Author Archives: Calley Hair
Is Vancouver joining an opioid lawsuit?
The City of Vancouver may join a lawsuit against the companies of opioid manufacturers. At last night’s city council meeting, Councilor Ty Stober said he’d had a personal comeuppance about the role of opioid addiction in the city’s homelessness crisis and wanted to know what suing might entail. “I was always perplexed when I’d go […]
2020 endorsements start to trickle in
Timing endorsements for candidates is tricky. Too late, and you risk lagging behind in helping your preferred candidate pick up some momentum. Too early, though, and you risk backing the wrong person. Which is why it was surprising that, with more than a year until the 2020 election, Congressional Candidate and Democrat Carolyn Long already […]
Herrera Beutler responds to Mueller hearings
Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress on Wednesday to clarify the conclusions of his 448-page report, which detailed Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign’s potential involvement. I checked in with our congresswoman, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, to hear her thoughts after the hearings. In an email, the Battle Ground […]
Pond snags Young Democrats endorsement
Mike Pond, one of seven people competing for the Position 6 seat on the Vancouver City Council, got a boost this week with a plum endorsement from the Young Democrats of Clark County. The endorsement is on-brand for the former campaign adviser, who over the last few months has made a point of emphasizing his […]
A Tale of Two Peters
Peter Khalil’s parents emigrated from Egypt to a new country. He earned a law degree, then decided to transition into politics and seek a seat in the House of Representatives. Sound familiar? It’s not our Peter Khalil, the Democratic, Ivy League-educated mediator in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District who launched a long-shot bid for Congress earlier […]
2020 fundraising: The starting line
It’s very early days in the congressional race. We have 479 days to go until Nov. 3, 2020. But after Democrat Carolyn Long’s Monday announcement that she’s running for Congress again, it’s safe to say the race for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District is already starting to kick into high gear. Though the district’s been held […]
Art, hamburgers and the Turlays
A motion to reestablish an Arts, Culture & Heritage Commission in Vancouver to the tune of $400,000 a year met some resistance from the Turlays this week. Councilor Bill Turlay and his wife, Stephanie Turlay — who over the years has been outspoken at city council meetings about everything from dusty air leaving grime on […]
An exercise: How might voting districts affect the current city council?
A proposal to divvy up Vancouver into three voting districts fell flat at city council last week. Councilors declined to move forward with a recommendation that they put the question of establishing districts on the November ballot. A little background: The change would draw boundaries lines around three as-yet-to-be determined districts, and voters in each […]
What’s a filing fee petition?
In order to run for Vancouver City Council, you need to jump through some hoops. Namely: filing a candidacy with the Clark County Election’s office, including paying a filing fee that totals 1 percent of the sought-after office’s annual salary. For a Vancouver city councilor next year, take home pay will be $24,540. Ergo, the […]
The Phantom Maureen
There’s a certain finesse to covering city council primary elections. You want to give each candidate a fair shake while framing the election for the reader in a useful way. Our rule of thumb is to give all the candidates a “welcome to the race” story of sorts, to introduce them to the voters and […]