The two labor councils of Southwest Washington had good results in a sleepy low-turnout primary election Aug. 5. All three endorsed campaigns came out on top.
Voters in Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, and Skamania counties passed a levy restoring funding for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District by about 53%. The measure was endorsed by the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council (SWWACLC) and its passage came as a great relief to roughly 160 library workers represented by Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA) who keep 15 libraries running in the four-county library district.
Incumbent Vancouver City Council member Kim Harless was the runaway winner in her election, earning 57% of the vote in a three-way race. She was backed by SWWACLC and Fire Fighters Local 452. She’ll face second-place finisher Pooneh Gray in the November general election.
In Cowlitz County, retired Weyerhaeuser mill worker Wayne Nichols outpolled incumbent Spencer Boudreau and one other candidate to take first place in a three-way race for Longview City Council. Nichols (46%) will face Boudreau (38%) again in November. Boudreau is Longview’s current mayor; the mayor is chosen by city council there. Nichols was a union officer in his union, Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers, and ran with the endorsement of the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Central Labor Council and IBEW Local 48.
A great majority of voters didn’t return the ballots that had been mailed to them. Voter turnout was just over 27% in Clark County and 26% in Cowlitz County.
