Vancouver mayor hopefuls suit up to set selves apart

Three candidates for Vancouver mayor, from left, Tim Leavitt, Royce Pollard and Charlie Stemper, share the stage for the first time Thursday before Vancouver’s Downtown Association. (MATT BUXTON/The Columbian)

Three candidates for Vancouver mayor each tried to differentiate himself Thursday while tossing a few indirect barbs at his opponents.

Along the way, we found out a little bit about where each man buys his suits and blazers.

Mayor Royce Pollard, Councilman Tim Leavitt and citizen activist Charlie Stemper appeared in the first three-way appearance of the campaign during Vancouver's Downtown Association meeting.

Pollard, midway through his 14th year as mayor, focused on the city's accomplishments, especially in reviving downtown, a primary consideration given his audience.

"I didn't think much of Vancouver when I got here," he said, referring to his 1985 arrival to become commander of Vancouver Barracks. "The transients ran our downtown area."

Leavitt, midway through his seventh year on the city council, called for new ideas and better stewardship of taxpayers' dollars.

He never mentioned Pollard by name, but there was no doubt he was critiquing the incumbent when he talked about City Hall lagging behind a changing community.

"Our city is at a turning point," Leavitt said. "It's time for fresh ideas, time for harder work and time for new leadership."

Stemper, president of the Marrion Neighborhood Association who is mounting his third bid for a council seat, portrayed himself as the outsider who wants to focus on what he called "neglected" neighborhoods. He advocated repairing crumbling streets, hiring more police officers, cutting taxes and avoiding glitzy projects.

"Light rail is very expensive," Stemper said. "Given the true costs of light rail, would voters vote for it? I doubt it."

Thursday's forum, held before about 50 people at the Hilton Vancouver Washington, came as a quiet primary campaign enters its final stage. In fewer than three weeks, city voters will receive mail ballots for the Aug. 19 primary, which will pare the field to the top two contenders for the Nov. 3 general election.

Leavitt might have triggered the most intriguing portion of the event after Pollard mentioned that $900 million a year in retail sales are lost to sales tax-free Oregon each year.

"Every time you spend money in Portland, you take away from our downtown business and all of our businesses," Pollard said.

Leavitt, however, said people sometimes shop in Portland for selection, not necessarily to dodge sales tax, he said.

"There is not a good place in Vancouver to buy a nice suit," Leavitt said. "I go across the river."

Lee Coulthard, president of downtown association's board of directors, asked each man where he purchased his suit before their closing comments.

J.C. Penney, Stemper replied about his navy blazer, from this side of the Columbia River.

Pollard, after glancing inside his jacket, said it was John Alexander.

"I don't know if he used to own the suit or he is the maker," he quipped.

Leavitt said his suit actually was tailored by a proprietor, not a retailer.

Following the meeting, when asked why he could not buy a suit at Nordstrom or elsewhere at Westfield Vancouver mall, Leavitt said an athletic build makes it "tough to find off-the-rack suits."

Pollard afterward said he is "almost positive" that he purchased his suit while stationed in South Korea, his final assignment before being transferred to Vancouver more than a quarter century ago.

Even if he bought it here, he said it was at Sears or some other local retailer, definitely not in Portland, adding, "I shop Vancouver."

Stemper described himself as "a simple man who knows when we are being taxed out of our homes."

He briefly relayed the story of an unnamed couple who ran a coffee shop in downtown, only to be forced out by a landlord who wanted money for property improvements and higher rent.

"The city at the time couldn't really care less," he said.

Stemper said he spoke with downtown business owners and representatives last week and discovered many believe the city appears "only interested in collecting taxes" and others who resented the city's decision to move 150 employees of downtown to leased offices near Westfield Vancouver mall.

When asked about his vision for the city's future, Stemper replied: "I see Vancouver as a peaceful community where everyone can live in peace and harmony. And it isn't so right now."

Stemper, the only candidate who is not an elected official, tried to separate him from the other two.

The other two candidates ignored Stemper and focused their sights on each other.

Leavitt said it is time to "clear out status quo thinking, aged attitudes and the politicking of the past 20 years" and to elect a mayor with a "calm, courteous and professional demeanor," an apparent effort to contrast his approach with Pollard's sometimes feisty style.

He asked for a show of hands for those who thought a sales tax increase, higher utility taxes or reintroduction of a local business and occupation tax would be a burden on their businesses.

"Do you think these positions represent the rhetoric of open for business?" Leavitt said, poking at the theme of Pollard's 2004 State of the City speech. "Do you think you can support a candidate who wants to see these kind of things happen?"

Pollard, for the most part, declined to respond to Leavitt's veiled criticisms, aside from defending his 14-year record.

"This election is about leadership," Pollard said. "It's about proven leadership. It's not about 'I promise you leadership. I will do better.'"

Jeffrey Mize: 360-735-4542 or jeff.mize@columbian.com.