On the heels of the announcements from two candidates seeking his position on the Clark County Board of County Councilors (BOCC), Tom Mielke has indicated his intention to seek re-election to the county council.
After a week during which Democrat Roman Battan and Republican Jennifer McDaniel announced their intentions to run for Mielke’s District 4 position on the BOCC, Mielke told The Reflector that while he has not made a formal announcement, he does intend to run for another term.
“Normally by this time we’re up and rolling pretty good but I’m sitting in a good position; I don’t feel any threats,’’ said Mielke, who said his campaign account has a reserve balance of about $10,000. “I’m sitting on $10,000 in a reserve account. Normally, I would run a campaign with $20 or $30 thousand but I’m very comfortable. I don’t feel threatened.’’
Mielke, who will turn 74 on March 9, served four terms as a state representative from the 18th Legislative District before taking office as a county commissioner on Jan. 5, 2009. Mielke was then re-elected in 2013. Mielke is a former small business owner and a decorated Vietnam War veteran.
“My wife and I have talked about when I will retire, but I feel like I might be jumping ship if I left right now,’’ he said. “I don’t think it’s any time to start training somebody to do the job I’ve been doing. I have mixed emotions about the strain and the struggle that is going on right now. I still have the ability to hold folks accountable so I’m going to stay focused on continuing to do my job.’’
Roman Battan
The 35-year-old Battan is a lifelong resident of Camas and Washougal. He is a graduate of Camas High School, Clark College, and WSU Vancouver. Battan currently owns a small, local production and software development company.
“I’m running because I believe that county government needs more transparency and accountability in its workings,’’ Battan said in a press release announcing his candidacy. “Voters enacted a new charter to increase citizen involvement by allowing councilors to represent smaller individual districts. By design, the goal of the charter was to improve accessibility for people. I think that listening to constituents is going to be a key part of my role on the council when providing oversight.”
Battan said he intends to run a district-wide campaign from Yacolt to Battle Ground including the rural areas down to Camas and Washougal.
“I really look forward to talking with folks all across the district and addressing their concerns when in office,” said Battan.
Battan’s campaign website will be available soon at www.electromanbattan.com.
Jennifer McDaniel
The 49-year-old McDaniel is a current member of the Washougal City Council.
“I have worked hard for Washougal over the past eight years and our city is flourishing,’’ McDaniel said in a press release. “I know and love East Clark County, and I look forward to this opportunity to represent my district and to serve the entire county."
McDaniel will run as a Republican, and considers herself a moderate conservative.
"As a strong advocate for East County, I will work hard to unite the county on issues important to Clark County residents,’’ she said. “I have many years of experience working with diverse groups of politicians, and at finding common ground. I will bring that skill set to our county council.”
McDaniel was first elected to the Washougal City Council in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011 and 2015. She serves on or has served on the Washougal Schools Foundation, Camas/Washougal Chamber of Commerce, Clark College Business Boards, and as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, Unite! Washougal Community Coalition, Girl Scouts of America and Washougal Arts and Cultural Alliance.
McDaniel lives in Washougal with her husband and two children. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Houston.
