> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.stonewallnews.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Anne McEnerny-Ogle’s Path to the Vancouver’s Mayor’s Office - URL: https://www.stonewallnews.net/anne-mcenerny-ogles-path-to-the-vancouvers-mayors-office/ - Published: 2026-10-29T19:18:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-29T19:32:38.000Z - Author: Frank Gaimari - Tags: Vancouver, South Washington, Profiles, Politics Anne McEnerny-Ogle has spent more than four decades in public life in Vancouver, Washington, serving as a middle school teacher, neighborhood association chair, city councilor, and mayor. Her community involvement includes volunteering with the Vancouver Police Department’s Neighbors on Watch program, attending local events, and helping organize aid for people experiencing homelessness. On Jan. 1, 2018, McEnerny-Ogle became Vancouver’s first woman mayor. She had been elected to the Vancouver City Council in November 2013 and took office on Jan. 1, 2014, after serving five years on the Vancouver Planning Commission and chairing her neighborhood association. Before entering local government, McEnerny-Ogle taught seventh- and eighth-grade math for 30 years in the Lake Oswego School District. She chaired the district’s mathematics department and coauthored a book about middle school math reform. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Southern Oregon State College and a master’s in education from Lewis & Clark College in Portland. McEnerny-Ogle has described her approach to addressing homelessness as a gradual process, comparing the work to completing a math textbook “one page at a time.” She has also said that decisions on the issue carry significant consequences for residents. Housing and homelessness are among her priorities. Others include economic development, transportation, and regional partnerships. She has hosted “Coffee with the Mayor” gatherings in Vancouver neighborhoods and has worked with elected officials in the region, including leaders in Portland. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/10/Untitled-Design---2026-10-12T190939.153.jpg) Anne McEnerny-Ogle and the Vancouver Fire Department / Photo courtesy of Facebook The proposed replacement of the Interstate 5 Bridge has been a major regional issue during her time in office. McEnerny-Ogle has cited building regional support for the project as one of her accomplishments. McEnerny-Ogle and her husband, Terry, have lived in Vancouver since 1980 and raised their son there. Terry is a Vietnam veteran, and McEnerny-Ogle has attended events honoring members of the armed forces. She is also a member of the NAACP and has described inclusive, nonpartisan governance as important to her work. McEnerny-Ogle’s background in education and local government has shaped her approach to the mayor’s role. Her tenure has included work on housing, transportation, and regional cooperation, as well as regular engagement with residents through community events and neighborhood meetings. To better understand her vision for Vancouver's future — particularly its LGBTQ+ community — I reached out to Mayor McEnerny-Ogle with seven pressing questions. **Frank Gaimari: What specific steps has your administration taken to make Vancouver a welcoming and safe city for LGBTQ+ residents?** Anne McEnerny-Ogle: A welcoming city is one where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued. We’ve supported inclusive policies and employee programs, strengthened responses to hate crimes and bias incidents, and ensured that city-supported services are accessible and affirming for all residents, including LGBTQ+ community members. Through policies such as the 2024 Equity and Inclusion Vision Statement, the City Council has affirmed that we must continually evaluate how our decisions, services, and investments affect residents and work to remove barriers wherever they exist. **FG: How do you ensure that LGBTQ+ voices are represented in city planning, advisory boards, and policy decisions?** AMO: Over the past decade, the City has been reorienting its policies toward equity and inclusion. The City Council has taken meaningful steps, including adopting Resolution M-4313, our Equity and Inclusion Vision Statement, in 2024\. Our vision acknowledges our responsibility to address inequities in city policies, programs, services, and funding for the benefit of all members of the public. As one of many actions, the resolution also calls for inclusive recruitment and appointment practices for city boards and commissions and actively seeks candidates reflective of the city’s diversity. We’ve also prioritized advancing equity through numerous initiatives, including our Strategic Plan, Climate Action Framework, and Economic Development Strategy, and, most recently, the adoption of our Comprehensive Plan, which strongly demonstrates how we apply equity principles to policymaking. The plan includes a chapter on equity and inclusion, cocreated with community partners and organizations that serve “equity priority communities,” including LGBTQ+ individuals. As part of the process, City staff connected directly with the LGBTQ+ community by participating in and tabling at annual Pride events, engaging directly with and seeking feedback from LGBTQ+ by/for organizations, and having a representative from the Queer Youth Resource Center sit on the project’s primary community advisory committee. More broadly, City staff partner with LGBTQ+ organizations to engage them and ensure that their needs are represented in a variety of long-range planning processes. This work is critical to ensuring that equity guides our decisions as the community grows, so opportunity and belonging are for all. **FG: Homelessness disproportionately affects LGBTQ+ youth. How is the city working to protect and house these vulnerable young people?