City of Vancouver

Commission president Eric LaBrant was elected for his first six-year term in 2015 on a promise to protect our communities from fossil fuels pollution. He has upheld that promise, joining his fellow commission members in putting out a statement against future bulk fossil fuel terminals in the port, a rare stance for ports in our region. LaBrant has also supported wind energy jobs, helped pass the port's renewable energy policy, and led businesses through the COVID crisis and recovery. If re-elected, LaBrant states that he will focus on passing a climate action plan and continue to develop more job opportunities at the port.

Opposing LaBrant is Greg Seifert. Seifert is the former president and CEO of Biggs Insurance and previously served as a Republican precinct committee officer. He states that as commissioner he would emphasize improving regional multimodal transportation planning to attract new businesses to the port.

While Seifert has yet to put out a detailed policy agenda, LaBrant has already proven himself as an environmentally minded and forward-thinking commissioner. LaBrant and Don Orange already form a two-person progressive team on the three-person body. We recommend LaBrant in order to continue pushing for progress on the Port of Vancouver in District #2.

Anne McEnerny-Ogle was elected to the Vancouver City Council in 2013 and was elected as mayor in 2018, making her the first woman elected to the position in the city's history.

She has a long record of service to community causes such as Daybreak Youth Services and the Assistance League. While she served on the council, McEnerny-Ogle was an advocate for improving transportation options through development grants and enhancing green spaces like the Shumway Neighborhood Park. As mayor, she helped coordinate the city's COVID-19 response, including organizing a food bank and vaccination clinic at Tower Mall. She has also supported the inclusive Heights District housing project.

Her opponent is Earl Bowerman, who has challenged U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler because he thought she wasn't loyal enough to former President Donald Trump. In 2019, while Bowerman was the Clark County Republican Chair, his own party sought his resignation because of his failure to act against a committee chair who had been convicted of inappropriate behavior with a teenage girl.

McEnerny-Ogle has earned re-election as mayor of Vancouver and is the best choice in this race.

Kim Harless is a program manager at a paint recycling nonprofit and a Clark County Review commissioner. She has served in several roles oriented towards feeding the community, including as the president of Slow Food Southwest Washington, vice president of Urban Abundance, and treasurer of Clark County Food System. She also worked for nearly a decade as an environmental operations specialist with Clark County planning recycling systems, providing oversight on contracts.

Harless states that as an Indigenous and Chicana single mother, she intends to center equity in both her campaign and her tenure on council if elected. She will lead with housing-first solutions to the homelessness crisis, which means securing shelter for people so that they can safely address any health, social, or economic issues they may be facing. In our interview with Harless, she said she wanted to provide technical expertise on creating a much more robust climate action plan. She believes police reform should be intentional and focused, and that emergency services should evolve so that a more diverse suite of services is available for residents who call 911 for disputes or mental health crises. Harless emphasized that, overall, city government must address the needs of marginalized communities so that Vancouver is truly welcoming and healthy for all.

Her opponent is John Blom, a real estate broker and former Clark County council member from District 3. On the county council, Blom served as a fairly moderate voice in his first term, which he ran for as a Republican; he later ran with no party preference. He serves on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Washington and The Historic Trust.

Blom acknowledges that the homelessness crisis is entangled with many other issues, including lack of mental health services, surging costs of living, medical emergencies, and job loss. He also states that law enforcement should provide more options for alternative responses for those who need help with behavioral or mental health. While Blom mentions that the best way to ensure public safety is to provide educational and economic opportunities for people to thrive, he is not specific about whether that would include shifting funding into community-based services.

Harless has worked hard to bring together the government and public to work on issues that the community cares about most. Harless' forward-thinking agenda and support from a wide range of organizations make her the best choice in this race. We recommend Harless in this race for her fresh perspective, strong progressive values, and the technical expertise she could bring to the city council.

Incumbent Erik Paulsen was unanimously appointed to the council in 2019. He served for several years on the Vancouver Planning Commission before his appointment, including five years as chair of the commission. He also served as a member of the Vancouver Affordable Housing Task Force and Southwest Clean Air Agency.

Noting that housing affordability is a critical issue as demand outpaces supply, Paulsen believes the city should assist with strategies to provide housing at all income levels. He also supports investing in infrastructure to make Vancouver safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Paulsen is running against Kara Tess, who has served as president of her former home owner's association and now serves as a board member of her current HOA. Her public campaign site does not currently have many priorities listed, and her interview with our local council reflected some uncertainty about what the city council can do. The Columbian has also reported that Tess is not currently campaigning actively, and has possibly dropped out of the race. She states that the city should invest more in mental health and addiction resources, education to reduce the consumption of red meat and other carbon emission contributors, and said that she is running to listen to everyone and make the community a better place.

