Wednesday, August 23, 2006
ERIN MIDDLEWOOD Columbian staff writer

If you happened to be dining at Beaches on a recent evening, and happened to be seated near a certain table crowded with young professionals, you may have thought a few of them looked familiar.

That man with the dark hair and strong chin? Vancouver City Councilman Tim Leavitt.

The really tall guy with sandy hair? Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart.

The short woman with the blond bob? Washougal Mayor Stacee Sellers.

The guy with the goatee? Camas Mayor Paul Dennis.

These elected officials and a few other civic leaders younger than 40, most of whom grew up in Clark County, get together every month or so. They call themselves the Pleiad and seek to strengthen the influence of young leaders in Clark County. They understand each other -- what it's like to put in long hours, to take a beating in the media or to stumble on the campaign trail.

Leavitt came up with the idea about three years ago as an answer to the Liars Club, a not-so-secret group of Vancouver old-timers that meets regularly.

Leavitt called up some of his colleagues and said, "Why should the good old boys from Vancouver have all the fun?"

"I decided we need to have an opportunity for the young up-and-comers to get together and socialize," said Leavitt, a 35-year-old and 1989 Fort Vancouver High graduate. "There's nothing real formal about it. We discuss events, and do a little bit of gossiping. It's a great opportunity for us to get together to commiserate and philosophize. We don't do any lying, though."

Most members couldn't give an exact definition "pleiad," so they can be forgiven for its, um, importance. Jessica Hoffman, former governmental affairs director for the Clark County Association of Realtors, came up with the name, pronounced PLEE-ad, which means "a small group, usually seven, of brilliant persons," according to Webster's dictionary. She has since moved, and others have joined the group, which fluctuates in number but now exceeds seven.

"It seems like in this community, there's a real emphasis on the older generation as leadership," said James Howsley, a 32-year-old attorney and 1992 graduate of Columbia River High. He frequently attends government meetings on behalf of his real-estate developer clients. "We informally decided that this would be our vehicle to get a voice."

And it's a way to get to know peers who aren't "just people you would meet at a bar," said Dena Horton, 33, a 1991 Evergreen High School graduate. The former district rep for Congressman Brian Baird works as a public-involvement project manager for the Vancouver office of the environmental consulting firm Normandeau Associates. "We're still starting out in life, trying to make a career. We don't want to move away. We want to stay here in our hometown. We can all kind of relate to that."

The gathering gives them the chance to blow off steam built up in the pressure-cooker of public life.

"Unless you're inside the public policy arena, it's hard to understand all the challenges," said Stuart, 35, a 1989 graduate of Prairie High. "It's nice to have a group of peers who understand what you're going through. We absolutely draw support from each other on a personal level and a policy level."

For example, last year was his first run for office and he found it helpful to talk with others who were either in the midst of a campaign or who had recent experience.

"A lot of people don't understand the desire to do this job," said Sellers, 33, a 1991 Washougal High graduate.

Each Pleiad member is in a different situation personally. Sellers is a single mom. Stuart is divorced with a 16-year-old son and now a girlfriend. Dennis is married with two kids. Leavitt, Howsley and Horton are single.

But they all have to balance their private and public lives. Some women Leavitt has dated weren't comfortable accompanying him to fundraising galas. Dennis said he hasn't made it to every one of his kids' events.

The group doesn't have agendas, bylaws or a secret handshake. The only firm rule: No one over 40. Howsley wanted to include Craig Pridemore, a state senator and former county commissioner. Pridemore, though he plunged into politics when he was in his 30s, now is 45. Leavitt nixed membership for Pridemore, who was permitted to attend a gathering as "an invited guest."

Pleiad members acknowledge that their age cutoff will inch upward over time.

"Right now we're 30-something, and 40-something is older," Stuart said. "Soon we'll be 40-something, and then 30-something will be too young."