The candidates for two open seats on the Clark County Council had the chance to state their cases for election as part of the first of several forums.
During a Sept. 26 candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Clark County, candidates for county council’s first and second district seats squared off. Both district seats will feature newcomers since the incumbents declined to run for another term.
Clark County Council District 1
To replace current seatholder Temple Lentz, Hector Hinojosa is running against Glen Yung for Clark County Council District 1.
A field service engineer in the semiconductor industry, Hinojosa has focused on homelessness in recent years. He co-founded Community Roots Collaborative, an organization that built tiny houses for people experiencing homelessness. Affordable housing is one of his main government concerns.
“We all need a secure and stable place to live, and we need to intentionally preserve, expand and diversify our housing stock for all levels of affordability,” Hinojosa said.
Yung, an owner of a remodeling business with a prior background in finance, made his top priority known.
“Public safety, public safety, public safety. That is what we need in Clark County,” Yung said.
He pointed to increases in break-ins and thefts, noting he had his own catalytic converter stolen.
Yung said proper funding of public safety needs to be a priority and noted it is part of an overall discussion to identify “holes” in countywide funding to determine how to fill them.
On homelessness, Yung said, “it is such an in-depth problem that it’s going to take the community as a whole.” He said mental health and drug treatment services need to be available, mentioning the city of Vancouver has made strides in crime reduction and homelessness.
Hinojosa noted the county and cities have formed the Ending Community Homelessness Organization, which he hopes can help tackle the crisis and steer county funding to similar projects and programs.
On the interplay between the public and public health, Yung believes the county’s public health department became known to many county residents only because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The department does more than enact pandemic mandates, he said, providing homelessness as an example.
“We have people that are living in very much less than humane conditions,” Yung said.
Hinojosa said Clark County Public Health has been “very collaborative” in the interactions it has with the various organizations he’s a part of.
“I want to be sure that we fund and support our health department to provide more and improved services for our community,” Hinojosa said.
The candidates also addressed county finances and staff retention. Hinojosa said the county has about 200 vacancies across its departments which shows it’s underfunded.
“We should make every effort to make sure that we have enough personnel … and any other thing that we need for them to do their job properly,” Hinojosa said.
Yung said employees aren’t incentivized to continue their employment with the county.
“We are shedding staff left and right,” he said. “We can’t retain them.”
Following the council’s recent decision to transfer control of the Clark County Jail from the sheriff to the county, both candidates expressed concerns about the process.
He initially harbored mixed feelings but Yung found the council’s comments in support of the change “compelling” during the meeting where they made the department official. After he left the meeting, he thought the process would move slower.
On the day of the forum, the county announced it had already appointed jail administration with no public process or input, which led Yung to oppose the decision.
“I think we need to put the brakes on and we need to work with the community. The community was not involved,” Yung said.
Hinojosa said the sheriff’s office and county employees he talked to felt left out of the decision.
“They were not necessarily against the decision by the county council, but they felt very disrespected by the announcement,” Hinojosa said.
If he is elected, Hinojosa wants to see a full report on why the decisions were made.
Both candidates supported the creation of a diversity and inclusion office at the county level, which was one of six amendments to the Clark County Home Rule Charter. Yung noted his own household is biracial.
Hinojosa said he’s worked for 15 years to get Black, Indigenous and people of color onto boards and commissions.
“It’s the only way we can bring a truly livable community, and one that is safe and secure and is equitable,” Hinojosa said.
Clark County Council District 2
For Clark County Council District 2, candidates differed on opinions about the potential for ranked-choice voting in county elections and their approach to fireworks use.
During the forum, Michelle Belkot faced off against Chartisha Roberts. Both are seeking to replace Julie Olson who declined to run for another term.
Belkot, a U.S. Navy and Air Force veteran with experience in procuring federal contracts, said there has been “a lot of miscommunication” or a lack of listening on the part of the current councilor to the district’s constituents.
“I want to bring that voice back to the people,” Belkot said.
Roberts, a human resources recruiter for Legacy Health Systems, said her work has taught her how to problem solve well with others.
“Being a leader, it’s important to listen, and to be transparent and collaborative,” Roberts said.
Fireworks have been a smoldering topic in the county as changes to days for discharge and a since-repealed ban on many types of devices have occurred in the past few years. Roberts said their use is disruptive to community members with past trauma, “but I also understand it’s a way of celebration,” she said.
Roberts said she is willing to have conversations about any changes to the county code, noting the resources required for fire protection and enforcement of the use of fireworks.
Outside of cases of extreme heat or drought, Belkot is a proponent of continued fireworks use in the county.
“I think that fireworks bring us together as a community,” Belkot said. “It’s a sign of celebration. It’s fun.”
The most distinct difference in opinions voiced among the candidates is the potential to implement ranked-choice voting in county races. In November, voters countywide will have the opportunity to approve or deny the new voting set up as one of six potential amendments to the home rule charter.
Roberts said ranked-choice voting is “a great opportunity for nonpartisan races,” which benefits people of color to represent the community.
Belkot is against the potential shift.
“I don’t think it works,” she said.
She pointed to Pierce County, which repealed the voting structure three years after it was approved due to the complexity and cost of its implementation.
Belkot said concerns about voting integrity make it an inopportune time to look at the system. She also supports voting against all six charter amendments in November, which range from adding a preamble to the county charter to framing the way vacancies are filled for elected officials.
To handle the perception that the council doesn’t listen to its constituents, Belkot said she is available “now and if I get elected,” noting her personal cell phone is printed in the county voters pamphlet.
Roberts said education and outreach for constituents is important so people don’t feel blindsided by changes.
“A lot of people don’t even know what’s going on, what the county council even does,” Roberts said.
Community involvement will also be important to any changes proposed to the county’s comprehensive growth management plan, she said. The county council will undertake an update of that plan during the winning candidate’s tenure, which affects land use.
Roberts said any changes require the council to take a look at the variety of zoning types, from rural areas to high-density residential spaces.
Belkot said urban growth areas that are currently in unincorporated parts of the county do not have enough vacant land to meet the county’s future needs. She said the county’s recent “Buildable Lands Report” didn’t take into account how little could be turned into housing or employment land.
“I think there’s been a disconnect between what the county feels its obligation is and what the reality is,” Belkot said.
On the creation of the jail services department, Belkot “was very shocked and dismayed” by the county’s decision.
She noted even the sheriff’s candidates spoke against the move ahead of the election. She said the lack of direct control of the jail by an elected official is an issue.
Roberts said the decision surprised her. She pointed to similar feelings among many members of the public who testified at the meeting when the decision was made. She noted one person who testified, a corrections officer at the jail, spoke in support of the change.
The four candidates will join Don Benton and Sue Marshall for council races up for election this year. A story on the District 5 race will be in the Oct. 19 edition of The Reflector.
The deadline for the general election is 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
