Election 2026: Clark County Councilor District 1

0:00 [MUSIC PLAYING] Election 2026, Clark County Councilor District 1, July 5, 2026. Please tell us about your background. I am a lifelong small business owner. I have been a marketer since ever. So I mostly did copywriting. I work with book authors primarily these days who write nonfiction for business or self-help. And I help make their book a bestseller. So I've really enjoyed doing that work. But in 2025, I wanted something that was a little more tangible, something that felt like it was meeting the moment more. And that was when I started my company, Hearth & Hollow. That is my urban farm here in town. And you can find me at the Vancouver Farmers Market. But basically, everything I've ever done comes down to being able to take a big idea

0:56 and make it easy to understand and make sure that it has a really strong focus on good messaging. Why should the voters select you for this position? Well, I'm the only working class candidate. And I'm also the only one that's focused on the environment. I firmly believe that the environmental crisis that we're experiencing is at the heart of all of the other crises that we are also having to deal with right now. So I want to start to address that by banning data centers, detention centers, and holding the line on the urban growth boundary. I don't think what is happening with the 2045 comp plan is acceptable. I don't think trying to get around the Growth Management Act is acceptable. And because the high cost of fuel is what it is right now, we need to have a heavy emphasis on local food security. And that means making sure that local farmers are not under any additional pressure. If elected, what will be your top three priorities?

1:55 If elected, my top three priorities are going to be pretty close to the same as everybody else, as I imagine. We are in a housing crisis. So increasing the supply of affordable housing is top billing. And right hand in hand with that is homelessness. We need to find more ways to keep people in their homes and prevent homelessness from happening in the first place, whether that is a senior on a fixed income or a young family trying to find someplace affordable. I'm also in favor of rent stabilization and tenant protection wherever possible. So with those two things being at the top, obviously for me, environment is going to be number three. So increasing the tree canopy and making sure that countywide we are matching the standards that Vancouver has already set for us, very important to me. What actions would you recommend for addressing housing affordability in the county? So when it comes to affordable housing, the first thing that we need to think about

2:55 is that affordable doesn't mean for poor people. We all have different ideas of what affordability really means to us. And regardless of what your background is or what kind of housing you need, we all deserve to have housing that's available to us that is affordable based on our means. So we need actual starter homes, not these huge houses that are on the outskirts of the county. We need to have more options that are close in where jobs already are. So I'm a big fan of infill, ADUs, as well as making the permitting process for all of these things much easier. How would you rate the county's response to the impacts of homelessness? And what changes would you recommend? I really admire a lot of the work that the county has done through ECHO to address homelessness. That said, I think there is much, much more work to be done. Although the current point in time analysis from this year that came out says

3:54 that homelessness overall is going down except for families, first of all, it's not acceptable that families are getting pushed out onto the street. And second, based on my conversations with Sesame at Council from the Homeless, it doesn't seem like when they did the point in count time is actually true for where people are at. And that is increasingly on the streets. So we need to find more and better ways to address that. I think we already have several organizations that are doing a phenomenal job of that. And with programs like Outside In, oh my goodness, Community Roots, the Bridge Shelter, I think we need to address every single portion of the homelessness journey, so to speak. That way everyone is getting their needs met. Clark County has been facing a structural budget deficit for many years. What actions would you favor for addressing future budget shortfalls? So first of all, I think developers and the wealthy need to be paying their fair share. And frankly, that's more than they're paying right now.

4:54 I would like to see us making sure that we're taking the full amount, the full 1% of REIT, and applying that directly to affordable housing. That way these things aren't happening moving forward. I'm also really interested in working with the auditor's office because there are so many opportunities countywide to make sure that appropriate taxation is happening, particularly when it comes to corporations. So I'd like to see an increase of funding there in order to get what's due to the county from the people who already can afford to pay it. I'm also not afraid to go toe to toe with what needs to happen at the state legislature to make sure that we are getting funding just the same way that Seattle, Spokane, and the other large counties here do. Final question, what makes you the better candidate? I will always do my homework. And that's why, even though I haven't been doing this very long, I have made it a priority to meet with every single executive director in town who

5:52 will sit down with me when it comes to affordable housing and homelessness in particular. And everyone has been incredibly welcoming. And I think my running list of endorsements also speaks to my willingness to get in there and do the work and have these conversations with folks. I am proud to say that besides the Sierra Club and the Green Party, I've also been endorsed by the National Women's Political Caucus and won America with other endorsements as well that I cannot announce yet. So I am here to do the work. I'm excited to serve on the different boards, in particular, C-TRAN. As a non-driver, it's very important to me. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, and of course, the Agricultural Advisory Committee. So I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty. For more information, contact Dusty Arab, P.O. Box 122, Vancouver, Washington, 98666. Phone number, 360-803-1684.

