Irish, Van Dinter battle for Mayor

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Jim Irish and Troy Van Dinter have worked together for many years while in elected positions in the City of La Center and often the two didn’t see eye to eye on key issues. Now, Irish and Van Dinter are facing off in a race to see who will be the future mayor of the City.

Irish is seeking his third term as La Center’s mayor and Van Dinter is attempting to become mayor after previously serving on the La Center City Council. During their time serving together, Irish and Van Dinter differed on issues such as the City’s budget as well as the question of whether or not to engage in negotiations with Cowlitz Indian leadership regarding the potential impact of the planned Tribal casino.

Both Irish and Van Dinter agree that La Center is in the beginning of a time period that will likely prove to be critical to the City’s future.

"The message I want to get out to people is that we got a good working council and that we’re in the process of collaborating and working toward the goals, the ideas and the vision that the citizens have given us,’’ Irish said.

Van Dinter said his vision includes a desire to "work with the council to plan for wise financial management of the City’s resources, to run an open and accessible office of the mayor and listen to everyone who has anything to say to me, and that I will always be open-minded enough to learn from the comments citizens make to me.’’

In an interview with The Reflector in August, Irish said he has heard the whispers about his health and he wants to reassure everyone that he is alright.

"People have said how thin I am, but there’s nothing wrong with being thin,’’ Irish said. "I wouldn’t recommend this diet to anybody, but it has given me more energy and purpose to move forward and do what I need to do.’’

Both Irish and Van Dinter identify the same key issues facing La Center. At the top of the list is the annexation of the City’s limits to the I-5 junction, which opens up approximately 100 acres of industrial land for development, and the Cowlitz Tribe’s proposed casino and the impact it will have on La Center.

"I want to do things for the citizens like the annexation, which we were able to complete after seven years working on it and sitting down with the Tribe,’’ Irish said. "I’m working hard to maintain our quality of life and to enhance it as we can.’’

Van Dinter is concerned that Irish may be rushing the City of La Center to an outcome that may not be in the citizen’s best interests.

La Center’s annual revenues have fallen from just over $5.7 million in 2005 to an estimated $4.45 million in 2012. Revenues in 2011 totaled just over $4.6 million, more than $3 million of which came from gambling taxes on La Center’s four existing card rooms.

Opinions on the ability of the four existing card rooms to survive after the Cowlitz casino is built vary widely. If those card rooms did go out of business, La Center would be out more than $3 million in annual revenue. If the card rooms remain in operation, the revenue from the gambling taxes could be reduced significantly.

Irish believes the annexation to the junction will diversify La Center’s tax base, but Van Dinter is skeptical that it will be enough to offset the loss of revenue from the card rooms if the Cowlitz casino is constructed.



"With the annexation to the junction, we have almost doubled our service area with very little income ($43,000 in property taxes, paid in 2013), we now have roads and police service to consider, which will increase our expenses even more,’’ Van Dinter said. "La Center needs a plan, we can’t afford to continue doing business as usual, or hoping that the Cowlitz bail us out.’’

Irish insists that in recent negotiations with Cowlitz leadership, "nothing is off the table.’’ However, the prime focus of the negotiations, according to officials from La Center and the Tribe, is the cost of expanding sewer service and other utilities to the I-5 junction to serve both the Cowlitz casino and potential business in the annexed area.

Irish is also attempting to negotiate compensation from the Tribe for potential lost revenue to the City from the existing card rooms.

"We are working for economic diversification,’’ Irish said. "The best part of it for me is none of that is blue sky and apple pie. It’s here and now, things we can start working on. We’re in a position where we can start enhancing the quality of life in La Center by creating new jobs and a new tax base.’’

Van Dinter is a life-long La Center resident who currently works as a controller for Skyward Construction. He has long been concerned of La Center’s spending.

"I’m very concerned about the finances of the City,’’ Van Dinter said. "Annual operating revenue has fallen 22 percent since 2005, and annual operating expenses have almost doubled in the same period. While on the council, I voiced concern of the trend of rising expenses and falling or flat revenue.

"The council has had a dramatic turnover in eight years, but the one constant throughout the time period has been the mayor,’’ Van Dinter said. "With the potential of the Cowlitz Tribal Casino and gambling in Woodland, the City needs to take a hard look at all of the expenses, or figure out a way to increase revenue.’’

Van Dinter also raised concern of recent discussions of improvements at the City-owned Holley Park, which have included talk of an aquatic center he said would cost the City more than $17 million.

"Instead of sitting on our laurels and wringing our hands over economic conditions in our county, state and nation, we are looking aggressively at being positive,’’ Irish said.

Van Dinter is concerned Irish and other City officials haven’t done their due diligence.

"I am very interested in what citizens have to say,’’ Van Dinter said. "I plan to have town halls and open houses with a specific focus on issues, such as annexed owner concerns, industrial development, current businesses, wastewater, youth opportunities, etc. I plan to have an advisory group made up of business owners and citizens and a cabinet made up of representatives of community partners and agencies, which will open doors that are currently closed between La Center and other agencies in the County that are critical to keeping La Center the great community it is.

"The cabinet of community partners is critical because for the last eight years, La Center has been in its own little bubble not working together with anyone else, and as the City continues to grow and face new challenges, the information we can gain from the others who have already been there and done that is invaluable,’’ Van Dinter said.

Irish, who works full-time as a project manager/aquatic nuisance species program coordinator for the Bonneville Power Administration, is seeking his third term as mayor of La Center at a time when he recently celebrated being cancer free for one full year. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on Sept. 23, 2010. He had surgery on Oct. 26 to remove a large portion of his esophagus and the section of the stomach the esophagus dumps into. Since the surgery, he has lost more than 100 pounds.