Current Battle Ground Mayor Lisa Walters will face opponent Mike Dalesandro during the Nov. 5 general election in a race for Position No. 5 on the Battle Ground City Council.
Walters currently holds Position No. 4 on the city council and was originally running for re-election to that position. Walters switched the position she was running for prior to the filing deadline in May.
Lisa Walters
Lisa Walters, 49, has lived in the Battle Ground area for 17 years. She has two children, a daughter and a son, and two grandchildren. First elected to the Battle Ground City Council in November 2001, Walters has been a council member for 11 years and has spent the last two as the city’s mayor.
Walters said she decided to run for city council the first time when her neighborhood had a rash of break-ins and she helped organize a neighborhood meeting that was successful. Walters said members of the Battle Ground Police Department bugged her “forever” to run for city council and she finally broke down and did.
Since “a lot of work still needs to be done” in the city, Walters said she made the decision to run for re-election.
“With dwindling revenues from the state, the challenges facing the city will be great and I feel I have the experience to help move us forward as well as how very much I appreciate my bosses, the citizens of Battle Ground and the willingness to help in any way to keep up the fight,” she said.
Traffic on Main Street as well as funding traffic improvement in the city are some of the biggest challenges that Walters said the city is currently facing.
“I understand Dalesandro is keen on using all of our bond capacity and pay for it with gas tax revenue,” Walters said. “I am not a fan of ‘maxing’ out of bonding capacity with the anticipation of using gas tax revenue to pay for it. My biggest issue is considering using a fund that is ‘fluid’ and goes up and down.”
Regarding differences between Walters and her opponent, she said she doesn’t know Dalesandro well, but she doesn’t agree with his “scare tactics and political shenanigans.”
“I have been and always will be transparent and the citizens of Battle Ground know I will fight for what is right,” she said. “I have served the citizens with all my heart and soul and would like the opportunity to continue.”
Mike Dalesandro
Mike Dalesandro, 33, has lived in the Battle Ground are for more than eight years with his wife, Angie, and their two daughters, Molly, 15, and Sofia, 2. Dalesandro is currently employed as operations manager for Columbia River Logistics. This is his second time running for a Battle Ground City Council position.
Dalesandro said his family has been blessed to be a part of the Battle Ground community for many years.
“We chose to move to Battle Ground because it was a great place to raise a family, but we are growing concerned,” Dalesandro said. “The city is getting bigger, busier and costing families more. I am running to address those issues and help protect what we love most about our community.”
Dalesandro said he also believes road improvements/traffic are some of the biggest challenges facing the City of Battle Ground right now. A member of the Battle Ground Planning Commission for more than five years, Dalesandro said that experience has given him a true appreciation for transportation challenges facing the city. In the short term, he said the city could start using gas tax revenues to help pay for road repairs and traffic improvements. He said he doesn’t see the need to raise taxes to fix the roads.
“Currently under my opponent’s leadership as mayor, the city hasn’t budgeted any gas tax money toward road repairs,” Dalesandro said. “That’s not right. Those tax dollars are collected with the intention of being used to improve and expand our infrastructure needs. In the long term, we need to look at financing critical road improvements like South Parkway, 20th and traffic improvements along Main Street through bonds and grants.”
If elected, Dalesandro said he will bring a strong business background with extensive experience in operations, management, budgeting and planning to the city council. He said he has a “can-do” attitude that can help Battle Ground thrive.
“If elected, the citizens of Battle Ground can count on me to continue to be highly engaged in our community, accessible and independent-minded,” Dalesandro said. “As a long-time resident, community volunteer and small-business manager, I will bring the right kind of experience to help put Battle Ground back on the track to prosperity.”
