Measure 37: Democrats Begin the Dismantling

January 31, 2007

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61% of voters approved Measure 37 to restore property rights that were yours when you purchased your property.
Oregon Democrats don’t think you’re smart enough to have known what you were doing. So, it appears that on the same day the Multnomah County Commission Chair Ted Wheeler announced a proposal to end the stalemate with Dorothy English, the poster child of Measure 37, there’s a full court press effort to dismantle Measure 37. Instead of waiting for the 94 year old woman to die, as appeared to be the county’s strategy from the beginning, now Wheeler has put together a proposal (some of which is below) to bring this to an end.
Meantime, as RinoWatch reports here, there an orchestrated effort to put Measure 37 on “temporary” ice.

Here’s part of the letter from Ted Wheeler to members of the Multnomah County Commission:

Ted Wheeler [Tuesday] submitted a proposed Order to the Board of County Commissioners to allow Dorothy English to create eight lots on her 22 acre property in the northwest corner of Multnomah County.
“I believe it is in the best interests of the people of Multnomah County to resolve this matter without further delay,” said Wheeler. “The proposed order will allow her to use an expedited process to obtain approval for a total of eight lots,” Wheeler continued. Development on the steep wooded property had been restricted for years due to its zoning for forestry uses. In a memo to the Board of County Commissioners, Wheeler advised that basic health and safety requirements including emergency access, provision of water and sanitation and landslide prevention would apply to the new development and that neighbors would receive notice of before development is approved. “I want her to be able to build her houses, but I also want the fire trucks to be able to reach them in an emergency,” Wheeler said. The Dorothy English case is unique, Wheeler noted, because it is the only Measure 37 claim filed before the adoption of a county ordinance that set standards for processing such claims. As such it requires a “unique solution,” Wheeler suggested. In addition to waiving fees and expediting applications, the proposed order would allow Mrs. English to refer any disputes on the development of the property to independent, binding arbitration. The full Board of County Commissioners will vote on the proposed order at their February 15 meeting. # # #

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