CRAIG PRIDEMORE speaks to the Woodland Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 23, telling the group the best economic development plan is to invest in transportation.
Craig Pridemore is emphasizing the need for infrastructure investment and forging stronger partnerships as he spends the final weeks campaigning for a seat on the Clark County Board of Commissioners.
Pridemore, a Democrat, is running against Republican Jeanne Stewart for the District 3 position in the Nov. 4 general election. Steve Stuart resigned from the job earlier this year to become Ridgefield city manager.
“Investing in the I-5 corridor is where we can get the most bang for our buck as far as economic development,” Pridemore said last week during an appearance before the Woodland Chamber of Commerce.
He believes the county must partner with groups such as the Columbia River Economic Development Council and special service districts to upgrade roads, sewers, water and electricity.
Meanwhile, Pridemore considers the criminal and civil justice systems a priority for public spending. He notes that more than 70 percent of the county’s general fund is spent on the systems, which he calls “critical to the community’s long-term economic development and quality of life.”
Pridemore currently is chief financial officer for the state Department of Licensing. He previously served six years as a Clark County commissioner, and was elected state senator in 2004 and 2008, serving as chairman of the Senate Governmental Relations Committee.
He talks about partnerships and transportation in the same breath. With the controversial Columbia River Crossing dead, Pridemore believes the first step toward relieving I-5 congestion is for Washington officials to make peace with their Oregon counterparts. Nothing will happen without bi-state agreement, he said.
“We have to work with people across the river. Clark County can’t do much on its own.”
No transportation options are on the table now, he said, other than Clark County Commissioner David Madore’s suggestion of a Columbia River bridge in east Clark County. Pridemore is against that idea, saying it might help a few commuters but would offer “zero economic development value.”
It’s more important that commercial vehicles can easily reach the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Portland, he said, and any new construction to help traffic congestion must also have the ports’ accessibility as a goal.
Pridemore’s platform includes what he calls “smart growth” to foster development in the county without putting greater tax burdens on citizens. He supports preserving rural economic activities such as forestry and agriculture while boosting the overall economy.
The two candidates take opposite positions on the proposed Clark County Home Rule Charter, which also will be on the general election ballot. Pridemore is for it; Stewart is against it.
He believes the new charter would benefit citizens by expanding the three-member board of commissioners to a five-member council. Under the current setting, two commissioners can’t even discuss an issue outside of an official meeting without violating the open meetings law, he said.
Pridemore vaulted into the commissioner’s office in 1998 after a 118-mile, eight-day walk around the county to publicize his candidacy and talk with residents. He did the same type of trek earlier this year, accompanied by his dog Alki.
Steve Stewart’s departure from the commission stemmed from significant differences in policy from Madore and Commissioner Tom Mielke. How does Pridemore figure to be more effective, given the difference in his political stance compared with the sitting commissioners?
“Steve had been there eight years,” Pridemore said. “He had a good run of pushing issues forward. I’m going into it knowing what the situation will be like.”
