In an audio recording posted by Reform Clark County, Vancouver mayor pro tem appears to be bragging about Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle’s strategy to ‘set the trap’ for Michelle Belkot to ‘spill her guts’ at the March C-TRAN board meeting
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
Just a few days after the C-TRAN Board of Directors tabled a vote regarding language about paying for operations and maintenance costs for the expansion of Oregon’s light rail transit into Vancouver, Vancouver’s mayor pro tem appeared to brag about how the mayor set a trap for Clark County Councilor Michelle Belkot.
In an audio recording from a labor roundtable meeting on March 14, Erik Paulsen, the mayor pro tem, can be heard praising Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle for her strategy in getting Belkot to explain her position during the C-TRAN board meeting on March 11. After Belkot noted she would be voting to revert to language that would prevent C-TRAN (and Clark County taxpayers) from paying for light rail, another board member — Sue Marshall — asked to table the vote. McEnerny-Ogle seconded, and a vote did not take place that night.
The next day, Marshall, the chair of the Clark County Council, and three fellow council members voted to remove Belkot from the C-TRAN Board.
Marshall and Belkot, Clark County Council members, and McEnerny-Ogle and Paulsen, were four of the nine members of C-TRAN Board of Directors for the March 11 meeting.
At the labor roundtable on March 14, the mayor can be heard explaining what happened at the C-TRAN meeting. She described the events of the evening in a passive voice, according to Paulsen.
Paulsen, though, wanted to make sure the audience knew that it was the mayor who put everything in motion.
“She described what had unfolded as if she were witnessing it. And I want you all to know that she was not at all passive,” Paulsen said. “All you have to do is go and watch that hearing because it was the mayor who asked all of the cities to say what direction have you been given and how will you be voting, which set the trap for Councilor Belkot to spill her guts, which then laid the framework for us to make the tabling motion.”
It should be noted that the mayor’s description of the events also noted that it became clear to her that Belkot was not going to vote with her colleagues on the Clark County council but instead she was going to “vote with the small cities.”
The audio was posted on social media by Reform Clark County.
“The most interesting point about that audio is the whole C-TRAN situation is not about Michelle Belkot,” said Rob Anderson, founder of Reform Clark County. “It’s about the ‘small cities.’ The Vancouver mayor wants a train and she wants the rest of the small cities in the county to pay for it.”
Anderson said Reform Clark County confirmed the audio is authentic. In fact, Anderson said Reform Clark County will post more audio from that roundtable in the near future.
As far as “setting the trap,” however one describes it, that March 11 C-TRAN meeting set off a series of events.
The next day, the Clark County Council removed Belkot from the C-TRAN board and installed Councilor Wil Fuentes into that position. The assumption is that Fuentes would vote in favor of C-TRAN (and Clark County taxpayers) paying for future operations and maintenance costs for light rail into Vancouver.
That led to Reform Clark County suing the four members of the Clark County Council who voted to remove Belkot from the C-TRAN board.
Belkot herself would also file her own suit, alleging civil rights violations.
Also read:
- County Council still looking to change language in Rules of Procedure
Clark County Council members continued debating proposed changes to the Rules of Procedure tied to last year’s removal of Michelle Belkot from the C-TRAN board, including new language that would require councilors to vote in alignment with council positions. - WA Senate passes bill banning law enforcement from wearing masks amid ICE activity
The Washington State Senate approved Senate Bill 5855, sending the proposal to the House and advancing a debate over whether law enforcement officers, including federal agents, should be barred from wearing masks during public interactions. - Opinion: Free care for people who don’t live here? It’s being encouraged — HB 2250 can help
Elizabeth New (Hovde) argues that Washington’s current charity care rules encourage out-of-state use of non-emergency hospital services and supports HB 2250 to restore residency-based limits. - Opinion: Update on legislation to restore fairness and local control to transit governing boards and a bill to create accountability for the I-5 Bridge project
Rep. John Ley outlines the status of several bills addressing transit governance, accountability for the Interstate 5 Bridge Replacement Project, criminal sentencing standards, and ongoing state responsibilities in his latest legislative update. - Opinion: More accountability needed – Defrauding state programs is stealing from taxpayers
Sen. John Braun argues that fraud and nepotism within Washington’s Community Reinvestment Plan undermine taxpayer trust and calls for stronger accountability through Senate Bill 6205.
