John Idsinga, a longtime Battle Ground resident, former city council member and mayor, has entered the race for city council Position No. 5.
He will face Aimee Vaile for the open seat currently held by Tricia Davis, who is not seeking reelection.
Idsinga previously served on the Battle Ground City Council from the beginning of 1997 through the end of 2006, including six years as mayor. He was also a member of the school board from approximately 2009 to 2013 and served on the planning commission.
He said his decision to run again came after several people asked him to step in. At the time, no one had filed for the seat, which is now contested.
Idsinga said his top priority, if elected, is public safety. He praised the leadership of Police Chief Dennis Flynn and said law enforcement has become more visible under his tenure.
“With the new chief, we’re much more visible,” Idsinga said. “I think we need to be visible. I think that helps a lot.”
He also raised concerns about traffic and speed on major roads running through Battle Ground, especially state Route 502 and state Route 503.
“We have a problem in Battle Ground — 503, 502, two state highways,” he said. “Speed is part of the problem on those roads.”
Idsinga said the 55 mph speed limit just south of Main Street on state Route 503 is too high for the area’s growing population and foot traffic.
“That’s wild, right?” he said. “If somebody messes up, you have no place to go at that speed. So I think speeds inside the city limits should be less than that.”
The city is expected to grow by over 12,000 new residents by 2045, according to Battle Ground Planning Supervisor Sam Crummett. Idsinga said careful planning is essential to manage that growth without losing the city’s character.
Idsinga pointed to his earlier years on the council during a time of major transition, when Battle Ground adopted the council-manager form of government in 1997. He recalled the city facing more than 30 lawsuits from developers, largely due to a lack of planning for water infrastructure.
“There had been no prior planning for water,” he said. “That was the first big thing we had to do.”
To address the crisis, the city built a new reservoir and added multiple wells, including one downtown and another near Winchester Ranch.
“We partnered with PUD on some of the east end water,” Idsinga said. “Those were tough times. There were a lot of hard decisions that needed to be made.”
That experience, he said, shaped his approach to long-term planning.
“Prior planning is a thing of great importance,” he said. “Plan ahead, plan ahead, keep planning ahead for water now. Keep planning ahead for sewer now.”
The city is now considering incorporating Dollar’s Corner, a roughly 640-acre area east of town, into its urban growth boundary. Idsinga said that the area is ideal for light industrial development.
“That should and could be a nice little industrial hub,” he said. “It’s closer to the freeway so those people can come in and out. That’s where Ridgefield has an advantage, you know, they’re on the freeway. We don’t have that advantage. We’re 7 miles from the freeway, so growing that way, I think, will enhance our ability to have more industrial development, and that’s where it should go.”
Considering the multitude of homeowners Battle Ground is expected to gain, Idsinga supports expanding the city’s housing mix to include smaller, more affordable options.
“Some cottage-type housing and ADUs, apartments that you can buy — something smaller so that you can have ownership in something,” he said. “That’s what the kids need nowadays.”
Idsinga also highlighted the need to invest in local parks and improve trail connectivity.
“There are lots of potential places for trails,” he said. “But what I’ve seen on my walks, there are a lot of places where there’s no connectivity.”
He pointed to Gardner Oaks Park, a currently undeveloped neighborhood park property, as an example of a well-planned neighborhood park that could benefit locals. The city council approved plans in August to eventually develop the property, East of the Walmart Supercenter, into a trail-focused park.
“I’d like to see Gardner Oaks Park with a walkway around it, picnic areas, lounging areas,” Idsinga said. “Just something for people to take their kids and walk and be a little closer to nature.”
Idsinga also stressed the need for more developed and accessible parks throughout the city, especially ones that serve a wider range of residents.
“Neighborhood parks are great,” he said. “But there’s really no place in Battle Ground for a park where you can go sit in the grass on a nice hot sunny day with your kids, play kid games — mom and dad and kids.”
He said many existing parks are underbuilt given the size of nearby housing developments, and often cater to a narrow age group.
“Most playgrounds serve either 5 to 12 (year olds),” he said. “So we need a little broader spectrum — maybe a basketball court there so kids can go shoot hoops, and more ball courts throughout the city.”
Outside of elected service, Idsinga serves on the board of the North County Community Food Bank, where he is treasurer, and volunteered for years at Camp Hope, maintaining their grounds.
He is also a lead organizer for Harvest Days and is working with others to launch a new fall festival this year.
In the end, Idsinga said, his campaign is rooted in the same values that brought him into public service decades ago.
“I like to have a voice in it,” he said.
