After the primary election narrowed the field down to two, incumbent Mike Ciraulo and newcomer Lyle Lamb will face off for Battle Ground City Council Position No. 1 during the Nov. 5 general election.
After 1,749 votes were tallied in the Aug. 5 primary, which included four candidates, Ciraulo (612) had amassed just nine more votes than Lamb (603). Challenger Richard Brown had 276 votes and Cherish DesRochers had 258 votes.
As a result of the primary results, the Ciraulo-Lamb race has become one of the most heavily-anticipated of those races in the general election before North Clark County voters.
Here’s a closer look at the two candidates:
Mike Ciraulo
The 49-year-old Ciraulo has lived in the Battle Ground area for more than 20 years. He and his wife Gilda have two grown sons, and he is currently employed as division chief for Clark County Fire & Rescue. Ciraulo was first elected to the Battle Ground City Council in 2001 and is currently serving his third consecutive term. He also served as mayor for two consecutive two-year terms.
Ciraulo said he originally decided to run for a city council position because he saw that the city was poised for tremendous growth and he felt he brought the experience, insight and vision to help guide the city as it grew. He was also concerned about the poor job the city staff (at the time) was doing and felt that with both his public and private sector experience he could ask the right questions and work together with the other council members to improve the level of service that the city staff provided.
Ciraulo said he chose to run for re-election this year because there is still much work to do as the city continues to face old challenges such as growth and new challenges, including traffic, infrastructure in need of repair, attracting family wage jobs and expanding recreational opportunities in the community.
“I believe that traffic and the condition of our roads is the biggest challenge facing the city at this time,” Ciraulo said. “Additionally, the lack of ball fields and a swimming pool is a challenge that I am working on addressing.”
Regarding what he brings to the city council, Ciraulo said he brings the experience and insight of serving as both a council member and mayor. He also said he brings relationships that he has developed over the years with state and federal partners that “has been vital in our securing millions of dollars of assistance in fixing our roads and building public buildings.”
Ciraulo said there are some differences between him and his opponent, including that he has a long track record of volunteering in every aspect of the community versus his opponent, who he said has “very limited community involvement.” Also, Ciraulo said he is supported by people on both the right and the left, whereas he said his opponent is directly tied to a specific political party. However, Ciraulo said he believes both he and Lamb are fiscally conservative and they both place family first in their lives.
“I ask for your vote if you share my vision for our city - a city that retains the small-town feel we enjoy, has low taxes, offers jobs and services that our citizens want and provides recreational opportunities that people of all ages can enjoy,” Ciraulo said.
Lyle Lamb
Lyle Lamb, 38, has been married to his high school sweetheart for 18 years and they have five children, who range in age from 9-15. He and his family moved to Battle Ground in 2003. Lamb has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for the last 18 years, specifically in maintenance management for the last 10 years.
This is Lamb’s first time running for a city council position and he said his reasons for running come down to his family.
“I am a husband of 18 years and a father to five beautiful children,” Lamb said. “They walk these streets, play in these parks and go to these schools. My wife and I shop in this town as much as we can. We are invested in this community and our involvement in it gives us a vested interest in its livability and affordability. It is increasingly difficult to live in Battle Ground with increasing costs and the dearth of jobs. I hope to be able to work to keep this a place people love to come home to and can afford to live in.”
Lamb said some of the positive things he feels he would bring to the council include his vision for Battle Ground, which includes managed growth, more business providing living wages and a continued sense of community.
One of the biggest challenges Lamb said is currently facing the City of Battle Ground is the burgeoning infrastructure along with the tough economy and resulting tight budget. A question he said the city needs to address is how to move forward while maintaining current infrastructure.
“Tight budgets are always an issue, but with a constitutional limit on the growth of the budget there must be a plan to increase land valuation if the budget is to be increased enough to support current infrastructure like water, sewer, roads, lights, etc.,” Lamb said. “This is where advocating for the city in the greater community comes in. If the city can attract new businesses the overall property valuation will rise, and that increases revenues."
Lamb said a difference between he and Ciraulo’s political views is their view on taxes.
“I think Mr. Ciraulo and I both want what is best for Battle Ground,” Lamb said. “It’s a question of what is best and how to accomplish it.”
Lamb said he thinks he would be a good fit for the city council and he believes he can work well with fellow council members.
“I have made a career out of working with people of differing backgrounds and viewpoints,” Lamb said. “At my workplace, there is a significant amount of diversity and we manage to work quite well together.”
The general election is Nov. 5.
