The campaign for a spot on the Port of Vancouver Board of Commissioners has passed a milestone, with the two candidates combining to receive more than $1 million in contributions. As milestones go, this is a dubious one, and it calls for diligence on the part of voters.T
As big money flows into a race that traditionally would fly under the radar of voters and donors, that money has altered the very nature of the election. Campaigns for port commissioner typically would have members of the public scrambling for the Voters’ Pamphlet when they go to fill out their ballots, trying to distinguish between two candidates who likely carry little name recognition. But with Don Orange and Kris Greene running high-profile campaigns complete with mass mailers and ubiquitous TV ads, anonymity is not a concern this time around.
In some ways this is beneficial for voters; port commissioners serve an important role in overseeing a budget of about $68 million, including roughly $10 million from taxes. But in other ways, it calls for an examination of the electoral process.
Under state law, candidates in port districts with more than 200,000 registered voters are subject to limits on campaign contributions. This applies only to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, where candidates are limited to contributions of $1 per registered voter. State Reps. Sharon Wylie and Monica Stonier, both Vancouver Democrats, have said they will introduce legislation applying the cap to smaller port districts, as well. “Essentially there is no reason I know of to not have the same rules for all port races,” Wylie told The Columbian.