Vancouver City Council elections are still months away, but there’s already a flurry of activity.
There are four positions open this year on the city council. City council seats are nonpartisan.
Mayor Tim Leavitt already announced he won’t seek re-election and Councilor Anne McEnerny-Ogle hopes to succeed him.
Councilor Jack Burkman, who holds Position No. 1, has decided to enjoy traveling and his grandchildren and is not running for re-election. Councilor Alishia Topper’s seat is also open. Topper, who holds position No. 2, hasn’t announced whether she plans to seek re-election. And the seat McEnerny-Ogle currently holds will also be available.
Linda Glover, a local businesswoman and former teacher and elementary school principal who currently works as the executive director of the nonprofit Gifts for Our Community, has announced she’s running for McEnerny-Ogle’s seat.
Other familiar faces have announced they will make the race.
Vaughn Henderson, who ran unsuccessfully for Legislature against Sen. Annette Cleveland in 2016, is also running for position No. 3, McEnerny-Ogle’s seat. Henderson said, if elected, his priorities are to ease the homeless crisis, slow the opioid epidemic and focus on improving environmental sustainability. Henderson, 20, said it’s important to have a wide range of ages represented on the council.
Jacob Kerr, currently a student at Washington State University Vancouver studying accounting and management information systems, is running for Burkman’s seat. Born and raised in Vancouver, Kerr sees the increasing rental prices and the homeless crisis as challenges the council must address immediately.
Vancouver’s Justin Forsman, who ran for a state Senate race in 2016 and the city council the year before, announced he’s running but has yet to decide for which seat. When running for the council previously, Forsman said the city needed more homeless shelters. Forsman said he has been homeless at times as both a child and an adult. Most recently, he’s tried to restore his firearms rights, which he lost for a period of time after being convicted of a felony. He has also told The Columbian previously he opposes fluoridation of city water and wants to be a voice for veterans.
Tanisha Harris, who ran for a seat on the Clark County council, is considering running for Burkman’s seat. Harris works for YWCA Clark County as a program specialist for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, or CASA. She previously worked for Evergreen Public Schools as a multicultural youth coordinator.
The candidate filing period is May 15 through 19.
Should any race attract more than two candidates, the primary election will be Aug. 1. The general election is Nov. 7.
