Camas Matters

06/18/2026

City of Camas - you need to correct your automated phone messaging system that is notifying residents with a scheduled Friday, June 19 garbage service pick-up that it needs to be out by 6am on Monday, June 22, not Tuesday June 22nd. Tuesday is the 23rd, not the 22nd.

Monday is June 22nd.

Residents with a Friday trash pick-up, have your garbage out on MONDAY, June 22nd.

06/18/2026

We absolutely love this! Telling stories about our own residents. Everyone has a unique story, and we're looking forward to hearing more about our residents!

Reilly Hennessey quarterbacked three European teams to championships before a surprise documentary revealed his full story.

06/17/2026

A while back, a Camas City Council member referred to certain intersections as "failing." When asked what that meant, there didn't seem to be a clear definition or measurable standard behind it.

If we're looking for a real-world example of a failing intersection, residents might want to take a look at NW 38th Avenue and NW Parker Street. For the past couple of months, the northbound/southbound green light on Parker appears to stay green long enough for only a handful of vehicles—often just 3 to 5 cars—to make it through before turning red again.

During school drop-off and pick-up times, traffic backs up significantly as cycle after cycle leaves vehicles sitting through multiple light changes. The obvious question is: why?

Did traffic volumes suddenly increase? Has the signal timing been intentionally changed? Is the system malfunctioning? And if the City is aware of it, why has it been allowed to continue for months?

A failing intersection isn't one that engineers label in a report. It's one where residents experience unnecessary congestion every single day and nobody seems interested in fixing it.

Hopefully the solution is adjusting a traffic signal—not spending millions of dollars explaining why we need another roundabout. What say you City of Camas?

06/16/2026

City of Camas, nothing inspires confidence quite like multiple City of Camas wells being out of service, water pressure dropping to near zero, and the app residents are told to use for reporting problems... not working.

Apparently the backup plan for infrastructure failures was to make sure the reporting system failed too.

Low water pressure is understandable. No water pressure, no communication, and no functioning way to report the issue is a masterclass in how not to manage critical public services.

At least the failures are being delivered consistently.

If you've been affected by this, report here -

06/11/2026

BREAKING NEWS: Accident at Skyridge Middle School, car turning left was broadsided, and still stuck there. To make matters worse people are still turning left going around the car! City of Camas, Skyridge Middle School, Camas Police Department isn't it time to finally address this problem?!?!?

06/09/2026

Oh Camas parents, this is why we can't have nice things. Trying to drive around the line into an exit/left turn lane isn't the answer!!!

(Update: yes this is our favorite school to watch pick-ups and drop-offs: Skyridge Middle School).

06/03/2026

It was inevitable—and likely just the opening move. Parents wouldn’t hand a child a loaded weapon; offering something this powerful without proper training carries the same kind of risk. Parents, please use good judgement and teach your child good judgment - their actions can directly impact an innocent bystander.

06/02/2026

Still here? Good. This is the part that matters.

The so-called “citizen” committee shaping Camas’ future government isn’t really a citizen committee.

It includes former Mayor Nan Henriksen, who chaired the same effort in 2018, along with multiple former councilmembers and a consultant tied to firms that do business with the City. Only two of the members have no clear institutional ties.

That’s not broad community input. That’s a closed loop. And the connections don’t stop there.

Henriksen backed Mayor Hogan—the same mayor who created this committee and appointed her to lead it. She also backed several current councilmembers who voted to move this forward.
Then there’s the City Administrator, who resurfaced the 2018 report as justification—someone with deep ties to that same network going back decades.

So ask the obvious question: Why would a sitting mayor support reducing his own power?

Now look at the results of this governing approach:
• General fund spending grew by $12.9 million in four years
• Expenses outpaced revenue nearly 3 to 1
• The City’s Finance Director warned of a “persistent structural deficit”
• Residents got a new utility tax to close the gap
• The RFA rollout was criticized for lack of transparency on actual costs
• And projects like the Crown Park splash pad moved forward despite unclear public demand

This is the track record behind the push to permanently change how Camas is governed. And make no mistake—this is permanent.

Cities that switch to a council-manager system almost never go back. This is a one-way door.

A strong mayor system puts accountability directly in the hands of voters.

A council-manager system shifts power to an appointed administrator and an insulated council majority.

That’s the tradeoff. Less direct accountability. More internal control. And it’s happening with minimal public input.

The measure isn’t on the ballot—yet. That means there’s still time.

Do three things:
• Show up to a City Council meeting
• Speak during public comment
• Email councilmembers and ask:
• Who initiated this process?
• What public input came before the committee was formed?
• Why now?

Camas works best when people are paying attention

06/01/2026

Camas residents—pay attention.

The City is quietly lining up a ballot measure to replace our strong mayor system with a strong council / city manager model—and they’re counting on you not noticing. The lack of resident engagement is why bad decisions keep getting pushed through.

Let’s be clear about what this means:

Right now, you elect a mayor who is directly accountable to you. If things go sideways, you know exactly who’s responsible.

Under a “strong council” system? Power shifts to an unelected city administrator, and accountability gets diluted across a committee. Everyone’s in charge…which usually means no one is.

And this isn’t just theory.

Across the U.S., most smaller cities (under ~100,000 residents) do use a council-manager system—but research consistently shows a tradeoff:

Council-manager systems tend to run smoother administratively, but often reduce direct voter accountabilityand can become insulated from public pressure.

Strong mayor systems are messier politically, but they increase transparency and voter control, especially when residents are engaged.

In other words: efficiency vs accountability. And guess which one gets harder to claw back once it’s gone?

Now consider the context.

This is the same city leadership culture that thought bulldozing the Crown Park pool would corner residents into approving a $70 million replacement. That didn’t work—because people were paying attention.

So now we get this?

A fundamental restructuring of city government—being fast-tracked to the ballot with minimal public engagement—and pushed by a committee stacked with former Camas City Council members who already tried to sell you a bill of goods recently.

That’s not reform. That’s a workaround.

And here’s the real kicker: This change would likely entrench the current administrative structure, making it harder, not easier, to course-correct in the future.

If you think accountability at City Hall has been frustrating lately, wait until it’s buried behind a manager and a committee. This isn’t a small tweak. It’s a permanent shift in who answers to you—and who doesn’t.

If you care about having a direct voice in how Camas is run:

1. Show up to the council meeting
2. Call in
3. Email the council

Because once this goes to the ballot, the framing will sound harmless. Maybe even “modern” or “efficient.” But don’t confuse streamlined government with accountable government.

Camas works because its residents pay attention. Now would be a bad time to stop.

05/20/2026

It's an PNW epidemic! First Svilarich of Camas City Council, now Beaverton had the same type of interaction with a clearly unhinged individual.

A candidate for the Beaverton City Council was arrested Monday night following an alleged menacing incident, police say.