Paulsen is the best choice for Vancouver City Council, Position 2.

Diana Perez is the founder of the local League of United Latin American Citizens. Perez has been highly active and awarded in the community for her civil rights and policy work. She was appointed by Gov. Inslee as a commissioner for Washington State Parks and Recreation and serves as a board member of the Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program, which provides law clinics for underserved communities.

Perez's campaign is focused on improving life for all residents of Vancouver. She wants to incentivize mixed-income communities that have access to public transportation, and create bold solutions for affordable housing that bring the unsheltered community, service providers, and developers to the table. She believes that investing in communities of color can strengthen the entire city, and she would focus on removing discriminatory language in housing deeds, center living wage jobs, and look to help small businesses recover post-pandemic.

She is running against David Gellatly. He is the former chair of the Clark County Republican Party and is now a member of the party's executive board. He states that his top priorities would be homelessness and supporting businesses in the city. Gellatly was cited last year as one of the organizers of pro-Trump rallies in Vancouver during protests and after the shooting of Kevin E. Peterson, Jr. As the head of a conservative activist group, Gellatly is likely to continue to push regressive policies on the council on social and racial justice, environmental reform, and more.

Perez has worked tirelessly both professionally and on a volunteer basis to bring community-oriented solutions to Vancouver. She deserves your vote for Vancouver City Council, Position 3.

Incumbent Julie Bocanegra is running for re-election to Evergreen School Board Director, District 1. Bocanegra was part of the Evergreen School District's strong response to the COVID-19 pandemic including getting meals delivered to students and helping shift students to online classes. Even before the pandemic, Bocanegra worked to provide computer tablets for students, a decision that has strongly benefitted their remote learning during COVID-19. She is also committed to ensuring students learn from a broad range of perspectives throughout their education.

Her challenger in this race is Mike Appel. Appel works at Washington State University in Vancouver and is running on a reactionary, Trump-style agenda criticizing the current curriculum in schools. He lacks a vision for the role beyond conservative politics and has no community experience. Appel's campaign social media also mocks the Black Lives Matter movement and promotes a recent conservative trend to remove honest, age-appropriate discussions about American history from school curriculums.

Bocanegra is the best choice in the race for Evergreen School Board Director, District 1.

Incumbent Ginny Gronwoldt is running for re-election to Evergreen School Board in District 5. While serving on the school board, she has supported expanding equity work in the district and helped oversee increased graduation rates. Gronwoldt's re-election priorities include investing in making every student feel included and providing quality educators for all classrooms.

Gronwoldt is being challenged by Amanda Breck. Breck is a former event coordinator and volunteer soccer coach. Her platform does not bring the focus on equity that Gronwoldt's does. Breck is emphasizing transparent communication and accessibility without providing detailed plans for how to achieve these goals.

Gronwoldt is the best choice for Evergreen School Board in District 5.

Incumbent Sandra Zavala-Ortega is running to retain Position 2 on the Vancouver School Board. She is a small business owner and was a family resource coordinator with Vancouver Public Schools for five years. Zavala-Ortega was appointed to this seat in April of this year.

Zavala-Ortega started as a kindergartener in Vancouver Public Schools speaking no English. She is proud of the fact that she was a proficient speaker when she graduated and she wants to provide that same opportunity for all students. Zavala-Ortega also wants to use her experience as a business owner to implement responsible budgets for the district. Her campaign is emphasizing academic achievements and rebuilding trust in the community.

Also in this race is Michelle Belkot. Belkot is a veteran who works in construction and engineering contracts. Her platform mentions careful management of the district's finances but lacks the level of detail of Zavala-Ortega's platform.

Zavala-Ortega's experience and focus on the needs of students make her the best choice in the race for Vancouver School Board, Position 2.

Incumbent Wendy Smith is running for re-election to Vancouver School Board, Position 3. Smith has served as a school board director since 2017 and was previously a teacher for 17 years. Her campaign platform is focused on addressing the mental health challenges facing students, improving the school board's transparency, and supporting dual-language programs. Smith wants to respect community demands to ensure resources are allocated to programs that will improve the lives of students.

Smith is facing Jorge Bailey in this race. Bailey is a veteran who directs three nonprofit organizations in the Clark County area and has 30 years of experience working in finance. However, the platform he lists on his website neglects important issues like providing more mental health resources for students and expanding the school district's curriculum.

Smith is the best choice in the race for Vancouver School Board, Position 3.