Taking Sides
Supporters explain reasons for favoring commissioner candidates
The race between incumbent Clark County commissioner Steve Stuart and Republican challenger Bruce Hagensen will be decided in the Nov. 7 general election. Supporters of both candidates are ready with reasons why the election should go their way.
The two candidates were asked to select individuals for this story who would speak on their behaves.
Stuart selected his two fellow county commissioners, Marc Boldt and Betty Sue Morris, along with Susan Gilbert, who has been active in neighborhood affairs.
Hagensen selected Vancouver businessman Ed Lynch, along with June Gassaway and former co-worker John Marshall.
Following is what these supporters of the two candidates had to say.
Stuart praised for listening to people
Susan Gilbert of Ridgefield said she supports Stuart because he understands the changing needs of Clark County residents.
“He’s young, he’s educated, and he has a tremendous work ethic,” said Gilbert, who is active in a neighborhood association and has served on task force groups dealing with growth management.
Gilbert said she has learned over the past two years that Stuart is a logical thinker. “He thinks about issues and makes decisions based on common sense, not politics,” said Gilbert. “He votes his conscience. He weighs a situation, talks to people and does his own research.”
Gilbert said the needs of the county are different than they were 15-20 years ago. Younger families bring the need for more parks and sports fields, and things for young people to do. “Older people are not as savvy about that,” she said.
Stuart is 35 years old; Hagensen, 62.
“He has an intelligent look at growth,” added Gilbert. “He puts the breaks on growth.”
Gilbert gave the example of the proposed Cowlitz tribal casino. “He’s unhappy with the Mem orandum of Understanding (between the county and the tribe). He would like to see it reconsidered.”
Gilbert said Stuart opposes “big box” stores. “I think that’s terrific. He favored the Salmon Creek moratorium. That was one of those logical, common sense decisions.”
“He listens to both sides. He’s very accessible. He wants to hear what people have to say.”
Stuart pursues effective policies
Clark County commissioner Marc Boldt praised Stuart for his skill in developing programs and regulations that have a clear purpose and result in effective outcomes.
“Steve has an environmental background,” said Boldt. “He wants commonsense codes that regular people can understand. He’s been great at developing simple, easy to understand codes.”
Boldt said Stuart was effective during the development of the newly-updated Habitat Ordinance in assuring that the new rules will actually result in cleaner streams with minimum county regulations. “The Habitat Ordinance is a better document because of his work,” said Boldt.
“He’s an environmentalist, I’m a farmer,” said Boldt of Stuart and himself. “But during the development of the Habitat Ordinance, the farmers were mad at me and the environmentalists were mad at him. He saw it through, wanted more hearings, and came to a common ground, and came up with a very good ordinance.”
“He has a very good sense of making the county stable,” said Boldt of Stuart’s budget work.
In discussions of the county acquiring land, said Boldt, Stuart expresses concern about tax shifts, that is, the tax burdens on landowners when land is removed from the tax rolls. Boldt said Stuart wants to make sure that land is acquired by the county for an important public purpose, not just acquired without need.
The topic arose at an Oct. 4 work session, said Boldt, and a discussion of county property in the Daybreak area. That land is not being used, noted Boldt. “We’re not even doing what we tell other landowners to do.”
“He is doing a tremendous job of fighting back new storm water rules from the state,” added Boldt, who said Stuart told state officials that they could send and pay for their own staff members to enforce certain rules not contained in county code.
Boldt noted that Stuart is a longtime Clark County resident.
Stuart’s heart is in the county
Clark County commissioner Betty Sue Morris expressed support for Stuart because “he’s bright, he’s energetic and he’s young.”
And, said Morris, “his heart is in Clark County.”
Morris said she has worked with Stuart on the board of commissioners for two years. She said Stuart’s youth is in his favor. “It’s time for a new generation” to take over county leadership. “A generation raised in the technological age. A generation that needs to guide the county into this century.”
“His heart is in Clark County,” said Morris. “He lives in Vancouver now, but he understands the rural will for independence.”
Morris noted that Stuart is a county native who grew up in a rural area.
