Vancouver City Councilor Anne McEnerny-Ogle officially announced her candidacy for mayor Monday morning at the Vancouver Firefighters Union Hall, where she presented her approach and priorities for the city.
About 80 supporters crowded into the hall for a breakfast of sausage, bacon and pastries and to applaud the longtime community volunteer as she became the first and, so far only, candidate hoping to replace current Mayor Tim Leavitt, who is not seeking re-election.
Former city employee and Vancouver City Councilor Larry Smith introduced McEnerny-Ogle, saying she was “probably the most qualified candidate to ever run for mayor.”
Smith shared the long list of civic and charitable causes McEnerny-Ogle has been involved with, including the local Rotary Club, the Shumway Neighborhood Association, Daybreak Youth Services and the Community Military Appreciation Committee.
“There’s no one that does what she does,” he said. “She doesn’t do what she does for her résumé; she cares.”
McEnerny-Ogle began her speech by citing a provision of the Vancouver City Charter that requires her to resign her council seat before running for mayor. To applause, she held up a resignation letter she said she would submit to the city clerk.
She told supporters how she and her husband, Terry Ogle, put down roots in Vancouver, where they raised their son. She said she doesn’t miss the commute she used to make to Lake Oswego, Ore., to work as a school teacher. She told the crowd how she would seek the community’s involvement in realizing the city’s plans to become a “vibrant, safe, welcoming and prosperous” place.
“The city is not just the staff,” said McEnerny-Ogle, 63, who was elected to the city council in 2013 and has served as mayor pro tem since 2014. “The city wouldn’t survive without all the talent and knowledge and skills that many of you provide us.”
Among other priorities, McEnerny-Ogle said that public safety was the first. She also said that affordable housing would be a “huge, huge” issue for her as mayor, as well as emergency preparedness. She asked for a show of hands of how many people had an emergency kit ready in case of a natural disaster.
McEnerny-Ogle also mentioned work that needed to be done on Vancouver’s waterfront park project and her desire for a “thriving sustainable economy” that she said will require a replacement of the chronically congested Interstate 5 Bridge.
Lastly, she said she would initiate a community conversation on how to fund city government, which is facing a structural deficit in which revenues don’t keep pace with growing expenses.
“Vancouver is great,” she said. “We can make it even greater; we have a lot of work to do.”
Several public officials were present for the announcement, including Vancouver City Councilor Jack Burkman and state Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, who told The Columbian that McEnerny-Ogle could get the public involved with government at a time when it’s especially needed.
Mark Johnston, president of the Vancouver Firefighters Union IAFF Local 452, told The Columbian that his union supports McEnerny-Ogle, describing her as an “advocate for public safety” who has called for more resources and staffing for the fire department.
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, a Republican, was present for the kickoff and told The Columbian that he was “thrilled to see her run for mayor.”
Kimsey also pointed out that no one mentioned how McEnerny-Ogle was honored in 2012 for saving a woman’s life while on a Boy Scout outing at Crater Lake, Ore.
“Top that,” he said.
