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Camas City Council: Votes for 3 New Positions, Tax Levy; Rejects Annexation

Outgoing Camas Mayor, Shannon Turk, presided over her final City Council meeting Monday night — a busy evening in which council members voted on several ordinances and resolutions.

Earlier in the day, at the Council public workshop, Downtown Camas Association Executive Director, Carrie Schulstad, publicly thanked Turk and Council Member Deanna Rusch for their years of public service, and presented them with mugs full of candy.

“Thank for you what you did for Camas,” said Schulstad.

Several firefighters publicly thanked Turk and Rusch, who were both defeated in the November 5 election. Camas School Board member, Erika Cox, also expressed her gratitude toward Turk, who has served Camas for years: 7 as city councilor, and 1 as Mayor.

Cox said the following: “Your passion for educating our neighbors on processes, and your encouragement for involvement was evidenced by your volunteering in our schools, your mentorship of Camas High School youth, the club CYAC for civic-minded students, your years as a council member, and your service about volunteering for an appointment as mayor in the middle of a resignation, during your service to Camas in a myriad of ways I’ve mentioned you’ve inspired young leaders, you’ve encouraged your neighbors to be involved, and you’ve given hours upon hours representing our city …”

Rusch also expressed gratitude.

“It’s been a pleasure to serve you the last two years,” said Rusch. “It’s probably been one of the best things I’ve done in my life so thank you for the opportunity. The results of the election are disappointing but I will not love Camas any less … it’s really easy for these things to tear us apart, but I’m hoping that these things bring us together …”

Council
From left: Council member Deanna Rusch, Port of CW Commissioner John Spencer, and DCA Vice President Randy Curtis.

Lake/Everett Roundabout

At workshop, Camas city staff provided an update on the Lake/Everett Road roundabout, which continues to progress. They also showed a video of the finalized landscaping selection, which uses native and hearty ornamental species (including the Camas lily) for easy maintenance. It was noted that the city will repurpose a lot of the cut trees into benches.

Brady Road Project

The Brady Road project is progressing well, thanks to good weather. However, staff has run into soil underneath the road that is softer than expected, requiring excavation and replacement of a stronger base.  Costs right now are $250,000 on this phase of the project. Cost overruns on this project are budgeted, said the city, which expected the project to cost $6.2 million, but it was bid at $5.6 million.

New Staff Positions

Council members approved, as part of the 2020 budget re-adoption, the addition of three new city staff positions: Communications Manager, Economic Development Manager, and School Resource Office for Camas High School.

Council member Bonnie Carter emphasized how citizens want better communication so she is very supportive of the new Communications Manager position.

Council
Camas resident Margaret Tweet objected to the creation of an Economic Development Manager.

In the public comments, resident Margaret Tweet objected to the creation of the Economic Development Manager position.

“The city is not running these businesses or operating these businesses,” said Tweet. “There are things the city can do to help a business to help attract a company. Sometimes economic development work is non-sensical. I remember Paul Dennis and the former mayor taking credit for Sharp. It’s important to understand these economic development groups take credit for things they don’t do. The marketing aspect isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. We need to see an audit report of CWEDA (or Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association).”

To which Mayor Turk replied: “The audit is ongoing, and we can see there are things need to be changed. In the past year, the CWEDA board put into place the requirement of agenda, minutes, and audits. We set up a treasurer and there is public review of payouts being made. There were a lot of growing pains, and we are working to correct them. The audit report will be made public.” 

Council
www.VixonCabinets.com

Property Tax Levy

After receiving final assessed values from the Clark County assessors office, Council members voted to approve the next levy, which will be $3.11 per $1,000 of assessed value. By law, the property tax levy cannot exceed one percent annually.

