Opinion: ‘They just keep coming, and coming, and coming’

Clark County editor Ken Vance analyzes the growing legal conflict surrounding Councilor Michelle Belkot's removal from the C-TRAN board. — Clark County editor Ken Vance analyzes the growing legal conflict surrounding Councilor Michelle Belkot’s removal from the C-TRAN board. Photo by Paul Valencia

Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance warns area residents to prepare for a long, expensive, precedent-setting legal battle in dispute of County Council actions toward Councilor Michelle Belkot

Ken Vance, editor
Clark County Today

Anyone praying for a swift, common sense resolution to the current conflict engulfing the Clark County Council needs to prepare themselves for the reality that those prayers are not going to be answered. All parties are bracing themselves for a long, bitter and expensive fight.

That was made abundantly clear during Wednesday afternoon’s weekly Council Time. The four councilors responsible for removing fellow Councilor Michelle Belkot from the C-TRAN Board of Directors moved forward with their agenda to change county rules and procedures to ensure the council will only have one collective voice in the future. On March 12, those four councilors voted to remove Belkot as one of the two councilors representing the county on the C-TRAN Board because she made it clear that she would not vote in lockstep with them on the issue of C-TRAN helping to pay for maintenance and operations of TriMet’s light rail extension into Vancouver. Belkot never actually had the opportunity to make that vote because of the political shenanigans of Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and County Chair Sue Marshall. That dynamic duo successfully got the vote tabled when they realized a majority of the C-TRAN board members were ready to vote against them and their desire to have Southwest Washington’s transit agency, and taxpayers, on the hook for at least part of the $7 million in annual maintenance and operations for the 1.83-mile extension of TriMet’s Yellow Line into Vancouver.

On Tuesday evening, an overflow crowd of area residents flooded the County Council chamber at the Public Service Center. They provided testimony about their views on light rail and the Interstate Bridge replacement project and many of them angrily scolded the four councilors who brazenly removed Belkot from the C-TRAN board. Belkot repeated at that meeting that she will pursue legal counsel if she is not reinstated to the C-TRAN Board. At Wednesday’s Council Time, those four councilors made it clear that would not happen.

“They just keep coming, and coming, and coming,’’ Belkot told me in a Thursday phone conversation, referring to her fellow councilors.

Wednesday’s Council Time

Councilor Matt Little had three proposals for his fellow councilors Wednesday. One of those proposals was for binding language to be added to the council’s rules of procedure to require committee representatives to follow council majority votes. After discussion, the motion was withdrawn pending a broader review next week.

Little also suggested clarifying removal procedures for council committee appointments. That motion was withdrawn in favor of general direction to staff for review and drafting.

He also made a motion to rescind his vote for the removal of Belkot from the C-TRAN committee. That didn’t go over so well with his fellow councilors and that vote will remain a 4-1 vote rather than 3-2.

The bottom line is no action was taken but a line was drawn in the sand. Further discussion will take place in next Wednesday’s Council Time and there will need to be a public hearing before a vote to change the council’s rules and procedures.

I’m not the only one who interpreted Little’s dog-and-pony show as the councilor’s attempt to cover his backside after the fact in anticipation of the pending legal battle.

Belkot’s legal battle

Belkot told me Thursday that she has selected the attorney who will represent her. She is not ready to make that announcement.

Vancouver Attorney Angus Lee told me Wednesday that he will not be representing Belkot because of conflicts.

Lee provided valuable insight to Clark County Today readers this past week. In his opinion published Saturday, Lee pointed out that the County Charter grants the council the power to appoint but not to revoke council member board appointments. That appears to be the basis for Belkot’s upcoming legal battle, which will likely begin prior to the next C-TRAN Board meeting (April 15). In his opinion, Lee cautioned the county councilors of the future ramifications of another councilor replacing Belkot on the C-TRAN Board. Essentially, any votes or decisions made by the C-TRAN Board going forward could be in jeopardy.

Legal defense fund for Belkot

Supporters of Belkot have created a GiveSendGo page to raise the needed funds for her upcoming legal battle. In its first day, the effort raised more than $1,000 of the goal of $50,000.

To view the page, visit GiveSendGo/Michelle Belkot Legal Defense.

Final thoughts

I knew this council would be a disaster, but they’re quickly surpassing even my worst fears. Virtually every vote for the next two years will be 4-1 in favor of the progressive majority. Yes, all four of the councilors other than Belkot are progressives regardless of what they told you to get elected. Even worse, the actions of the past two weeks show that this County Council and its Chair Sue Marshall are just extensions of the Vancouver City Council and puppets for Vancouver Mayor McEnerny-Ogle. All of us who reside in Clark County are now controlled by McEnerny-Ogle and the progressives in the city of Vancouver.

One other thought. Yes, much of this latest kerfuffle is over the current I-5 Bridge replacement project and light rail. I’ve stated many times, and I know many Clark County residents agree, I am not against replacing the I-5 Bridge. I prefer a third bridge first, but that is extremely unlikely at this point. So, if we’re going forward with this project, let’s do so responsibly. Cutting the light rail element and replacing it with C-TRAN’s Bus Rapid Transit would save about $2 billion of the $7.5 billion (and growing) price tag.

A reminder, though, that this specific battle is over who will pay for the annual maintenance and operations of TriMet’s light rail extension. Former C-TRAN CEO Shawn Donaghy told me in 2022 that it should not be C-TRAN or Clark County taxpayers. I agree with him. So does Michelle Belkot and so do many, many Clark County residents.