“He’s very good at land use,” said Morris, “understanding how the pieces fit together. He understands concurrency, he understands capital finances, he understands GMA and the authority it gives to local government. And he is willing to exercise that authority on behalf of constituents.”
“Steve is not afraid of growth,” said Morris. “He doesn’t see his job as controlling growth, but rather making it work and giving people choices.”
Morris said Stuart is fiscally conservative. “He always asks about efficiencies,” said Morris.
“I think the most important thing (for north county residents) is that he will not just represent a single city.” That, said Morris, will allow him to balance growth and job land allocation among all the cities. “He understands the needs of all the cities in the county.”
If elected, Stuart would continue in office after Morris ends her political career. Morris has said she will complete her two remaining years and not run again. By then, Morris will have been a county commissioner for 12 years following eight years in the state legislature.
Morris said she understands the “strong sense of independence” that rural residents feel. And, she said, Stuart understands that as well.
Hagensen seen as problem solver
“He’s a problem-solver,” said Vancouver businessman Ed Lynch of Bruce Hagensen. “That’s not a knock on Steve Stuart when I say that.”
Lynch said the current tensions between the city of Vancouver and Clark County need to be improved. “That’s just unacceptable (the tensions) in my view,” said Lynch. “Bruce is somebody who could help heal that.”
Hagensen served as mayor of Vancouver for 8 1/2 years.
“I know him as a person,” said Lynch, “both as mayor and on the Historic Reserve Trust Board.”
Lynch and Hagensen co-chaired the Historic Reserve Trust project for several years when Hagensen was mayor.
“He’s a big thinker, not a small thinker,” said Lynch. “He made the Historic Reserve happen. He didn’t sit off to the side. He made trips to Washington, D.C., he testified in Congress.”
Lynch said Hagensen would pursue the needs of all of Clark County if elected as commissioner, not just focus on Vancouver. “He looks out for the greater good,” said Lynch. “He’s not provincial. If he were governor of the state, he would be governor of all the state, not just Vancouver or Clark County.”
Lynch said Hagensen can recall an “astonishing level of details.”
“I know he covers the big picture,” said Lynch. “He’s aware of details to an appropriate degree.”
Lynch owns half of a food company and serves as board chair. He is also chair of Identity Clark County, chair of the Historic Reserve, and serves on boards of the Southwest Washington Medical Center Foundation and the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center.
Hagensen best candidate in years
“Bruce is the best candidate we’ve had for Clark County commissioner in years, maybe the best one ever,” said June Gassaway of Vancouver.
Gassaway said she has known Hagensen for 35-40 years. “He’s truly a good man, a man with integrity,” said Gassaway.
Gassaway said she worked for years as a personnel officer, hiring and placing people in various jobs. “I learned to pick the right person for the right job,” said Gassaway.
Gassaway’s work in personnel included hiring for a Portland restaurant chain, then a Portland-based union, and then a similar position with the Office of Economic Opportunity in Vancouver.
“Voting is hiring,” said Gassaway. “It’s not picking the name off of some sign.”
Gassaway stressed the administrative and executive nature of the commissioner position, where political party is not the deciding factor.
“I look at length of their experience and the temperament of the person,” said Gassaway. “Bruce is a very together person. He knows who he is. He’s a descent, honorable and honest person.”
Gassaway described Hagensen as even-handed, calm and never ruffled. “He’s completely in control of himself,” said Gassaway. “I’ve never seen him angry. He deals with every situation in a very positive manner.”
Gassaway said Hagensen has run a small business and served as mayor of Vancouver, giving him experience “that the other candidate does not have. He would be fair with everyone. There is no party line with Bruce.”
Gassaway said she has 26 grandchildren in Clark County and welcomed 227 foster children into her home in years past. “We really care about who our elected officials are because they affect the lives of these children,” said Gassaway.
Hagensen praised as a visionary
John Marshall of Vancouver said Hagensen has an unusual ability to bring people together to find solutions.
“I have been delighted to observe his ability to find consensus among people,” said Marshall. “He is obviously an effective leader.”
