As I blogged earlier, the county had an opening for a senior policy analyst. The new guy starts Monday. Suffice to say, he understands what county commissioners face. Because he’s been one. Commissioners voted to give the job to Axel…

Clark County commissioners Steve Stuart and Marc Boldt didn’t mince words in response to a suggestion by 18th District lawmakers about how to stage an advisory vote on the Columbia River Crossing project. To read the letter from lawmakers, click…

Vancouver City Councilor Jeanne Stewart sent an email last Monday saying the council violated city policy on Sept. 13, 2010, when they made a decision on how its three C-Tran board members would vote on a sales tax measure. In…

Last night marked the Vancouver City Council’s new citizen forum, and to quote one audience member: “This is better than reality TV.” Certainly the back-and-forth allows for a less formal exchange and a few good bons mots. The star of…

Washougal’s 203 Facebook fans have not seen a post from the city in their news feed since June 4, 2009. Since then, the city changed mayors, a lingering recession cooled the area’s population growth and temperatures failed to reach the…

Less than a week after Washougal Councilman Jon Russell criticized Mayor Sean Guard on his Facebook page and personal blog, the councilman has apologized. Russell sent this “open letter” to Guard and the media on Saturday evening: Dear Mayor Guard,…

We can’t help ourselves. As we spend the bulk of our time considering the actions of public officials, or at least looking at them during meetings (when not staring at a power point or the wall), we wind up thinking…

For years, the shrill whistle of passing trains served as an obnoxious and disruptive force in Washougal. But through close work with Burlington Northern railroad company the city’s council brought residents some long desired quiet. When council member Molly Coston,…

At this week’s Clark County Board of Health meeting, the county commissioners learned about electronic cigarettes. The discussion got Commissioner Tom Mielke to thinkin’: What’s really addictive about cigarettes? The nicotine? Or the habit of smoking? Mielke said he was…

The county commissioners had a lively board time on Wednesday. Here’s five observations: State Sen. Don Benton must really love fireworks. Commissioner Steve Stuart said he was approached by, as he said to Commissioner Marc Boldt, “your senator.” Boldt, who…