We just got email confirmation from someone attending the Washougal City Council Meeting tonight....He observed the whole meeting and not a word out of the public about Sean Guard's run-in with the law. The citizen reported that the only comment made about the episode was from Councilman Delevar (sp). It's time to move on people. Next Topic Please. Continue reading ...
With pressure from CWWatch Blog the Camas Washougal Post Record had no choice but to report some of the mysterious facts surrounding Mayor Sean Guard's run-in with the law. Here is the link: http://www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2010/dec/30/washougal-mayor-accused-using-emergency-lights-chr/ I must say this article is a strange departure from the other articles written about this situation. It's almost like a set of talking points written in story form. You decide.
Continue reading ...
According to the CC, this is a copy of an internal email sent to every City of Washougal staff member before the story broke in the Columbian. Enjoy.
Start Email---------
Just so you are not surprised tonight or tomorrow, I am told that there may be a news story about a traffic stop that I was involved in while in a city vehicle.
On Christmas Eve I was taking a needy family (mother and two children) home from a Christmas present shopping trip. While on I-5, I was behind a vehicle in the lef... Continue reading ...
Have you ever been outside on a warm summer night and heard the crickets chirping? The lazy sound of chirping crickets is the same sound being heard from the Camas-Washougal Post Record. The story on Mayor Sean Guard broke on Monday and the Post Record did not print it in Tuesday's paper. They still haven't posted anything on their website as of Wednesday, December 29th. Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
 Continue reading ...
Ok, We are sure you have heard about Washougal Mayor Sean Guard's run-in with the law. If not here is the link: http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/dec/27/washougal-mayor-may-face-traffic-charge-trooper-sa/We have a few questions, because the story is a little bizzare. 1.) Why was the Mayor traveling alone with a female adult and two children? (Columbian) We get the whole charity thing, but was the woman in the vehicle his wife or not? We are not saying that the Mayor was doing anything scanda... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Tuesday, December 21, 2010,
In :
CW Port Issues
 The remaining remnant of the RiverWalk debacle, Scot Walstra in leaving the Port after three and a half years serving as Business Development Director. Scot is a nice guy, unfortunately he was hired at the beginning of a turbulent time that brought a head to Port commissioner corruption, ending in the ouster of two commissioners during the 2009 election. After the new commissioners took over, the Port attorney, who orchestrated much of the Port shenanigans, left in early 2010.Scot was hired i...
Washougal City Council to Consider a Resolution Banning Red-Light Cameras in City Limits
By: Jon Russell, Mayor Pro Tem, Washougal City Council
This resolution will be brought forward by Councilman Michael Delavar:
“With this resolution, the City of Washougal is sending the message that we reject the propagation of cameras everywhere. The Police Officers of the City of Washougal do a fine job keeping law and order on the streets of our city. The last thing we ... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Friday, September 24, 2010,
Attention Salsa Enthusiasts. Celebrate the final week of your local market! The Washougal Farmers’ Market is hosting a “Hot & Spicy Salsa Contest” on Saturday, September 25th at 10:00 am in downtown Washougal, sponsored by Shangri-La Farm. Bring your favorite home made salsa to the market where it will be judged for several attributes including flavor, heat, texture and presentation. Professional chefs are also welcome to enter the contest. Judges include several members of the Washougal Cit... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Friday, September 17, 2010,
If you are like many of us, you were hit up at Safeway for your hard earned money to help to "acid victim" .....how do you feel? A little cheated? angry that she dupped us all? Although this is very unfortunate, I hope people don't become to cynical or jadded that they stop helping others in need. sometimes our giving doesn't end up in the hands of those who need it. Often times, it does. -GW
Vancouver, WA — The Vancouver Police Department announced at 4 p.m. that Bethany Storro has admitte... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Friday, August 13, 2010,
Hearth Washougal
We had the opportunity to dine at Hearth Restaurant,
Washougal’s newest restaurant which opens August 18th.
Probably the smartest thing a restaurant can do is have a “soft
opening” the week before so they can work the kinks out.
Something strange I’ve never experienced before was that you
can see their menu on their website, so I pretty much had an idea of what I was
going to try….when we arrived, they had a different menu. A little
disappointing.
If y... Continue reading ...