Marshall, who served as an administrator with the Vancouver School District and then worked in the Vancouver city manager’s office, said Hagensen has held prominent leadership positions for 30 years.
Marshall described Hagensen as a builder--a person who seeks improvement, who has high standards and goals, and “believes that things can be better.”
Marshall credited Hagensen with having a vision for Vancouver, and setting the stage for much of the downtown renewal that has taken place. “He helped revitalize Vancouver,” said Marshall. “He is a person who will take the flag and move the organization forward.”
“He’s very adept at formulating public policy,” said Marshall of Hagensen. “He enjoys establishing public policy. He has always been an inspiration to me. He believes in good, clean government.”
“Bruce separates himself from each situation, without emotional involvement. He can set that aside. He can define a situation or problem, and bring people together.”
Marshall said Hagensen chaired the Citizens Committee for Good Schools in the Vancouver School District and “brought folks together. He had a highly successful run in support of schools.”
“His goal is what is best for the community, not a segment of the community,” added Marshall. “I don’t know anyone who cares more about Clark County, Vancouver, southwest Washington.”
Marshall gave examples of Hagensen’s work ethic, noting that he worked every night for two weeks until after midnight on a special project. “He’s a bulldog and a very committed individual,” said Marshall. “He leads by example.”

Rotarians host Russian business women
Bill Myers
staff reporter
Five Russian women business leaders hosted by Rotarians Sept. 29 through Oct. 6 at Battle Ground, Ridgefield and Hazel Dell homes, got a taste of life in the U.S.A.--at least in parts of Washington and Oregon.
The visit was sponsored by the Open World Program, a federally-funded effort established by Congress in 1999 to “bring Eurasian leaders of tomorrow to the United States today.”
The goal of Open World is to dispel false images about the U.S. by introducing Eurasian visitors to American business, political and civic life. More than 10,000 current and future decision makers from Russia and other Eurasian countries have participated in the program. More than 5,300 families, including 51 U.S. senators, representatives and state governors, in 1,544 host communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have hosted Open World participants.
Open World is managed by the Open World Leadership Center, an independent organization headquartered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Ridgefield resident and Lewis River Rotarian Norm Swanson, district coordinator of the Open World program, was lead host. He and his wife, Karen, met the Russian women delegates at Portland International Airport.
The delegates were facilitator Oksana Borisovna Anistratenko, 34, a Fullbright Program officer in Moscow, Svetlana Vladimirovna Brigidin, 38, vice president of the Bryansk Trade and Industry Chamber in Bryansk; Tatiana Evgeniyevna Utkina, 36, deputy general director with the Andreyev Soft (information technology) Company in Tver; Larisa Aleksandrovna Vodolazova, 44, general director of the Lemar Beauty Center in Yegoryevsk, Moscow Oblast; and Lyubov Aleksandrovna Zhdanova, 39, director of a computer equipment store for Slavutich, LLC, in Bekhteyevka, Belgorod Oblast.
Each delegate stayed at the home of Rotarians. Hosts from Lewis River Rotary included the Swansons, Mike and Gilda Ciraulo, Denis and Sue Coates and Maureen Girven, all of Battle Ground. Hosts Lee and Monica Woodruff of Hazel Dell are with the Greater Clark County Rotary Club.
At an Oct. 3 Lewis River Rotary breakfast, Utkina was a guest speaker. Speaking through an interpreter, she told Rotarians how she was selected to participate in the Open World Program.
Utkina said that in her position with “the largest IT company in the Tver region,” she supervises more than 400 employees.
The Russian delegate said her most interesting business projects include a four-year summer computer school for children which provides simultaneous education for 5,000 children through 110 affiliates all over Russia and IT training for more than 2,500 children a year at a “computer camp for children.” She said she was nominated for the Open World Program because of her supervision of the computer camp.
“My colleagues from Russia and I are very pleased to be here in your hospitable country,” said Utkina.
When asked at the breakfast to describe what most impressed them so far, the ladies took a quick vote. They agreed that the Birth Center at Salmon Creek Legacy Hospital was most impressive so far.