6:52 Email address, hello@dustyforclarkcounty.com. Website, dustyforclarkcounty.com. Please tell us about your background. I moved here when I was three from Anchorage, Alaska, and have gone to school here and graduated from Skyview High School in 1999. I have been heavily involved in the horse community, showing and training. And up until about 2005 is when I decided to change careers, from training horses to actually just changing careers. And I got involved in business classes at Clark and got involved in student government. I was public relations for student affairs at Clark and sat on 18 committees and boards, and also did my college internship at the Clark College Foundation. It was at that point I then transferred

7:50 into transportation industry and started freight brokering, which led me to start my own firm in 2018. And in 2018, since then, I have moved the company from Portland to here. And it has allowed me to engage in the community in a completely different way than I used to in things like helping rebuild the Skyview High School baseball field and other equine nonprofits. So I feel that I'm heavily tied to this community. Why should the voters select you for this position? I think that my experience and my connections with our community across the county abroad and actually beyond the county and at the state level even, I think my experience is very unique, especially growing up

8:47 here and being able to bring people together from across the alley. I think that's what makes me special. And also being able to see things from a different perspective. Growing up here, you see every little detail and you see the changes when you've been here this long and what's affected it. So I think that's why people should vote for me. If elected, what will be your top three priorities? Well, I'd start off by addressing homelessness. Homelessness is the core issue, I would say, in District 1 especially that people want to see addressed. With that said, the other two items would be housing affordability and mental health. Those both tie into homelessness because homelessness comes from both those categories, mental health issues and also people being able to stay in their homes.

9:46 I feel that those three things all get tied back to the things that I can control, which is the comp plan in our county. What actions would you recommend for addressing housing affordability in the county? One of the first things is I'd make it easier for builders to build. When you have a situation where just to get a permit can take you a year long, there's a lot of intangible costs that are incurred as a result of that. You think about it, you own property for a year and you're paying a mortgage on it for a year. And those are costs that build up over time. And those get transferred onto the buyers. And that really drives the prices up. I'd also go into driving our community to build up and not out. Build up healthy, build up a tax base, not build out an infrastructure that costs us more money and to support. Because when you grow out, it's like a mile of sewage line.

10:45 And I use sewage line as a term of infrastructure. 10 people on that sewage line versus 100 people. Ask yourself, what's going to be cheaper for you? So building up as a community is very important for me. How would you rate the county's response to the impacts of homelessness and what changes would you recommend? Well, you asked me this question five years ago and it would have been much different. We were in much worse shape. Today, the county has allocated funds towards programs that help support the homelessness. And also, they've started ECHO, which is a collaboration, which is very important. So what would I change? I'd be writing policy at the county level. It's the county's responsibility to deal with homelessness, not the city's. With that said, you take a look at the cities

11:43 across the country, particularly Houston and San Antonio. They both are very well known for addressing homelessness issues. They address it in two different ways though, however. Houston addresses it more on a housing first situation and San Antonio addresses it on a shelter situation. Neither are wrong, but both of those are necessary because we have both those issues. But what do they do that's the same? Is they have collaboration, strong collaboration across their counties. And that collaboration is what helps the communication and helps fill in the cracks and get the missing pieces that are out there filled in.

12:36 So I would really address just policy and communication. Clark County has been facing a structural budget deficit for many years. What actions would you favor for addressing future budget shortfalls? Well, it's no question that Clark County is facing a structural budget deficit. I lived in Portland briefly, and my husband and I moved here from there seven years ago. And those taxes we saved by moving here paid the mortgage of both the homes. So what's that tell you? It tells you that it's desirable to live here, and that's why our population is growing so dramatically. People are moving here because of that structural deficit, because of our tax structure. That's not something that can change at the state level. That has to be done at the legislative level.

13:34 The things I can control, though, are the comp plan. I would address that by growing up as a community, building up our tax base without increasing our taxes. Increasing taxes is not the answer. We've got to manage our growth in a responsible way, and that's by growing up and not out. I use this analogy so people can understand. You take a mile of sewage line, that mile representing infrastructure, and you have 10 people on it versus 100 people on it. And ask yourself, what do you think is going to be cheaper? So growing up, growing the tax base, instead of growing out by growing your expenses. That's the way I feel that we should be moving. Final question, what makes you the better candidate? I think that living here for so long

14:34 and seeing things at the micro level, but also working internationally on logistics and supply chain, it has allowed me to see things at a macro level. That macro level and that micro view makes me see the whole picture much more clear as far as the directions that we need to go. I think that's what makes me stand out as a candidate. For more information, contact Lucas Bardu, P.O. Box 879, Vancouver, Washington, 98666. Or call me at 360-818-1471. The email address is lucas@electlucasbardu.com. electlucasbardu.com. Please tell us about your background. Hi, I'm Glenn Young, and I am a husband and a father to five.

