Even midsized cities have giants — people who inspire and cajole and leave an indelible impression.
Royce Pollard was one of those for Vancouver. And his death Monday at the age of 85 brings to mind his unfailing promotion of the city and his dedication as mayor from 1995 to 2010.
During Pollard’s time in office, Vancouver grew from the state’s 11th largest city to its fourth largest, with a series of annexations combining with increased density to transform the region. Pollard was uniquely capable of managing that growth, harboring a vision of Vancouver as a fully functioning city rather than a bedroom community to Portland.
Consider Esther Short Park, which Pollard is credited with transforming. The story, which might or might not be apocryphal, is that he was walking through the park with some dignitaries when a vagrant pushing a shopping cart bumped into the mayor. Pollard decided it was time to clean up the then-heavily wooded park and launched a mission to do just that.
In short order, Esther Short Park was transformed into a welcoming site, inviting residents and visitors from afar to an endless series of festivals and concerts and farmers markets. The park now serves as Vancouver’s living room, a center of activity that links the city’s past with its present.
But there is more to the story, details that demonstrate the importance of visionaries in a community. Within a couple years, the renovation of Esther Short Park led to development on all four sides of the block. The Hilton Vancouver Washington and what is now City Hall were constructed to the south; mixed-use developments were built on the other three sides of the park, providing residential and retail space.
A downtown that once was dominated by a brewery and other industrial sites had been transformed into a modern city designed for the public. And while Pollard does not deserve all the credit, his persistent belief in Vancouver’s potential played a significant role in the renovation.
That belief is evident in countless stories. There was the time, for example, that he purchased “Portland” mugs at a local Starbucks and proceeded to smash them, emphasizing that Vancouver was not part of Portland. He cleaned up the mess before leaving.
And there was the time he lobbied for two-way traffic on Main Street. The reason? Vancouver was the only city he knew where Main Street headed in one direction — out of town.
In addition to the high-profile work, there were efforts behind the scenes.
As The Columbian reported this week: “As mayor, Pollard built relationships with lawmakers at the state and federal levels. He hired a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., and traveled there occasionally to push for federal grant opportunities for the city.” In 2010, Pollard said: “No one knew who the hell we were. People in Olympia didn’t know us, people in D.C. didn’t care about us. I guess I was the lightning rod.”
For somebody who was born in Vermont and did not arrive in Vancouver until his mid-40s — to serve as commander at Vancouver Barracks — Pollard’s commitment to the city was unusual. And it was authentic, mirroring his personality. For years after leaving office, he would send letters to the editor at The Columbian about some topic or another, ALWAYS WRITTEN IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
The writing, like Pollard’s personality and his work on behalf of Vancouver, was consistently large.
