Melissa Smith and Emilia Brasier describe plans for Camas if elected
CAMAS — Camas voters gathered at the Camas Public Library on October 11 for the third of four League of Women Voters of Clark County general election candidate forums. Candidates in the race for Camas City Council Ward 1, Position 2 were present to answer questions asked by moderator and state representative Monica Stonier.
The city council position is currently held by Melissa Smith, who is seeking re-election. Smith has served on the city council since 2004. Camas resident Emilia Brasier moved to the city eight years ago and is seeking to replace Smith as councilor for Ward 1, Position 2.
Smith is a third generation Camas resident and has a background in the purchasing and manufacturing industry.
“I’m very fiscally conservative but liberal in other ways,” Smith said.
Brasier said that she appreciates Camas’ natural spaces, schools and community. She decided to run “because I love Camas.”
The two candidates were first asked how the city of Camas can address difficulties some people face in finding housing in the city, especially in affordable housing.
Smith said that last year, the city council adopted the Camas 2035 Comprehensive Plan. In that plan, Smith said allowances were made for more multi-unit homes and for “ageing in place.”
“We need to make places that are more affordable for folks,” Smith said.
Brasier said that Camas should look to other cities that “have done this well.” She also said that the city should look to create housing that was within walking or bus distance of necessary resources such as grocery stores. Placing housing close to such resources can help reduce costs of living, Brasier said.
The candidates were also asked what, if elected, they would propose be done at a community level to address issues such as homelessness and youth suicide.
Smith said that in Camas, there have been efforts already underway with local churches providing resources for the homeless in the community. However, the city itself does not have an agency dedicated to homelessness, Smith said, instead it works in collaboration “with the rest of the county.”
According to Smith, Camas Mayor Scott Higgins has reached out to suicide prevention groups in the past, and the council is doing more recently to work with community partners to address youth suicide.
Brasier said that homelessness and youth suicide needs to be addressed at the community level in places like churches, “but also at a governmental level by looking at evidence-based methods.”
“I think that this is a public health issue,” Brasier said.
Like many cities in Clark County, Camas faces issues related to growth. The candidates were asked how upkeeping existing neighborhoods compares with the needs of new development, and how this can be balanced across the community.
Smith said that a recent survey showed that parks, green spaces, safety and the police were top priorities. She also noted that “code enforcement was a big concern of the survey.” According to Smith, residents want the city to be more proactive in helping neighbors keep older homes up to date. Part of doing so could include issuing waivers or encouraging volunteer help to maintain older neighborhoods.
Brasier said that liveability in some existing neighborhoods, including her own, has been negatively affected by new housing developments.
“Planning needs to be really well thought out,” Brasier said, and the city’s infrastructure needs to balance the “new influx of housing.”
Both candidates then had the opportunity to describe what they believed to be the two biggest challenges faced by Camas over the next five years.
Smith said that Camas is currently in a “growth spurt.” Because of this, she said that homeowners must do research about where they plan to move, so that they may avoid unexpected circumstances when new developments are added. Smith also said that “the city needs to do a better job of communicating what’s going on.”
Further, Smith said that Camas needs to find new revenue streams to continue to sustain the city as it grows.
Brasier said that affordable housing and new development are a challenge that Camas faces, and balancing those with infrastructure development and service needs are a related challenge.
Smith and Brasier were then asked specifically what challenges come with growth in Camas, and what their recommendations for meeting those challenges were.
According to Smith, the city needs to ensure that it can serve all of its residents.
“We need to make sure we have a reserve fund for maintenance of roads,” Smith said.
Brasier noted that balancing liveability is important, and the city needs to make sure services are adequate for all residents. She said that Camas needs to be receiving revenue as well. According to Brasier, the city needs to attract more retail businesses and affordable housing.
Smith and Brasier were asked to outline some of their goals if elected, and why they chose to run for city council.
Smith said that she wanted to preserve continuity in city government with changes coming up.
“There will be a new mayor next year, and we just need some continuity,” Smith said.
Brasier said that she decided to run “because of some of my concerns about the way we’re growing.” She said that she wants to retain natural spaces in the city and ensure houses are in areas that have access to necessary resources such as grocery stores.
