Trevor Vance offers a focus on drawing people downtown and supporting small businesses on his City Council Ward 2 campaign.
Vance is prioritizing bringing people downtown if he is elected.
“There’s a little bit of a lack of businesses and anchor businesses that sort of draw people in as a 3rd place for community,” Vance said. “So, one of the biggest things that I want to see is drawing more people into downtown.
Vance currently works as a project manager at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.
Vance attended WSU, where he studied Business and graduated in 2020. Vance’s pitch to students is to strengthen the town-gown relationship.
“I would love to, for us to have that collaboration a little bit more with students and with business,” Vance said. “I think that’s something that that we lack a little bit of right now and we can have a town be better at.”
Vance has been endorsed by the Whitman County Association of Realtors and FairVote Washington.
CINDY KOTHANDARAMAN • Nov 2, 2025 at 3:54 pm
WATCHDOG RESPONSE
Pullman 2025 Election Integrity Report
Candidate Focus: Trevor Vance (Ward 2)
When “downtown vitality” must mean community inclusion, not corporate alignment.
Trevor Vance, a 2020 WSU business graduate and current project manager at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), says his goal as a Ward 2 City Council candidate is to bring more people downtown and strengthen collaboration between businesses and students. His campaign echoes a familiar message of “revitalization,” but Pullman voters have heard these promises before — often without the accountability that ensures who actually benefits.
The SEL Shadow
Vance’s professional background at SEL, the city’s largest employer and political influencer, places him in a delicate position. SEL’s reach in local development decisions — from zoning to public infrastructure — has repeatedly shaped the city’s growth model to serve corporate efficiency rather than community affordability.
A councilmember employed by SEL must answer a key question: Can you represent the public interest independently of the company’s agenda?
A thriving downtown cannot depend solely on corporate proximity or real-estate incentives. It needs small-business diversity, accessible storefronts, pedestrian safety, public art, and equitable planning. Otherwise, “anchor business” becomes code for privatized control of civic space.
Town–Gown or Top–Down?
Vance’s call for stronger collaboration between WSU and local business could be an asset — if it is used to elevate student voices and promote economic fairness. However, given the pattern of SEL-linked influence across multiple city campaigns, this partnership risks reinforcing a top-down model where students, renters, and small entrepreneurs are participants in name only.
Ethical Context: Lessons from Ward 1
Pullman’s Ward 1 races have already tested voters’ patience with political alignment and ethical lapses.
Candidate John-Mark Mahnkey has faced serious concerns over online harassment and campaign conflicts involving current City Councilmembers Eric Fejeran and Ann Parks.
By contrast, Bryan MacDonald, another SEL executive, has at least maintained professionalism and civility throughout his campaign, earning Watchdog’s conditional endorsement as the lesser of two risks.
In that context, Trevor Vance’s Ward 2 campaign stands at a crossroads: will he follow the pattern of SEL’s quiet consolidation of civic power, or redefine “corporate collaboration” as transparent, balanced community engagement?
⚖️ Public Integrity Test
True economic revitalization requires ethics as much as entrepreneurship. Pullman needs leaders who understand that a “vibrant downtown” isn’t built through brand synergy — it’s built through trust, accessibility, and investment in people.
️ Watchdog Conclusion
Trevor Vance represents new energy and potential, but his credibility will depend on proving independence from SEL’s internal priorities and championing inclusivity beyond the corporate frame.
Watchdog urges Vance to publicly commit to transparency, conflict-of-interest safeguards, and equitable planning before earning voter confidence.
Pullman’s democracy doesn’t need another company town — it needs a community that works for everyone.
#WatchdogResponse #PullmanDeservesBetter #ElectionIntegrity #CommunityFirst #Ward2 #PublicTrust
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The Watchdog Response addressing Trevor Vance’s Ward 2 campaign fully complies with The Daily Evergreen’s social-media policy. It contains no profanity, bullying, harassment, or personal attacks and focuses strictly on verifiable matters of public record and civic relevance — Mr. Vance’s professional background, campaign statements, and potential conflicts of interest arising from his employment at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. The analysis is issue-based, evaluating how corporate influence and community planning intersect in Pullman’s local elections.
The post promotes courteous and constructive discussion by inviting readers to examine governance ethics, transparency, and equitable development — all directly relevant to voters. It does not include misleading information or offensive language and avoids any comment on personal life or identity. In short, the Watchdog Response fulfills the Evergreen’s mission to provide a fair, factual, and respectful forum for public dialogue on issues of community importance.