The Russian ladies, while staying in Washington, visited Columbia River Gorge, Bonneville Dam, Hood River, three Oregon wineries to hear about production and marketing operations, the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, Legacy Health System offices in Portland, the Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, the Young Women’s Christian Association in Vancouver, offices of the Vancouver School District, The Vancouver Columbian newspaper, the Fort Vancouver national historic site, the Clark County Emergency Control Center, Bank of Clark County, offices at the City of Vancouver, Providence Health Care System and the Axium Corporation in Beaverton, OR, Portland General Electric at the World Trade Center in downtown Portland, the Election Center in Washington County, OR, and the sights and creamery at Tillamook, OR.
The grand finale on the eve prior to their Oct. 7 departure was a farewell dinner at the Ridgefield home of Dr. Joseph and Cindi Sepe.

Tweedell trial delayed until December
The trial of Terri Tweedell, former president of the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce, has been delayed until Dec. 18.
Tweedell’s attorney, W. Todd Pascoe of Vancouver, filed a Motion for Continuance on Sept. 12. The trial had been scheduled for Oct. 2.
Tweedell had also sought court approval to travel in western Washington for visits to family members in Tacoma, Lynnwood and Gig Harbor. That request was denied Sept. 29. Tweedell is not to leave the Clark County-Portland metro area, and is required to report to authorities by phone every week.
Tweedell is accused of first degree theft and second degree theft involving the assets of a now-deceased man who she had befriended.
She is also charged with the unlawful practice of law by allegedly drafting or completing legal documents and presenting them to the victim for signature.
Pascoe sought a delay in Tweedell’s trial because, he said in an affidavit, information about the charges is voluminous, and witnesses are out of state and yet to be interviewed. County prosecutors did not object to the delay.
A readiness hearing is set for Thurs., Dec. 14, 1:30 p.m., with trial Mon., Dec. 18, 9 a.m., in the courtroom of Judge Robert Harris.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney James E. David will handle the prosecution.
Tweedell was arrested June 29 by Battle Ground police following an investigation by Adult Protective Services and Battle Ground police. She posted $15,000 bail and was released June 30. She entered a not guilty plea on July 11.
According to court records, Tweedell took advantage of Jaroslav Sedivy, 74, before and after his death on March 7, 2006.
Investigators allege that Tweedell isolated Sedivy from family and friends, and stole more than $10,000 in money and items of value from him.
Tweedell said she had Power of Attorney for Sedivy, obtained while Sedivy was hospitalized Feb. 1, 2006.
Within a week of obtaining the Power of Attorney, Tweedell allegedly wrote herself a check from Sedivy’s checking account for $2,000 which she described as a gift to herself from Sedivy, court documents state.
During the same week, Tweedell wrote a check to “cash” for $5,000, documents state. While Tweedell said she took that money to Sedivy at Parkway North Care Center, the money was never located, records state, and officials at Parkway North said they had no record of such money.
After Sedivy’s death, Tweedell reportedly made several unauthorized purchases using Sedivy’s credit cards, including the purchase of a plane ticket for herself. Other unauthorized checking account and credit card purchases are also alleged, along with theft of possessions including rings, antique Bible and furniture.
Police executed search warrants both at Tweedell’s home and at the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce where she worked. Lt. Roy Butler of the Battle Ground police department, said some of the missing items were found at Tweedell’s home, not at the Chamber. None of the allegations of theft involve assets of the Chamber of Commerce.
Clark County prosecutor Art Curtis said that the likely sentencing range if Tweedell is convicted is 0-90 days in jail for Theft 1. The maximum for Theft 1 is 10 years and for Theft 2 is five years. Charges of acting as an attorney are a gross misdemeanor, he said.
Curtis said he will seek a sentence range above the standard range because Tweedell allegedly used her position of trust in the commission of the offenses, and because Tweedell knew or should have known that the victim was vulnerable or incapable of resistance.
Tweedell said Oct. 4 that she is receiving unemployment compensation while looking for work.

Model hydroplane race set for Horseshoe Lake
Radio-controlled hydroplanes will speed across Horseshoe Lake in Woodland, headed for the winner-take -all Cascade Cup trophy Sat., Oct. 14.