15:31 I have lived in Clark County for well over two decades. And my family has put roots down in Clark County, and we're proud to call it home. I have been very involved in the community in many different ways. I have served on the board of National Alliance on Mental Illness for Clark County. And I also chair ending community homelessness organization currently. But I've also been very involved in neighborhood association of the Hough neighborhood actually is where I live. And I have made Clark County a place where I hope my kids and my grandkids will be able to stay. Why should the voters select you for this position? One thing that I have learned is that leadership happens before and after council meetings. What you see in our council meetings

16:30 is only a small portion of what makes good leadership. Good leadership is asking hard questions. It's bringing people together and building consensus. It's focusing on long-term solutions. It's focusing on outcomes over personal recognition. It's practical, balanced, and an approach that involves all people and all viewpoints. You need to be willing to do the work of others that others don't see. And through this work, you'll have a record of positive results that affect the county. My goal is to leave Clark County stronger than the way I found it when I took office three and a half years ago. If elected, what will be your top three priorities? My priorities as county counselor have been consistent over the last three years and will remain the same in my upcoming term.

17:28 And that is housing affordability, specifically protecting existing affordable housing, as well as creating new supply of affordable housing. Additional housing choices that folks can see will fit their own specific family and their needs. And working to create more supply to reduce the cost of housing in our community. It's behavioral health, public safety, which is behavioral health, quality of life issues, and of course, making sure that our law and justice system is appropriately funded and fully functional in protecting all of our citizens in the county. Third is quality of life. We need clean water. Our environment needs to be clean, taken care of, and watched over. We need good parks and responsible growth.

18:28 These are factors that really are affecting folks' mental health in the community. Those are important aspects. We need good jobs, and we need to keep Clark County a place where families can afford to live, work, and build their future for their generation and generations to come. What actions would you recommend for addressing housing affordability in the county? I think the biggest challenge that we're facing in our community today is housing. We don't have enough of it, and it is not attainable to many people in our community because of the high cost. We need to be focusing on having housing for families and seniors and folks with low income as well. We need to protect our affordable housing stock that we have right now. In our quest to create affordable housing, we need to take care that we're not erasing some of that existing affordable housing that we currently have.

19:26 One of the issues that I have worked on was to create a mobile home park moratorium, which protected folks that live in mobile home parks so that the land underneath the home that they own can't be redeveloped, which would displace these people and devalue the home that they own. I'm all for more housing choices, ADUs, infill, smaller lots, things that create the ability for people to be able to afford a home. We need to improve our permitting process. There's no question about that. We've made significant strides but have more work to do. I also worked on helping an affordable senior housing project in Felida come to fruition. It was stalled, and through my work, we were able to get it moving forward again. Home ownership needs to be a focus and smart growth with infrastructure. There's never any one single solution that will solve all of our problems, but it's having a balanced approach

20:26 and knowing where the priorities need to be. How would you rate the county's response to the impacts of homelessness, and what changes would you recommend? Homelessness, without question, is a very complex issue. There is not a single solution. In fact, the path back to housing is going to vary from every individual who is currently experiencing homelessness. But it's not just about housing. It's also about mental health, addiction, and public safety. We need to have better coordination in our system. Without that, we're not going to continue to make progress. I currently serve as chair of ECHO, which is Ending Community Homelessness Organization, and it is a group that is focused on collaboration. It contains elected officials from the county, from all of our cities, and also people who play large roles in the homelessness response that we are working through currently in our county.

21:26 Mental health and addiction treatment are incredibly, incredibly important. We have been making a lot of progress towards having more mental health and addiction treatment services in the jail. The big thing that I have worked really hard to do is to help secure county funding to work with the city of Vancouver to opening their new 120-bed shelter, which will help people get off of the streets. It will help people to stabilize and start working on the things that led to their homelessness to begin with and give them an opportunity to bring themselves higher and improve their lives. We need to have pathways to stable housing. The bridge shelter will provide that. Support and personal responsibility are a big component of this, and we have much work to do on that. There needs to be balance between the needs

22:21 for public safety as well as a compassionate response. And we need to measure our success, and that success needs to be based on exits from homelessness, but not just exits, but long-term exits. It doesn't do us a lot of good if we have an exit from homelessness, but six months later, things fall apart. They didn't have enough support, and unfortunately, they end up back on our streets unsheltered. Clark County has been facing a structural budget deficit for many years. What actions would you favor for addressing future budget shortfalls? Clark County is currently facing a budget shortfall. We have known that it was coming for several years, but we have been able to use savings and efficiency to avoid the difficult questions that face ahead.