By Marissa Harshman
Columbian staff writer
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Washougal, WA — The Washougal City Council passed a resolution Tuesday night supporting the Arizona immigration law and urging Washington state lawmakers to pass ... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Saturday, May 29, 2010,
In :
Community
Continue reading ...
In
what has been seen as a malicious, revengeful attempt to strip the former Riverwalk
principals of everything they own, at a continued legal cost to the taxpayers –
“The Port of Camas-Washougal announced
Thursday it has dropped attempts to recover fees from its legal battle with
Riverwalk on the Columbia LLC. The company has no assets to recover, said Dave
Ripp, the port's executive director. Last year, the port sued for the $607,852
in attorney's fees it spent in legal arbitration over... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Friday, April 9, 2010,
In :
Community
A timber company owned by the Confederate
Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation has filed suit against the Hambleton
Lumber Co. of Washougal,
Wash., The Hermiston Herald reported
today. In a legal complaint filed March 15, the company claims it delivered
about 185 loads of logs to Hambleton Lumber between September and November of
2009 but the sawmill has not paid for the product. Warm Springs
Forest Products
Industries is seeking $230,000 in compensation for the logs, plus interest and
ot... Continue reading ...
Mayor Sean Guard announced today that the City of Washougal has offered the position of City Administrator to Mr. David Scott of Vancouver, Washington.
Mr. Scott, 47, is currently the Director of Development Review Services for the City of Vancouver. He has been with the City of Vancouver for eleven years and prior to that time was the Building Official for the City of Tigard, Oregon for six years and was the Commission Secretary for the City of Los Angeles from 1986-1993. He holds a Bachelor... Continue reading ...
At special
meetings held March 9th and March 30th the [Port of CW] Commissioners met in the public with
consultant BergerABAM, to continue the process of updating the Port‟s Comprehensive
Plan by reviewing the current Plan, discussing long-term strategic planning,
and inviting public input. Each meeting lasted nearly three hours and, due to
in-depth discussion and extensive public input, a few topics still remain for
consideration.
You’re invited to
the next special meeting on April 13t... Continue reading ...
"At this point
the investigation with the SAO has been closed for all intensive
purposes. The information is now in the hands of the Clark County
Sheriff’s Office for follow-up and investigation to see if there are any
actions that may be pursued as a criminal investigation." Sean Guard Mayor
March 19, 2010
"In regard to the Special Investigation by
the State Auditor’s Office, the SAO
today
delivered to the City of Washou... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Tuesday, March 16, 2010,
In :
Community
Youth from the Camas and
Washougal area are invited to attend a Summer Aviation Camp at Grove
Field. The first camp for children ages 10 to 14 will be held from 9:00
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22nd through Saturday, June 26. The second
camp is for ages 15 and older on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, June 29, July
1 and July 3 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Grove Field is located 1 mile
northeast of Camas.
Both age group camps are
designed for the aspiring young aviator who wants to l... Continue reading ...
In an article written Friday By Marissa Harshman of the Columbian
www.columbian.com
“The Washougal City Council plans to do
away with a resolution pledging its commitment to revitalize downtown. But
Mayor Sean Guard said the move does not mean the city is backing out if its
promise to give the area a face-lift.
Instead,
he said, repealing the resolution will remove restrictions on commercial
businesses trying to locate in Washougal.
The
resolution was passed in September 2005, when th... Continue reading ...
 At the 25
January City Council Workshop, a majority of council members indicated support
for a scaled-down version of the E Street project that:
1.
Deletes the roundabout at 17th and E Streets.
2.
Installs a better coordinated traffic signal at 17th & E
Streets.
3.
Completes curbs and sidewalks along the length of E Street.
4.
Improves... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Friday, January 22, 2010,
In :
Community
A great opportunity is available through the Southwest Washington Workforce
Development Council for all sophomores, juniors and seniors. The SW Opportunity
Internship Program is a 90 hour internship for those students that have a desire
to work in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and or Math
(STEM). One of the key requirements to qualify for the
internship is that the student must qualify for free or reduced lunch. This
grant is on a first come basis and as there are a li... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Saturday, January 16, 2010,
In :
Community
 The Port
of Camas- Washougal Commissioners will
meet with leaders from the City of Washougal,
City of Camas
and Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC) on January 19th at 7:00 p.m.
in the Second Floor Meeting Room of the Camas Library, located at 625 NE 4th Avenue,
Camas.
