Ciudad de Camas

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.

Marilyn Dale-Boerke is running for Camas City Council, Ward 1, Position 2. Dale-Boerke is the director of talent development for the Camas School District. If elected, her plans include environmental preservation, dedicating time to underrepresented groups including young people, and hosting listening posts at elementary or middle schools to hear from constituents. Dale-Boerke also wants to prioritize cleaning the waters of Lacamas Lake and promoting access to open spaces and parks among community members.

Dale-Boerke is running against Gary Perman, a technology recruiter and the chair of International Electronic & Electrical Engineers (IEEE). Perman claims city council members have used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to "degrade" communications with the community. His platform is conservative and focuses on bringing his business experience to local government. Unlike Dale-Boerke, Perman does not offer specific commitments to hear from constituents despite criticizing the council for lack of communication. He also runs a political blog where he has actively promoted Republicans including Dino Rossi and Jamie Herrera Beutler.

Dale-Boerke is the best choice for Camas City Council, Ward 1, Position 2.

Jennifer McDaniel is running for Camas City Council, Ward 3, Position 2. McDaniel previously served on Washougal City Council for nine years before moving to Camas.

If elected, she would prioritize restoring the community's confidence in city leaders through communication, improving and maintaining public parks and open spaces, and addressing infrastructure issues including ADA access to sidewalks. McDaniel also wants to bring more affordable housing to the community and ensure families and senior citizens can keep living in Camas. Her affordable housing proposals include targeted re-zoning for multi-family and mixed-use housing and promoting Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

McDaniel is running against Leslie Lewallen, a former King County deputy prosecuting attorney. Lewallen serves as a legal advisor to the Dorothy Fox Safety Alliance. Her campaign platform is emphasizing replacing the Crown Park Pool and creating a citizens advisory board to manage the health of Camas's public parks and spaces. Additionally, Lewallen has been critical of the crucial police accountability legislation passed in the Legislature this year and does not seem open to public safety reforms supported by community members.

McDaniel is the best choice in the race for Camas City Council, Ward 3, Position 2.

Steven Hogan is running for mayor of Camas. Hogan works as a chief operating officer in recycled paper, wood, and steel and has served on Camas City Council for 16 years as well as mayor pro tem in 2014, 2017, and 2021. He currently serves on the council's finance and administrative committees and the city's economic development strategy committee.

Hogan's campaign priorities include preserving Camas' parks and open spaces, bringing more housing for working people to the community, and strengthening partnerships with Camas Public Schools. He also wants to increase access to good-paying jobs and recruit large employers to bring their businesses to Camas. If elected mayor, Hogan would only support a community or aquatic center under the condition that taxpayers do not pay the full cost of such amenities.

Hogan is running against Jennifer Senescu, the executive director of the Camas-Washougal chamber of commerce. Senescu's platform is full of language stoking fear about crime and public safety and prioritizing businesses over community members. Additionally, she does not bring the commitment to working families that Hogan has displayed.

Hogan is the best choice in the race for mayor of Camas.

Incumbent Corey McEnry is a public high school educator and a parent of a current Camas student running for re-election for Camas School Director in District 1.

McEnry is proud of the district's efforts to create a safe and flexible environment for students to learn during the pandemic. He notes that the district has experienced virtually zero COVID transmissions thanks to health protocols. If re-elected, he will continue to support five days of in-person learning with remote options, following all laws on safety and public health, and providing emotional and social support for kids, staff, and families. McEnry also strongly believes that the district should continue pursuing equity so that all students, no matter their race, socioeconomic background, ability, or gender, can thrive in Camas schools. He will continue to diversify school programming and pathways to graduation and support professional development for staff while engaging with families and promoting digital access for school board meetings and more.

McEnry's challenger in this race is Ernie Geigenmiller, a Republican precinct committee officer and journalist who says that he is running to keep politics out of schools but is supported by the League of Conservative Women Voters. In a recent candidate forum, Geigenmiller focused on the idea that schools are doing too much and need to go "back to basics," an idea at odds with the fact that many students need greater support right now. For example, Geigenmiller states that schools "cannot do everything" to support homeless students and should rely on nonprofit organizations, while McEnry says that first students in need should be identified, and then schools should provide for students through the community resource center - whether that be food, technology, and more. Geigenmiller's stance on following health mandates is unclear from his website, but his endorsements and statements seem to show that he would be a conservative school board member.

We recommend McEnry in this race for his experience and care for all students in Camas.

Incumbent Erika Cox has served on the Camas School Board in District 2 since 2018. She has chaired the city of Camas' Salary Commission, served as president of Prune Hill Elementary PTA, volunteered on the Dorothy Fox Elementary PTA executive board, and served on the Citizen's Advisory Committee to the school board.

Cox is running for re-election to continue to prioritize health, equitable opportunities for students, and engagement with the community. Under her experienced leadership, Camas students and families currently have the option of remote learning as well as safe, in-person education.

Her opponent is Jeremiah Chevrolet Stephen, an insurance agent and former oil and pipeline operations planner. Both Stephen and fellow candidate Geigenmiller are campaigning on taking politics out of schools, but both are supported by the League of Conservative Women Voters, with Stephen being promoted on a Clark County Republican Facebook page. Stephen says that he is running because of "inappropriate" content in schools, which he provides no additional context on. He does not believe that equity programs can help students who are struggling and would provide "equal opportunities" for students - a notion which many researchers, education advocates, and teachers have said only exacerbates the issue and puts students of color, low-income students, and homeless students further behind.

We recommend Erika Cox for Camas School District Director in District No. 2.