Letter: Stop the madness – The Washington State Democrats and Clark County Democrats are taxing us to death

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

Last Wednesday I stood before the Clark County Council and handed out a pair of awards no one wants: Most Taxes Raised. The winner was Councilor Sue Marshall, who by my estimate has backed $17 to $20 million a year in tax increases. That's more than any other councilor. The runner-up, close behind her, was Councilor Glen Yung.

Rob Anderson

They weren't amused. Chair Sue Marshall tried her best to shut me down, saying, "You're out of order." But it's true, and everyone needs to know that they have raised the tax burden in historic proportions. The numbers are the numbers, and on this coming Tuesday they plan to keep the spending going (you can watch it on the latest Reformcast episode 40).

On Election Day, while everyone is watching the returns, the Council will vote on new pay ranges for County executives. Some top-of-range pay rises as much as 35%. A 3.3% manager raise comes on top of that, along with a new contract template that pays 3 months' severance plus benefits. It's all on the consent agenda, meaning one vote, no discussion, and by the County's own paperwork, no public outreach.

And this is happening while the County runs a structural deficit, meaning ongoing spending is higher than ongoing revenue. By the County's own forecast, the General Fund gap runs $8 million to $14 million a year through 2030 and keeps growing, even after millions in new revenue. When the 2025 budget was adopted, the County projected that gap as high as $17.6 million a year. They have the proposal tucked away in a consent agenda item, which means it can be passed with little to no debate or discussion. How convenient.

Public service used to come with a trade. You earned a little less than the private sector, and in return you got great benefits and a solid pension. Today they get both: the bigger paycheck and the pension. Taxpayers foot the bill, because councilors like Sue and Glen keep signing off.

We've seen this before. In 2022 the County Manager made $180,000 a year. The Council gave her a 20% raise over three years, to about $219,000. Then in April of this year, the Council unanimously handed her another two-year contract: nearly 9% more on May 1, to $238,880, and another 6% on Jan. 1, to $250,824. They approved it at the same meeting where they told us there wasn't enough money in the General Fund for deputies, so they passed a new sales tax instead. The very next day, Councilor Yung went before the Charter Review Commission and argued against requiring a supermajority to raise taxes, saying the County needs flexibility.

Sue Marshall isn't on the ballot this year, but she's endorsed Troy McCoy to keep the tax-and-spend going. Sue publicly opposes Amendment 25, the charter amendment that would require four of five councilors to agree before raising our taxes. So does McCoy. At an Oct. 1 candidate forum he said the 80% threshold was too high. And we know how Glen votes.

Stop the madness. The Washington State Democrats and Clark County Democrats are taxing us to death -- Vote Republican!

Rob Anderson
Reform Clark County, Ridgefield