as evil,” referencing some of the attacks on him by far-right Republican voters.
“People need to move beyond that,” he said.
Harris, 40, is a program specialist for YWCA Clark County’s Court Appointed Special Advocate Program. She called recent lawsuits leveled against the county unacceptable, including Planning Director Oliver Orjiako’s lawsuit alleging Madore has not provided public records in his ongoing whistleblower complaint against the councilor.
“We need to start building up that confidence and trust” between staff and the council, Harris said.
“I think there’s a lack of respect by some of our councilors.”
Not everyone can vote
Although the upcoming county elections are arguably of interest to voters in all sections of the county, only about half will have the opportunity to vote in both the primary and general elections. This is a change from the old system where county commissioners were elected countywide in November.
Under the charter, voters in District 3 and District 4 will cast their votes for their preferred candidate in the Aug. 2 primary election. From there, the top two finishers will go on to the Nov. 8 general election, regardless of party. Once again, only residents in Districts 3 and 4 can vote.
District 3 covers east Vancouver east of Interstate 205 and to the Camas border. The southern boundary is the Columbia River, and it traces Fourth Plain Boulevard to the north. District 4, meanwhile, covers all of northeast Clark County, including the cities of Camas, Washougal, Battle Ground and the town of Yacolt. This is the first time those redrawn districts will vote for their councilors since the home rule charter was approved in 2014.
District 3 candidates
John Blom, Republican
• Age: 32.
• Real estate agent.
• No experience in elected office. Clark County planning commissioner.
Talking points:
• Called for better collaboration with other groups and jurisdictions.
• Pointed to the Interstate 5 interchange at 179th Street as a possible location for economic development. Said the county needs to work to fund improvements there so development can go forward.
• Concerned that the current preferred alternative to the Clark County Comprehensive Growth Management plan update, which does allow for some smaller lots, might limit future growth.
• Said the county needs to address traffic congestion in the region and that Interstate 5 needs to be the priority in future bridge conversations.
Tanisha Harris, Democrat
• Age: 40.
• Program specialist for YWCA Clark County’s Court Appointed Special Advocate Program.
• No experience in elected office.
Talking points:
• Listed “healthy human services” among her priorities for Clark County, including providing for education and social services.
• Supports improving a variety of transportation options for all residents, including improving C-Tran services.
• Called for improved relationships with small cities and other jurisdictions.
• Said the Clark County Council should “value the work (of county employees), not undermine it,” referencing recent tension between the council and county staff.
David Madore, Republican
• Age: 64.
• CEO of motion control company U.S. Digital.
• Elected to the Clark County Council in 2012.
Talking points:
Madore did not return a request for comment from The Columbian. His website lists the following as some of his campaign platforms:
• Restoring Alternative 4, the land-use proposal he designed.
• “Stop the spending spree” at Clark County.
• Maintain the free parking at county-owned parks.
District 4 candidates
Roman Battan, Democrat
• Age: 35.
• Owner of marketing firm Northern Media.
• No experience in elected office.
Talking points:
• Called for the county to “get back to work” in order to focus on roads, stormwater programs and the other day-to-day tasks the county performs. “I believe in the idea of good governance,” he said.
• Called for better collaboration with organizations such as the Columbia River Economic Development Council in order to attract high-paying employers to Clark County.
• Wants to host regular town hall meetings with constituents and to hold county meetings in the evenings and on a rotating schedule of locations in order to attract attendees from around the county.
• Said county needs to improve its relationship with the Cowlitz Tribe, and drop its lawsuit against it over the coming casino near La Center.
Jennifer McDaniel, Republican
• Age: 49.
• Business office administrator at Edward Jones Financial Group.
• Elected to Washougal City Council in 2008.
Talking points:
• Suggests public comment be moved to beginning of meetings. “It gives people an opportunity to say what they want to say,” she said.
• Called current Comprehensive Growth Management Plan update a “good compromise” between the requests of rural landowners and cities.
• Called for improved “accountability measurements” for Clark County’s fee waiver program for nonresidential development. “Maybe we don’t give the fee waiver to every company that comes on,” she said.
• Called for county to pull out of lawsuit with Cowlitz Tribe. “I support (the Cowlitz),” she said.
• Noted support for the Elder Justice Center and Aging Readiness Council are cornerstones of her campaign.
Eileen Quiring, Republican
• Age: 68.
• Real estate agent.
• Clark County planning commissioner, previous member of the Oregon state House and Senate.
Talking points:
• Said she would work to keep “taxes as low as possible.”
• Said “the rural community has not been listened to” in zoning issues. Voted to support Councilor David Madore’s Alternative 4, which allowed for smaller lot sizes in rural Clark County.
• Expressed concern that some farm land and forest land do not fit the criteria to be designated as resource land. Addressing that would loosen restrictions on property owners, she said.
• “Very much” against light rail and bus rapid transit. “I think we should listen to the people” on those issues, she said. “Don’t think we know better.”
