Since his election to the Vancouver City Council in 2011, Bill Turlay has seen himself as the lone conservative voice among liberals.
He says he doesn’t believe human activity has played much of a role in climate change and that he’d go to bat for the Koch brothers.
Turlay, who has owned and managed businesses, feels his perspective brings diversity to the council. But according to his challenger (and fellow Republican) in November’s race, Turlay hasn’t been conservative enough.
“I feel that he’s being swayed too much by the fact they’re (the city council) a friendly, cohesive group,” George Francisco, 74, told The Columbian’s editorial board Tuesday.
Turlay said he happens to like the other councilors and tries to find common ground and work from there. And no, he hasn’t voted against much of anything that’s come up in his tenure — there haven’t been many partisan issues, he said.
“I don’t take actions based on party politics,” said Turlay, 79. “I do what I think is best for the city.”
His proudest moment on the council was when he objected to the closure of Fire Station 6 and police layoffs during the Great Recession. Other councilors backed him up, and the fire station and police jobs were spared, said Turlay, who feels Vancouver needs 30 more police officers.
“I think I have a record that warrants my being re-elected,” he said. “I’ve got too many irons in the fire. I want four more years.”
Francisco, an insurance business owner with a background in sales and marketing, moved to Vancouver eight years ago.
“I feel it’s now my time to give back to the community,” said Francisco, who says he considers himself a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10 in the political spectrum.
City-county relations
In response to an editorial board question, both men pointed to Clark County Councilor David Madore, a wealthy Republican who pours tens of thousands of dollars into political campaigns, for causing soured relations between the city and county over the last couple of years.
“I 100 percent put the blame on David Madore and his ambitions. He wants to run our city,” Francisco said.
Turlay voiced annoyance at Francisco for calling him part of “the Madore machine” on Facebook during his campaign, but admitted having solicited campaign contributions from Madore in the past. However, Madore never asked him for any favors, he said.
“I don’t think I’m under the influence of Madore in any fashion whatsoever. … As a matter of fact, it’s a damn lie,” said Turlay, who accepted $3,200 in 2011 from Madore and his wife, Donna, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Francisco retorted that he’d done his research, and that past history reflects the truth of his statement.
“I don’t lie — I tell it like it is,” Francisco said, adding he didn’t want to discuss it any further because it was time to talk about city issues.
Turlay flared, “You’re telling a lie about me, and you don’t want to discuss it?”
Francisco talked about why he thinks voters should support him: He supports replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge; he wants to put more money into mass transit; he supports the downtown waterfront project; he wants Vancouver to be a destination; and he’d like to explore building a performing arts center.
Oil terminal
Both Francisco and Turlay are taking a wait-and-see stance on the outcome of the state environmental review process for a proposed crude oil-handling facility at the Port of Vancouver. Both feel the federal government needs to tighten regulations to improve oil tanker rail safety and ensure they are less prone to explosions. If oil trains become safer and Washington’s governor blesses the oil terminal project, they’ll get behind it because it will create more revenue for the community, Turlay and Francisco said.
“The one thing I do insist on is the safety of our community,” Turlay said. “If they can’t make it safe, then I don’t want it in the community.”
Turlay brushed off the notion that an oil terminal at the port could harm downtown growth or the waterfront revitalization project, saying people wouldn’t even see the terminal from downtown. The key is to highlight the positive things about the community when marketing it to outsiders, he and Francisco agreed.
Fireworks
Francisco said the city council made the right decision by moving forward Monday toward banning personal fireworks in Vancouver city limits.
“We need to make it a safe and sane neighborhood,” he said.
(Incidentally, Turlay said at the meeting that he received a death threat Tuesday morning over his support of the fireworks ban. On Wednesday, he contacted The Columbian to say that it was just in jest.)
Both candidates want to expand mass transit options, but while Francisco envisions light rail, Turlay sees additional buses, saying they can carry more people. Both say another bridge across the Columbia River is needed to boost job prospects in Vancouver, although they differ in where the bridge should be. Francisco wants to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge, but Turlay said a third bridge with a new arterial highway are needed to solve the traffic congestion.