The 45 or so boats that will be entered in the first-ever Electric Radio Controlled Unlimited (ERCU) Cascade Cup championship will begin practice runs at 8 a.m. The races, four heats for two classes, will begin at 11 a.m.
Nelson Holmberg, spokesman for the organization, said there are two classes: a vintage class for boats built between 1940 and the mid-1970s, and the modern class for more recent hydroplanes. The heats will take place during the day and at the end of the competition, there will be a winner-take-all race for the trophy.
The racer who earns the greatest number of points in each of the two classes will be named national champions for his/her class.
Holmberg said the ERCU chose Woodland because of the lake’s popularity with another model boat group, the 1/8th scale gas-powered models.
“They told us that Woodland was the best place in the state to race,” Holmberg said.
The radio-controlled hydroplanes are built to 1/10th scale of operating, full-size hydroplanes, he said. The boats are built individually.
“We don’t have any kits that we know of,” he said. “They are pretty much handmade,” usually of fiberglass or wood.
Competitors of all ages are attracted to the sport, Holmberg said. “The youngest is in his mid-20s, and we have one who is nearly 70,” he said.
Holmberg said he hopes the Woodland meet will encourage others from Southwest Washington to take up the sport.
For information about the meet call Holmberg at 360-521-1590 or e-mail to n.holmberg@comcast.net.

Council lukewarm to drug tax initiative
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Proponents of a Cowlitz County ballot initiative to add a sales tax of 2 cents per $10 to support increased police strength and treatment for drug addicts received support from the Woodland City Council last week, but the support was less than enthusiastic.
The council voted 2-2 during the Oct. 2 meeting, with council members Darwin Rounds and Erica Rainford opposed to putting the measure before the voters. Council members Jim Tone and John J. Burke voted in favor. Mayor Doug Monge broke the tie by voting in favor of supporting the measure when new council member Merilee McCall, attending her first meeting, abstained.
The initiative proposed by the Citizens Solutions for a Safe and Drug Free Cowlitz County Substance Abuse will be on the Nov. 7 ballot in Cowlitz County. It will authorize a 0.2% sales tax for the county for eight years.
The appeal to council, presented by organizers Pat Palmer and Longview City Manager Bob Gregory, was the second presented to the Woodland council. After hearing the first presentation Sept. 25, the council voted to delay action on the proposal.
Council member Jim Tone said in September that education and prevention are “on the short end of the stick” in the proposed measure. Tone said Oct. 2 that as a council member, he would support the resolution to put the measure to voters in November, he declined to say whether he would support it as a voter.
When pressed by Burke, Tone said only, “As a city councilman, I’m supporting this.”
Tone said that Woodland residents were excluded from the committee that wrote the initiative. He said that his wife, Sandra Tone, and Lisa Cates were interested in working to help solve the county’s drug problem, but they were not contacted when the committee began meeting.
“I’m extremely disappointed in this group,” Tone said. “They operated without the people who were our spokesmen. It’s really sad they’re (the committee) not involving our citizens.”
Palmer agreed that Sandra Tone and Cates had not been contacted, and he apologized for the “oversight.” Palmer gave Tone a business card and asked that Sandra Tone call him “at any time.”
Palmer said he had contacted three business owners in Woodland when the committee was being formed, and two could not participate because of schedules, and “one said he couldn’t support the initiative.” Palmer did not say who the business owners were.
If approved by county voters, the tax will generate $2 million per year over eight years, with 55 percent of that or $1.1 million going each year for law enforcement officers and prosecuting attorneys. Another $240,000 will go to adult and juvenile drug courts and the family dependency treatment court. Treatment programs for those who voluntarily seek help have been budgeted at $200,000.
The education and prevention section includes $400,000 to be shared between prevention and intervention programs and grant writing services. Administration, including a citizens oversight committee, will be funded with $60,000.
Gregory said that one elected official and one resident at large from each community will be appointed to the oversight committee. He said that each jurisdiction probably would make the appointments.
Although the tax would sunset after eight years, Gregory said, “We hope that we will have good outcomes and could bring it back to the voters again.”
