About the only thing District 3 Clark County Council candidates Chuck Keplar and Wil Fuentes have in common is that both are relative political newcomers. Keplar has lived in Clark County for 24 years, while Fuentes moved here a few years ago after graduating with a master’s degree from Western Oregon University.
Only voters in District 3, which encompasses the southeastern part of the county between Camas and Interstate 205, will cast votes for the two candidates in November.
Keplar, 47, is a pastor and also works as a paraeducator at a local high school. He received his bachelor’s degree from Liberty University in Virginia earlier this year. Fuentes, 45, has spent much of his career managing nonprofit organizations and currently works at Fourth Plain Forward.
Neither candidate has served in an elected office, although Keplar ran for a seat on the Evergreen school board in 2023. Fuentes is in the lead when it comes to fundraising. According to the Public Disclosure Commission, he has raised $66,708.50, with around 75 percent coming from individual donations. Keplar has raised $16,246.86, with about half coming from individuals.
Despite their differences, Keplar and Fuentes share some priorities and goals for Clark County.
The two candidates recently sat down for an interview with The Columbian that aired on Clark/Vancouver Television’s public access channel 21/23.
Decision to run
Although classified as a part-time position, serving as a county councilor requires a significant investment of time and energy. Why are they running for office now?
“I’ve been in the community for some time now. It’s where I set roots. It’s where I intend to live for the rest of my life and I want to make sure I contribute to building a healthy, beautiful, sustainable and thriving Clark County,” Fuentes said.
Working for a nonprofit, Fuentes said he frequently hears from residents about the issues they’re facing, whether it’s homelessness and housing or a lack of access to mental health or substance abuse treatment.
Ensuring Clark County can sustain the next generation, and the generations after that, is especially important to Keplar, who has eight children.
“I believe firmly in making a difference where I’m at. That’s why my wife and I grew our family through the local foster system,” Keplar said, noting that six of their children came to them through the foster care system.
Throughout his time living in Clark County, Keplar has volunteered his time to mentor other foster parents and has worked with youth at risk.
Housing, homelessness
The lack of affordable housing in Clark County is among the most pressing issues for both Keplar and Fuentes. Both said changes must be made to zoning and the county’s permitting process.
“Let’s start with zoning reforms. We need to look at our zoning, consider multiuse zoning but also the zoning for additional units,” Keplar said. “I think the permitting process and the costs of regulations have both taken time and costs have skyrocketed. We need to reduce those things so we can get permits out.”
The cost of buying a home, or even renting a house or apartment continues to climb. As of September, the median home price in Clark County was $544,532, a 3.4 percent increase from the same month the year prior.
Fuentes said there’s a direct link between the lack of affordable housing and homeless, adding that young people and senior citizens are at the greatest risk of becoming homeless.
“We’re going to grow almost 200,000 people in the next 20 years. We need housing. We need inventory,” Fuentes said. “Zoning reform is essential in unincorporated Clark County.”
The county doesn’t only need more single-family homes, but also apartments, townhomes, accessory dwelling units and others that match people’s needs that will help solve the housing shortage, he said.
Where Keplar and Fuentes disagree is the availability of buildable land. Keplar said more land needs to be made available for development, noting the county has been short by 5,000 housing units for more than a decade but has yet to put a dent in that number.
“We’ve got to start making changes and increase availability of the property that we’re building on but also through the zoning of that property, in order to attack this and really get housing prices under control,” Keplar said.
Fuentes said the county already has enough buildable land. Making more land available would likely jeopardize an already dwindling supply of agricultural lands.
“There’s plenty of land available within the urban growth boundary,” Fuentes said. “If we do it thoughtfully, we can preserve our farmlands, our rural spaces, our environment and still build enough housing for the next generation.”
Public safety
Keplar and Fuentes disagree on issues surrounding public safety, one of Keplar’s top priorities.
Recent numbers show crime rates, both statewide and locally, are down, but many residents say they don’t feel safe. Fuentes said this shows there is an opportunity for improvement.
“There’s this perception that we live in unsafe communities that’s oftentimes perpetuated by elected officials, both at the national and local level,” Fuentes said. “I think what’s important to do is ensure that law enforcement builds trust with our communities … that they’re out there and understand what the needs are so our communities feel safe.”
Keplar said it’s important to remember many crimes are never reported to law enforcement, which can skew crime rate data. Despite pay increases approved by the county council in recent years, Keplar said Clark County still has the fewest deputy sheriffs per capita of any county in the state.
“I’ve talked with plenty of people who’ve called the police, needed police help, and have been told by 9-1-1 operators, ‘Nope, we’re not responding to those calls right now.’ I believe that perception is very, very real in terms of people feeling unsafe,” Keplar said. “We need to invest in our sheriff’s department.”
Keplar said the conditions at the Clark County Jail are equally problematic. Because the jail doesn’t have enough beds, he said inmates are being released without a plan to reintegrate into society and without being connected to the services they need. Increased funding for the jail and sheriff’s office could come from the public safety sales tax, which is expected to generate about $12 million in tax revenue annually.
“Without those investments in both officers and infrastructure, we’re going to have a really difficult time doing that,” he said.
In April, the county council approved the creation of a public defender office using federal pandemic relief funds rather than continuing to contract with individual attorneys. But a swell in caseloads has created a backlog for both that office and the prosecuting attorney’s office. Some have suggested a levy similar to the police services levy lid lift proposed by the city of Vancouver, which will be on the November ballot, to provide funding for additional staff in both offices.
Fuentes said there’s nothing wrong with asking voters if they want to fund additional positions, but said there are other options to be considered.
“I would lobby the state and federal government for funding. “I would establish partnerships with law firms and pro bono services. And then leverage technologies like artificial intelligence and case management systems,” he said.
Keplar said something needs to be done but raising taxes isn’t the answer.
“I can’t imagine going to the public and asking for more money when I see a county budget that’s grown by so much in such a small period of time,” Keplar said.
He said the issue isn’t that the funding is needed but that the county hasn’t looked for innovative solutions. Until that happens, and until the county council takes a hard look at how taxpayer funds are spent, he couldn’t support asking voters to contribute more.
