|
Regional & Local Races (State House & State Senate Seats in the 17th, 18th, & 49th) (Clark County Commissioner Seats) |
|
Page 2 |
|
Clark County Commissioner, District 1 — Tom Mielke ( R ) v Pam Brokaw ( D )
We had a great Primary Contest for Clark County Commissioner, District 1, didn’t we?
We had 7 people running for this position in August: 4 who preferred the Republican Party, 2 independents, and 1 who preferred the Democratic Party. See [1] Top Two Primary With a split like that, you can very well expect that the one person representing her party alone, would make it into the General Election. This County Commissioner race was where we really got to see our new Top Two “Primary” in operation and in effect!
Light Rail and the new I-5 Bridge was probably the overriding issue in the Primary.
Tom Mielke has championed the idea of building a Third Bridge over the Columbia River, at least, BEFORE, we replace the current I-5 Bridge. The theory is that the I-5 Corridor is “all filled up” on the Portland, Oregon side, and it makes more sense to relieve traffic by building a 3rd Bridge, possibly at Ridgefield. I really am not an expert on the engineering of it all. But Tom Mielke, some of the Commission Primary Candidates, some of the legislative candidates, like Debbie Peterson, and the many local residents have been vocal on this issue. And they have had to show more than a little bit of courage to speak up to the establishment. Good for them! I like people with fighting spirit!
It has also been pointed out that express buses will serve us cheaper and just as well as Light Rail.
I love Tom. He is a great guy, so I’d probably vote for him anyway, but it’s the Bridge-Light Rail issue that makes me a staunch Mielke supporter.
Its unfortunate that Pam Brokaw didn’t show a little more concern for the people she’d be serving, if she was elected, rather than for ideological positions. But that’s how it often goes with Democrats. I should know, I was one! You get so tied in knots about the ideological positions, that you just can’t relax, and look at the common sense solution.
Pam Brokaw had the opportunity to be rated as an “agnostic” on Light Rail, given to her by Columbian reporter, Kathy Durbin, during the August Primary. But she insisted it be corrected to a “supporter” of Light Rail. Relax, Pam, Relax! Life is too short for unbendable positions.
I just think we need to have county commissioners being open to different kinds of technical solutions. It’s the overall picture and the people that count, not the EXACT way you solve the problem. Your technical experts will tell you the exact technical solutions. Hopefully, you will just listen to them! I bought the basic position that, “Buses work”! And won’t put the County in the Poor House, or suck every dime away from everything else the County has to do.
Recently, another issue seems to have arisen in this race, namely, the Cowlitz Casino. It really has been contentious. I am of the school that the underlying federal legislation has really let a totally manipulated result occur in many areas of the country for tribal gambling, and I don’t dig nation-states within nation-states.
I understand that this is a federal issue, as Brokaw states. But I get the impression that the best practical thing to do, might be to stall on the local level. So Mielke gets points on this score as well. |
|
Clark County is a NON-Home Rule Charter county in Washington State.
It has 3 County Commissioners.
During our August Primary we vote solely by County Commissioner District.
In the General Election we then vote county-wide. |
|
Clark County Commissioner, District No. 2— Marc Boldt ( R ) (incumbent) v Jeanne Harris (D)
|
|
Its Wednesday Night, Oct 29th and I HAVE to get this final edition posted! Very Sorry, I don’t have the mental energy or the time to get any more semi-rational thoughts together for postings on any more races. Signing off, except for technical and typo corrections. —- MKA |