Camas Library Bond

Council also voted to make a final payment on the 20-year Camas Library bond, which is $610,000, or about 12 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

Hagensen/Webberly Annexation

The Hagensen/Webberly Annexation was presented by Robert Maul, and calls for annexing property just north of Camas High School into city limits. The council voted 4-3 to reject the annexation at this time. Here’s how the vote was split:

  • Carter: Yes
  • Burton: No
  • Smith: No
  • Anderson: No
  • Hogan: No
  • Rusch: Yes
  • Chaney: Yes

Block Grant to Rehabilitate 12th Avenue

Council voted to apply for a community development block grant of $250,000 to make extensive repairs to 12thAvenue.

Emergency Rescue Fund 2020

Council voted to support a levy to raise $21,000 for the Emergency Rescue Fund.

Crown Park Improvements

Council votes to amending the city of Camas 2019-2020 budget ordinance to include improvements to Crown Park, which includes new bathrooms.

Parks and Recreation Meetings Location Change

Council voted to move the location of Parks and Rec meetings from Lacamas Lodge to City Hall so the proceedings can be recorded.

At the close of the meeting, Turk expressed a heartfelt statement about public service. Please click the link to watch this short video: https://youtu.be/1s6ROYInCug

Mayor-Elect Barry McDonnell will be sworn into office on December 2.

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Target Zero Safe Driving Campaign Launches In Washougal

Washougal, WA — Washougal Police were out in force the morning of November 13 at the Washougal High School parking lot to catch students. Catch them doing good, that is! Students who were found wearing seat belts were rewarded with a $5 gift card from Dutch Bros Coffee.  This was a part of the Target Zero Safe Driving Task Force “Click it Bro” program in partnership with Unite! Washougal.

“It feels good to be out here to reward good behavior,” said Washougal School District Resource Officer and WHS Alumni, Kelly Anderson. “It is great to be working with Target Zero on this and reinforce the importance of seat belt use.”

The Target Zero program believes our culture should motivate people to aspire to become safe drivers, in the same way, smoke-free environments are now valued.

“We need our culture to embrace, celebrate, and promote the responsibility each of us has to be a safe road user,” said Hillary Torres, Region 6 Target Zero Manager. “When we reach this place, being a safe driver will not only be important for our own self-esteem and sense of belonging, but it will also be the foundation to ensure the safety of our family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues.”

Through a grant from State Farm, Target Zero provided one hundred $5 Dutch Bros certificates for high school drivers “caught doing the right thing” by wearing their seat belts at five area high schools throughout Clark County. Dutch Bros matched this with an additional $500 of gift certificates. These certificates are being given out by School Resource Officers at each location.

“Unite! Washougal is excited to be leading on the organization of this project,” said Margaret McCarthy, Unite! Drug Free Community Program Coordinator. “This is also an excellent way of promoting positive relationships between law enforcement and our youth.”

Torres and McCarthy attended statewide prevention training and through discussions, discovered opportunities to work together and are planning to bring several future programs to Washougal.

Target Zero

“A group of WHS ASB students called PEP Unite! are the leaders of this project,” said Megan Kanzler, Unite! Drug Free Community, Youth Engagement Coordinator, Washougal Youth to Youth Advisor and WHS Interact Advisor. “They are a leadership workgroup that is focused on positively engaging people in their community. A part of their work was to collect data on student seatbelt use at the high school before today and then follow up to see if the program helped to change behavior.”

On September 26, PEP Unite! members volunteered to stuff envelopes with the Dutch Brothers certificates and appreciation awards to be distributed by SROs at WHS and other schools. Washougal Mayor and Rotary member, Molly Coston, also volunteered to help.

“Steps like Target Zero are moving us in the right direction around safe driving to make our community a better place to live,” Coston said. “I appreciate the idea of saying thank you for positive behavior.”

“It’s all about community,” said Brianna Gonser, WHS Interact President. “It is about being positive and about being safe. All the Target Zero partners have the same mindset and values, which is cool. It is great to
notice the positive. The positive does exist and is worth celebrating.”

WHS juniors Olivia Dinnel and Brianna Ruth were stopped on their way into the parking lot as a part of the program.

