In a heated Clark County Commissioner’s race between two imminently qualified candidates, the Vancouver Business Journal again will endorse incumbent Commissioner Steve Stuart. While Bruce Hagensen, with his 14 years of public service on the Vancouver City Council and in the mayor’s seat, is an experienced and gifted statesman, the business community cannot afford the loss of Steve Stuart’s voice on the commission at this time. Stuart has an aggressive plan for streamlining permitting processes and opening appropriate lands to development. A creative and forward thinker, Stuart ties job creation to business recruitment and transportation development. As the county faces 50 percent more growth in the next 20 years, an experienced growth management planner is needed. Stuart has not yet done all the work he can do for Clark County.
Having a strong hand and vision in the development of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve and planting the seed for Clark County’s high-tech boom – among many other accomplishments – the community would not be what it is today without Bruce Hagensen. We would like nothing more than to see Hagensen return to public office in Clark County. But this seat – at this time – belongs to Steve Stuart.