We Seriously need to get MAYOR ANNE MCENERNY-OGLE out of OFFICE and replace the whole City Council as well. Small Cities in Clark County such as Ridgefield, battleground, LaCenter, Woodland and so on shouldn’t be flipping the bill for the Mayor’s Shiny New Light Rail Train when we the Taxpayers don’t want light rail in the first place. Its pretty clear to me listening to the audio that they make a lot of plans in Secret, discuss how to execute the plan and then execute plan to Trap someone that they don’t like and Anne did just that, Erik Paulsen Describe it, because he probably helped Mayor Anne Plan the whole thing…. Theses Dems are Dirty, lying idiots. LETS STAND UP and Fight Against this BS in LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
This audio is a window into their souls. They have open disdain for the “smaller cities” and for Michelle Belkot because she chooses to represent her constituents and campaign on her promises, rather than the elites who want the perpetual grift that Light Rail will provide from now until eternity.
In 2012, Clark County voters rejected the CTRAN ballot proposition to raise the sales tax to extend TriMet MAX light rail into Clark County. Every city in the county rejected the proposition, including Vancouver. The Mayor at the time did not want a vote at all, and Mayor Ogle is working in Olympia to circumvent the voters.
Councilor Belkot wants public transit we can afford. Extremely low bus ridership does not justify switch to expensive TriMet light rail, currently estimated at about $2 Billion in 2022 dollars, price hikes coming. There is no need for light rail, bus ridership over I-5 Bridge is below 2006 CRC figures, and about half of 2019 ridership, about 900 passenger trips on a weekday, spread out over 19 hours. The buses are not close to full! Why spend $$ we don’t have on costly light rail we don’t need, and voters have rejected? Buses and vans have met the demand for decades, and can meet the lower demand for the next few decades. If demand increases, right sized buses and vans can meet the need and adjust the frequency as needed. See
https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-extremely-low-bus-ridership-does-not-justify-switch-to-expensive-trimet-light-rail/
PS. One of the conditions the 2022 CTRAN board put on light rail was not paying for the Operations and Maintenance of light rail. At that time, the 2 Clark County Council CTRAN members were split on approving light rail. Then County Councilor Karen Bowerman voted against light rail. Then Councilor Temple Lentz voted for light rail, with strict conditions. Vancouver Mayor Ogle, City Councilor Bart Hansen, Washougal Councilor Molly Coston, and Ridgefield Ron Onslow also voted for the strict conditions. Yet in 2024, it was Mayor Ogle who drafted the proposal to lift the strict conditions, so that C-Tran funds can be used for Light rail Operations and Maintenance. Light rail is vastly more expensive to Operate and maintain than light rail.
• TriMet Light Rail O&M escalated cost = $20,238,570
• C-TRAN Express O&M escalated cost = $1,551,920
Costs are escalated to Opening Day FY2033 dollars at an average inflation rate of 4.5%
This whole fiasco needs a deeper investigation, because it sure sounds like there have been multiple open meetings act violations here.
Additionally, what else has Mayor Megalomania-Ogle pushed the Clark County Council on in secret??
If Mr. Fuentes has two active brain cells, he would step back and refuse this ill-begotten appointment to C-Tran. He is about to be named a defendant in a legal battle he really needs to extract himself from.
Did you call McEnerny-Ogle to get her response? And if so, what did she say? A good journalist would’ve covered those bases. Of course, if all you’re interested in is reporting one side of the story, then carry on. (Full disclosure: I no longer reside in Clark County, much to my chagrin.)
Clark County Today did reach out to the city. To be fair to city officials there was only a two-hour window to get back to us until we posted the story. We said if a response comes after that deadline we would add it to this story or post a new story next week.
You’ve had over three weeks now to get a comment from the mayor and update this story online. Guess we’ll have to settle for just one side of this story.
In response to John Laird, Paul Valencia points out here that Clark County Today reached out to City Hall. With the window for response short, the Mayor and Mayor pro-tem had the opportunity to respond individually on these pages. Clark County Today is very responsible in accepting and publishing additional comments, letters, and other points of view, very promptly.
I repeat, nowhere in the story is the reader told that there was any effort to reach the mayor for her side of the story. A good reporter would’ve reported that.
John Laird speaking as if he knows what good journalism is gave me a laugh out loud moment.
John is the last person we need to lecture us about “good journalism. John is the former “editor” of the local Associated Press print outlet I like to call “Pravda on the Columbia”. I only wonder who invited you here John; your former employer because they don’t like the competition, or did Mayor Megalomaniac-Ogle’s Campaign hire you to do some out-of-town agitation on her behalf??
We all know what a big fan of Loot Rail you are…is there no choo-choo train to push down the public’s throats in Texas??
I must say I am still not chagrined that you de-camped from America’s Vancouver.
Whew! I was afraid my legacy was fading! I’m your huckleberry.
Cockroach’s legacies never fail.
The current mayor is clearly not “for the people”. Get her out.
For both Mayor Ogle, and Mayor pro-tem Erik Paulsen, their term expires in 2025. Mayor Ogle has signs up that indicate she wants to continue as Mayor. I have not seen any Paulsen signs yet, and he was not at the April CTRAN meeting.