PHIL HABERTHUR
SHANE BOWMAN
CHRIS REGAN
PHILIP JOHNSON
Candidates running for Battle Ground City Council positions were given the opportunity to introduce themselves to people and answer some questions during an Oct. 6 candidate forum.
The forum was sponsored by the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce and the Clark County League of Women Voters, and was held at The Cedars on Salmon Creek golf course. Each participating candidate was given one minute to introduce themselves, one and 1/2 minutes to respond to two sets of questions and one minute to close.
All the candidates running for Battle Ground City Council positions were asked the same two questions during the forum. The first question was: What is your opinion on Clark County’s proposed admissions tax to help pay for the baseball stadium at Clark College? The second question was: What do you think is the most important issue facing Battle Ground in the next two years?
The following candidates are running for Battle Ground City Council positions.
Phil Haberthur
Position No. 2
Currently the deputy mayor on the Battle Ground City Council, Phil Haberthur was appointed to council position No. 2 in 2008 and was re-elected in 2009. He grew up in the North Clark County area and is a graduate of Prairie High School. Haberthur said he is passionate about serving the Battle Ground community.
In his candidate statement in the 2011 general election voter’s pamphlet, Haberthur stated that he has voted against raising taxes and fees, he supports public safety, he supports bringing jobs to the City and also supports enhancing the City parks.
During the forum, Haberthur said the idea of an admissions tax is not a new idea for the City of Battle Ground, as the issue was brought up and voted down in December 2010.
“This new county-wide admissions tax would impact the citizens who go to the cinema and would send that money to Vancouver,” Haberthur said. “If we’re going to have a tax like that, it should somehow benefit the citizens who are going to be paying it.”
Haberthur said he thinks the biggest issue facing Battle Ground in the next two years is financing and revenue. He said although the City is well run, officials need to start to reduce the dependence on revenue that comes from property taxes, utility taxes, etc.
“We need to bring jobs into the City,” he said. “We need to create an environment where people want to invest in this community.”
Shane A. Bowman
Position No. 2
After running for Battle Ground City Council in 2009 and not being elected to the position, Shane Bowman said he has been approached by several people to run again in this election. Bowman said he grew up in Central Washington, moved to Vancouver and then moved to Battle Ground in 2003. He said he has been involved in local youth sports, including Little League, over the past seven years.
Bowman said he wants to make sure that people in Battle Ground know that he is here to help represent the “small business guys.” He said although his opponent claims to also be there for small businesses, Bowman said his opponent has never really been involved with the small-business world and doesn’t know much about it.
Although Bowman said he is definitely pro baseball, he said he is not pro tax and doesn’t support the idea of a county-wide admissions tax.
“I’m not in favor of any tax that is for a private organization,” Bowman said. “That’s the problem we have, we tend to want to cut companies breaks on taxes and that doesn’t really stimulate the economy.”
Bowman agreed with Harberthur that finances will be one of the biggest issues facing the City in the next two years. He said he thinks growth will also be another issue the City will continue to face.
“We need to manage our growth and not keep trying to expand just because we want to,” he said.
Christopher Regan
Position No. 7
Chris Regan, who currently serves on the Battle Ground City Council and was first elected in 2003, said he has been in the Battle Ground area since 1997 and thinks the City is a great place. Regan said it has been an honor to serve on the council and he’s heard from several citizens who think the council members and City staff are on the right track.
Regan wrote in his candidate statement that he will continue to focus on developing the City’s assets such as parks and green spaces. He also said that, as a community, people must concentrate on creating jobs by encouraging economic development while maintaining the small town atmosphere that is Battle Ground.
Faced with the idea of an admissions tax in December, Regan said he voted no and continues to disagree with the idea of a county-wide admissions tax.
“I’m not a big fan of things being built with tax,” Regan said. “It’s not appropriate. These investments need to be self-supporting.”
Regan said he considers finances and economic development two important issues that Battle Ground will face in the next two years. He said he continues to be thankful for the prudent decisions made by previous council members.
“Finances are a big issue, and we also still need to maintain key services,” he said. “Economic development will also be key, but we also need to try and maintain that small-town feel.”
Philip L. Johnson
Position No. 7
Born in North Carolina, Philip Johnson said he loves Battle Ground and its small-town feel. If elected to the council, Johnson said he will be the citizens’ “night watchman” at each council meeting and will be the one who stands up for citizens.
As a retired soldier and small-business owner, Johnson wrote in his candidate statement that he thinks the City can be run in a more efficient manner, therefore taking less of citizens’ money. He said the City has struggled over the past four years through the recession, high unemployment and home foreclosures.
Regarding the county-wide admissions tax, Johnson said he is definitely against it and that he doesn’t believe Battle Ground citizens should be forced to take on someone else’s cost.
“In my mind, this is very simple,” Johnson said. “What’s earned in Battle Ground should stay in Battle Ground.”
Echoing the opinions of several of the other council candidates, Johnson said he believes finances will be one of the biggest issues the City faces in the next two years.
“I’m downright frugal, almost borderline cheap,” he said. “We have an ongoing problem where we have wasted money over the last several years and we need to go look and make sure we know what we are spending.”
