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
When does a government rule become a rule? Before the punishment, or after it?
That is the question the Clark County Council should answer regarding Councilor Michelle Belkot and her removal from the C-TRAN Board.
Councilor Belkot was removed because she refused to vote the way the Council majority instructed her to vote. At the time, however, there was no written rule requiring an elected councilor to vote according to the Council majority's instructions.
In fact, the Council's own March 12, 2025, meeting minutes show that, following the controversy over her removal, a councilor requested that the Council consider adding such a requirement to its rules.
Now the Council has adopted provisions expressly addressing the very issue that led to Councilor Belkot's removal.
That sequence matters.
If the Council already had the authority to remove her for failing to follow its voting instructions, why was a new rule necessary afterward?
The Council should not be allowed to create a rule after an elected official has been punished and then point to that rule as justification for what happened before the rule existed.
A rule adopted afterward should govern future conduct, not retroactively justify past punishment.
Councilors are elected by the people of their districts. They have a responsibility to listen to their constituents, consider the facts, and exercise their own judgment. They should not be reduced to voting according to the instructions of the other members of the Council.
I believe Councilor Belkot should be reinstated to the C-TRAN Board under the rules that existed when she was removed.
This isn't about whether you agree with her vote. It is about whether we believe government should follow its own rules, and whether those rules should exist before someone is punished for violating them.
That is a standard that should matter to every Clark County voter, regardless of political party.
Anna Miller
Camas
