Primary election results: Camas City Council candidates Dale-Boerke, Lewallen, Perman will move on to November general election

Unofficial results from the Aug. 3 primary election show one candidate vying for incumbent Camas Mayor Ellen Burton’s Camas City Council Ward 3, Position 2 seat  with a clear lead over her three competitors. 

As of Thursday, Aug. 5, With 61,685 ballots counted countywide, and an estimated 11,000 ballots remaining, Leslie Lewallen, a retired attorney and mother of four children who moved to Camas in 2018, was leading her race with nearly 48 percent of the vote. The other three Ward 3, Position 2 council candidates were more evenly split with 20.63 percent of the vote going to former Washougal City Council member Jennifer McDaniel, 17.06 percent to Camas School Board’s Citizens Advisory Committee Chairman John Svilarich and 14.09 percent to Alicia King, an 18-year Camas School District volunteer and founding member of the Camas Tree Protectors group. 

As of Thursday, Aug. 5, a total of 1,682 votes have been counted so far in the Ward 3, Position 2 city council race, up from the election night total of 1,255 votes cast. 

In the race for Camas City Councilwoman Melissa Smith’s Ward 1, Position 2 seat, two candidates — Marilyn Dale-Boerke and Gary Perman — have substantial leads and will likely move on to the November general election.

As of Thursday, Aug. 5, Dale-Boerke, a 35-year resident of Camas and the head of human resources for the Camas School District, leads with 42.4 percent of the vote. Perman, a lifelong Camas resident and owner of the PermanTech Search Group, was running a tight race, with 37.72 percent of the vote. The other two candidates, pastor Geoerl Niles and Camas Planning Commission member Shawn High, were trailing with 8.48 percent and 10.75 percent of the vote, respectively.

A total of 1,368 votes have been cast in the Ward 1, Position 2 Camas City Council race as of Thursday, Aug. 5. 

The top two vote-getters from each of the council races will move on to compete in the November general election. 

Washougal mayor’s race shows Ramos, Ford leading

In Washougal, the mayoral race shows Rochelle Ramos, a human resources director, owner of the nonprofit Lunchmoney Skatepark, member of the Washougal Parks Commission and longtime community volunteer, is in the lead as of the most recent county on Wednesday, Aug. 4, with 39.05 percent of the vote. 

“Going into it, I wasn’t positive (I’d be on top), but I thought at least the top two,” Ramos said. “I was definitely thrilled (when I saw the results) because I want to serve my community and continue to do the good work that I’ve been doing here for over a decade now. I’m honored and humbled, (and) I hope that I get to represent Washougal (as mayor).”

Derik Ford, a Washougal restaurant owner, career and technical education teacher and massage franchise owner who came under fire for his controversial past, which included being fired from an Oregon police department, sexual assault charges against his massage employees, domestic violence allegations and a restraining order violation, is currently in second place in the Washougal mayoral race, with 31.96 percent of the vote. 

Ford told The Post-Record in July that he did not feel his campaign would be impacted by his past lawsuits, job dismissals or domestic violence accusations.

“Everybody has a past, things in their life they’re not happy about,” Ford said. “I think I can do some good out here.” 

Longtime Washougal City Councilman Paul Greenlee, who was the first to throw his hat into the Washougal mayoral race, trails with 28.47 percent of the vote. Greenlee has served on the Washougal City Council since 2007. He is the founder and chairperson of the nonprofit Unite! Washougal Foundation; board member for the Columbia River Economic Development and Southwest Washington Regional Transportation councils; and vice chair for the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board.

A total of 3,288 votes have been counted in the Washougal mayoral race as of Thursday, Aug. 5.

The top two mayoral finishers from the Aug. 3 primary will face off in November to fill the city of Washougal’s No. 1 council position, which was designated as mayor by voters in 2020. Molly Coston, Washougal’s mayor since 2018, announced earlier this year that she will run for her current No. 5 position, to which she was appointed to in 2020 after the resignation of Ray Kutch.