“At first I wondered what the officers were doing and did not know what to expect,” said Ruth. “I think it is really cool that they are giving rewards for wearing seat belts. I think it will work to encourage other students to wear them.”

“We need to collectively make safe driving not just normal, but admirable,” said Torres. “Together we can improve safe driving beliefs and behaviors until we reduce the risk of death and serious injury to zero — because every life counts.”

Target Zero is a call to action. It shakes the roots of the belief that “accidents happen” and that the loss of life and health are acceptable outcomes of driving. Other initiatives they support include signaling, not
speeding, and avoiding driving while distracted.

Target Zero
Rewarding good behavior.
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Washougal Pathways Conference: Career Focus on Hospitality, Tourism, Ag + More

Washougal WA – Washougal High School held their second annual Pathways Conference for students on Thursday, November 7.  This year’s focus was careers in Hospitality, Tourism, Human Services, Ag, Food and Natural Resources.  The event was designed to prepare students for the world of work while bringing a more personal approach to the standard “Career Day.”

“We’re really trying to provide students with exposure to a professional conference setting while giving them an ‘up close and personal’ learning experience from local business folks about career pathways that are of interest to them,” said Margaret Rice, Washougal School District Career and Technical Education Director.

Conference planning began last year in order to identify and recruit a wide variety of professionals to speak.

“We had representatives from Disney College to Agri business to event planning,” said Lisa Leonard, WSD Career Specialist and Work Site Learning Coordinator.  “We are so grateful to all of our speakers who took time out of their busy day and away from their businesses to share their expertise.  Many were either Washougal residents, alumni or own a business in Washougal.”

The conference keynote speaker was WHS Alumni Matthieu Grant, who spoke about opportunities and skills needed to work for Disney.  Other break session speakers included Drew Bergerson, Quest Events; Alex Yost, Our Bar; Mychal Dynes, Little Conejo; Michelle Weeks, Good Rain Farm; Robert Hensley, iFill Cup; Nathan Day, You Move Me; Beth Nelson, United Flight Attendant; Tera Yano, Sea Mar; Jayodin J. Mosher NIC-M, Interpreter for Sorenson; and LaDonna Davis, Cosmetology, Hairy Kari’s.

Pathways
www.MeuPilates.com

After a morning of speakers, students loaded buses to visit either Ilani Casino in Ridgefield or Skamania Lodge in Stevenson.   

“Both businesses went out of their way to show students a wide variety of career
opportunities,” Leonard said.

The Ilani Casino Human Resources representatives provided Pathways Conference students with a complete overview of career opportunities as well as a tour of their guest services.  

“They were very encouraging to the students,” said Leonard. “You could tell they are very passionate about what they do.”  

Students also heard about the company’s tuition reimbursement for full-time employees and how they promote from within.

“Students were able to hear about every aspect of guest services at Skamania Lodge,” said Leonard.  “The team there is great!  Our Culinary teacher would hope to build an apprenticeship program with Skamania for students interested in hospitality careers.”

“Our goal is to have a Pathway Conference each year covering all 16 Career Clusters over a 4-year period that way our students the opportunity to participate in a different conference each year of their high school
career,” said Rice.

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Letter to the Editor: Six Weeks — A Look at Local Events Leading to Election Day

Six weeks.

That is the amount of time it took citizens to inform each other, via social media, email, and neighbor-to-neighbor conversations.

Six weeks to rally around Aster Davis & her desire to remain in her home, rather than being forced to sell to the city’s eminent domain demands.

Six weeks to rally around Barry McDonnell as a local citizen willing to stand up for the people and common sense.

Six weeks to raise just under $5,000 to buy yard signs, a few banners, put together a web page. Six weeks to have Lars Larson spread the word on his radio show, and three local TV stations do news reports exposing the real nature of this overreach.

Six weeks for citizens to find new friends from a very diverse set of backgrounds, all sharing similar concerns over the outrageous nature of this overreach.

