Lewallen losing Camas City Council seat to Eshghi

Fifteen months after losing her race to represent Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, Camas City Councilor Leslie Lewallen is facing another political upset. Preliminary results for Tuesday’s general election show Lewallen is losing her bid for a second council term by nearly 10 percentage points. As of Wednesday morning, Lewallen had 2,557 votes (45.02 percent) and her challenger, Camas Planning Commissioner Mahsa Eshghi, had 3,104 votes (54.65 percent). Retired attorney, fifth-generation Washingtonian and Camasonian since 2018, Lewallen was elected in November 2021 to the Camas council’s nonpartisan Ward 3, Position 2 seat. She ran as a Republican in the 2024 primary race to unseat U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez but lost to Perez, a Democrat, and another Republican challenger, Joe Kent, after receiving 11.8 percent of the votes. In July, the conservative nonprofit Project 42, an organization that says it prioritizes “free markets, personal liberty and an individual’s right to prosper,” tapped Lewallen to lead its Clark County chapter. Eshghi, Lewallen’s opponent in this year’s council race, said last month that she hoped to use her two decades’ experience as a civil engineer for the Port of Portland, city of Vancouver and MacKay Sposito — as well as her time serving on the Camas Planning Commission — to help the city of Camas “intelligently and cost-effectively” meet the state’s growth mandate. “With careful planning, we can keep Camas livable while we protect natural spaces and preserve the small-town character we all cherish,” Eshghi said. After Clark County released the first batch of election results Tuesday night, Eshghi said in an emailed statement that she was “deeply grateful to the voters of Camas for their confidence and support,” as well as for her supportive family and team of volunteers. Eshghi said she had tried to run a positive campaign that reflected the values of the Camas community. “Camas voters tell me they want to see true collaboration; they want us to come together and solve problems,” Eshghi said. “It would be an honor to do that work for my community.” Ellen Burton, a former Camas mayor and city councilor, backed Eshghi’s campaign, saying Tuesday night in an emailed statement that she hoped Eshghi’s win would be a turning point for the city of Camas. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen such division in our community,” Burton said. “Mahsa is offering an inspiring vision. It’s time for Camas to move forward — together.” Lewallen did not respond to requests for comment in time for this newspaper’s deadline. Boerke reelected Lewallen and Councilor Marilyn Boerke were the only Camas council incumbents facing challengers this year. Councilors Tim Hein and Martin Elzingre ran unopposed. Early results show Boerke, who recently retired from a nearly four-decade career in public education, is easily winning her bid for a second term representing the council’s Ward 1, Position 2 seat. As of Wednesday morning, Boerke had received 3,628 votes (65.5 percent), while her challenger, Geoerl Niles, the vice chair of the Camas Planning Commission and a pastor at Dwelling Place Church in Vancouver, had received 1,893 votes (34.18 percent). Boerke said Wednesday that she’s grateful to be able to continue her work on the council and hopeful voters will pass the regional fire authority proposition placed on the Nov. 4 ballot by the cities of Camas and Washougal. “Our budget is up for review and police staffing and fire are both on my mind,” she said. Boerke, who was already picking up her campaign’s yard signs early Wednesday morning, said she was pleased that she and Niles were able to run “really respectful campaigns.” “Watching the rhetoric between other candidates, I’m thankful we agreed to run a civilized campaign,” Boerke said. “It’s a great message that we don’t have to fight. We can be united for a common good.” The Columbian was unable to immediately reach Niles for comment. Clark County Elections expected to post updated ballot counts at 5 p.m. Wednesday, past The Columbian’s deadline for the print edition.

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