I had an amazing visit with Don Benton the other day on completion of the local Salvation Army Food Bank expansion. He was recently home to visit a fundraiser the charity hosted where he and his wife made a large contribution.
I discovered the Salvation Army wasn’t the only community charity to benefit from Benton’s strong advocacy while in the Senate. Just a few of the other efforts he personally got behind and secured funding for included The Children’s Center, the YMCA building and pool expansion, Mother Joseph’s Academy roof repairs and many transportation projects, including the 192nd Avenue interchange.
I’m sure no one in Camas has forgotten when he had a $360,000 building (the Camas Armory) simply given to the Camas School District by the Washington Military Department through the state budget.
Many of these projects were not even located in his specific 17th district. Benton always carried the regional water for Southwest Washington in the Senate, always looking out for Skamania and Clark Counties alike.
His leadership positions and legislative skill allowed him to provide for his constituents without ever once voting to raise taxes! It was good to see him again still giving back to the community. Now that he works for the President, who is looking out for our special charities that serve our community?
