[CCCNFBW] Belkot, Pittioni and Zingale vying for Clark County Council District 2 seat

[Merribeth Greenberg]

Belkot, Pittioni, and Zingale vying for Clark County Council District 2 seat
Candidates agree the county’s ongoing budget constraints will make it
difficult to find additional funding for law and justice
By Shari Phiel, Columbian Staff Reporter
Published: July 11, 2026, 2:02pm
Updated: July 12, 2026, 2:05pm
Belkot, Pittioni and Zingale vying for Clark County Council District 2 seat
- The Columbian
<https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jul/11/bellkot-pittioni-and-zingale-vying-for-clark-county-council-district-2-seat/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=Morning+Briefing>

When voters open their ballots for the Aug. 4 primary election, they will
find three very different candidates vying for the Clark County Council
District 2 position.

Incumbent Michelle Belkot, 49, is facing accounting executive Martin
Pittioni, 61, and teacher John Zingale, 45.

District 2 covers much of the unincorporated area just north of Vancouver,
including the Felida, Lake Shore, Hazel Dell and Walnut Grove neighborhoods.

After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Belkot continued working as a civil
servant and was elected to the county council in 2021. Pittioni is the
executive director for Oregon’s Board of Accountancy. Zingale teaches
history and social studies at Vancouver iTech Preparatory School and was
named regional teacher of the year in 2026.

Since being elected, Belkot has faced criticism over frequently attending
meetings online rather than in person. She also filed a federal suit
against Clark County in 2025 after a council majority voted to remove her
as one of the county representatives on C-Tran’s board. The suit was later
dismissed.

Michelle Belkot
Age: 49
Residence: Felida
Occupation: Civil servant, contract acquisition and procurement
Major endorsements: None cited

Martin Pittioni
Age: 61
Residence: Hazel Dell
Occupation: Executive director, Oregon Board of Accountancy
Major endorsements: Clark County Council Chair Sue Marshall, Clark County
Councilor Wil Fuentes, state Sen. Adrian Cortes

John Zingale
Age: 45
Residence: Lake Shore
Occupation: Teacher at Vancouver iTech Preparatory School
Major endorsements: State Sen. Adrian Cortes, Vancouver Mayor Anne
McEnerny-Ogle, Clark County Councilor Wil Fuentes, FairVote Washington,
OneAmerica Votes, Washington Conservation Action, IBEW 48.

While the candidates might have different priorities, there’s one issue on
which they agree: The county’s ongoing budget constraints will make it
difficult to find additional funding for law and justice. Currently, an
estimated 70 percent of the general fund goes to the sheriff’s office,
courts, jail, probation and juvenile justice services.

“We have to make sure that we have funding available to pay for all of the
other services that the county provides for our residents,” Zingale said.

He said the council recently approved a 0.1 percent criminal justice sales
tax to help pay for an additional 22 deputies at the sheriff’s office, and
voters will decide in November whether to support a levy for jail
operations, a new sheriff’s office headquarters and more staffing.

“I think this is the correct move, to let the voters decide this larger
increase for law and justice funding,” Zingale said. “Otherwise, we really
will have even more budget constraints when it comes to funding the other
county services.”

Pittioni said it would be nearly impossible to increase funding for law and
justice beyond the current 70 percent threshold.

“If you look at the Clark County budget, outside of law and justice, most
items are under 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent,” he said. “Any further
reductions there to shift to law and justice would have an evisceration
effect.”

Pittioni said he, too, wants safe neighborhoods and supports law
enforcement. He said the criminal justice sales tax and the upcoming levy
vote are the right approaches.

“Going to the voters with this proposal is the right thing to do, as it
would impact property taxes,” Pittioni said, adding that the impact is
estimated at $180 to $250 per year for median-value houses. “The bottom
line is this work cannot be done out of the general fund.”

While Belkot declined to respond to The Columbian’s questions, during a
July 2 Clark County League of Women Voters candidate forum, she said tax
decisions should be left to voters.
“I think families are already stretched way too thin because of inflation,”
she said. “I’ve consistently opposed new taxes, and I was the sole vote
against a recent property tax levy increase this year, and multiple years,
actually.”

Instead of raising or creating new taxes, Belkot said, the county must
better manage its existing resources and responsibilities, cut waste and,
unfortunately, cut some staff.

“We need to prioritize core functions like law enforcement,” she said. “We
as county councilors need to really focus on continuing to support Sheriff
(John)Horch.”

One of the most common complaints the county council hears from residents
is that developers have too much sway over what projects get approved. How
will the candidates ensure that the needs and concerns of both residents
and developers are considered?

Zingale said it’s imperative that the county council listen to the
communities it serves.

“I don’t think that there should be any undue influence in making these
decisions,” Zingale said, adding that “we (should) have vital information
given to us by all parties involved. This is a partnership, and we need to
make sure all stakeholders are at the table so their voices are heard.”
During the candidate forum, Belkot said public input is essential and must
never be minimized. She also said it’s not uncommon for her or other county
councilors to change their mind about an issue after hearing from voters.

“As a councilor, I attend community events all the time and neighborhood
association events. I listen to people all the time,” she said. “I interact
with them, I call them back, I physically go meet with them at places that
are pretty interesting, actually. I think public input should be above all
special interests.”

Pittioni said the development community has a right to be heard. The issue
is how the council can better listen to residents with equal fervor and
meaningful attention, he said.

“It is clear that the opportunity to provide public comment alone is not
enough,” Pittioni said. “We need less asking the public to come to the
council and more of the council coming to the community.”

Much like other boards hold meetings in various parts of Clark County, the
county council should take its meetings to the residents, he said.

“I will make a personal commitment to regularly go to neighborhood
association meetings and seek perspective on issues before the council and
current concerns and ideas from our residents,” Pittioni said.
Ballots for the Aug. 4 primary are expected to reach mailboxes by July 23.
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