This is a rare meeting which
citizen have not witnessed in many many ye... Continue reading ...
 Unlike
Camas Schools which will hit Camas residents with an 8% tax increase if their levy
is approved; Washougal Schools levy will actually DECREASE
if voters approve their M&O and technology levy.
Washougal
Schools mailed a detailed facts pamphlet out explaining, in detail, what
Washougal tax payers will pay, and why, if they approve a replacement
Maintenance, Operations and T... Continue reading ...
 With the
start of 2010 upon us and with a new administration and renewed sense of
enthusiasm, I pledge to lead the City of Washougal through some significant
changes in 2010 with the advice and help of the city council, the staff and the
community of Washougal. Many of these
items have already been started.
Increasingly Open Government.
In response to citizen suggestions a num... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Thursday, December 31, 2009,
In :
Community
 One of
the things I loathe about watching sports on TV - especially Trailblazer Basketball that interrupts
regular programming, is the 30 minute show following the game – giving you play
by play “recaps” of what you just spent watching for the last three hours. So it
is with newspapers and TV programs this week - focusing on 2009. In case you
missed it, you lived through the ...
Continue reading ...
This
week’s Washougal council workshop will be on Tuesday at 5:30, not on Monday.
The agenda is basically one item,
the E Street Project. This meeting has been advertised as a meeting with
possible action. Many of the contractors and financial partners on the project
will be present to give the council the latest information on what money is
available for the project and how it can be used. There will also likely be
lots of Q & A involving the project, alternatives to the full proj... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Saturday, December 26, 2009,
In :
CW Port Issues
 One would
think that there was a lesson to be learned from the Riverwalk fiasco, one of
which was; Read a contract before signing it.
In an
11th Hour push by exiting Port Commissioners Hargrave and Carroll and supported
by Port Executive Director Dave Ripp and Port attorney Shawn McPherson - the
Fab Four tried to push through a $2,000,000 land purchase within the Industrial
park l...
Continue reading ...
The Parker House Restaurant, a
fixture on the shores of the Columbia River in
Washougal for decades, has been purchased and plans are being unveiled for the
site.
Plans for the property
include remodeling or removing the existing two-story restaurant and building a
possible new, three-story restaurant with outdoor patios.
The new restaurant will be
called the Black Pearl o... Continue reading ...
West
Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Unfortunately there is inaccurate information being
circulated in regard to the relationship between the City of Washougal and the West Columbia Gorge Humane
Society. This memo is an attempt to
correct some of that.
First, the current action being proposed was not through the
direction of the Washougal City Council.
It was at my direc... Continue reading ...
Jeffrey
Bivens, now former Finance Director for the City of Washougal
was
notified Monday that he does not qualify for the job he was hired for as
Finance Director of the City of Washougal.
The
Washougal council as the employer, in essence changed the job description of a
current employee by requiring the position of Finance Director to carry a bond
of $2.5 million.
Now, the
ci...
Continue reading ...
 Camas is
not the only community soon to be saddled with steep increases in water and
sewer rates. Washougal is looking at a 14% increase for the new year.
This fact
has incensed some citizens. In these times of very high unemployment, huge job
loss, skyrocketing health insurance rates, and recent drastic drops in property
assessment values, a notice that water and sewer rates to ... Continue reading ...
WASHOUGAL-
Jon Russell, Republican for U.S. Congress, is pleased to announce that
for the first time in the City of Washougal’s history, the City Council
has passed an ordinance to cut property taxes. Russell, a Washougal
City Council Member, sponsored the ordinance, which will cut property
taxes by 1% for fiscal year 2010. Monday evening, the Washougal City
Council passed Russell’s ordinance unanimously.
“I
am honored to have led this charge to put more money in the pockets o... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Monday, November 23, 2009,
In :
Community
My Thanksgiving Holiday Rant:
This weekend, five days
before Thanksgiving, I stopped at the store to pick up some last minute
groceries for the big day of overindulgence of food and family.
As I walked up to the front
doors of the store, what do I hear? The ringing sound of those annoying
Salvation Army bells!
