Clark County Councilor David Madore signaled at Saturday’s Republican convention that he plans to run to keep his seat on the council.
“If you will have me, I will be glad to continue to represent you and I will fight for you,” Madore told a packed and cheering crowd at the Clark County Republican Party’s convention at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds.
Madore’s apparent campaign announcement came shortly after sources said Republican Councilor Tom Mielke told The Reflector, Battle Ground’s weekly newspaper, that he does not plan to run to keep his seat on the county council for a third term.
Both announcements come in the midst of continued strife on the Clark County council. Republican Councilors Julie Olson and Jeanne Stewart and Chair Marc Boldt, a former Republican who now has no party preference, have voted to overturn initiatives and policies championed last year by Madore and Mielke.
The three have been both vocally praised and criticized for their voting record since the council expanded from three members to five under the home rule charter in January.
Madore used the platform Saturday to criticize the three councilors he has dubbed “the liberal majority,” saying recent controversial decisions by the council are a tug-of-war “for and against the people.”
Party leadership echoed Madore’s concerns at the convention.
“There’s a lot of conservatives in Clark County who are concerned about what’s going on,” said Christian Berrigan, the party’s state committeeman, adding that Republicans will be closely watching the county races in coming months.
GOP chairman Kenny Smith acknowledged that there appears to be a divide about what’s important to Clark County Republicans, but he said many people support Mielke and Madore’s policies.
“When David got up there and started talking, the crowd got really excited and started cheering,” Smith said.
Madore, who represents District 3 covering east Vancouver, faces running against two Republicans: Greg Noelck, a physical therapist, and John Blom, who sits on Clark County’s planning commission.
“David and I have very different ideas about the best way to represent District 3,” Blom said. “I look forward to a positive campaign, and I’m confident the voters will see a clear difference between he and I in leadership style.”
Noelck could not be reached for comment Saturday.
So far, three have announced their candidacy in District 4: Republican Eileen Quiring, a planning commissioner, Republican Jennifer McDaniel, a Washougal city councilor, and Democrat Roman Battan, a Camas resident.
District 4 is Clark County’s largest district, covering rural east county and the cities of Camas, Washougal and Battle Ground.
“An open race is always better than running against an incumbent,” Quiring said at the convention. “Tom has definitely served us long and well.”
McDaniel said she was looking forward to running in the open race.
“I’m actually pleased that he’s decided to retire and spend more time with his family,” McDaniel said. “I respect all the years of service to our community and our state.”
Battan, meanwhile, said Mielke’s decision doesn’t change his focus as he tries to win the conservative-leaning district.
“I’ve got the biggest district in the county,” he said. “It’s just a matter of trying to get my arms around it at this point. I know there are other candidates, and I look forward to having a healthy discussion about the county going forward.”
