Council candidate, civic leader Scott Campbell dies

A candidate for Vancouver City Council and one of the region’s most energetic civic leaders, Scott Campbell, died early today at a Salmon Creek hospice center.

Campbell, 59, died at 4:45 a.m. of multiple organ failure, according to Jim Mains, his campaign spokesman. Campbell had been undergoing treatment for cancer when his health precipitously declined over the last few days.

“Scott was an amazing man,” said Eric Merrill, who worked with Campbell at Waste Connections for the last 19 years.

“He had a heart the size of Manhattan. He always did the right thing for the right reason,” Merrill said.

Campbell grew up in Montana but had called Clark County home for more than 30 years. He was the governmental and community affairs director for Waste Connections and was one of southwest Washington’s most active civic leaders, serving on boards including the Fort Vancouver National Trust and the Parks Foundation of Clark County, and was an active volunteer for a slew of nonprofit and charitable groups, including the Northwest Association of Blind Athletes and the therapeutic court for veterans.

Campbell shared a name with the publisher of the Columbian but was not related to the Campbell family that owns the newspaper and its website.

Survivors include his wife, Alicia, a son, Todd Williams, daughters Tricia Stevens and Tania Olsen, and three grandchildren.

The family plans a communitywide celebration of life at a time to be announced later, Mains said.

His name will remain on the November City Council ballot, where he was running against Maureen McGoldrick for a seat being vacated by Jack Burkman. He had captured nearly 55 percent of the vote in a five-way primary election on Aug. 1 and was expected to win the seat in November. Should Campbell still win the election, the City Council would appoint a successor, according to elections officials.