Commissioner candidate made false claim about incumbent in earlier flier
By Stephanie Rice
Published: August 1, 2012, 5:00pm
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Clark County Commissioner David Madore, on his first official day in office on Wednesday, asked fellow commissioners Tom Mielke and Steve Stuart if he could take a look at the county books in an effort to try and find savings.
Republican candidate David Madore, who on July 24 apologized to Clark County Commissioner Marc Boldt for putting out a mailer that claimed Boldt “has doubled the size of government during his terms in office,” has his apologies to voters in the mail.
Since Boldt has been in office, the county’s biennial budget has decreased from $941 million in 2005-06 to $921 million in 2011-12. The number of full-time equivalent county employees has dropped during that time from 1,760 to 1,640.
So the size of the county government has shrunk, not doubled.
Madore said Wednesday that a mailer will be sent to the same households that received the first mailer.
They should arrive between Thursday and Saturday, Madore said.
The primary election is Tuesday, but ballots were mailed July 18.
As of Wednesday, the Clark County Elections Office had received 28,658 ballots out of 234,327 ballots mailed.
Madore also said Wednesday that mailers will be inserted in Friday’s Columbian for subscribers who live in Commissioner District 2 (most of Vancouver east of Interstate 205, plus Camas, Washougal and other areas of east county.)
One side of the mailer is devoted to the apology: “I messed up! I made a statement on a previous flier that turned out to be flat-out wrong. I said Marc Boldt doubled the size of government during his terms in office. Not true. It was an unintentional error. I am responsible and I apologize. I will always tell the truth as best I understand it. If I err, I will make it right, publicly. We serve, not for ourselves, but for our community, our families and our grandkids. We must model leadership, character and integrity, even when we get it wrong.”
Madore, owner of U.S. Digital and outspoken opponent of the Columbia River Crossing, is one of three people challenging Boldt, a Hockinson Republican seeking his third term.
Former Vancouver City Councilor Pat Campbell, an independent, and Camas Democrat Roman Battan are also in the race.
Commissioner candidates run districtwide in the primary. The top two finishers will advance to the Nov. 6 general election, where they will run countywide.
Commissioners serve four-year terms and earn $102,228 a year.
