Christy Stanley, a cannabis entrepreneur who lives just outside of Battle Ground, is the second Democrat to enter the race for Clark County Council chair.
Stanley officially filed to run for the position on May 18, the last day of filing week. She joins fellow Democrat Eric Holt and Republican County Councilor Eileen Quiring in challenging current County Council Chair Marc Boldt, who is unaffiliated with a party.
Stanley, 54, has owned a recreational marijuana shop in Kitsap County for about a year and a half that employs about 10 people.
She also owns a store in University Place in Pierce County and another just outside of Battle Ground in unincorporated Clark County.
However, she hasn’t been able to open either of those stores because of local bans on recreational marijuana businesses. Stanley has been outspoken in asking the Clark County Council to lift its ban on cannabis businesses in unincorporated parts of the county. Describing it as “an industry whose time has come,” she said the county is missing out on growth and opportunity.
“It’s about putting money back into the local economy,” said Stanley, who also pointed to recent studies showing there are fewer deaths from opioid abuse in states with relaxed pot laws.
Stanley said she wants to address inefficiencies and redundancies in county government. She mentioned wanting to look at Clark County’s land-use and zoning codes as well as its traffic studies to ensure they are suited for the county’s growth.
“Do we really want to see Clark County become a bedroom community with no jobs and industry?” she said.
She identified the aging and overcrowded jail as an issue she wants to address. She also expressed support for the county’s move to sue pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis and said it should work in tandem with other counties pursuing similar litigation.
She described herself as a “blue dog Democrat,” a conservative-leaning faction of the party. She said she owns guns and once voted for former President Ronald Reagan. She said she has no prior government experience and that this is her first run for public office. She said she has helped the campaigns of Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, Washington’s two Democratic U.S. senators.
“I’m a politician by no means,” she said. “But everyone in politics started somewhere, and they started because they are passionate.”