The explanation for the proposed initiative says that the addition of police and support staff would “assure that people committing drug related crimes will be taken off the street, arrested and jailed as appropriate” and “dedicate resources specifically to punish persons who manufacture, distribute and sell illegal drugs.”
During the Woodland council Sept. 25 meeting, Tone asked about the future of employees hired under the program.
“Municipalities don’t want to be burdened by saying to their police, ‘Move on down the road’ after eight years,” he said.
Tone also pointed to the cleanup needed after a meth lab arrest and he said fire departments are usually charged with cleaning up.
“There’s no money for fire departments to do the cleanup,” he said. “We’ve got a lot for the court system. We’ve got to outfit the fire department, and there’s nobody to do it but us.”
“We could not put in funding for every existing thing,” Palmer said. “If we do this, we’ll have a beginning step to making change.”
Palmer of Kelso and Gregory said that if approved, the sales tax will pay for seven officers to be assigned to drug enforcement in the county and the cities. The cities would sign an inter-local agreement with the county to implement the program in the area of law enforcement.
Woodland’s Rounds and Rainford expressed concern about adding to the sales tax, and Rounds asked about the eight-year length of the program.
“I’m against a 2% tax rate,” Rounds said. “I think it’s a bonus for a job done poorly in the past, and in eight years, we’ll have the same problem. If there are results, they would have to show up earlier.”
Rainford urged community action instead of a new tax.
“To throw a tax at it (the drug problem) won’t necessarily solve the problem,” she said.
Palmer said that funds earmarked for a grant writer could be used to leverage additional funds for the program.
“We’re not getting our share of grant proceeds based on other counties,” he said. “I see no better thing than to leverage taxpayers’ money to bring in more money (to fight drugs).”
The organization attempted to get a similar initiative approved in 2005 but the measure failed by 150 votes, Palmer said.

Second woman appointed to Woodland city council
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Marilee McCall, who has lived in Woodland for two years, was appointed Oct. 2 to the Woodland City Council to fill the vacancy created when Bruce Summers resigned.
McCall, 43, is a native of Castle Rock and a graduate of Castle Rock High School. She is a single mother with two sons, Joel Belinski, 20, a member of the Army National Guard, and Kyle Belenski, 17, a senior at Woodland High School.
McCall was elected after Mayor Doug Monge voted to break a 2-2 council tie after council members interviewed four candidates. Suzanne Faveluke was supported by two council members, and Monge broke the tie after two rounds of voting. The other two candidates were Cowlitz County Deputy Sheriff Cory Huffine and former Woodland City Council member Charles Blum.
After the council appointed McCall, Monge asked the unsuccessful candidates to consider running in July when the council may increase in size. McCall said she will run in July to fill the remainder of the term.
“We’ll hit that 5,000 population soon, and two more councilors will be needed,” Monge said.
Washington cities under 5,000 population have city councils of five people. Larger cities must have seven council members.
McCall said she is concerned about the rapid growth of the city.
“I’ve been watching Woodland grow and I wanted to be a part of making a decision for smart growth,” she said. “Growth will impact roads, schools and the quality of services the city provides if it’s not smart growth.”
During her interview with the council, McCall said she first lived in Woodland in 1981.
“I’ve had experience in listening and building win-win situations,” she said.
For the past two years, McCall has been an office assistant with the Clark County Community Development Department. Before that she was a sales representative for carbon steel and galvanized pipe companies in Longview and Vancouver.
She attends Grace Community Church in Woodland, where she is a member of the ladies’ ministry.
“I’m also interested in protecting the rivers,” she said. “I grew up fishing with my grandfather in the Kalama River, and I want to keep the rivers clean.”
As for hobbies, she said she’s busy “training my border collie,” a two-year-old that McCall adopted from the Humane Society three months ago.
During her first council meeting, McCall abstained on all votes.
“I haven’t had the official packets,” she said. “I hope to immerse myself in the current issues on the table. I’m on a huge learning curve right now.”
Marilee McCall, second from right, enjoys a pleasant moment with council members , from left, Jim Tone and Erica Rainford. At right is city clerk-treasurer Mari Ripp.