** AMO: The City works with Janus Youth, Council for the Homeless, SafeChoice, and other partners in our local Continuum of Care to provide safe, affirming, and accessible services for people experiencing homelessness, including LGBTQ+ youth. Young people should be able to access services without having to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity or prove that they have experienced discrimination. Staff who work on this issue are trained in cultural humility and trauma-informed care, including how to respond to the challenges LGBTQ+ youth may experience before and during homelessness. Our goal is to help LGBTQ+ youth move from unsheltered homelessness into stabilizing shelter and, ultimately, toward housing where they can live safely, maintain their autonomy, and build a sustainable future. **FG: How does the City respond to hate incidents or discrimination targeting LGBTQ+ residents, and what resources are available to those affected?** AMO: The City takes hate crimes and bias incidents seriously, particularly those affecting members of the LGBTQ+ community. We want to ensure that any individual who reports an incident is treated with dignity, potential bias is identified and documented, and allegations are thoroughly investigated. The Vancouver Police Department has a policy directing officers to identify and investigate hate crimes and bias incidents, including those targeting LGBTQ+ residents. The VPD is also implementing requirements under RCW 43.10.305 and SB 5427, which established Washington's hate crimes and bias incidents hotline. Officers receive training to recognize bias indicators, support victims, and make referrals to the hotline, ensuring that community members can access both law enforcement and additional reporting resources when they experience discrimination or hate-motivated conduct. **FG: What role do you believe local government should play in supporting Transgender and Nonbinary residents, especially amid shifting state and national politics?** AMO: As the broader political landscape shifts, local government must remain consistent in ensuring that every person, including our LGBTQ+ neighbors, feels safe, respected, and valued in Vancouver. We do this by championing inclusive policies and programs, and by speaking up when shifting politics conflict with our values as a city, such as the City Council’s recent resolution to oppose Washington State ballot Initiatives I-001 and I-638. **FG: How does Vancouver partner with LGBTQ+ organizations and nonprofits to strengthen community support and visibility?** AMO: The City works with a broad network of nonprofits and community partners to support inclusive programs and services, and to ensure that LGBTQ+ residents are connected and visible in our community. We recognize that strong community organizations play an essential role in meeting residents' needs, and that working with them builds capacity and helps these vital organizations remain in place for the community. **FG: What does inclusive economic development look like to you, and how do you ensure that LGBTQ+ owned businesses can thrive here?** AMO: The City funds organizations that focus on providing business assistance and access to capital to entrepreneurs and business owners who are ignored or underserved by traditional institutions. Our partners, including Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber, Northwest Native Chamber, Fourth Plain Forward, and MESO, have extensive track records of serving historically marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the City partners with the State of Washington’s Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OWMBE) to connect businesses with Washington’s LGBTQ Business Enterprise certification and the GSBA, Washington’s LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce. McEnerny-Ogle’s answers offer insight into how Vancouver’s mayor views the city’s responsibilities to its LGBTQ+ residents — from safety and representation to housing and access to services. For more information, Mayor McEnerny-Ogle can be reached at [https://www.anneogle.com](https://www.anneogle.com/?ref=stonewallnews.net). --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/10/BusinessCardFinal--1--81-5.jpg) Discover more at Frank's Film Review. [Click here](https://franksfilmreview.com/?ref=stonewallnews.net).