Updated: Mayor Leavitt Continues to Thumb His Nose at Taxpayers & Voters

May 2012
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by lewwaters

Many thanks to Jim Karlock for taping the May 8, 2012 meeting and supplying this clip to me. Full length video at Vimeo

Once again, we see Tim Leavitt, who blatantly lied his way into the Mayor’s office in essence stating he doesn’t care what voters and taxpayers think, by our vote, he and the C-Tran Board are “committed” to dragging Portland’s financially stumbling light rail into our community over the proposed Interstate Bridge project, also plagues with its own problems, the least of which is citizen disapproval as designed.

How is the C-Tran Board “committed” to this project considering that neither the Washington State or Oregon Legislatures have committed a dime towards it? The current bridge design has run afoul of both the US Coast Guard for insufficient river clearance and can’t be raised without running afoul of the FAA, since the project is directly beneath the approach to Portland International Airport as well as just slightly southwest of the end of the runway for Pearson Airfield.

Our county is in the 4th year in a row of double digit unemployment with no end insight.

The Columbia River Project was just passed over for a $1 Billion loan to begin construction of the proposed $3.6 Billion project that will very likely end up costing $10 Billion after bond interest is calculated in along with cost overruns.

But, what really indicates the complete lack of actual thinking, whatever tax or fee Leavitt piles on the back of struggling taxpayers, does it escape him that he is only providing a means for Clark County shoppers to hope on the slow moving train to go spend their money in Portland, bolstering Portland’s troubled economy for sure, but also further plunging out local economy into despair.

Not only will those funds spent in Portland not circulate in our community, the sales tax they most likely will end up relying upon to pay for this mess will not be able to be collected on those sales in Portland, which means C-Tran will just have to raise some other tax or fee to stick taxpayers with even more of a burden.

As Liberal Democrat County Commissioner Steve Stuart stated, when he was seeking reelection in 2010, “If Clark County residents don’t support [Light Rail], then the states have the wrong project.”

If only we had elected officials who stood by their words from campaigns instead of giving us the finger.

Posted on May 9, 2012 at 7:30 PM in Clark County Issues, CRC/C-Tran, Oregon Politics, Vancouver | RSS feed | Reply | Trackback URL

Tags: CRC/C-Tran, Empty Promise, Liar Liar, Light Rail, Loot Rail, Sales Tax, Tim Leavitt

22 Comments to “Updated: Mayor Leavitt Continues to Thumb His Nose at Taxpayers & Voters”

K.J. Hinton
May 9, 2012 at 7:37 PM

I’ve over-used the term “scum” when describing our Taliban Mayor. But somehow, it just fits… with all due respect to scum everywhere.
Tom Sharples
May 9, 2012 at 8:19 PM

I believe that, eventually, the extraordinary public arrogance of Leavitt & company will stick in the craw of local voters to the point where they will finally bounce him and his buddies out of office. Can’t happen soon enough for me.
lewwaters
May 9, 2012 at 8:21 PM

A little over a century ago, elected officials like Leavitt were dealt with by a barrel of tar, a bag of feathers and a rail.

Sometimes I miss what I often heard the old days were like 😉
thegunjam
May 9, 2012 at 9:17 PM

Lew, you should play the part where Stuart says there will be a vote regardless since that very Board made that a provision a few years back. Unless, of course, this particular Board wishes to change that provision. Hmmm… Lynda W
Mitch
May 9, 2012 at 9:28 PM

Timmy just wants his company (PBS) to make millions off light rail. That’s why he ran, and lied, to get his current position.

Why won’t any elected officials call him out? It’s time for a CTRAN Board member with guts to ask him to step down from the board because of the conflict of interest.
Carolyn Crain
May 9, 2012 at 10:12 PM

The C-tran meeting last night was quite active. Commissioner Stuart was very vocal in his debate to bring forth real numbers and a ballot measure for a vote. He was on our side through this. Connie Jo voiced her opinion to bring it for the vote as did Tom Mielke and Mark Boldt. There was a very hostile air in the room with regards to the lack of follow through on the part of Jeff Hamm to provide the numbers so the board could vote on a ballot measure for November. The city council from Vancouver are really the holdouts on this deal. It is not the entire board. Get rid of Tim and Larry and this board changes completely.
Jack
May 9, 2012 at 11:03 PM

It’s just amazing to see the absolute, arrogant, pig-headedness of these political bastards.
Martin D. Hash
May 9, 2012 at 11:13 PM

Okay, Stuart is out of the doghouse. He showed guts.

Leavitt (a Republican?) is a piece of work. Pollard told me after he lost the election to Leavitt based on the “no tolls” lie that “voters deserve what they get.” He (and others) knew Leavitt was scum but the knowledge didn’t get out there.
jim
May 10, 2012 at 2:25 AM

the complete C-Tran board meeting will be on Vimeo in about an hour. Look under Portland Politic uploads. The Tim clip came from the 2:25:50 point.

thanks
JK
Robert Dean
May 10, 2012 at 4:41 AM

There you have it – by hook or by crook, Tim Leavitt is going to get his pet light rail project even if he has to take it out of the hides of taxpayers through higher tolls, sales tax, employment tax, vehicle tabs, or what have you.
thegunjam
May 10, 2012 at 8:27 AM

We’re going to open this up for discussion (the alternative plans for O&M for LRT) at the WTP mtg tomorrow night. I think the people deserve to know what this Board wants to do. Employers need to hear this while they have an opportunity to yell about it before they piece together all these ways to pay for it. You know, so the voters don’t have to vote on it? Lynda W
Carolyn Crain
May 10, 2012 at 10:24 AM

