Press Releases

Job Growth Key Issue at "Breakfast with the Candidates for Clark County Board of Commissioners 2008"

Vancouver, WA – Miller Nash polled attendees at Friday's "Breakfast with the Candidates for Clark County Board of Commissioners 2008" to rate their top issue heading into the Board of County Commissioner primaries. Nearly 55 percent of responders selected job growth as the primary concern from a list including traffic congestion, environmental issues, fuel costs, job growth, and taxes. Coming in second, with 22.5 percent of the vote, was traffic congestion. Environment/sustainability made third place in this informal straw poll, with 8 percent of responders selecting the green option. "Based on the responses of the candidates, job growth is of the utmost importance to their campaigns," said James Howsley, a Miller Nash attorney who participated as a panelist in Friday's debate. "But the forum revealed clearly differing views on government's role in bringing that job growth about."

Guests were also asked to predict the impact of the Columbia River Crossing project on economic growth in southwest Washington. Responders were overwhelmingly optimistic, with 43.5 percent predicting a "dramatically positive" impact and 42 percent anticipating a "moderately positive" effect on the region's growth.

With the Board of County Commissioner primaries less than three weeks away, Miller Nash presented Friday's breakfast debate to provide interested community members and business leaders with a rare chance to hear all ten candidates tackle a selection of important local issues. A three-person panel composed of Julia Anderson, Columbian business editor; John White, vice president of JD White Co.; and Miller Nash's Howsley, put a series of tough questions to the candidates. "We are seeing so much excitement across the county about this election," said Steve Horenstein, an attorney with Miller Nash who moderated the debate. "We wanted to provide an opportunity for people to hear all the candidates really engage the issues."

For the final audience poll question, attendees were invited to select the four candidates who, in their opinion, performed the best in the debate. Sitting District 2 Commissioner, Republican Marc Boldt, was among the top four on 77 percent of the audience ballots, while Brad Lothspeich, Republican, and Pam Brokaw, Democrat, made 76 percent and 58 percent, respectively, of all ballots. Responders picked Republican Matt Swindell in the top four on 45 percent of the ballots. Craig Williams, Republican, was listed among the top four on 34 percent of responses. Jeanne Harris, Democrat, and Tom Mielke, Republican, came in even at 29 percent. Bridget Schwarz, independent, was listed on 22.6 percent of all ballots. Unaffiliated candidates Martin Butler and Robert Nichols were included in 6.5 percent and 3.2 percent of responses, respectively.

As one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest multispecialty law firms focusing on business and litigation, Miller Nash LLP serves clients locally and worldwide from its five offices in Vancouver and Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Bend, and Prineville, Oregon.

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