Tri Met’s going broke, Clackamas County voters don’t want light rail, and the Light Rail Mafia holds sway over most elected bodies in the tri county area. Clackamas County has been asked to pitch in $25 mil for the $205 million/mile boondoggle. The voters don’t want it.
At every turn the people have fought back. And at every turn the Clack Co Commission has gone behind their backs, taken them to court, done back room deals, tried to shut them up or gavel them down. The attempted cram down has shown raw power used against the people–in defiance of their will. It is shameful. Outrageous.
They are bullies and despots and sell outs. They need to be taken out of office.
Here is just a sampling of what has transpired over the last two and a half years.
A poll done voters in Clackamas County showed the vast majority were against the car tax for the Sellwood Bridge—and the subsequent use of that money for Milwaukie Light Rail (MLR). The poll was laughed at the media and Clackamas County Commission.
Sellwood Bridge car tax proposed. Money from the improvement to the bridge would be back ended way to finance the Milwaukie Light Rail (MLR) expansion. It went to a vote. The people said no. Clackamas County Commissioners went back to plotting how to get the money out of citizens.
Clackamas County Commissioners devised a plan to pay for the MLR with urban renewal dollars. Voters put a measure on the ballot to require a vote before urban renewal dollars could be used for projects such as light rail.
In reply, the Clackamas County Commission voted to put on the ballot a competiting measure that would void the citizen’s measure.
As predicted, 70% of the voters said they wanted a say in spending URA money.
Clackamas County claimed they must pay for MLR because they had a government agreement to do so. Sorry voters! But attorneys for Clack Co citizens and the by now formed Clackastani Rebellion told them several ways in which the contract had already been breached by Tri Met and how they could get out of it. Their advice was ignored. They persisted in fighting the peoples’ will. In fact they ORDERED THE COUNTY COUNSEL NOT TO LOOK INTO THE AGREEMENT.
Several court dates came and went as citizens fought back to stop the funding.
Clackamas County Commissioners then decided they would waive transportation improvement costs for light rail, giving the county’s portion of the $25 million in in kind improvements. Tri Met said no.
Clackamas County Commissioners tried to cut a better deal with Tri Met and got the county portion ‘down to” $19 million. They claimed to ‘save’ the taxpayers the extra millions. When it was revealed to be $22 million and people saw the subterfuge Commish’s backed off.
Efforts to install more conservative members of Clack Co Commission worked with the election of John Ludlow and Tootie Smith. They’ll face off their pro light rail/anti the people opponents in November.
The Clackastani Rebellion, in this case led by Jim Knapp, got signatures collected to put on the September 18th ballot a measure to require a vote of the people for light rail funding.
Clackamas County Commissioners immediately went into ‘end run’ mode drawing up paperwork to sell bonds in advance of the vote of the people. When they were outed they had a phony meeting to ‘agree’ to do bond sale —after they’d already filed for the bonds.
Clackamas County Commissioners lied saying they would not seek financing in advance of the September 18th election. They, in fact, had a secret meeting with Tri Met and passed a resolution to sell the bonds which they called ‘obligation’ bonds but in fact are revenue bonds, according to Winters, thus requiring a vote of the people.
The Clackastanis, led by attorney Eric Winters, went to the Oregon Supreme Court to get an emergency stay on the bond sale. The stay was granted.
The Clackamas County Commissioners claimed to halt the bond sales but then Jack Bogdanski turned up this document following their ‘promise’ to halt the bond sale.
Yesterday afternoon the stay was lifted.
Meantime, the County is considering a bank loan but won’t tell voters what those plans are.
An appeal may be filed.
At every turn the County Commissioners have attempted to block the will of the people. They need to go.