23:19 We are currently looking at approximately a 2 and 1/2% cut to all services in all of our departments at the county. When having this discussion, for me, the most important things are prioritizing our spending, and that prioritization needs to reflect the core services that are absolutely needed in the county first. And then we need to take a lens. County government tends to be focused on looking at the most efficient and best way to run county government. But my job as a county counselor is to ensure that the impacts to the community and the people that live here are what our focus is. What services are the most critical for people in our community? Let's not cut from those. All programs are important, don't get me wrong,

24:14 but when we have to cut, we have to prioritize people's lives ahead of all other things. And we have to avoid passing the problems that we have today to tomorrow. We have got to make good, solid decisions. We've got to support the programs that are needed and do no more than what is absolutely needed to make our community thrive. Final question, what makes you the better candidate? I have been serving you for 3 and 1/2 years as a member of the Clark County Council. And I will tell you, experience matters. Every candidate thinks that they are prepared to take office. And every candidate finds out how really unprepared they were. It is a major operation, the county government. And knowing all of the ins and outs of it are a huge undertaking.

25:13 On top of that, you can have all the knowledge in the world, but you can also be ineffective at getting things done. All of this takes time. I have done many things in my time that I consider effective that have really helped our county long term. But it has taken me several years to get there. I bring people together. I ask the hard questions. I'm leadership before and after meetings, not just what you hear at our council meetings. I am getting down to work on every issue, meeting everybody with every perspective. And I am available to be contacted and spoken to and to give your side of the story and your perspective. I am focused on outcomes over personal recognition, practical balance, and approach that involves all viewpoints.

26:09 And again, as I say, I want to leave Clark County stronger than I found it so that my children and yours can afford to stay here, work here, and raise their families and enjoy a great quality of life. For more information, I can be reached at Glenn Young at 2114 Main Street, Suite 100-800, Vancouver, Washington, 98660. I can be reached by phone at 360-583-0889. You can see my website at glenn@glenn4council.com. That's four with the number four. And my website is glenn4council.com. Again, the four is the number four. Please tell us about your background. I'm a lifelong Clark County resident. I grew up here and graduated from Hudson's Bay High School.

27:08 I've spent most of my adult life building things and serving this community. I earned my degree in renewable energy engineering with a minor in economics. I ran operations for one of the largest solar companies in the country. I owned and operated a small construction company doing remodels and historic reservations. I've developed and maintained public-private contracts for major utility companies in energy efficiency and solar. I currently own Trapdoor Brewing with two locations, which has grown to distribute across multiple states and internationally. I founded Cruise the Coove, a nonprofit that celebrates decades of classic car culture in the region with an annual Main Street cruise that attracts thousands of people. I currently serve as president of the Uptown Village Association, representing dozens of small businesses and residents in Uptown Vancouver. And I serve on the Washington Hospitality Association's Governor Affairs Committee, which gives me a close-up look at how policy affects small businesses and working families. I'm a highly motivated problem solver.

28:07 I take complicated things, simplify them to basic components, and figure out what works and what does not, then apply common sense solutions to the parts needing fixed. That's what I'll bring to the Clark County Council. Why should the voters select you for this position? Because all government, including our county council, should be held to one standard. Does this actually make life better for the people who live and work here? Right now, for a lot of families and small businesses, the honest answer is far too often no. I'm running because I think we can do better. We can bring down the cost of living. We can keep neighborhoods safe. And we can do it without reaching into people's pockets every single year at every opportunity. That takes discipline and clear priorities, the same things I've had to bring to every business I've ever built and operated. I know what it's like to deal with the county from the outside as a resident, brewpub owner, and builder with a small commercial development currently in our county permitting process. I'd like to bring that perspective inside

29:06 into our county council and apply common sense practical solutions to our current challenges and build durable, long-term pathways so generations to come can prosper and thrive in our shared beautiful Clark County. If elected, what will be your top three priorities? First, real affordability. Everyone says they support affordability, but actions matter. Raising sales taxes, increasing fees, and driving up property taxes only makes it harder for families to stay in their homes and for young people to buy their first one. As a brewery and restaurant owner, I see firsthand how the increase in operating costs is pricing out entire segments of our population from enjoying life's simple pleasures. 99% of all businesses in Washington State are small businesses, representing nearly 50% of all employees and about 50% of the taxes collected. We must stop treating them like ATM machines. When small businesses fail, we all feel the loss.

