Most Camas-Washougal hopefuls unopposed in 2025 election

The 2025 election season in Camas and Washougal is shaping up to be one of the least competitive in recent memory. Clark County’s candidate filing period closed Friday. The final candidate list shows that the vast majority of Camas-Washougal candidates are running unopposed. Of the 19 Camas-Washougal city council, school board and commission positions open this year, six have more than one candidate and just one — a Clark County Charter Review Commission seat — has more than two candidates. The last time voters had a chance to consider most of the positions open in the 2025 primary and general elections, the majority of the races were competitive, with two or more candidates. Clark County will mail ballots for the Aug. 5 primary election to voters on July 18. The top two primary candidates will move forward to the general election on Nov. 4. The exception is the Clark County Charter Review Commission races, which are only on the general-election ballot. Camas-Washougal candidates running unopposed for their seats this year include Port of Camas-Washougal District No. 3 incumbent Larry Keister and East County Fire and Rescue Board of Commissioners incumbent Brendan Addis, who was appointed to the board’s No. 5 seat in 2024. All Camas-Washougal school board candidates are running unopposed in 2025, including incumbent Camas school board members Corey McEnry (No. 1 seat) and Matthew McBride (No. 2 seat); Washougal school board incumbents Sadie McKenzie (No. 3 seat) and Jane Schmidgall Long (No. 2 seat), as well as newcomer Paul Hooper, who is running for Chuck Carpenter’s No. 5 Washougal school board position; and Mount Pleasant school board members Liz Wilber (No. 1 seat) and Sara Genova (No. 5 seat). Likewise, several city council candidates are running unopposed, including Washougal Mayor David Stuebe (No. 1 council seat), Washougal City Council incumbent David Fritz (No. 3 seat), Camas City Council incumbent Tim Hein (Ward 2, Position 2) and recently appointed Camas City Council member Martin Elzingre, who was sworn in to former councilor Bonnie Carter’s Ward 2, Position 1 seat on April 21. The competitive Camas-Washougal races include: Camas City Council Ward 1, Position 2 Incumbent Marilyn Dale-Boerke will compete against her former 2021 primary election opponent, Geoerl Niles, in the Nov. 4 general election. During the 2021 primary election, Boerke and Niles competed with two other candidates, Gary Perman and Shawn High, for spots on the general-election ballot. Niles, an ordained minister and vice chair of the Camas Planning Commission, came in fourth in that election, with 122 votes to Boerke’s 686 votes, Perman’s 583 votes and High’s 177 votes. Camas City Council Ward 3, Position 2 Incumbent Councilor Leslie Lewallen will also compete against a member of the Camas Planning Commission in the November general election. Mahsa Eshghi — an engineer who has worked for local governments, including the Port of Portland and city of Vancouver — is challenging Lewallen for the Ward 3 seat Lewallen won 53-47 in the November 2021 election. Washougal City Council Position 6 Two candidates, Cam Stevens and Marty Swofford Jr., will vie for Washougal Councilor Julie Russell’s Position 6 seat in the November general election. Russell, who was elected to the council in 2017, is not running for reelection in 2025. Her Position 6 council seat expires in December. Port of Camas-Washougal, District No. 1 Two candidates are vying for longtime Port Commissioner John Spencer’s District 1 seat. Spencer, who was elected to the Port of Camas-Washougal Commission in 2015, decided against running for reelection this year and will, instead, focus on his Get To-Gather Farm in Washougal. The two candidates competing for the District 1 seat in the November general election are technology executive Dave St. Clair of Washougal and Clark County Historical Museum Executive Director Bradley Richardson of Camas. Clark County Charter Review Commission, Positions No. 1 and 3 Cole Horning of Washougal and Liz Cline of Camas will compete for the Clark County Charter Review Commission’s Position No. 1. Morgan Holmgren of Camas, Kirk VanGelder of Vancouver and Brad Witterman of Washougal will compete for the commission’s No. 3 seat.

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