With four of its seven members on the ballot, Battle Ground’s city council looks to have some new faces come January.
Munson vs. McCoy – Position 1
Incumbent Brian Munson could lose his seat to challenger Troy McCoy if Tuesday ballot results hold. McCoy received 55.07 percent of the votes compared with 44.93 percent of votes for Munson.
However, the county still has more than 25,000 ballots to count.
McCoy said he didn’t have any expectations going into Tuesday.
“The closer you are to something, the less perspective you have,” he said. “I’m just happy the Battle Ground school levy is passing.”
McCoy previously served as board president for Battle Ground Public Schools and has been working to bring middle school sports back to the district.
One expectation he did have was a higher voter turnout. As of Tuesday, 18.38 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots.
Munson, who could not be reached for comment, has brought a lot of attention to the city council and not all of it good.
McCoy said he decided to run for the council because the city needs someone who can bridge the political gap and serve the entire community.
Cortes vs. VanGelder – Position 4
Current Mayor Adrian Cortes appears to be headed for his third term on the council. Cortes received 60 percent of ballots cast, while challenger Josh VanGelder received 40 percent of the votes.
“Obviously I’m thankful to the voters for reelecting me. This is pretty much a mandate to me to go back to the council and do the work,” Cortes said.
The current mayor also said he looks forward to working with McCoy, if the election results hold.
VanGelder previously ran for a seat on the city council in 2019 but lost to Phillip Johnson, who is now deputy mayor.
Davis vs. Butler – Position 5
Political newcomers Tricia Davis and Neil Butler came to the city council race with no prior experience in an elected position. That was until recently. The Clark County Council appointed Davis to an open seat on the city council on Oct. 10, despite the city’s request to leave the seat open until the November election.
The seat was left vacant since June 8, when council member Mike Dalesandro stepped down.
According to early election results, that seat will go to Davis, who received 53.49 percent of ballots cast compared to Butler’s 46.51 percent of votes.
DesRochers vs. Calderon – Position 6
Incumbent Cherish DesRochers looks likely to serve another term on the council. DesRochers received 63.89 percent of the votes cast by Election Day, compared with 36.11 percent for challenger Josie Calderon.
DesRochers, who works in customer service at C-Tran, has served on the council since late 2016 when she was appointed to fill a seat left open by the death of Bill Ganley. She ran unopposed in 2017.
As a longtime resident, DesRochers said she is focused on keeping Battle Ground a great place to call home.
