“I would like to say congratulations on being here, but I’m ashamed of you guys,” 50-year resident of Battle Ground and former mayor John Idsinga told the Battle Ground City Council during citizens' comments at the Monday, Feb. 2, meeting.
While the slated citizens' communication period wrapped up, Idsinga shouted from the crowd, asking if there was room for one more. Mayor Eric Overholser welcomed the former mayor up to the stand. Idsinga’s comment followed over half an hour of citizens who expressed their displeasures stemming from sudden changes during the Jan. 20 meeting.
The Jan. 20 meeting was full of surprises as actions occurred that were not on the agenda. Multiple committee changes unfolded, as well as the desire to review candidates for the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) appointments. Deputy Mayor Aimee Vaile removed the LTAC appointment item from the agenda. According to previous reporting by The Reflector, several individuals were present to accept the appointments when the agenda item was pulled. Vaile, who also serves as the vice chair of the Clark County Republican Party, said in the Jan. 20 meeting that the city may have been applying state law governing LTAC membership too narrowly.
Mayor Overholser even expressed disappointment in Vaile’s amendment, but then voted in favor of it.
“[The] last meeting was a fiasco,” Idsinga added. “And get your act together. Learn your governance manual and get to know what it means, OK?”
Idsinga, who ran for a return to Battle Ground City Council against now Deputy Mayor Aimee Vaile, also served as a member of the Battle Ground School Board from 2009 to 2013.
“When it comes to schools, support kids. All right?” Idsinga said to the council. “Support kids. They are the most valuable asset you will ever see and have. They are our future. And that’s all I have.”
Earlier in citizens’ comment, David Terry, vice chair of the 18th Legislative District Democrats, introduced himself as an “enraged resident of Battle Ground.” In the evening on Sunday, Feb. 1, Terry submitted a resolution proposal to all city council members requesting their support of the Battle Ground Public Schools levy in the Feb. 10 election.
After Terry’s comment, Overholser responded that his submission was sent too late.
“Just for clarification, we received that request yesterday, so we didn’t have time to get that in,” Overholser said.
The Battle Ground Governance Coordination Manual adopted June 2, 2025, states in regard to proclamation requests, “Requests should be made at least four weeks in advance of the scheduled Council meeting.”
However, for resolutions, the governance manual provides a much shortened time frame.
“A resolution may be approved on the same day it is introduced,” the governance manual states.
Terry’s request was not a proclamation, but an ask to sponsor and move to add support for the resolution for the Feb. 2 meeting, and to vote in favor of the resolution to demonstrate leadership on the community issue. The resolution text was submitted via the proclamation request form, however.
Nonetheless, Terry still questions if the majority on city council even support public education in the Battle Ground area.
“It wouldn’t cost them one single dollar to effectively support this, and it seems like it’s good for the community,” Terry told The Reflector. “I know they say they don’t want to answer for legal reasons, but the city has made resolutions about things before.”
During Terry’s address to the council, he addressed members with local Republican Party status, telling them the decision to not include his requested levy support resolution a day after submittal chooses party politics over local children.
“It’s truly a feat of leadership to take a nonpartisan seat on the city council and use it to execute a partisan agenda,” Terry said in his public comment. “Most people think local government is about fixing roads and supporting the community’s health, but you’ve shown us the real priority is keeping PCO (Precinct Committee Officer) street cred shiny by dumping on our school levy.”
Following displeasure voiced by citizens over the actions in the Jan. 20 meeting by city council, Terry added his opinion on the first month of the new city council, as a concerned citizen of Battle Ground.
“It looks like we’re headed for a four years’ worth of disaster,” Terry said after the council meeting.
