More than two hours of public comments were heard at the Clark County Council Meeting on Tuesday night, with Michelle Belkot’s removal from the C-TRAN board being a hot topic

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

The Clark County Council took public comment for more than two hours at Tuesday night’s meeting, with some pleading with four council members to change their minds and reinstate council member Michelle Belkot to the C-TRAN Board of Directors.

They reminded them that they had about a month to — in their words — to right a wrong before the next C-TRAN meeting.

Belkot had a message to the council, too.

“I’ll be pursuing legal counsel if this is not reversed,” she told Clark County Today during a break in Tuesday’s meeting after public comment.

This is just the latest chapter in a political plot that started last week at the C-TRAN meeting and continued the next day. The four other Clark County council members voted to kick Belkot off the C-TRAN board because she was not going to vote the way they wanted her to vote in regard to language concerning the support of the Interstate Bridge Replacement project.

Belkot vowed to vote to revert to language from 2022, saying C-TRAN does support a new bridge but does not support paying for annual operations and maintenance costs as well as new structures for Oregon TriMet’s Light Rail Transit system.

Dozens of citizens voiced their concerns at Tuesday’s Clark County Council Meeting. Many were passionate in their defense of Belkot, and there were a handful who supported the council for its actions against Belkot. Overall, a mix of those against light rail and those for light rail.

After close to two-and-a-half hours of comments, Belkot had her chance to speak.

“During the C-TRAN meeting, every single municipality supported the IBR, to include me, without light rail,” Belkot said. “I’ve said repeatedly, ‘Light rail politicizes this project.’” 

No one is arguing that there is no need for a replacement bridge, she added. 

“But for us to foot the bill for TriMet, which is failing, that is my concern,” Belkot said.

From talking to other leaders from cities such as Camas, Washougal, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, and La Center, Belkot said she knows she is not alone with that concern.

She also pointed out that there is a history of two Clark County council members voting differently at C-TRAN meetings over the past decade. 

“Therefore, I asked the council, on record and email, to explain to me where in our charter, which is our constitution for the council, … justifies my removal,” Belkot said.

She added that she believes she was “set-up” for this action

It was a surprise to no one where Belkot stood on the issue. But when county chair and fellow C-TRAN board member Sue Marshall asked to table the vote, and Vancouver Mayor and C-TRAN board member Anne McEnerny-Ogle seconded the motion, the wheels were put in motion for the next day’s transaction.

“It looks like it’s premeditated for my removal,” Belkot said. “It was a set-up and they did it on purpose.”

Last week’s action motivated many to speak out this week.

Belkot heard from plenty of supporters, even from one person who admitted he did not know who she was until last week. But he came to thank Belkot for sticking to her principles.

She heard from those on the other side of the issue, too.

One man said: “Her job was to represent the board, the vote of the council. She failed to do her job. She deserves to be replaced for failure to do her job.”

And, again, many simply came to voice their concerns about light rail coming to Clark County, and others were all for light rail extension into downtown Vancouver.

Then there were those who wanted to focus on the council’s decision to remove Belkot from the C-TRAN board.

“What happened with removing Michelle just reinforces the average person’s belief that government doesn’t work for them. They are disheartened by what is clearly political retribution,” one man said.

“Belkot needs to be reinstated. And all four of you,” another man said looking at the four other councilors, “need to fix it or resign.”

The removal of Belkot from the C-TRAN board is another example of a council that is out of touch with the people, another said. “I respectfully ask that you reverse your removal of Councilor Belkot immediately. Further, you should apologize to the public for your actions.”

Bruce Barnes, son of former County Commissioner Ed Barnes, who has worked on the bridge project for decades, also was disappointed to see what happened to Belkot.

“To me, this is government corruption. You cannot do this in a free country,” he said. “I’m not saying Republicans are right or Democrats are right. I’m saying right is right and wrong is wrong.”

Anna Miller said the move was not only a mistake in judgement but possibly more than that. She called it “potentially a legal misstep.” She said there is time to fix it, though.

Matthew Bumala of the Clark County GOP asked the other four council members what was the criteria for removing Belkot from the C-TRAN board. He wondered if it was “because she didn’t fall in line with your despicable and tone-deaf mission to bring light rail and tolls to our county?”

And Liz Cline used all three of her minutes to give her opinion.

“This move sidelines a leader who was simply fulfilling her commitments to her constituents,” Cline said. 

“Michelle’s removal sends a message that listening to the people — neighbors, friends, voters — might cost you your seat. That’s not the kind of government we sign up for when we cast our ballots. Michelle Belkot was elected because she promised to carry the voices of her constituents to the table, not to bend to a preset agenda. Reinstating her to the C-TRAN board is not just about one person. It’s about restoring trust in a system meant to serve all of us.”