Royce Pollard

Infobox Mayor
name = Royce Pollard


caption = Pollard at the 2008 Relay for Life in Vancouver
office = 56^th Mayor of Vancouver, Washington
term_start = 1996
term_end = 2009
predecessor = Bruce Hagensen
successor =
birth_date = 1940
birth_place = Burlington, Vermont

Royce Pollard (b. 1940 [Welcome to the 'Couv (2007) "Willamette Week"] ) is the mayor of Vancouver, Washington, the fourth largest city in Washington state. After serving for seven years on the City Council, Pollard was first elected mayor in January of 1996. He has since served consecutive terms as mayor, and his current term expires in 2009. Cumulatively, he has held public office in the city for around 20 years, [cityofvancouver.us] shaping much of its development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Early history

A native of Burlington, Vermont, Pollard served in the U.S. Army beginning in 1961, including deployment during the Vietnam War; he is a member of the American Legion and the Vietnam Veterans of America. His final post was as Commander of the Vancouver Barracks, from which he retired in 1988. Subsequently, the Pollard family settled in Vancouver and he was elected to the City Council a year later in 1989. Pollard is married, and has two sons. [Vancouver National Historic Reserve, nps.gov]

As mayor

In his career as mayor, Pollard's most notable exploits have been a major revival of Vancouver's once-dilapidated downtown core, shepherding the city's exponential growth, and championing a project to replace the Interstate Bridge and expand the MAX light rail system in to Clark County. [cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-39297692.html |title=Mayor Calls For New I-5 Bridge, Light Rail Linkage |last=Baker |first=Dean |work=The Columbian ] In addition mass transit, Pollard has long supported green modes of transportation such as walking and biking. [cite news |url=http://www.walkaboutmag.com/2pollard.html |title=Royce Pollard: The Mayor Who Walks His Talk |last=Wager |first=Florence |work=Walk About Magazine ]

Throughout his tenure, Mayor Pollard has been a promoter of the moniker of "America's Vancouver" for the city, [cite news |url=http://news.opb.org/article/2805-vancouver-planning-future-mill-property/ |title=Vancouver Planning For Future Of Mill Property |work=OPB News |author=Andrew Theen |date=August 13th, 2008 ] in order to differentiate it from the larger but younger city of Vancouver BC. The mayor has also been a staunch defender of Vancouver's independence from nearby Portland, Oregon. In a highly publicized gesture in 2005, he purchased and destroyed coffee mugs with Portland logos at Vancouver Starbucks after the company failed to remove them from stores.Exploring "America's Vancouver" (2007) "Seattle Times"]

Footnotes

References

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ee also

* List of mayors of Vancouver, Washington
* Esther Short Park