30:06 Second, public safety and core services being funded from the budget we already have. More deputies on the street, roads that are maintained, services people can count on. We can do that without raising taxes, but it means being honest about what county government's actual job is and focusing on that. Third, accountability. I believe government should live within its means, just like the families and small businesses of Clark County do every day. The incumbent, Glen Young, voted to raise taxes multiple times rather than examine spending, prioritize essential services, or find efficiencies. That approach hits hardest, those who can least afford it. Seniors on fixed incomes, working families, and individuals with special needs. I will bring a tax last philosophy to the county council before asking residents to pay more. Government must prove it has done everything possible to spend smarter, not bigger. Protecting affordability starts with protecting people's paychecks.

31:05 What actions would you recommend for addressing housing affordability in the county? The cost to build in this county is simply too high to meet the stated goals of affordable housing. Permitting costs and impact fees can exceed $100,000 per unit. Energy codes are becoming excessively strict and very costly with diminishing energy savings. Permit times are unpredictable, costing builders and material suppliers alike. We have to stabilize the process and remove barriers to the builders. The notion that builders are just greedy and driving up costs are unfounded. Developers take all the risk and are the last to get paid. We need to partner with them for maximum social benefit. Earlier this year, the council's answer to the housing crisis was to raise the sales tax before there was even a plan for how to spend the money. I think that's backwards. You don't make housing more affordable by making everything else more expensive. How would you rate the county's response to the impacts of homelessness, and what changes

32:03 would you recommend? The response to the rapid increase in homelessness has been lagging due to forces often beyond the control of local governments. I don't fault the well-meaning people involved. We have been using the wrong approach and doubling down on the misguided policies of housing first and harm reduction. We have clear evidence we are dealing with an addiction and mental health crisis as the root cause of large numbers of homeless. We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars regionally on policies that actually attract addicts and crime from all over the country to our area to receive housing, food, free drug paraphernalia with zero accountability, forcing us to cut or redirect budgets depriving other services. We must address the addiction problem at the individual level and also stop the flow of fentanyl and methamphetamine into our communities. I predict if we successfully treat the addiction as the disease it is, we'll have success in getting people back into society and thriving. There is real hope when we treat addiction. People very often come out better than before,

33:02 an amazing hidden gem of recovery. For those individuals and families that truly fell on hard times, we have systems and good people in place that we can and should lean on. Clark County has been facing a structural budget deficit for many years. What actions would you favor for addressing future budget shortfalls? The current council with Glenn Young's vote has raised taxes in back-to-back budgets, property taxes, and a new sales tax this year. And we still have a structural deficit. We still have a shortage of deputies. Taxes keep going up, and the deficit's still here. It's not about revenue. It's about how it gets prioritized once it's here. We keep adding programs, positions, and administrative layers, and then we're surprised when there's not enough for the basics. So my approach is the opposite. Protect the core functions, public safety, roads, infrastructure. Take a hard, honest look at everything else. Does it work? Can it be done more efficiently? Should the county even be doing it?

34:01 Push back on unfunded mandates from Olympia instead of just passing the bill to local taxpayers. We can balance this budget without raising taxes. It takes discipline, but it's doable. Final question, what makes you the better candidate? I've spent my whole career solving real problems with limited resources, as an engineer in renewable energy, as a business owner. You can't spend money you don't have, and you just can't keep doing something that isn't working just because it's familiar. You figure out what works, and you just do it. I'm not a clock puncher. I keep working until the job is done. County government needs that exact discipline right now. Someone who's focused on outcomes instead of ideology, who'll make the unglamorous decision if it's the right one, and who believes you have a right to know where your money is being spent. Voters have a unique opportunity in my candidacy to elect someone highly motivated with a broad range of applicable expertise and who's willing to put the focus on the people's business over his own.

35:00 I'm not a career politician. I'm a guy who's built things in this community and is tired of watching good money, your money, go towards problems with unimpressive or unacceptable outcomes. I think we can bring some common sense back to the county council, and I'm asking for your vote to help do it. For more information, contact Brian Scholl, P.O. Box 157, Vancouver, Washington 98666. I am at campaign@electbrianscholl.com or my website at www.electbrianscholl.com.