Six weeks to expose the facts — spending 30% of your local city taxes on a pool and rec center. Six weeks to expose $850,000 annual operating losses. Six weeks to expose $800 per year fees for a family to use a pool they are paying for with their property taxes, but don’t own.

90 percent rejection — history in the making in Washington state. All in just six weeks, by citizens having to dig to expose details city staff and city councilors hoped would remain hidden from public view.

Six weeks to shine the light of truth and expose legitimate facts.

Thank you to my fellow citizens for all the amazing work you did! All in just six weeks.

By John Ley

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What Are Library Makerspaces? Washougal High School Explains What’s Happening

Washougal, WA — The role of high school libraries is evolving as technology changes the way information is accessed and researched. Washougal High School Librarian, Hillary Marshall, is helping to forward the new vision for how libraries interact with students by helping establish Makerspaces throughout Washington schools.

Makerspaces are collaborative work spaces devoted to using high tech and other tools and materials for creating, making, learning, exploring and sharing.  Marshall, who is the Washington Library Association, School Library Division Chair, worked over the summer with a team of nine other educators and librarians to develop the “Makerspace Your School Library” curriculum for teacher librarians.   The project was funded by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) though the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and written by Siri Hiltz, Youth Services Consultant, Library Development, Washington State Library, Office of the Secretary of State.  The group worked for two full days to develop the training for all grade levels that will be shared throughout the State of Washington.

“Libraries used to be the center for information, but now students have the internet,” explained Marshall. “The makerspace activities bring students back into libraries.  The concept is also effective when paired with school curriculum and can be used to move the challenge a student faces in that area of study up a notch.  We also provide students who may never have tried computer sciences a place to experiment and explore.  They find out that it may not be as hard as they had thought it might be.”

Sections in the Makerspace program training include Robotics (Computational Thinking), Design Challenge (Collaborative Problem Solving), Creation Station (Innovative Design), Circuitry (Computational Thinking) and Break & Make (Innovative Design).  “The Break & Make section focuses on taking parts of unrelated or broken items to design and create something brand new,” Marshall explained.  “The Circuitry section allows students to explore electricity and building circuits in fun ways like the MakeyMakey banana piano.  Students create a loop circuit through the conduit of a banana, alligator clips, and the programming found online through the MakeyMakey website.  Once it is properly set up students can play various
bananas that emit different sounds on their Banana Piano.”

Makerspaces
Fur Pom Beanies at LILY ATELIER in Downtown Camas. $78!! Get Yours Before They’re Gone!!

Other training will be available at various locations throughout the state of Washington.  However, Marshall and training partner, Craig Seasholes, Dearborn Park International Elementary Librarian, Seattle Public Schools, also have a training scheduled at Fort Vancouver Regional Library on Saturday, November 16.  They are paired to offer six different trainings up the I-5 corridor and the Olympic Peninsula throughout the school year.

“We have school librarians and teachers attending from a variety of instructional areas ranging from elementary to high school,” said Marshall. “All are interested in bringing makerspace ideas and more STEAM (Science, Technology Engineering, Art and Math) concepts into their curriculum, library or classroom.”

According to Marshall, the development of this type of educational experience for students is driven by best library practices, OSPI Educational Technology standards and industry job requirements.  “Our students need opportunities to be challenged and problem solve,” she explained.  “We don’t know exactly what jobs will be available to these kids, so we need to prepare them with a variety of 21st century skills.”

At the WHS Makerspace, students’ named the BETA Base, students are encouraged to come to the library to tinker and practice design principles as they explore computer science through monthly projects.  “They come in before school, at lunch, during Hop and Stop (study period) and after school,” explained Marshall.  “Each month I set up a new challenge for them to work out.”

