Royce Pollard

Royce Pollard (born 1939)[1] is an American politician who served as the six-term mayor of Vancouver, Washington. He served seven years on City Council and became mayor in 1996. He lost a reelection race to Tim Leavitt in 2010.

For the Hawaiian receiver, see Royce Pollard (American football).

Royce Pollard
Pollard at the 2008 Relay for Life in Vancouver
56th Mayor of Vancouver, Washington
In office
1996–2010
Preceded byBruce Hagensen
Succeeded byTim Leavitt
Personal details
Born1939 (age 81–82)
Burlington, Vermont

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.[2]

As mayor

After serving for seven years on the City Council, Pollard was elected mayor in January 1996. He then served consecutive terms as mayor until 2010. Cumulatively, he held public office in the city for around 20 years,[3] shaping much of its development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. His most notable exploits have been a major revival of Vancouver's once-dilapidated downtown core,[3] shepherding the city's growth by 100,000 residents,[3] and championing a controversial project to replace the Interstate Bridge and expand the MAX Light Rail system into Clark County.[4] In addition to mass transit, Pollard has long supported green modes of transportation such as walking and biking.[5]

Pollard was a promoter of the moniker of "America's Vancouver" for the city,[6] in order to differentiate it from the larger but younger city of Vancouver, British Columbia. The mayor was also 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.[7]

Post-mayoral life

Pollard was named First Citizen of Clark County.[8]

See also

Footnotes
  1. "Welcome to the 'Couv". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. March 21, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  2. Champions of History - Mayor Royce Pollard (PDF). Vancouver National Historic Reserve: National Park Service. November 2005. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  3. Damewood, Andrea (December 16, 2009). "Mayor's Legacy Lauded". The Columbian. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  4. Baker, Dean (January 12, 2001). "Mayor Calls For New I-5 Bridge, Light Rail Linkage". The Columbian. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2008 – via HighBeam Research.
  5. Wager, Florence. "Royce Pollard: The Mayor Who Walks His Talk". Walkabout. Portland, Oregon. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  6. Theen, Andrew (August 13, 2008). "Vancouver Planning For Future Of Mill Property". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  7. Vinh, Tan (August 2, 2007). "Exploring America's Vancouver". Seattle Times. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  8. Vogt, Tom (April 28, 2010). "Royce Pollard named Clark County's First Citizen". The Columbian. Retrieved April 28, 2010.

References
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