It's official, I am running for Battle Ground city council.

In 1994 the population of Battle Ground Washington was just over 4,700 and we are now on the verge of breaking a population of 18,000. So what makes the community of Battle Ground Washington such a special place to live? Is it having an active Chamber of Commerce that strives to promote a vigorous business and economic development climate? Is it the dedicated public safety personnel of our fire and police departments? Perhaps it is our diverse schools, non-profits and service clubs?

The answer to what makes Battle Ground such a great place is-all of the above. It is the people who care about their community and look to place service before self; this is the true definition of a great community. It is in that framework that I consistently strive to serve our community; by chairing the Battle Ground Planning Commission, being a Board member for the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce, being a Board member for the Arc of Clark County, a Commissioner for the Vancouver-Clark Parks & Rec. Commission, and a Charter member for the Rotary club of Battle Ground just to name a few.


In the last few years more citizens are stepping forward to become involved in the changes and activities of our city-wanting to play an intricate role. They want and feel the need to have their voices heard and truly represented in times that are ever-so changing; citizens are seeing the need for high community involvement.
As we look ahead to 2011, I believe Battle Ground’s best days are yet to come. It is in that spirit that I look to announce my candidacy for Battle Ground city council. My platform is simple yet significant:

1. We must promote individuals and groups that encompass pro-business and pro-economic development philosophies. We must ensure our existing businesses grow and encourage new small business owners, entrepreneurs, and individual investors to come to Battle Ground; they will bring jobs to our community. We must look to expand our tax base rather than increasing taxes on our existing base.

2. We must manage our city’s budget responsibly however, levying new, non-voter approved taxes to solve structural budget issues is not the solution. Whether we are talking about new Cinema taxes, or increased utility taxes; I do not support these solutions period.

3. I do not support levying new user fees or user tolls on our existing Battle Ground parks assets. An entrenched, incumbent, city council member may think this a good idea but doing so with chronically high unemployment and a fragile economy is tantamount to financing our parks on the backs of the unemployed and others living in the reality of a weak economy. We must look to partner with our county and other north county partners to restructure the way we deliver parks, trails, open spaces, and recreational activities on a regional level. People do not want to hear their leaders say “how can we increase revenues?” They want leaders to say “how can we efficiently, collaborate more and seismically change the way we provide these services.”

4. We have invested millions of dollars in physical assets, training, and salaries with our public safety agencies; our fire & police departments. I do not support radically extreme ideas such as reorganizing and outsourcing our police and fire departments.

If you agree with my platform, I ask you to partner with me and allow me to be your voice; the voice of the community! God bless our city, our state, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Adrian Cortes