A busy Wednesday included a heated debate during public comment between a critic of light rail and two members of the Clark County Council, one councilor saying the behavior of the council reminded her of organized crime, and a 4-1 vote to place Glen Yung on the C-TRAN board

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

A month later, Glen Yung said he is still very busy, but the job is too important to pass up, so he has become the next member of the C-TRAN Board of Directors from the Clark County Council.

Michelle Belkot

Glen Yung

Yung was voted, with no discussion Wednesday during Council Time, to become the third representative from the council on the C-TRAN Board of Directors.

Last month, Yung had said he was too busy with other responsibilities to accept the nomination.

His colleague Michelle Belkot was nominated to take the seat, but Yung argued Belkot should not be on the board if she was not willing to vote the will of the council on specific topics. Belkot did not receive enough votes.

This week, the council returned to the subject regarding the C-TRAN seat.

There was plenty of drama regarding the nomination process during public comment, but absolutely no communication from the councilors — other than the nomination and voting — during the proceeding.

After Council Time, Belkot would describe the events of the last year regarding this entire process as “organized crime.”

But again, no drama during the actual voting process on Wednesday.

Councilor Wil Fuentes nominated Yung. Chair Sue Marshall seconded the nomination. With no comments, it went directly to a vote. Yung was voted in 4-1, with Belkot saying no.

“At the last meeting, I declined the nomination because of my workload, and that hasn’t changed,” Yung said after Council Time. “What did change was the discussion around how the board seat functions.”

He noted that in most cases, a board member exercises his or her own judgment.

“But when a council as a whole takes a position on an issue, that seat is there to represent the county through the council — not any one individual perspective,” Yung said.

He was referring to Belkot’s refusal to go along with the council’s recommendation last year to vote in favor of C-TRAN taxpayers paying for operations and maintenance costs associated with light rail, should TriMet’s train extend into Vancouver via the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.

Belkot was removed from the C-TRAN board the day after she vowed to protect taxpayers.

Yung was one who voted to remove Belkot from the C-TRAN board, and he has always said that board members should go with council direction when the council takes a position on a specific subject.

“It’s important that when those situations arise, the county is speaking with a consistent voice,” Yung said. “Given that, I felt it was important to step forward to help ensure the county’s voice is represented as a whole, even with the added time commitment.”

Belkot, after the meeting, did not hold back in her disagreement with Yung’s new position on the C-TRAN board.

“Most recently, Yung even initiated and created language to permanently change Council Rules and Procedures to remove any councilor (from a board or commission) that doesn’t vote in lockstep with the entire council,” Belkot told Clark County Today. “Why even have Council districts at all if we’re supposed to vote the same?”

Belkot added that the behavior reminds her of organized crime, “the way mob bosses call the shots and those they control do their bidding.”

The C-TRAN Board of Directors is changing its composition, beginning with next month’s board meeting. On Tuesday, the C-TRAN board voted to accept changes to its bylaws that were passed by the Board Composition Review Committee earlier this year.

The change means that the city of Vancouver will have four seats, the Clark County Council will have three seats, and the two remaining seats will be shared by Battle Ground, Camas, La Center, Ridgefield, Washougal, and Yacolt. How those last two seats will be shared is to be determined soon.

Belkot was one of two from the County Council on the C-TRAN board last year when she said she would vote to revert to old language in the Modified Locally Preferred Alternative, a move that would have protected taxpayers from paying for light rail O&M. Her colleagues wanted her to vote for the newer language, allowing for all C-TRAN voters to be on the hook for O&M.

The next day, Belkot was voted off the C-TRAN board, replaced by Fuentes.

In the 13 months since then, a deal was reached. The smaller cities that make up the C-TRAN boundary would not have to pay for light rail O&M costs in exchange for giving up seats on the C-TRAN board.

The new C-TRAN Board, with the 4-3-2 format, is expected to be seated by the next board meeting in May.

Prior to Wednesday’s vote at Council Time, a longtime critic of light rail reminded the council during public comment that it should follow the council’s own resolution by opposing anything associated with light rail.

Margaret Tweet called in during public comment and was told she could not discuss light rail or the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. Marshall and Fuentes told her that was not on the agenda.

Councilor Matt Little argued to allow Tweet to continue.

Tweet pointed out that the county’s official position, based on a resolution that remains on the county’s website, is clear: The Clark County Council opposes every light rail project in the county unless it is first supported by a majority of the voters.

Marshall and Tweet then talked over each other, with Marshall telling Tweet: “You’re not following our rules.”

“I am following the rules. I’m thinking of the C-TRAN representative and the Clark County policy related to C-TRAN,” Tweet said.

Fuentes asked for a point of order, saying the agenda is about a C-TRAN board member assignment, describing Tweet’s points as unrelated.

Little backed Tweet again.

“I think it’s relevant. I think you should let her speak to it,” Little said.

Tweet then asked if she could have her full three minutes.

Marshall said Tweet could only have the remaining time.

At one point, Marshall noted that the resolution Tweet was referring to was from 2022.

While some members of the current council might disagree with the resolution, Tweet’s point is that the resolution remains the official direction of the county. The resolution remains on the county’s page dedicated to the IBR.

She continued with her public comment.

“The Clark County councilor who most supports that (resolution) is Councilor Michelle Belkot. Since she adheres to and is supporting this resolution, I urge the Clark County Council to put Michelle Belkot back on the C-TRAN board, to give her that spot, because she is honoring the current res. …”

Tweet’s final words were not heard, her phone cut off at exactly three minutes.