District 2 race fuels talk of building connections

County council election coverage

o Fee waivers

County fee-waiver program a contentious issue for council chair candidates

District 2 candidates, backers and foes, call for changes to fee-waiver program

o Transportation

County chair candidates weigh in on transportation issues

Councilor candidates in District 2 discuss transportation priorities

o Growth management

Candidates for county chair position divided on growth

Growth management plan of particular importance to District 2 as area grows

o Home-rule charter

Sharp split in county chair race on home rule charter

District 2 candidates eager to help implement charter

o Relationship building

Chair candidates weigh in on county’s relationships

District 2 race fuels talk of building connections

Four of the five Clark County Council District 2 candidates ranked relationship building among their top priorities for the seat, which is being added to the council effective Jan. 1. District 2 includes much of Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek, plus Ridgefield.

Here’s what the candidates had to say:

Chuck Green, Democrat:

Green, who works for C-Tran, said while the council has been busy burning bridges, he’s been busy building relationships. Green has taken to carrying a multi-paged résumé of collaborative transportation projects to public events and sharing it as an example of his ability to work with other organizations.

“My history has been to build consensus and partnerships,” he said.

Mike Pond, Democrat:

Pond said the county needs to improve its outreach to nonprofits, small businesses and cities to help restore relationships.

“There are so many things we can be doing together,” Pond said.

Pond said he has the advantage of coming to the board without any “political baggage,” which will help in restoring trust with organizations and cities.

Tanner Martin, no party preference:

Martin said his top priority is letting constituents know that he works for them.

“Every person I meet and come in contact with, I want to show them I care,” he said.

Mary Benton, Republican:

Benton, who would only communicate with The Columbian via email, wrote “It is important to have good relations with the executive board as well as the city councils in the county.”

“I would reach out to them and work together to achieve the common goal of improving and moving our community forward,” she said.

It is unclear what executive board Benton is referring to. When asked for clarification, Benton did not respond.

Julie Olson, Republican:

Olson says she doesn’t “get the competition” between Clark County and its various cities. Olson wants to restore collaboration to promote a “cohesive, organized community,” she said.

Olson said it’s important that Clark County become a paying member of the Columbia River Economic Development Council again. Councilors Tom Mielke and David Madore voted to stop paying dues to the organization in 2013 based on its support for the Columbia River Crossing project.

“In order to influence change, you have to be at the table,” she said.