Camas, Washington · September 21 is the next vote
Without an elected CEO mayor, a city doesn't have a political leader you can remove.
Camas already has the hybrid form that keeps control close to the electorate: an elected chief executive, a council that writes policy, and a professional administrator for the day-to-day. Four councilors just voted to send a switch to council-manager toward a February 9, 2027 special election. That would make the mayor ceremonial and put an appointed manager in the CEO chair.
The choice
Two forms of city government. Only one has a real mayor.
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Current Camas Mayor / Council / AdministratorCEO: Elected mayor |
Proposed Council / Manager / Ceremonial mayorCEO: Appointed city manager |
How the two forms actually work
The 4–3 vote Who moved it, who didn’tBoerke, Nohr, Svilarich, and Eshghi voted to draft a council-manager ballot. Hein, Elzingre, and Senescu voted to keep mayor-council. |
Washington data Cities that switched backMayor-council is still how 227 of 281 Washington cities are organized. Ocean Shores, Federal Way, Snohomish and others left council-manager after trying it. |
Take this to the meeting Questions to askWho do you replace when the city gets it wrong? Why hold this in a February special? Camas already has a professional administrator ... |
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The argument, in one paragraph Professional management under an elected mayor is not a defect. It is the point.Municipal Research and Services Center — Washington’s own local-government library — records the case against council-manager: too much power in one unelected person, a mayor residents still call who cannot direct staff, and a business-corporation model that does not fit a community. Camas already has the other model: a city administrator under the mayor. Switching forms does not add a manager. It subtracts a mayor. |