Month: August 2025

The Peoples House is the Legislative Branch or County Council. These five councilors are supposed to represent the peoples interests and provide balance to the views of the 2000 government employees in the administrative branch.

We currently have the distinction of being the only county legislative branch in Washington that has zero employees. That means the County Council has no independent support staff or legal help of any kind to represent the Councilor’s interests. They have no means to do their own research. They can’t even run their own meetings without assistance from the administrative staff.

This isn’t how any other county in Washington is run and it is hard to believe there is any kind of balance when the only information that is provided to councilors is what the administrative branch wants them to know.

This is because the county charter spells out that there should be a legislative branch, but it was silent on the issue of legislative staffing.

We have an opportunity to make that clear and restore some balance between the legislative branch and the administrative branch. We simply need to make it clear that they should have their own staff and run their own meetings.

This really has no cost to the county but shifting the assignment of a few staff members. At the time of the Charters adoption, there were four office staff, and three Policy Analysts in the council office. Add an independent legal advisor and we actually have the independent legislative branch the charter calls for.

Staffing levels for the Clark County Sheriffs department has been an ongoing issue for 25 years. The solution to our staffing problem wont happen overnight.

One of the standard ways to measure law enforcement is to look at the officer to civilian ration. At the county level, this number is 2.8 officers per 1000 civilians nationally. Washington State counties ranks dead last with the lowest ratio in the country at 1.24 . We would need 7500 more officers in Washington to reach the national average. Unincorporated Clark County is even lower than the Washington State average at 0.64 officers per 1000 residents.

This is lower than all of the cities in Clark County with staffing levels ranging from 1.08 to 1.34 officers per 1000 residents. Here is how they rank;

Ridgefield 1.08 Camas 1.08 Vancouver 1.19 Washougal 1.21 Battleground 1.34

This lack of adequate staffing affects crime prevention, response times, and puts additional stress on existing officers. It also puts additional stress on the citizens of Clark County.

The citizens of Clark County want a Sheriff’s department that is ready and able to respond when they are needed. They want the law enforced. They want crime addressed and criminals removed. They want safe communities for everyone to thrive in. They want criminals locked up, not consumer goods at the store.

To get there, our Sheriff says we need 15 new deputies for each of the next 6 years plus support staff.

We are not going to get the law enforcement we want without the citizens showing that they support our law enforcement officers and demand that their elected officials prioritize law enforcement as well.

One way this can happen is by adding an amendment to the County Charter that says that providing for adequate law enforcement is the “PARAMOUNT DUTY” of our county government.

In 2001 Washington voters approved a statewide initiative that restricted annual property tax levy increases to 1% WITHOUT A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE. That has been state law for the last 24 years. This removed the ability of our county to increase our taxes by exorbitant amounts without voter approval.

This is also why you see so many ballots asking for your approval to increase your taxes. These are called a LEVY LID LIFT. The LID being the 1% limit, and the LIFT is the removal of the 1% restriction when voters themselves approve it.

Ten years ago, I proposed that we should add this same protection from tax increases to our County Charter. At the time, the councilors thought this was redundant since it was already state law. What most didn’t realize was that organizations like the Washington Association of Counties were already lobbying the legislature to remove the 1% limit.

Fast forward to 2025, and our legislature came very close to doing exactly that.

This is why I, again, would propose that we add this PROTECTION FROM PROPERTY TAX INCREASES to our County Charter, because the Legislature may chose to remove it next time, and the citizens of Clark County can be protected.

I am a 55-year Clark County resident raised in La Center who married his high school sweetheart. I currently raise my family here on 10 acres and my children are all home schooled. I run a business here, I plan to stay here, and I’m deeply committed to our community’s needs and values. I believe our government must answer to voters, and I’ll champion Charter amendments to Prioritize law enforcement, Protect against Property tax increases, and give Power the Peoples House, restoring balance to the legislative branch, of our county government. I have previous service on the original Charter Board and two years in the County Councilor’s office. There I assisted residents with diverse concerns and demonstrated my commitment to be Principled, Practical, and Professional toward everyone. I prioritize transparency and fairness in dealing with others and desire to lay a good foundation for Clark County’s future. I will Promote fiscal responsibility and Practical solutions, I’ll focus on policies that serve all and Promote a safe community. My Previous community service also demonstrated my commitment to an accountable, transparent, and responsive government. I humbly ask for your vote to enhance our Charter to ensure it reflects the needs of every Clark County resident for a safer, and prosperous future.