Instantly, my pleasant
attitude changed from friendly to annoyed. I t... Continue reading ...
 WASHOUGAL, Wash. -Mayor Stacee Sellers announced today that she was resigning
after losing her re-election campaign, even though she was supposed to serve
out her term until January 1.
Recently, council members voted unanimously to publicy censure Sellers and last
week Mayor Stacee Sellers had not returned any of councils phone calls or
emails there was a lot of talk about the coun... Continue reading ...
Slow news week, so Mayor Sellers is at the top of the list again. according to the Post:
"Washougal
council may vote on mayor's resignation
Councilman Jon Russell mentions impeachment as an alternative
By
Dawn Feldhaus
Post-Record staff
Washougal Mayor Pro Tem
Molly Coston could end up serving as the city's next mayor -- at least through
Dec. 31.
Councilman Jon Russell
plans to ... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Saturday, October 17, 2009,
The Port of Camas-Washougal invites the community to attend the upcoming commission meeting scheduled for November 2 as the board nears a critical decision about the future of Grove Field Airport.  “We’re excited that we have finally reached the point where research and opportunity are at an intersection making it the ideal time to make a decision about the funding, maintenance and safe operation of the airport in the years ahead,” said David Ripp, port executive director. We have learned ... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Saturday, October 17, 2009,
In :
Community
 After reading the good reviews about Gringos here on the blog, I finally had a chance to check it out for myself. WOW….As I walked through the parking lot, flashbacks of the old Chinese restaurant haunted me, then there was one time when I visited several years ago and I was severely disappointed in their “mexican” cuisine, smoke filled rooms and that smell of OLD…you know what I mean. Jeff and I walked in to a very clean, professional looking restaurant. No pool table in the middle of... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Tuesday, October 13, 2009,
In :
Community
CWWatch readers: now is your time to get out and meet the candidates. Love em or hate em....Tuesday night, you can have a chance to meet with them one on one. This event is sponsored by the CW Rotary, CW Chamber and the League of Women Voters. Tuesday October 13th 6:30 - 8:30 PM Washougal High School Commons 1201 39th St. Washougal The order of candidates will follow that listed in the Sample Ballot, which is: 15th State Legislative District Representative Camas City Council Washougal Mayor & City Counc... Continue reading ...
Posted by CW Moderator on Saturday, September 19, 2009,
In :
CW Port Issues
The public is invited to hear Local Port Candidates speak about the Port of CW issues on Wednesday, September 23, beginning at 7:00 p.mThe Camas Washougal Aviation Association (CWAA) is hosting this forum for C-W Port Commmissioner candidates Location: Camas Washougal Municipal Court, 89 "C" Street in Washougal. District 1 candidates Gary Perman and Mark Lampton and District 3 candidates Alan Hargrave and Bill McCrae Smith are invited to participate. Each candidate will have the opportunity to ... Continue reading ...
Word on the street is there are back door meetings going
on to not hire a new administrator and make Washougal's Mayor a full time
position. Considering what is going on right now and the upcoming election being
undecided I feel this would not be a prudent move. To even consider changing the
form of government Washougal uses should be off the table until after the Nov.
elections. That's just common sense. The council knows there may be new blood in
both Mayor & Council and decisions af... Continue reading ...
 Open positions:
US SenateUS Congress State Legislature
CW Rotary is looking For service projects to help local residents who are disabled or elderly If you know of someone Who needs help or would Like help, contact Gary Perman 360-835-2205
gary@garyperman.com
 www.gourmetheadhunter.com
If you see something we should post, have a tip, have a question or want to contribute an article: please email it to our moderators - Gershon Shohan or Gary Wayne You can contact us confidentially at
moderator@cwwatch.com
IMAGINE YOURSELF DEBT FREE
Dave Ramsey Financial Workshop Coming to Washougal.
Public is invited. Join us for this 13 week workshop that teaches families to beat debt, build wealth. Place: St. Matthew Lutheran Church 17th and Washougal River Rd. Thursdays starting Jan.21st Time: 6:30pm Child care is provided Cost: $93/family for materials Pre-Register: 360-835-5533 stmattewlcms@comcast.net
"Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted." - Thomas J. Watson
The opinions expressed here represent only their respective authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of the other contributors to this website
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