Brandon Erickson is stepping into a leadership role at the start of Clark County’s second-ever charter review cycle, bringing what he describes as an engineer’s mindset to a process focused on careful review rather than sweeping change. Erickson led his first meeting as chair last week on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Erickson, a County Council District 2 commissioner representing the Felida area, was selected by fellow members in January to serve as chair of the Clark County Charter Review Commission. The 15-member commission is tasked with reviewing the county charter and deciding whether to send proposed amendments to voters in future general elections. Commissioners were elected during last year’s general election and began meeting in January.
The charter is a legal document that defines the structure, powers, and duties of the county government. Any alterations by the charter review commission are subject to a vote of the people in the Nov. 11 general election. The current commissioners have 2026-27 term limits and can place charter amendments on the general election ballot for both years.
Erickson, who owns a Clark-County-based forensic structural engineering firm, said his decision to run for the commission was rooted in a desire to contribute to the county.
“Well, I got involved because as a Clark County-based business owner, a 30-year resident (and) having raised my family here, I love Clark County. I want to make it better. It's an opportunity to give back, and I believe that the role of a charter review commissioner matches very well with my skill sets as an engineer,” he said.
He said those skills center on evaluating systems and identifying targeted improvements rather than starting from scratch.
“I'm accustomed to reviewing what's working, what's not, and crafting a plan for how to improve upon what's not working. And I believe that those skills apply directly to this process. In this instance, the methodology for improvement is the development of carefully crafted amendments,” he said.
Erickson emphasized that he is approaching its work with the assumption that the charter is fundamentally flawed.
“The charter isn't broken, we're not looking at a complete overhaul. I think that, you know, I'm grateful that we have a charter, as I mentioned earlier, it's a tool, and I don't consider it to be broken,” he said.
During his campaign, Erickson said he found that many residents were unfamiliar with the charter itself, requiring basic explanations before deeper conversations could begin. Once those conversations moved forward, Erickson said several themes came up repeatedly, particularly around public safety and county finances.
“I can tell you that I never met anyone in the course of my campaign who didn't feel like improvement was needed in the public safety arena,” he said. “...We have one of, if not the lowest staffed sheriff’s office on a per capita basis in the State of Washington (which) has a relatively low ratio relative to other states … I would like to see us consider ways that we can address that, the specifics are for the County Council to decide.”
Erickson does not believe the commission will or should mandate a specific dollar amount in the county budget, but believes the intent should be to improve public safety by increasing the number of deputies available. Part of that belief stems from a six-hour ride-along he participated in with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
“The deputy had three 911 calls come in less than a few minutes, he explained to me that there were no other deputies available to assist in responding to those calls,” Erickson said. “...All three of those to me merited a quick response, but because there was no one else available on duty at that time to assist, all three were his responsibility.”
As chair, however, Erickson said his priority is not to advance his own policy preferences but to ensure a fair and functional process for all commissioners.
“One of my priorities as chair is to ensure that there is a respectful environment where everyone (can) express their opinions regardless of whether their opinion is part of a minority or a majority view,” he said.
He added that neutrality is central to the role.
“As a member, I can advocate specific positions, but as the chair, my goal would be to remain neutral, show respect to everyone equally, and make sure that everyone's voice has the opportunity to be heard,” he said.
The commission’s early meetings have focused on administrative groundwork, including adopting bylaws. Erickson said the group is now close to substantive charter work.
“We are quickly approaching a transition that we're going to be getting into the actual work of the commission, which will start with the adoption of a work plan,” he said.
That work plan, he said, will outline how amendments are considered, establish timelines and formalize public outreach.
Looking ahead, Erickson said he is proud to have been elected and appointed to his roles as charter review commissioner and chair, respectively.
“It's not a responsibility I take lightly, and I feel an obligation not just to the members of the commission, but to the public as a whole to give that effort my full attention and exercise it to the best of my ability,” he said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Brandon Erickson’s full name and to provide clarification regarding the intent of a previously published quote.
