Light Rail Vote HiJacked By Couv Council: Throw the Voters From the Train!

April 10, 2012

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Columbian Photo. No Vote of the People

How far in the tank are the Vancouver City Council for the Light Rail Mafia? All the way, baby.

In fact, they’re so in the tank for the process that they VETOED any democratic vote by taxpayers in Clark County on what will turn into hundreds of millions of dollars in future costs. That’s the net effect of their vote last night.

From The Columbian:

Four councilors voted in favor of a motion to oppose advancing a sales tax vote “until all other funding options have been evaluated and discarded as not viable.” Voting in favor were: Mayor Tim Leavitt and Councilors Jack Burkman, Larry Smith and Jeanne Harris. Councilors Bart Hansen, Jeanne Stewart and Bill Turlay voted no.

That means that even if the C Tran Board votes today to allow an election  supporting the costs of light rail, the City Council vote will block it. That’s because the Council knows what the result of the vote would be.

Remember now, the City Council is in the minority here.

A majority of the nine C-Tran board members, including the three-man Clark County Board of Commissioners, who also have veto power, have said they favor a broad public vote in November asking residents to help pay for light rail in Vancouver.

The City Council vote last night is even more head shaking considering that the Columbia River Crossing project looks evermore like a Zombie project as more and more opposition to the mega bridge is heard.

Don’t be fooled. The only tax increase to be used for light rail that must be referred to the ballot are the additional sales taxes. The City Council, lead by flip flopper Mayor Tim Leavit, say they want to pursue other ways to fund light rail–that don’t have to be referred.

When election time rolls around and they say they voted to stop a tax or some such jive, you’ll know the truth.

Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com