City of Camas

Incumbent Don Orange is running for re-election to the Port of Vancouver, District 1. He owns a mechanic shop and has lived in Clark County for over 30 years. Orange also serves on the Battle Ground School District Auto Advisory Council and is a past president of the Columbia Pastoral Counseling Center.

Prior to his election in 2017, Orange was a dedicated opponent of the dirty and dangerous Tesoro-Savage project, which would have been the largest oil-by-rail terminal in the country. This race was particularly notable since oil companies paid around half a million dollars in an attempt to defeat Orange's greener campaign against his opponent. Orange voted alongside his fellow council members in 2018 to unanimously end Vancouver Energy's lease on the oil-by-rail terminal. Now, he serves to make the port more environmentally friendly and attract more family-wage jobs.

Orange's opponent is former restaurant owner and manager Russell Brent. A former board member of the Washington Hospitality Association, Brent has served in many roles in the community, including as a past board chair of the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce and Clark County YMCA. Brent has faced criticism recently for using a fake union label on his campaign materials. Brent hasn't make a solid case for why voters should elect him over incumbent Orange, who has spent years fighting for Clark County families and is committed to preserving the environment for generations to come.

Orange has earned strong support in this campaign from local and state leaders because of his proven record at the port. We recommend re-electing Don Orange for Port of Vancouver from District 1. 

Steve Hogan is running for re-election for mayor of Camas. Hogan worked as a plant manager in the recycled paper industry and has been active in the community. He served four terms on the Camas City Council and is a past president of the Camas Washougal Rotary Club, the Downtown Camas Association, and the Camas Educational Foundation. 

Hogan is running to ensure Camas "remains safe, beautiful, and welcoming." He touts his work during the first two years as mayor to finalize the city's plan for the North Shore, create a long-term strategy for lake cleanup and protecting green spaces, and fill important roles in city government that had been vacant. 

Hogan faces a challenge from land use planner Randal Friedman. He has also been active in the Rotary and served on the Camas Mill Cleanup Community Advisory Group. Friedman is running to focus on preserving the lakes and forests of Camas and keeping the community safe. He wants to prioritize the mill cleanup and give citizens a seat at the table for these planning discussions. Unfortunately, some of Friedman's opposition to growth and development would worsen the city's affordability crisis.

Hogan's experience and endorsements from local leaders make him the best choice for mayor of Camas. 
 

Jon Svilarich is running for the Camas City Council, At-Large seat being vacated by longtime councilmember Don Chaney. He works as an e-commerce consultant, serves as the head of the Deer Creek Homeowners Association, and is active with the Camas School District. 

He is running to push Camas to confront and solve some of its longstanding challenges. For example, Svilarich believes the city has procrastinated on providing essential funding to clean up Lacamas Lake, repair two fire stations that aren't up to safety codes, and address pollution at the mill. He wants to tackle all of these issues by improving the council's decision-making processes and increasing transparency with the community. He points to the failed pool measure as an example of what happens when voters don't have a voice in developing local policies. 

Svilarich is running against conservative Stephen R. Dabasinskas, the founder and CEO of Innovative Business Resources. He unsuccessfully sought the appointment to the Ward 3 seat last year that was filled by Jennifer Senescu. In 2018, Dabasinskas moved to Camas from Southern California, where he had previously worked as a police officer and a special agent focusing on narcotics with the California Department of Justice. His platform is focused on limiting growth and improving engagement with residents. It's unclear how Dabasinskas would fund important projects like cleaning up Lacamas Lake and updating infrastructure given his focus on budget cuts. 

Svilarich's thoughtful approach and support from local progressives make him the best choice for the Camas City Council, At-Large seat. 
 

John Nohr is running to retain his seat on the Camas City Council representing Ward 1 after he was appointed last year. Nohr has worked as a firefighter and emergency medical services provider since 1985 and has been the chief of Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue since 2016. 

Nohr is running to continue using his experience in public safety and organizational management on the city council. He wants the city to be more creative when it comes to identifying funding to upgrade infrastructure during this period of rapid growth. 

Nohr faces a challenge from Gary Perman, the owner of PermanTech, who wants to bring a business perspective to the council. Perman co-founded the political blog Camas Washougal Watch, which was known for attacking elected local officials and was criticized for its errors and strident political stands. He has run for office multiple times before and unsuccessfully sought the appointment to this seat last year. Perman is running again this year on a platform that is heavily critical of taxes and the city budget. However, his austerity plans ignore the city's needs when it comes to improving local infrastructure and preserving our parks and green space. 

Nohr is the clear choice for Camas City Council from Ward 1. 
 

Bonnie Carter is running for re-election to the Camas City Council in Ward 2. She has worked as an administrative assistant in the Camas School district for nearly ten years and serves on the board of the Camas Educational Foundation.

During her eight years on the council, she has worked to improve the water quality of Lacamas Lake, increase funding for emergency services, and pushed to address the high costs of housing. She was the liaison to the committee that developed the city's first urban tree policy and she wants to expand partnerships with the Department of Natural Resources to preserve open spaces and trees.

Carter is running against Ry Luikens, a principal of creative strategy at Mach 49. He founded the Camas Coffee Club to maintain community connections during the pandemic. His campaign platform is focused on "your lake, your pool, and your voice." He wants to build on his experience with the Camas Coffee Club to improve communications and more consistently engage the community. If elected, he wants the council to move faster and look for more innovative solutions to address pollution in Lacamas Lake. He also wants to build a new pool for 1/8th of the cost of the last levy but doesn't provide many details on how he'd achieve this.

We recommend Bonnie Carter for Camas City Council from Ward 2 because of her track record on the council and impressive list of endorsements.