The October challenge of programming with a Micro:bit was developed by a recent WHS graduate. The materials were purchased with funds raised through the WHS student Keepers of the Library social club through sports concessions and the proceeds from their entry into the Festival of the Trees.  The club members voted on what they wanted to support with the funds and chose both art supplies and computer coding robotic tools.  WHS also has a strong relationship with FVRL Washougal branch and regularly borrow maker materials to support dual programming offered after school, during Tween/Teen nights at the Washougal Community Library, or for special MakerSpaces programs for some of the activities.

WHS Junior, Maxwell Malcom, has made use of the library makerspaces to learn about 3D printing.  “I used to come to the library to do research,” he said.  “Now I come here to learn a new skill that I never even knew about. I really enjoy 3D printing.  It is a technology that wasn’t available to us a few years ago.”  

Malcom’s first project was a simple Christmas ornament and he most recently created an impressive six-piece Halloween lantern.

“Makerspaces provide opportunities for students to create, innovate, and collaborate,” Marshall explained. “They help to build a sense of community and allow students to make connections with students, staff, and community members as well as with technology.  I love that this work is not being graded so they may freely experiment and learn through trial and error.”

Maxwell Malcom with 3D printer.

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Washougal Appoints New Chief of Police — Wendi Steinbronn

Wendi Steinbronn, a 25-year veteran of the City of Portland, OR Police Bureau, has been appointed the City’s new Police Chief by City Manager David Scott. Steinbronn will replace Chief Ron Mitchell, who is retiring at the end of November, after serving the Washougal community for 23 years. In Washougal, she will oversee a department of 25 employees, including 21 commissioned officers and a $4.2M budget. Steinbronn will assume the Washougal Police Chief duties at the end of November.

“Wendi has strong law enforcement credentials. She impressed everyone involved in our selection process. As a Camas resident for some time, she is familiar with Washougal. I am confident Wendi has the right combination of experience and qualities that will make her a great fit for our community and a successful police chief,” stated Scott. 

Steinbronn comes to Washougal with over 25 years of experience with the Portland Police Bureau. She started in 1993 as an officer and rose through the ranks, including Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Commander. She is currently the Commander of the Bureau’s North Precinct, serving a population of approximately 190,000 with 135 personnel and a $9.3M budget. Prior to her appointment as North Precinct Commander, Steinbronn served in various roles, including: supervising property crimes detectives and a Neighborhood Response Team, commanding officer of the records division, executive officer to the Assistant Chiefs, government relations liaison, managing the day to day operations of the Family Services Division, serving as a member of the Bureau’s Strategic Planning Committee and engaging with citizens and businesses via a number of committees.

 “I’m honored and excited to be your next Chief of Police,” said Steinbronn. “I look forward to getting to know my new co-workers, learning my job and meeting the community. I’m committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of the community as well as continuing to deliver the high level of service everyone expects.”

Steinbronn

The announcement follows a nationwide search and comprehensive selection process facilitated by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, and an extensive background review. 

“I want to thank the members of the Washougal community, the Mayor and City Council, and the men and women of the Washougal Police Department who provided input in the process,” said Scott, “as well as the members of the community leadership and City department heads who interviewed the four finalists. It was important that our process include broad input, and I am grateful for everyone’s participation.”

Steinbronn holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Portland State University. She and her husband reside in Camas and have one son, a student at Camas High School.

Steinbronn
Wendi Steinbronn.
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Clark County Elections: Camas Mayoral Race Results Coming Next Week

The Clark County Elections Office provided an update on the Camas Mayoral race today.

According to Greg Kimsey, the final results from the Camas Mayoral race won’t be known until the middle of next week due to the high volume of write-in ballots coming in from Camas and throughout Clark County. Other cities are taking a priority, as well.

Each ballot will be closely analyzed by elections personnel and members of both major political parties. They will confirm signatures, analyze hand-writing and then have each ballot counted and tallied.

If a name is misspelled, but it’s clear the intent of the voter, it will count. There are still 27,000 ballots countywide left to count.

