The Battle Ground City Council unanimously approved four committee appointments on Monday, March 2, including three positions connected to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), resolving an issue that began with a sudden delay during a January council meeting.
The appointments included Jessica Cole to LTAC Tourism Generator Position 1, John Idsinga to LTAC Tourism Generator Position 2 and Trent Niarkos to LTAC Tourism Tax Collector Position 2. The council also unanimously reappointed Ryan Heasley to Planning Commission Position 1 for a four-year term running from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2029.
The March approvals followed a contentious Jan. 20 council meeting in which councilmembers amended the agenda twice, unexpectedly halting the scheduled LTAC appointments and reopening applications for several committees.
Councilmember Aimee Vaile first moved to remove the LTAC appointments from that night’s agenda after reviewing the state law governing the committee and concluding that the city may have been interpreting the membership requirements too narrowly. The move came as several prospective appointees were present in the audience, expecting to be confirmed. Mayor Overholser expressed disappointment in Vaile’s amendment due to the surprise it would cause, but then voted in favor of it. That motion passed 5–2.
A second amendment from Councilmember Victoria Ferrer reopened applications for committees that were not previously scheduled for new appointments. The decision reshuffled several committee assignments and led to further debate among councilmembers about process and transparency.
The most heated discussion that evening centered on the council’s Legislative Committee. A majority ultimately voted to appoint Vaile and Ferrer to the committee, replacing Councilmembers Troy McCoy and Shane Bowman before their terms were set to expire.
In the weeks following the January meeting, the council heard criticism during public comment. At a Feb. 2 meeting, former mayor John Idsinga sharply rebuked the council over how the situation unfolded.
“[The] last meeting was a fiasco. And get your act together. Learn your governance manual and get to know what it means, OK?” he said.
Idsinga was among those appointed to the LTAC during the March 2 meeting.
After the council voted to approve Cole’s appointment, she addressed the council and described lingering frustration from the earlier delay, saying the experience had been discouraging for volunteers who had stepped forward to serve.
“I’ll be honest, the postponement of this appointment was frustrating and disheartening for many in the community, myself included,” Jessica Cole said.
Cole said she had only applied for the committee position after repeated encouragement from city staff and the former mayor. Cole serves as president of Evoke Cascadia and helps organize the annual Battle Ground Pride festival.
“I stepped forward because I was asked multiple times to serve,” Jessica Cole said.
Cole said the sudden postponement in January created additional work and confusion when the city reopened the application process for the positions.
“When the appointments were postponed without notice in January, a new application process was opened. Require additional staff and public resources,” Jessica Cole said.
She also said the situation risked discouraging people from volunteering to participate in city committees.
“It is discouraging and unconstructive when the council’s actions undermine the work staff are doing to engage the community, build relationships, and recruit volunteers,” Jessica Cole said.
Cole urged councilmembers to consider how the situation felt for those who had attended the January meeting expecting to be appointed.
“I ask you to consider how (that would) have felt if it had happened to you the night you were being sworn in?” Cole asked.
The council approved all four appointments unanimously on March 2, filling the LTAC positions that had remained unresolved since January.
