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Columns

September 17, 2013

State law allows direct election of the mayor under Prop 1

The column written by Battle Ground City Councilors Michael Ciraulo and Adrian Cortes was interesting commentary but plainly wrong when they state: "[i]n July 2013 a majority coalition arbitrarily changed our form of government..." The Battle Ground City Council cannot change their form of government. That takes a vote of the people. My understanding of what Ciraulo and Cortes are upset about is the procedures the Battle Ground Council adopted to elect their mayor. They don't make any complaints about their city management, in fact they seem to compliment it.

September 10, 2013

BG officials offer perspectives on government changes

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" wrote Charles Dickens in his "Tale of Two Cities;" a magnificent author and book which still provides relevance to contemporary generations. What does this have to do with our community here in Battle Ground? As city leaders within Battle Ground, we would like to offer some personal perspectives on the significant seismic governance changes occurring within the communities of Battle Ground and Washougal.

September 3, 2013

A review of the state operating budget

Now that we've had time to review and digest the state's new 2013-15 budget, how did lawmakers do? As with all budgets there are good and bad items included, though the biggest policy success was that lawmakers allowed the 2010 "temporary" tax increases to remain temporary and to expire as promised on July 1. The enacted budget also includes revenue and spending projections that balance in compliance with the state's new four-year balanced budget requirement.

August 13, 2013

Editorial assertions about youth not based on facts

The July 30 Camas-Washougal Post-Record editorial "Is today's gridlock turning off tomorrow's leaders?" is an example of why such articles appear on the opinion pages of the newspaper. Unfortunately, several assertions are based on assumptions, not facts. The article suggests young people 18 to 25 years of age want no part of public service and the voting process because they "see so many power struggles, so much political posturing, nastiness and gridlock at all levels."

August 6, 2013

Camas congresswoman should also consider the plights of other families

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler and her husband, Daniel, termed "miraculous" the birth of their daughter, Abigail, several weeks ago. They had chosen to continue the pregnancy after receiving the diagnosis of Potter's syndrome which is essentially the failure of the baby's kidneys to form. I am not a fan of Rep. Herrera Beutler's politics, but I was saddened by the news of the baby's condition and what it would mean to her family. I also viewed the situation as an incredible opportunity for this congresswoman to experience firsthand the agony of a family faced with the heartbreaking choices involved in managing such a pregnancy.

July 31, 2013

Is today’s gridlock turning off tomorrow’s leaders?

With beautiful mid-summer days in full swing, it would be easy to completely forget about the so-called important issues we normally wrestle with locally in Camas, Washougal and throughout Clark County. Especially if you are a young person 18 to 25 years of age. Really, do we think many of our 18- to 25-year-olds, currently enjoying days at the river, trips to the beach, concerts in Portland or getting prepared for college in the fall are going to give scant attention, right now, to the issues that may affect them considerably in years to come?

July 19, 2013

ECFR asks citizens to respond to survey

Citizens of the East County Fire & Rescue district, watch your mail in the next few days. The ECFR newsletter is being mailed out this week, and it includes a survey asking for your opinion. If you live or own property in the ECFR District, ECFR wants to know what you think about having a bond issue on the upcoming Nov. 6 General Election Ballot. The bond is for 20 years, and the survey presents you with three alternatives: Yes or No to a $1,275,082.00 bond with an estimated cost of 9 cents per $1,000 of assessed value or approximately $1.33 per month for a $180,000 home; yes or no to a reduced bond with an estimated cost of 8 cents per $1,000 of assessed value or approximately $1.18 per month for a $180,000 home; or no to the bond being on this Nov. 6 ballot.

July 16, 2013

Military news a mixed bag for state’s economy

Military installations and defense contractors are taking the brunt of the automatic budgets cuts mandated by sequestration. Why should we care? Washington has major bases and military suppliers such as Boeing. They contribute more than $13 billion to our economy, about 4 percent of total GDP. A July 2012 study by George Mason University projected that sequestration could cost our state 41,000 military-related jobs. The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan will also have an impact.

July 11, 2013

Please know, your excess is going up in smoke

Noise and chaos around the corner. People reluctantly running with their children in their arms to the city's gathering areas to see the commotion. Soon, social media is on fire with news about a historical event a year in the making.

June 25, 2013

The effects of change

About midway through a 40-plus year management career, I became interested in the phenomenon of organizational change. I learned that people don't necessarily resist change, but do resist the way change affects them personally. The proposal to convert Washougal from a strong mayor to a council-manager type of municipal government portends the type of change that begets both benefits and difficulties. Among the latter are the effects it will have on current and future council members and candidates, as well as the city administrator. I leave to others the task of making the case for change. My focus in this editorial is on the effects the proposed change would have on the job of the city council, and the qualifications needed for the job. These issues deserve consideration during the debate.