At stake, is the manual count of more than 2,700 write-in ballots cast in the Camas Mayoral race. Voters cast votes for at least three candidates: Barry McDonnell, Melissa Smith, and Awna Underwood. Currently, the write-in votes account for about 60 percent of total votes cast for the Camas Mayor position.

You can see countywide results here: https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/clark/

Here’s an update of the voter data from throughout Clark County:

Number of Precincts303
Number of Registered Voters293,385
Total Ballots Counted78,696
Estimated Ballots Left to Count27,000
Next Ballot Count On11/07/2019 5:00 PM
Last Tabulated11/06/2019 4:57 PM
Voter Turnout26.82%
www.VixonCabinets.com
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Foodie In Training: Washougal Students Solve Real-World Business Problem

Washougal, WA — Washougal High School Fine Arts Woodworking students have to think “outside the box” when faced with a design and manufacturing issue posed by a local business called Foodie in Training. 

The Camas-based startup, Foodie in Training, offers subscribers a collection of tried-and-true recipes to help bring a family table experience back to today’s time-strapped, technology dominated household.  Their members receive monthly recipes, how-to cooking videos and quarterly mailings of recipes to add to their collection; recipe cards which fit nicely into a robust Foodie in Training recipe box.  

“The basic challenge was for students to make a better box at a better price,” explained Brent Mansell, WHS Wood and Metal Technology Teacher. “With the target finished price $10 per box, students had to think critically about materials used, including type of wood, hinges, stains, and nails, as well as how to reduce labor costs by choosing the best cut of wood and keeping in mind efficient assembly time.” 

In a presentation to students in October, Foodie partners Stephanie Millman, Kelly Bruce and Kasey Morales, explained their recipe boxes were previously constructed by a crate manufacturer in Wisconsin from scrape pallet materials.

“After three orders, we found that they were too heavy and expensive to ship and the quality was not high enough to represent our brand,” Morales explained.  “We like the rustic look of the existing boxes, the fact they are made in the USA, and the internal size that allows for the expansion of a recipe card collection.”

What they were not satisfied with was the weight (leading to a high cost of shipping) and the overall appearance of the finished piece. 

Building a better box.

“We’re delivering a high quality, tactile experience,” explained Morales.  “We want the boxes to look good enough to proudly display on kitchen counters.” 

The three most important aspects for students to consider were design, function and cost.  

“We asked the students to keep the customers in mind,” said Millman. “Our target market includes Foodie members and gift givers.  We asked them to do their own research and consult with their family about the project to get their thoughts.” 

Once students heard the design parameters and expectations, they got busy taking measurements of box samples, jotting down notes on paper and creating new design ideas.  Their next step was to take those ideas out to the wood shop to begin creating prototypes. 

“Students are learning valuable lessons through this process,” said Mansell.  “They are considering the needs of a customer in the look, function and quality of the final product.  They are also realizing how their time is money and the importance of considering how manufacturing elements affect the cost to construct each box.”  

Foodie

“We are very excited to connect with a local business that can bring a real-world problem to our classrooms and students,” said Margaret Rice, Washougal School District Career and Technical Education (CTE) Director.  “Not only are CTE students presented with an actual business challenge to solve, but once a winning box design is created, the Foodies will have a better product and will need ongoing manufacturing which could result in a job for students.”

“This has been a very exciting process for us,” said Morales.  “We love providing this classroom opportunity for our high school students and are impressed with the enthusiasm they have brought to the project.” To demonstrate student pride, the final boxes will be signed by the individual students who built them. 

WHS sophomore, Aiden Baalaer, admits that this project feels different from other class assignments.

“It seems like we are working as a team on a real job,” he said.  “It is challenging to make sure that every part of the box fits flush and perfect.”

Baalaer enjoys the hands-on aspect of woodworking.  Before the box project he built a scribe and a cutting board.

Foodie
In the classroom.

“In this day and age, it seems like more people are moving toward working with technology, so it is good to learn a skill that you use hands, tools and saws for,” he said.  

