State Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, announced Friday that she will run next year for Clark County council chair.
The announcement was made to a crowd of about 200 supporters at her farm who were gathered for an annual political fundraiser, according to a news release.
“As your State Representative and as a former elected Camas City Council Member, I’ve always put the citizens first,” Pike’s news release said. “I’m running for the citizens of Clark County. Let’s build on current successes to become the premier economic engine for our region so that everyone prospers.”
Efforts to reach Pike on Friday night for additional comment were unsuccessful.
In the news release, Pike said the county can “always do better” and is at a “fork in the road.”
“We can continue to get mired in red tape, or we can change the culture of government to work at the speed of business with a new ‘can-do attitude,’ ” she said in the news release.
The release said Pike laid out a plan to her supporters that includes a “citizen-first culture” to create jobs in every sector of the county. She said there’s a need for affordable transportation solutions that residents support and advised that the county needs to be careful about how it spends tax dollars.
Pike wants to restore public safety funding and property rights to rural landowners and bring affordable housing back to Clark County by implementing effective, comprehensive land use planning, the news release said.
Clark County council Chair Marc Boldt previously confirmed he will seek re-election. Efforts to reach Boldt for comment Friday night were unsuccessful.
In June, Pike told The Columbian that she was considering running for the chair position but was not yet sold. She hired a polling firm who called Clark County residents to see if she had a shot at the seat. But the results were too close to call, she said.
From the news release, it’s not clear what convinced her that she should run after all.
Pike was part of a write-in campaign in 2015 bankrolled by former county Councilor David Madore with the goal of beating Boldt, the independent candidate. Pike decided not to campaign for the position, despite hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to help her win the seat, and Boldt was overwhelmingly elected.
Pike has served three terms as a state representative and during that time worked to reform the Washington State Growth Management Act. She also operates Shangri-La Farm, an organic farm in Fern Prairie, north of Camas.
