Two candidates are vying to replace always uber-prepared Ward 1 City Councilor Jan Napack, and appropriately her would-be successors are both highly skilled. Steve Clark has served on a wide range of government committees and task forces spanning everything from economic development to land use, and even transportation. He has also been a newspaper publisher and did a long stint as Oregon State University’s vice-president of public relations. Bre Irish also has a government service black belt, having served an as aid to Oregon’s U.S. Senator Ron Wyden for several years.
Both are highly skilled communicators and, maybe, overly competent debaters, which is to say there were plenty of pretzels and beer worthy moments in this debate. The video runs a tad over an hour and five minutes.
So, Ward 1, and anyone else just looking to see what Clark and Irish are about, you’re in for an entertaining and meaningful debate. These are two exceptional, and yet very different candidates – enjoy!
The Advocate Cityspeak Candidates’ Debate Series
Of nine council seats, five are contested, and we’ve conducted debates for each of those. The debate videos are all available on both our website and Youtube channel.
Next week’s debates will include the race for Corvallis Mayor, a ballot measure that would reduce the number of city councilors and expand their terms to four years, and a proposed tax levy supporting local schools. The Advocate will be posting those debates as they are completed.
These debates are all co-presented by The Corvallis Advocate and City Club of Corvallis; moderators include Helen Higgins, Steven J. Schultz and Campbell Grove.
By Steven J. Schultz
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com