City of Vancouver

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 green spaces like the Shumway Neighborhood Park. As mayor, she helped coordinate the city's COVID response, including organizing a food bank and vaccination clinic at Tower Mall. She has also supported the inclusive housing Heights District project.

Her opponents are Doug Coop and Earl Bowerman. Coop is a Republican who is running to promote conservative ideology, curb families' reproductive rights, and promote business. Bowerman has challenged U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler as an alternative who would have been more loyal to former President Donald Trump. In 2019, while Bowerman was the Clark County Republican Chair, his own party sought his resignation after his inaction against a committee chair who had been convicted of inappropriate behavior with a teenage girl.

McEnergy-Ogle has earned re-election as mayor of Vancouver.

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, and he also served as a member of the Vancouver Affordable Housing Task Force and Southwest Clean Air Agency.

Noting that 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.

He is running against Tami Martin and Kara Tess. Martin has no campaign website or policy proposals available yet in mid-July. Her priorities listed in her voters' guide statement include supporting businesses and foster children. Tess has served as president of her former HOA 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. 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 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 brings the unsheltered community, service providers, and developers to the table. She believes that a community that invests in communities of color can strengthen the entire city, and 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 Glen Yung and David Gellatly. Yung, a building contractor, waged a public fight against the Westside Bike Mobility Project. Unlike Perez, he has focused on private car usage over reducing climate emissions and clean air that investing in public transportation could provide. He uses the term equity frequently but seems to be focused on geographical equity, not the racial or economic equity that would help bring Vancouver together.

Gellatly is the former chair of the Clark County Republican Party as well as a current executive board member of the party. 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 conservative activist group Activate Republicans, Gellatly is likely to continue to push backward 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 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 Megan Gabriel and Jorge Bailey in this race. Gabriel is the project manager of the Oak Creek Elementary School Garden Program. In her interview with our local council, Gabriel lacked detailed answers and did not offer a progressive vision for the district. Bailey directs three non-profit organizations in the Clark County area but similarly lacks a detailed campaign platform or a progressive vision for the role.

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