North Clark County council district candidates discuss issues in forum

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The 2022 primary election is only five weeks away and candidates for Clark County Council’s newest district stated their cases for election as part of a recent series of forums

During a June 22 forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Clark County, four candidates for county council District 5 participated as they answered questions on a variety of issues. They included Sue Marshall, Rick Torres, Richard Rylander and Don Benton. The new council district represents the north part of the county.

The league began its forum series that evening, allowing local races with more than two candidates the chance to speak ahead of the Aug. 2 election.

Civility, housing and jail issues

Apart from introductions, candidates were first asked about the importance of civility in the county council’s functions. Marshall, a Ridgefield family farm manager who’s been involved with local land use issues, said a lack of civility makes the public less likely to participate and isn’t conducive to problem solving.

“It is important for the council itself to model civil discourse,” Marshall said.

Torres, a U.S. Marines veteran and retired law enforcement with more than a decade of experience, said “there’s ample room for improvement.”

Rylander, the current District 5 seatholder, said he’s attempted to bring “a modicum of respect” to the council since he was appointed to the position in May.

“We need to … make an effort to reach out to all people of all persuasions to understand what they have to say and to listen carefully to them,” Rylander said.

Benton, a former Washington State Senator and head of the Selective Service Administration under former president Donald Trump, said he was “part of some pretty raucous debate on the floor of the senate.”

“We never broke into calling each other names or uncivil behavior, and that’s because we have rules,” Benton said. “The rules need to be very clear and they need to be enforced.”

“You can attack ideas and you can fight against concepts, but you shouldn’t attack people,” Benton said.

On affordable housing, Torres said it is one of his main priorities “because at the end of the day, affordable housing affects our entire community” as it impacts economic development and prices out workers. He suggested having specific incentives that use the limited funds the county has.

Rylander said he has asked county staff to look into the potential for subdividing large rural lots with dozens of acres into relatively smaller five-acre parcels.

“We have to put the tools in place to allow the flexibility to maintain lifestyles while providing additional housing opportunities,” Rylander said.

Benton said he’s heard the term “affordable housing” for years. He said raising taxes, fees and restricting land through the state’s Growth Management Act raises the price of land.

“Affordable means reducing government costs and fees, making it so that the builder can build the house for less and sell it for less,” Benton said.

Marshall commended county staff and the council for their work and recent approval of the county’s housing options study.

“The land itself does not guarantee that the housing is going to be affordable,” Marshall said. She said houses going in at developments near Southwest 179th Street are already going for more than half a million dollars.

Regarding the Clark County Jail, Rylander said he recently toured the facility which put the aging structure’s predicament into perspective.

“The jail is (in) abysmally terrible condition,” Rylander said.

Rylander noted a straight-up replacement would cost upwards of half a billion dollars, leading to a need for the council to “squeeze our current budgets” to find funds for the needed repairs.

Benton said that while the jail has the potential for additional capacity, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office does not have the staff to handle an increase. He agreed the jail’s condition warrants improvements, but said the question centers on whether citizens are willing to help pay for some of the costs.

Marshall said she would prioritize an increase and retention of staffing at the jail, safety improvements and “robust” public engagement on any jail improvement plans.

Torres said the current condition of the jail is the same as it was when he started his law enforcement career in the county in 1999.

Any improvements needed have to be addressed through a collaborative process with professionals, he said.

“If you don’t know how to run a jail, build a jail, you really don’t have much of a perspective on telling someone how to do that and setting up a budget for that,” Torres said.



Transportation and rural development

Benton said since county road funding is exclusive to roads and highways, he wouldn’t use any of those funds for light rail infrastructure. The current plan to replace the aging Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River will extend light rail from Portland to Evergreen Boulevard in Vancouver.

“Light rail peaked 15 years ago and ridership has been dropping ever since,” Benton said.

He said additional crossings over the Columbia River is a priority.

Marshall said the county’s focus should be public safety issues resulting from increased development through the use of road funding to provide adequate infrastructure.

Marshall said an additional Columbia River crossing would require hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the initial research. She said her prior experience with Oregon allowed her to develop relationships with the state’s officials who would need to be involved in any bridge project.

Torres said major thoroughfares across the county are important. He recalled the limited options first responders have when doing their jobs.

Through meetings with individuals and groups in North Clark County, Rylander said those residents have “little appetite” for the county putting funds toward the I-5 bridge replacement specifically given the limited traffic relief the current plans feature.

Rylander also mirrored Marshall’s concern regarding a focus on improving the county’s existing road network.

“They want the roads in place so that we have the infrastructure to support family-wage jobs,” Rylander said.

Marshall, who is a farm manager, said local farming brings in $50 million annually, but is suffering due to a lack of leadership. She said the county needs to “dust off” it’s Agriculture Preservation Strategies Report.

“We have an amazing rural, agricultural resource that has been inappropriately pitted against development,” Marshall said. “A vibrant, rural landscape is an amenity to neighboring cities.”

Torres entertained the potential for tax incentives for agricultural production and modifying code to allow farmers to do more on their land.

“Farming is a big part of our heritage in Clark County, from the small family farm to the large corporate farm,” Torres said.

Rylander pointed to the region’s history as a reason to support agriculture in Clark County.

“Yes, we must retain and support family farm lands, if for no other reason (than) to make sure we’re connecting the people who live in the cities who don’t have any understanding of where the food comes from in the system, to actually reach out and put them in contact with the land,” Rylander said.

Benton said he has supported agricultural interests like the Clark County Fair during his time in the area. He said the county should back farmers with water rights issues with the Washington State Department of Ecology.

“It’s important for our survival that we continue to have a rural community, a farming community,” Benton said.

Candidates were also asked about the potential for industrial development along the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, much of which lies within the district.

Torres said industrial developments in “small pockets” may be viable along the railroad, but noted it has to be weighed with the current environment of residents living near the line.

“We could have some economic development there, but is it worth what would be given up to build on those lands?” Torres posited.

Rylander said development along the rail could help bring family-wage jobs to the county. Acknowledging the impacts on nearby landowners, he believes “the pros outweigh the cons” with that kind of development.

“We’ve got to pull more jobs from Oregon back to Washington state,” Rylander said.

Benton said he was disappointed the county has yet to act on its work to allow for the development.

“The room for expansion is immense,” Benton said. “I don’t know what they’re waiting for to bring jobs to rural North Clark County.”

Marshall agreed the railroad is an asset, but said there have been a number of missteps the county previously took when it attempted to implement industrial uses along the railroad several years ago.

“The community was really outraged at the prospect, and it was not clear at all what industrial uses were going to be put in place there,” Marshall said.