Cortes resigns from Battle Ground City Council to serve as state senator

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Adrian Cortes attended his final City Council meeting last week before heading to Olympia to begin his new role as state senator.

During the Battle Ground City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 6, Mayor Troy McCoy honored Cortes’ contributions to the council as he prepared to step down. Cortes’ resignation officially took effect the following day.

Elected last November as the senator for Washington’s 18th Legislative District, Cortes flipped the seat to Democratic control. With the legislative session beginning Monday, Jan. 13, his departure marked the end of a 13-year tenure on the City Council, which included one term as mayor from 2020-21.

McCoy highlighted Cortes’ leadership, particularly his mayoral term during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He credited Cortes with playing a key role in the annexation of Fire District 3 into the city and noted his long-time service on the C-TRAN board and legislative committee. McCoy also emphasized Cortes’ fiscal responsibility, pointing to the city’s near nonexistent debt thanks to his efforts.

“We’re gonna miss him [and] his institutional knowledge… Deputy Mayor Bowman, I think, will be the only one with double-digit experience on the council come tomorrow, so that hurts, but on to new and better things,” McCoy said.

Cortes was presented with a plaque and gavel during his final Battle Ground City Council meeting, commemorating his years of service.

“Mayor McCoy pointed out just some of the things that … I will always be grateful of being a small part of,” Cortes said.

Cortes spoke candidly about the realities of serving as an elected official, noting the job came with praise and criticism, alike. He referenced one instance when a crowd of protesters gathered in front of his home during his mayoral term supporting an ordinance that would not require city staff to be vaccinated in September 2021. Despite these challenges, Cortes emphasized that such experiences come with the territory of leadership and should not deter others from stepping up to serve their communities.



“That’s the life of an elected official, right? We need more people to step up. We need more people of many different shapes and sizes and colors to step up, to move their communities forward,” Cortes said.

Although Cortes has left the council chambers, he plans to open his local legislative office in the same Battle Ground City Hall building.

Filling the vacancy

With Cortes stepping down from Position 4 on the Battle Ground City Council, the city is now seeking applications to fill the vacancy. The term for this position runs through Dec. 31, 2025.

To be eligible, applicants must be registered voters in Clark County and have lived within the Battle Ground city limits for at least one year prior to the appointment.

Applications and additional details can be found online at cityofbg.org/council-application or at Battle Ground City Hall, 109 SW First St. Completed applications must be submitted by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.

For questions, contact City Clerk Elizabeth Halili at 360-342-5008 or cityclerk.info@cityofbg.org.