Linda Glover, Vaughn Henderson and Michelle Beardshear have all traveled different paths in life. But they all hope they lead to the Position 3 seat on Vancouver City Council, which opened up after its current holder, Anne McEnerny-Ogle, made her bid for mayor.
The different priorities and backgrounds of each candidate were on display during a meeting of The Columbian’s Editorial Board on Monday. Henderson is a 20-year-old graduate of Clark College who rode an electric bike to the meeting. Glover, 68, heads the nonprofit Gifts for Our Community. Beardshear, 39, is an east Vancouver resident who works as a senior customer service representative at the Clark Public Utilities.
“Over the course of my teen years, I lost 12 friends to the opioid epidemic,” said Henderson, who ran unsuccessfully for Legislature against Sen. Annette Cleveland in 2016 and is now seeking a city council seat where he hopes to address the crisis and represent the city’s younger demographic.
“There’s not currently a voice for small business for city council,” said Glover, a former teacher who ran for council in 2015, who touted her work with Vancouver’s Downtown Association.
“Regardless of your mobility, your ethnicity or your background, we’re all on the same team, and we really need to work together,” said Beardshear, who is paraplegic from a car crash and is seeking a more inclusive city government. Beardshear sued the city of Vancouver in federal court in 2006 arguing that some city properties are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit ended with a settlement.
On the issues of housing and homelessness, Beardshear said she wanted more housing units or assisted facilities set up for people with disabilities. She also said she wants more units set up for people with mental illness.
“I think that the city of Vancouver has been a leader; they’ve really stepped up,” said Glover, referencing its work on landlord-tenant relations and Proposition 1, an affordable housing levy passed by voters last year. She also said she supported preservation programs to fix up properties and to provide housing vouchers for families in crisis.
Henderson pitched the idea of turning shipping containers into homes (an idea that’s been adopted elsewhere) as a cost-effective affordable housing solution. He also expressed support for rent stabilization and inclusionary zoning, where developers are required to build affordable units.
Both Glover and Beardshear said they prioritized funding for public safety. Beardshear said she would never vote to cut emergency services and said current funding levels for police were good. Henderson said that the city is adequately prioritizing public safety.
“What I prioritize is what’s really, like, in crisis right now,” he said. He said that includes roads and infrastructure, housing and the opioid epidemic. However, he said that if a proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver is approved, the city should spend more on emergency services.
Henderson said he has actively opposed the terminal. Glover said she couldn’t support the terminal as a member of city council, saying, “the danger is here and now.”
“This is the one that’s going to bite me in the butt, guys,” said Beardshear, who supports the terminal. She said that she contacted the port and came away with a greater appreciation of what the agency does and the safety measures in place for the project.
On the issue of the chronically congested Interstate 5 Bridge, all candidates supported taking action. Henderson said he was “OK” with light rail. Beardshear said that putting light rail on the bridge would have paid for a new bridge. Glover expressed skepticism about the time and effort it would take to build a third bridge over the Columbia River. She also said that rumors based on “false information” regarding the failed Columbia River Crossing continue to be a problem.
All expressed support for public transit, with Glover saying that “congestion is slowly strangling our businesses.”
