Vote no on ECFR proposition I recently had the opportunity to meet with Martha Martin who is running to retain her commissioner seat with East County Fire & Rescue Position 4. I know Martha to be an honest, caring, and concerned citizen of Camas-Washougal through her previous involvement with numerous local organizations.
Smith, Hogan are good for Camas Camas is a solid, forward thinking and prosperous community. One of the reasons for this is their progressive form of government that includes an experienced, balanced and most importantly, stable, City Council. With keeping a deep bench of good, hard working members of the community, Camas can be looked at as a model for other communities. Two of Camas' Council are up for re-election this November, Councilman Steve Hogan and Councilwoman Melissa Smith. I know both of these people well and admire them a great deal.
Ballots for the Nov. 5 General Election have been arriving in mailboxes during the past week. Of the 246,000 that have been mailed to homes across Clark County, about 9,400 have so far been returned to the Clark County Elections Office.
East County Fire and Rescue Commission, Position 2 It's time for a change on the East County Fire and Rescue Commission.
Washougal Prop. 1 would be an expensive mistake Proposition No. 1 in Washougal's upcoming election proposes a new and expensive city manager position to lead Washougal's municipal government. I believe it is a costly mistake promoted for the wrong reasons.
In the Camas City Council race for Ward 1, Position 2, it is incumbent Melissa Smith who during the past nine years has earned Camas residents' vote. Smith, 54, is a third-generation Camasonian and has lived and worked in the Camas community for many years. In March 2004, she was appointed to the Camas City Council, and was then subsequently elected to the seat by voters twice in uncontested races.
In the Camas City Council Position 2, Ward 2 race, incumbent Steve Hogan is being challenged by former Camas city employee Ken Kakuk. Hogan, 61, has served on the council for the past eight years. He has a long history of volunteering for a number of roles within the community, including the Camas Educational Foundation, Downtown Camas Association, Camas-Washougal Rotary Club, Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association board of directors and Journey Community Church, to name a few.
Martin is an asset to ECFR board Voting for a fire district commissioner has always been a bit of a mystery to me in that they, the commissioners, are of rather low profile in the political arena. They just quietly do their job in support of the many dedicated fire and rescue professionals.
Martha Martin is the right choice for ECFR Your Sept. 24 editorial sheds necessary light on an awkward situation at East County Fire & Rescue. No one argues that the work of ECFR is crucial and essential. However, it's just as essential to question how much money -- tax money -- an organization needs to do its work.
It's that time of year again when busy parents are sending their kids out the door to meet the school bus or dropping them off at school. Expectations are high that students will be paired with great teachers who spend the necessary time helping them learn, supervising their safety and keeping parents abreast of their children's progress. I recently formed an Education Kitchen Cabinet, made up of local educators, because I want to know how we can ensure kids have the best education. I've learned we have very dedicated teachers who care about kids and their education. But they tell me they can only do so much. The other component in the success of a child's education is parental involvement.
