With a 6 p.m. start for a study session, the Battle Ground City Council meeting on Monday, June 15, lasted nearly six hours and was standing room only for attendees, who mainly were there for public comment as over 60 community members signed up to speak.
Early in the meeting, after Mayor Eric Overholser delivered a pair of proclamations, 63 members of the greater community signed up for public comment. The topics among community members mainly stemmed from a proclamation by Overholser that celebrated Battle Ground’s “traditional nuclear families,” which consist of a husband, wife and children.
The community members who spoke during the lengthy public comment period were split on supporting the proclamation. The main argument for those against the proclamation was the belief that it undermined different family and household dynamics.
However, in a statement provided to the media by Overholser, he stated, “This proclamation is not intended to diminish the value or dignity of any other family structure. Battle Ground is home to many different households and families, all of whom contribute to the success of our community.”
Ahead of a closed door executive session, council communications opened deep conversation amongst council members, including a call for unity by councilor Jeanie Kuypers.
Councilor Troy McCoy’s communications sparked discussion surrounding recent proclamations.
McCoy motioned to amend the governance manual to clarify that proclamations are delivered to their “true intent and spirit and eliminate the potential use of proclamations to state policies, especially policies that are best left in the political realm."
“It still gives the mayor the right to make proclamations,” McCoy said. “It still solely rests with the mayor. However, this one line allows carte blanche on every proclamation. Legal has been very clear that with this line in there, there are no guardrails on proclamations, at all.”
During discussion, Overholser argued that it is nearly the same council group who voted in 2025 to amend the governance manual to remove the ability to block a mayoral proclamation with a minority vote.
“Because you didn’t like it when it happened to you,” Overholser said, looking at McCoy.
The two argued that the current motion does not have anything to do with what happened in 2024 when McCoy was serving as mayor. In 2024, a minority vote of council removed then Mayor McCoy’s Pride Month proclamation from the agenda.
Overholser said he believes every proclamation he has given has been for a group or individual.
McCoy fired back and said, “I would be happy to have legal weigh in … I mean, if they haven’t quit already.”
Council member Brian Munson added input by saying he does not like proclamations.
“They’re feel-good statements,” Munson said. “I don’t think they have business here. I will support any mayor of any temperature that’s going to do it under the purview of the governance manual. I’m supporting the mayor now with his proclamations.”
Councilor Shane Bowman held a lengthy discussion point, which ultimately led to councilor Victoria Ferrer calling the question to a vote. Ferrer’s call for a vote failed with a vote that Munson abstained from.
With McCoy’s motion, Ferrer said she would make a decision if it were to be placed on the agenda and not during council communications.
Kuypers began her discussion on the motion with, “One last shot here.” Kuypers added that the council has had a “full evening of disruption, of ongoing questions, of taking breaks because we’re all exhausted, and that’s the way it has to go and I get it.”
Kuypers said she was frustrated with the question being called, adding that the council tries to allow the full extent of other comments that other council members have.
“I think we got to figure out some unity amongst ourselves here,” Kuypers said. “We are failing in so many ways right now. Whether it’s because we have our own agenda, whether we’re going to agree with one or we’re going to disagree with one. But somehow we got to get to unity amongst us.”
Kuypers ultimately made a call for each councilor to look at themselves and “say what do we need to do to come together.”
Bowman seconded McCoy’s motion, which resulted in a failed motion as Munson abstained while the vote was split 3-3, leaving the city’s policy on mayoral proclamations unchanged.
