REELECT marla for mayor
Working for White Salmon
As a city located on the traditional lands of the Klickitat Tribe and nurtured by homesteaders, I believe White Salmon’s roots are based in ingenuity and inclusivity. We are a community that continues to nurture innovation and embrace diversity, creating opportunities and partnerships to foster a prosperous and affordable city where individuals and families choose to live, work and play. Our quality of life is based on careful stewardship of the magnificent natural environment found within our backyard, and ensuring that legacy is passed on to future generations as a result of planned, responsible, sustainable growth.
In my first term, I have prioritized efforts to spur affordable housing, including changes to the city’s residential zones and land use designation map, land acquisition for affordable housing, expanding housing rehabilitation programs and services, and creating a planning department within City Hall. Implementation of the city’s DEI focus has included staff-wide bias training, year-round cultural heritage programming, childcare reimbursement for commissioners and committee members, as well as the creation of the City Lab Board. The ten-member community board reviews policy proposals to ensure synergy with the city’s climate, housing, and DEI goals.
The city has also helped to secure funding for the new HRWS bridge, increased funding for street improvements, enacted an alert notification system, expanded bilingual outreach, worked to address gaps in childcare and mental health services, and secured funding for waterline, transportation, and park improvements. I have strived to be a voice that speaks for those in the community that welcome growth and improvements, while also protecting the people and spirit that keep White Salmon unique.
We’ve done a lot in four years, and I’m hoping you’ll help me do even more with another four!
Joining Gov. Inslee on a tour of the Tunnel Five Fire
Participating in the White Salmon River Homecoming Celebration
Advocating in Olympia for funding for the Hood River White Salmon Bridge; we’ve successfully secured $75M from Washington state.
Participating in a discussion as a member of the Association of Washington Cities Small City Advisory Committee.
Leading a panel of local business leaders about the importance of the HRWS bridge for our local and regional economies.
Returning holiday decorations to our downtown core.
Meeting with residents affected by the Washington Street Mobile Home Park closure; we were successful in making changes to our MH Zone to prevent a similar situation in the future.
Being interviewed by local students for a series of informational videos on the topic of addressing housing access and affordability in our community.
Workers responding to the natural gas outage in December 2020, the utilities’ largest outage, affecting White Salmon and our surrounding communities in both Washington and Oregon.