Washougal mayoral election heats up

The incumbent in the Washougal mayoral race is a retired military veteran who wants the city to capitalize on its recent momentum and make good on its recent promises, while the challenger is a member of Gen Z and community volunteer who hopes to make Washougal a more affordable and enjoyable place to live.

Washougal voters will choose between David Stuebe and Gabriel Stone in the November general election for the city’s No. 1 council position.

Stuebe, 62, was appointed to the Washougal City Council’s No. 3 position in March 2021, elected to that position and named mayor pro tem in November 2021, and moved to the No. 1 position after being named mayor in September 2022, replacing Rochelle Ramos, who moved out of state.

Stuebe said the city is coming off an “epic summer,” during which it was awarded a $40 million grant from the federal government for its 32nd Street railroad underpass project and started to receive some recognition from some of the highest-level decision-makers in Washington state and around the country.

“Washougal has momentum right now, and we don’t want to stop,” he said. “We want to keep making the right decisions. We developed (a new) five-year strategic plan, and it took us a year to come up with that, but we now have it, so we have to execute it. We don’t need contention. We don’t need disruption. We need to make things happen. We’ve got to deliver.”

Stone, 22, grew up in Washougal, graduated from Washougal High School in 2019 and attended Clark College. He has worked jobs in several industries, including retail, insurance, and construction, and currently serves as a volunteer for Washougal’s Meals on Wheels program.

“I’m kind of the underdog, but I’m willing to explain to people what I (stand) for,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in politics, and I’ve always wanted to get involved in my community. But I decided to do it now because I feel that I’m ready. I feel like I have the knowledge, I feel like I have the drive, I feel like I know people’s concerns. I feel that I really do have the key to making this city vibrant. It already is a great small community, but I feel like I can really make it better.”

Stone said that he will “be a voice for the voiceless” and “listen to people’s concerns” if elected.

“I think the current status quo of doing things in this town has not been working,” he said. “I feel like the current government doesn’t really want to change anything. I feel like we need a new direction that’s more efficient. I just feel like Washougal needs to change, and it needs to work together because I feel like it’s stagnating. It’s not declining, but it’s also not going anywhere.”

Read more about conversations with the candidates as they discuss issues in the race in The Columbian’s sister paper, the Camas-Washougal Post-Record.