If I have the energy left after this crazy week of tons of public meetings to watchdog I will attend the We the People meetign and contribute to the conversation where I can. This thing has to stop now… this year…. yesterday!
Craig Sayre
May 10, 2012 at 10:28 AM

Unfortunately, Tim Leavitt has enough support in the Legislature to continue to force the issue. Only a turnover in the Legislature from Democratic to Republican control will really have any impact on whether or not this project continues as envisioned by CRC. There is a slight possibility that Oregon will refuse to come up with funding from their side, but I wouldn’t bet the house on it. Our fate is in own hands – let’s get rid of the Democrats in SW Washington (sorry Rep. Probst, but that’s the only option left as I see it.)
jim
May 10, 2012 at 11:14 AM

The Entire C-Tran board meeting is now on line at:

http://vimeo.com/41900596

This and some other C-Tran board meetings are at http://www.PortlandPolitic.com
The Tim clip came from the 2:25:50 point.

Thanks
JK
K.J. Hinton
May 10, 2012 at 1:38 PM

Stuart is no more out of the dog house then he can levitate.

He was re-elected the same way Leavitt was elected: he lied.

He lied about getting us a loot rail election last November. That was a “late -in-the-campaign” promise he made when someone nobody had heard of put him in jeopardy of losing because of his loot rail shenanigans.

So, no. This tap dance does nothing to get him “out of the dog house.”

If he wants out, all he’s got to do is kill this deal. Right now. Today.

Demand a county-wide vote; veto anything less.

This tap dancing nonsense doesn’t undo his lies. His failure to understand that he, along with Leavitt and the rest of the loot rail cheerleaders on this side are, according to the Oregon Supreme Court, getting played like a violin… his failure to LISTEN to us keeps him firmly IN the dog house with the rest of the mutts in his kennel.

We’ve been had and are being had. A few of the 1% are bing MASSIVELY enriched with OUR money and they can’t even get the bridge height right?

If he kills this deal, then even I will admit he’s “out of the doghouse.” But to suggest he’s got guts because he’s willing to argue about the china pattern on the dishes in first class on the Titanic when an obvious change of course is needed?

That’s not “guts.” That’s something entirely different.
Jeremy
May 11, 2012 at 7:12 AM

Thanks Jim for taping and posting this. I shall be watching with interest… 🙂
Don C
May 12, 2012 at 6:53 AM

New to the area and wondering. After seeing some clips on Youtube of Leavitt’s speeches prior to his election (which I can no longer find for some reason), why has an effort not been mounted to recall him? I seems he has broken some or all of the huge campaign promises he made and has disenfranchised the majority of Vancouver voters who places him in office.
Carolyn Crain
May 12, 2012 at 7:47 AM

A recall requires malfeasance under Washington statutes. Apparently a politician lying is not considered illegal. Don’t ask me since most other people’s lies could under some circumstances land them in the slammer. It seems that lying is currently considered the norm and therefore even though it is perpetrated on the masses with the price tag of millions and possibly billions it isn’t a crime just disgusting. The absolute must here is to make sure this guy and every other politician in his camp are not re-elected. Unfortunately last year they reseated both Bart Hansen and Larry Smith as well to the city council. Next year we need to get rid of the Mayor Tim Leavitt, Jeanne Harris, and Jack Burkman from this crew of socialist. This year the challenge is to make sure that only a conservative such as David Madore is elected to the county commissioners board. Tom Mielke is up for re-election and he needs to retain his position for us to have a strong C-tran board that will stop this fiscal bleeding.
lewwaters
May 12, 2012 at 8:05 AM

If I recall right, any recall effort must also meet the approval of a Superior Court Judge, thanks to changes made in the 80’s. That pretty much ensures none of our ineffective politicians can be recalled since the bar is set so high and a judge must approve it.

As for the Leavitt clips, if it is this one you saw, its still there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF9eR_Yn-3g
Jeremy
May 13, 2012 at 4:16 AM

Lew & Carolyn – Time for a research project on what it would take to get some one recalled? Isn’t there some thing in the city charter on this?
jim karlock
May 13, 2012 at 12:59 PM

Since you mentioned sending money to Oregon, don’t forget that the Washington tax money to operate light rail will be given to Portland’s Trimet to actually operate the toy trains.

You know, THAT Trimet – the one that has hundreds of millions in off book obligations:
“The unfunded actuarial accrued liability for OPEB is at least $876 million, and because TriMet is allowed to carry this debt off-book the public naturally assumes that all is well when the agency announces that it has a “balanced budget” each year. ”
(from: http://cascadepolicy.org/news/2012/04/24/testimony-before-trimet-board-of-directors-regarding-the-proposed-fy-2012-13-budget/)

You know, THAT Trimet – the one that has been getting more tax money as they cut service (mostly bus service.):
“Finally, attached is a chart showing the juxtaposition of TriMet’s huge revenue increases since 2004 with the steady decline in transit service. ” IBID

thanks
JK
Carolyn Crain
May 13, 2012 at 8:48 PM

This entire issue is causing such a migraine for the C-tran Board. Jeff Hamm and the CRC need to be the ones pulled down from another planet. Jeff Hamm should be fired at this point and if he isn’t then the council representing the city should be seriously chastised by the people. Moreover, this years elections for the local state legislature positions will improve our chances to continue to block the funding for the lite rail project. Eventually they will have to stop the bleeding and hopefully the legislature is the answer to force that. Vote for the conservatives on the ballot!