Having won the election for Clark County chair, now it is time for Eileen Quiring to live up to the words she uttered during the campaign:
“I would want to get along with people.”
“We are an arm of the state. But one of the reasons we have local government that’s closer to the people is so we can implement the things we want.”
“The misconception that I can’t work with people is unfair.”
With Quiring, a Republican, having officially defeated Democrat Eric Holt with 50.3 percent of the vote, we trust that she will adhere to that message and help move Clark County forward in a collaborative manner.
That does not mean that Quiring should ignore her conservative beliefs; she captured a majority of the votes. But being council chair — and in large part the face of county government — requires collaboration more than dogma. And her previous support for former County Councilor David Madore leads to reasonable concern that Quiring will echo Madore’s combative style of governance — a style that stifled progress during his time in public office.
Most notably, Quiring supported Madore’s unilateral efforts to remake the county’s growth management plan. Her experience with rural areas and her interest in the topic could benefit the county if handled correctly.
We agree with Quiring when she writes on her campaign website: “Policy decisions must be made for farmers, foresters and rural landowners that do not create financial hardships or devalue their land. While protecting our rural heritage, we must allow smaller rural and resource zoning that fits what is already in place to allow use by future generations of farmers and foresters.” The danger, however, is that a poorly conceived policy could land the county in a costly legal battle over the state’s Growth Management Act. We would expect Quiring to look out for rural residents and for property rights while still adhering to state law.
Another issue that is certain to come up is the county’s moratorium on marijuana businesses. Quiring has opposed allowing such businesses, and the county is within its rights to decline licenses for them to operate. While The Columbian’s Editorial Board believes that legalized marijuana would benefit the county overall, we respect her stance on the issue. Clark County voted against the statewide marijuana initiative in 2012; continuing the moratorium is a defensible position.
Most important, however, will be the manner in which Quiring approaches the job. Said outgoing Chair Marc Boldt, who sought re-election but did not advance out of the primary: “I believe you have to be as nonpolitical as you can be.”
When Madore and Tom Mielke formed a majority on what was then a three-person commission, county government too often became bogged down with unnecessary battles that drew attention away from important matters. Among them was a contentious debate that led to “In God We Trust” being placed on the wall of the council meeting room. The people of Clark County will be better served if Quiring devotes her time to, say, road repairs rather than ideological kerfuffles.
Upon the certification of the election on Tuesday, Quiring said, “That’s really my goal, that everybody really thrives here and they have a good quality of life and can live peacefully and happily.”
We trust that she will live up to those words.