“We would like to continue to work with local businesses to provide authentic business challenges for our students in the classroom,” said Rice.  “Real-world application of 21stCentury Skills like problem solving taught in this way are critical for students heading into the job market.” 

Customers can get a look at the student created boxes and learn more about Foodie in Training at the upcoming Washougal High School Bazaar on Saturday, November 16. 

“We are excited to meet new customers and show off the wonderful talent of these WHS students!” said Bruce.

For more information about Foodie in Training contact Bruce at 360-771-7893 or find them online at www.foodieintraining.org.

Planning.
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Election 2019: Voters Sink Prop 2; Camas Mayoral Race Goes to Hand Count

The hotly contested 2019 election ended Tuesday as local residents cast their votes on a number of candidates and referendums — sinking the Camas Community Aquatics Center (Prop 2) by nearly 90-10 with write-in candidates possibly upsetting the Camas mayoral race, according to the first results from Clark County Elections Office.

The numbers will be updated each day by 4 pm, and write-in votes will be manually tabulated over the next several days.

With 22 percent voter turnout countywide, here are the vote results of the local Camas and Washougal elections:

Camas Mayor

  • Shannon Turk: 1,898 or 40.81%.
  • Write-in candidates (including Barry McDonnell, Melissa Smith and Awna Underwood): 2,753 or 59.19%.
  • Total votes cast to-date: 4,651.

It’s not clear how the 2,753 write-in votes split among the three write-in candidates, but McDonnell rode the wave of Prop 2, which sank by about 90-10. If he earns 90 percent of the write-in vote, he would earn 2,477 votes. Seventy percent of the write-in votes would put his vote total to 1,927 — still barely ahead of Mayor Turk.

It’s a race that can’t be called until all the write-in votes are tabulated — by hand.

“I think it’s exciting to hear about Prop 2 and that people came out to vote in such large numbers,” said McDonnell, whose mayoral campaign started in early October. “I’m really surprised by the 90-10 results. The Prop 2 issue shows the disconnect between the elected officials and the citizens. The results are not super clear right now but I’m looking forward to seeing the final results to see how this all plays out. I want to figure out first where we land but if this is a win we have a long road ahead. I’m not in this alone. I’m up for the challenge.“

Election
Supporters of write-in candidate Barry McDonnell came to celebrate the defeat of Prop 2.

Proposition 2: New Camas Community Aquatics Center

  • Yes: 594 or 10.41%.
  • No: 5,114 or 89.59%.

A total of 5,708 votes were cast on Prop 2. By contrast, 4,651 votes were cast for mayor — to date.

Community Aquatics Center
Aerial view of Camas Community Aquatics Center.

Camas City Council, Ward 1, Position 1

  • Shannon Roberts: 2,501 or 55.83%.
  • Deanna Rusch: 1,899 or 42.39%.
  • Write-in: 80 or 1.79%.
Election
Krista Harrington, Deanna Rusch, and Ann Matthews.

Camas City Council, Ward 3, Position 1

  • Greg Anderson: 2,594 or 71.7%.
  • Write-in: 1,024 or 28.3%.

Camas City Council, Ward 2, Position 1

  • Bonnie Carter: 3,105 or 92.44%.
  • Write-in: 254 or 7.56%.

Camas City Council — At Large

  • Don Chaney: 3,104 or 94.69%.
  • Write-in: 174 or 5.31%.

Camas City Council, Ward 3, Position 2

  • Ellen Burton: 3,012 or 91.19%.
  • Write-in: 291 or 8.81%.
Election

Camas School Board

Each of these candidates won their respective races:

  • Corey McEnry: 4,107 or 97.51%.
  • Connie Hennessey: 4,126 or 97.68%.
  • Erika Cox: 4,109 or 97.55%.
  • Doug Quinn: 4,188 or 97.53%.
  • Tracey Malone: 4,045 or 97.80%.

