By: The Other Noise
I still haven’t decided how I’ll vote in the 3rd district race in November. Do I choose our incumbent, who is disappointing for all the reasons Karissa Halstrom laid out in her article last year, and hope for a Democratic House majority as a consolation prize? Or, by not voting for her, do I support her opponent, whose political positions align even less with mine? It’s a classic Giant Douche vs. Turd Sandwich situation.
We’re still more than a year out from school board elections, with no candidates on the ballot yet, but I’m already feeling similarly conflicted.
Gary Wilson ran for the Evergreen Public Schools board in 2023 and won against a long-time incumbent. His platform focused on fiscal responsibility and properly supporting teachers and paraeducators. But we disagree on some pretty important social issues, and he didn’t earn my vote. Mr. Wilson attended a recent Battle Ground City Council meeting and gave a public comment asserting the superiority of nuclear families. He is a longtime opponent of FVRL’s Drag Queen Story Hour and spoke at a board meeting in January to oppose the inclusion of the word equity in the FVRL strategic plan.
And yet, in board meeting after board meeting, Evergreen Public Schools’ Director Gary Wilson makes a comment that the rest of the school board ignores, or makes a motion that every other board member declines to second. Most recently, it was a motion to correct a false statement that the district’s lawyer made to the Vancouver Police department. At the previous board meeting, he called for a different investigation, following the recommendations of a management letter from the state auditor. He reminded the board that “There is no debate. It is right here, and I’ll get out the audit report in black and white. The debate is whether we as a board, or the superintendent, will follow our oath and bring this issue to its only logical conclusion.” I appreciate Mr. Wilson’s dedication to transparency, even when it seems futile.
Interestingly, local progressives have started paying attention to Evergreen’s legal and ethical failings. Dusti Arab, who recently ran for Clark County Council as a progressive, spoke at last week’s school board meeting and mentioned the district’s failure to act on the findings of the state auditor’s report.
Could this be the start of horseshoe theory in action? Can progressives and conservatives come together for accountability in Evergreen?
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