Candidate touts youth in bid to replace Lebowsky

A young Vancouver man threw his hat into the ring for Vancouver City Council, joining two other candidates running for the seat currently held by Councilor Laurie Lebowsky.

Mike Pond announced his candidacy Friday. Pond, a political consultant who’s worked on several local and federal campaigns, also serves as chair of the Young Democrats of Clark County.

In a media release he emphasized his youth; if elected, Pond would be the youngest person on the city council at 33.

“It is more clear now than ever before that we need to prioritize safe and affordable places to live, accessible transportation options, and robust training for living wage careers in order for Vancouver to continue to thrive and grow,” Pond said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many residents live and work, and COVID recovery will not be successful without a holistic look at the structural changes needed to help our community flourish again,” he said.

Pond sought a city council position once before during a seven-way primary race in 2019. He fell short of the ballots needed to advance to the general election, bringing in 9.3 percent of the August vote.

As a senior at Prairie High School, Pond organized a student march to show support for a schools levy in Battle Ground in 2006 and went on to join the student government at Western Washington University. Upon returning to Vancouver, he worked on several campaigns, including Anne McEnerny-Ogle’s mayoral bid and Jim Moeller’s 2016 run for the U.S. House of Representatives. He currently works as a marketing specialist for ADCO Commercial Printing & Graphics.

Pond’s campaign will hold a rally via Zoom at 5 p.m. May 21.

Lebowsky announced last month that she would not seek reelection to a second term on the city council. Along with Pond, two others are hoping to replace her: former Clark County Councilor John Blom and Clark County Charter Review Commission Co-chair Kim Harless Felix.

Lebowsky has publicly endorsed Blom as her preferred replacement, citing his expertise in housing and homelessness issues. Blom, a real estate agent, had served a four-year term on the Clark County Council but lost his reelection bid last year after dropping his affiliation with the Republican party.

In addition to her work on the charter review committee, Harless Felix also serves as the board president for two local food security nonprofits, as treasurer of the Clark County Food System Council and as a member of the Southwest Washington League of United Latin American Citizens. She works as a program coordinator for PaintCare, a paint recycling nonprofit.