County Councilor, District 4

  • Gary Medvigy: 11,928 or 60.84%.
  • Adrian Cortes: 7,630 or 38.91%.

Port of Camas Washougal Commissioner, #2

  • Bill Ward: 3,969 or 49.05%.
  • Cassi Marshall: 4,063 or 50.21%.

“Currently I’m locked in a tight race with incumbent Bill Ward, but we are ahead,” said Marshall. “We will know more tomorrow at 4 pm.”

Washougal City Council, #7

  • Ernie Suggs: 1,490 or 96.63%.

Washougal City Council, #5

  • Denise Korhonen: 510 or 25.25%.
  • Ray Kutch: 1,495 or 74.01%.

Washougal City Council, #4

  • Alexandra Yost: 1,496 or 96.89%.

Washougal City Council, #2

  • Michelle Wagner: 1,547 or 97.48%.

Washougal School Director, #1

  • Jim Cooper: 1,633 or 64.19%.
  • Bill Durgan: 887 or 34.87%.

Washougal School Director, #4

  • Cory Chase: 1,852 or 98.09%.

Washougal School Director, #2

  • Angela Hancock: 1,858 or 97.84%.

Click here to read a previous Election 2019 article: https://lacamasmagazine.com/2019/10/camas-releases-community-aquatics-center-operations-analysis.html

Election 2019 campaign signs.
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Annual Stuff the Bus Campaign Now in Full Swing — in Washougal & Camas

What started as a small business networking group 12 years ago has turned into an annual Camas and Washougal School District food drive to benefit Children’s Home Society, the C.A.R.O.L. program and the American Legion of Skamania County.

It’s called Stuff the Bus.

“Typically we raise on average 60,000 pounds of food,” said Tabitha Shaffer, a Stuff the Bus organizer. “A couple years ago we hit 80,000 pounds, and we literally stuff the buses. There are usually two or three buses from each high school. A total of four to six buses, and we drive around to all the local schools and pick up literally tons of food! It’s a great event!”

Beginning November 1, the area schools will begin collecting food in designated bins. 

“We pick up all the food on December 6 from the schools in Camas and Washougal,” said Angie Cherry, a Stuff the Bus organizer. “We collect from everyone who has participated, and all of the kids get a high five as they help us load the food in the bus.” 

Each bus is weighed before it’s filled so organizers know how many pounds have been collected. Last year, Washougal beat Camas — but it’s a friendly competition. The students bring in canned food from home and sometimes classrooms are even rewarded for their efforts. 

Beginning November 1, the Stuff the Bus organizers will rally the schools to start collecting food. Volunteers will stand out in front of Safeway (November 23, 24 and 27 from 10 am-6 pm) asking for food or money donations, and Grocery Outlet also runs a promotion for food bags that can be purchased, which helps Stuff the Bus get more food for their program. 

“Our goal is to provide enough food for the entire year so that our beneficiaries can give to people in need,” said Cherry.

The C.A.R.O.L. Program gathers and delivers toys for kids 18 and under, as well as family food boxes during the holiday season. The American Legion of Skamania County distributes food baskets to Veterans and Children’s Home Society distributes about 365 bags of food to families in need per month. 

Children’s Home Society also supplements the backpack program.

“Every year we count on our community to support the program with cash and food donations,” said Shaffer. “We usually raise about $7,000 per school district, which goes directly to the cause with the exception of our operating costs. Starbucks in Camas and Washougal also donates coffee and hot chocolate.”

And it all comes to a fun finish on December 6, kicking off with a meeting at each High School. They load kids on the buses and then they go to the schools and collect from the area middle schools — all with a fire and police department escort.

It’s literally stuffing the buses.

Once collected, the goods are delivered to the non-profits.

Stuff the Bus is looking for businesses or people to sponsor the event. Sponsors get their name on T-shirts and get advertising on their website — www.CWBusinessAlliance.com

Bus
Food donated to Children’s Home Society.
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