Camas resident Margaret Tweet says ‘we need independent city councilors like Leslie Lewallen to carefully review city spending’
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
Leslie Lewallen works in Camas, serving us diligently on Camas City Council. She duly considers input from all residents and businesses. She’s a city liaison to schools, Chamber of Commerce, the Port, and Georgia Pacific Mill. Mahsa Eshghi’s candidate filing states she works for the Port of Portland in Oregon as a project manager with annual income between $100,000- $199,999.
Mahsa says she moved to the U.S. in 2007, and public records show she purchased property at 207 NE 3rd with a gas station/market in Camas in 2008. Camas Mart & gas station is operated by Eshghi, Inc. with a home office in Vancouver. Mahsa states, “my parents opened a small business and gas station in downtown Camas – where I am now invested and help guide operations.” Eshghi’s candidate filing lists the 207 NE 3rd property and also states “No business Activity.” A house in Camas purchased in 2013 assessed at over $1 million is also listed. Documents like 2008 Articles of Incorporation and the Initial Annual Report state the Nature of Business as a Retail Convenience Store. Through 2014, subsequent annual reports included the gas station, and sales of beer, wine, cigarettes, candy, lottery tickets etc. From 2015 onward, annual reports list the Nature of Business as “RETAIL,” except for 2018, when Motor Vehicle and Other Transportation Products are listed, a more complete description.
A notarized 2008 deed of trust, and 2019 assignment of rents document for the gas station property in county records list a Vancouver address as Eshghi’s residence. Her flier says she is “a 20-year Camas resident,” yet if she moved to the US in 2007, that statement is not accurate.
Eshghi complains, “The reason we don’t have a new I-5 bridge today is because of decades of distraction and obfuscation leading to unproductive conversations that have left us with nothing.” We have something of great value, two toll-free I-5 bridges that serve freight, commercial, buses, and all vehicles. Mahsa forgets the main reason the I-5 Bridge project was halted years ago was a bridge design that was too low for river navigation.
Eshghi worked as a transportation manager for MacKay Sposito, who was a consultant on the I-5 Bridge project then, and may still be. ShiftWA reported In 2014 on the I-5 Bridge project, “An audit of the Columbia River Crossing project reveals that WSDOT mishandled taxpayer dollars and paid “excessive profits” to project consultants.” “$137 million of the project’s $182 million in expenditures consisted of payments to consultants.”
Per the IBR Accountability Dashboard, the most recent IBR General Engineering Consultants Expenditures, from July 2019 through June 2025, were $ 196,204,942 and includes PR and non-engineering tasks. Many millions more spending is planned. I-5 Bridge replacement design is still lower than Coast Guard recommendations of 178 feet clearance over the Columbia River.
Camas City records show Camas paid MacKay Sposito $1,094,755 and paid Mackay Sposito Constructors $127,878 from Aug. 1 2023-Oct. 6, 2025. Large contracts will continue to be paid as work is performed. We need independent city councilors like Leslie Lewallen to carefully review city spending.
Clark County voters in every city rejected the C-TRAN ballot proposition to extend TriMet MAX light rail over the I-5 Bridge into Clark County in 2012. In 2013, over 65% of voters countywide opposed light rail spending, unless a public vote on light rail affirmed it, prior to any spending. No public votes in Clark County have ever affirmed light rail. In 2025, Camas City Council unanimously opposed light rail on an I-5 Bridge due to exorbitant costs to
build and operate fixed track light rail compared to far less costly and more flexible transit options like buses. Lewallen finds affordable solutions for Camas.
Margaret Tweet
Camas
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