There are four open positions on the Vancouver City Council this year, and Tanisha Harris, a familiar face on the local political scene, is hoping to fill one.
Harris said she is a true believer in the “goodness of public service.”
“And when you have the opportunity to be representative of the people, you should look at your options,” Harris said, adding she would bring a voice to the council that’s missing.
“We need to make sure the east side of the city is represented with someone who can build bridges, someone who can bring labor and business and nonprofit and civil rights and our communities of color together, especially,” Harris said.
Harris, 40, who previously ran for a seat on the Clark County council, works for the YWCA Clark County as a program specialist for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, or CASA. She previously worked for Evergreen Public Schools as a multicultural youth coordinator.
“I’ve lived in Vancouver for my whole life and have never seen so many without homes or struggling to make ends meet,” Harris said in a statement.
If elected to the council’s Position 1, Harris said she would focus on key issues currently facing the city such as: housing, infrastructure, safety and community building.
Harris graduated from Evergreen High School, received an associate degree from Clark College, a bachelor’s degree in social science from Washington State University Vancouver and a paralegal certificate from Sumner College.
There are four positions open this year on the city council. City council seats are nonpartisan. Mayor Tim Leavitt already announced he won’t seek re-election. Councilor Anne McEnerny-Ogle hopes to succeed him. Councilor Jack Burkman, who holds Position 1, has decided to enjoy traveling and time with his grandchildren, and is not running for re-election. Councilor Alishia Topper’s seat is also open. Topper, who holds Position 2, hasn’t announced whether she plans to seek re-election. And the seat McEnerny-Ogle currently holds will also be available.
A handful of other candidates have also already announced they are running for open seats, including: Linda Glover, a local businesswoman and former teacher and elementary school principal who is now the executive director of the nonprofit Gifts for Our Community, is running for Position 3; Vaughn Henderson, who ran unsuccessfully for Legislature against Sen. Annette Cleveland in 2016, is also running for Position 3; Jacob Kerr, currently a student at Washington State University Vancouver studying accounting and management information systems, told The Columbian previously he’s running for Burkman’s seat; Vancouver’s Justin Forsman, who ran for a state Senate race in 2016 and the city council the year before, said he will run for Position 2.
The candidate filing period is May 15 through 19. Should any race attract more than two candidates, the primary election will be Aug. 1. The general election is Nov. 7.
