Chief
08-30-2007, 07:34 AM
JEFFREY MIZE, columbian staff writer
March 8, 2001; Page C1
It was a debate that one side clearly won because the other side didn't show up. In fact, Wednesday's forum sponsored by opponents of Vancouver's proposed special events center was so lopsided that it ended 30 minutes early. No one had anything more to say.
About 75 people heard a predictable message full of heated statements and peppered with occasional inaccuracies, including questionable interpretations of the law and erroneous dates for public meetings.
Vancouver's political leaders repeatedly were chastised for refusing to hold a vote on the $56.5 million project and for not showing up at Wednesday's event.
"We had hoped to have someone from the city here or the public facilities district or Identity Clark County," said Larry Patella of Citizens for Common Sense, a group seeking a public vote. "They all have been invited."
Vancouver's seven council members were invited last week to the faux debate, but most weren't eager to waltz into a room of hostile opponents on short notice.
Councilwoman Jeanne Lipton did attend, but she is the only council member who has publicly called for a vote on the events center.
Mayor Royce Pollard sent a short letter that was read at the start of the forum. Pollard said the council is still gathering information on the project.
"Therefore, we do not feel it is an appropriate time to engage in a 'debate' about the proposed special events center," Pollard wrote.
If the council makes a tentative decision to proceed during a March 24 workshop, public hearings will take place before any final decision is made, the mayor added.
Because no one agreed to speak in favor of the project Wednesday, Ed York was selected to represent the city's point of view.
York's responses often dripped with sarcasm. On one occasion, he forgot his assigned role and called for a public vote.
When told that he had just presented the opponents' position, York replied: "It's getting to me."
Voters need a voice
Opponents insist that Vancouver must allow its 69,708 registered voters to have final say over the project, considered one of the key building blocks in the city's push to reinvigorate its downtown.
"For the city to guarantee the debt service on this project places the taxpayers at risk," Patella said. "We are not asking for anything more than the opportunity to vote on this issue."
Kelly Hinton, a former aide to state Rep. Marc Boldt, R-Brush Prairie, and, more recently, an assistant to state Sen. Don Benton, R-Pleasant Valley, during his brief tenure as state GOP chairman, warned that "we can't unbuild this building."
"Our leaders should not fear the voice of the people," Hinton said. "And in this instance, they clearly do fear it."
Ed Barnes of Vancouver was the only person in the audience who spoke in favor of building an events center and in opposition to a public vote.
"You elect these people to public office," Barnes said. "They're supposed to make the hard choices. If they don't, the next election you get someone to run against them and you vote their fanny out."
As Barnes continued to speak about the need to create jobs on this side of the Columbia River, Patella cut him off, which triggered a brief but testy exchange between the two men.
The next step in the process is a joint meeting of the Vancouver Public Facilities District and Vancouver Downtown Redevelopment Authority, scheduled for noon March 15 at Vancouver City Hall, 210 E. 13th St.
Gerald Baugh, a city project manager, said before Wednesday's forum that a final financial package is still being developed.
"If the project has the cash flows that it needs and the project works, then life is wonderful," Baugh said. "What we really have to analyze more is what happens if the project does not work. What is the probability of that, and what is the impact of that on the city."
March 8, 2001; Page C1
It was a debate that one side clearly won because the other side didn't show up. In fact, Wednesday's forum sponsored by opponents of Vancouver's proposed special events center was so lopsided that it ended 30 minutes early. No one had anything more to say.
About 75 people heard a predictable message full of heated statements and peppered with occasional inaccuracies, including questionable interpretations of the law and erroneous dates for public meetings.
Vancouver's political leaders repeatedly were chastised for refusing to hold a vote on the $56.5 million project and for not showing up at Wednesday's event.
"We had hoped to have someone from the city here or the public facilities district or Identity Clark County," said Larry Patella of Citizens for Common Sense, a group seeking a public vote. "They all have been invited."
Vancouver's seven council members were invited last week to the faux debate, but most weren't eager to waltz into a room of hostile opponents on short notice.
Councilwoman Jeanne Lipton did attend, but she is the only council member who has publicly called for a vote on the events center.
Mayor Royce Pollard sent a short letter that was read at the start of the forum. Pollard said the council is still gathering information on the project.
"Therefore, we do not feel it is an appropriate time to engage in a 'debate' about the proposed special events center," Pollard wrote.
If the council makes a tentative decision to proceed during a March 24 workshop, public hearings will take place before any final decision is made, the mayor added.
Because no one agreed to speak in favor of the project Wednesday, Ed York was selected to represent the city's point of view.
York's responses often dripped with sarcasm. On one occasion, he forgot his assigned role and called for a public vote.
When told that he had just presented the opponents' position, York replied: "It's getting to me."
Voters need a voice
Opponents insist that Vancouver must allow its 69,708 registered voters to have final say over the project, considered one of the key building blocks in the city's push to reinvigorate its downtown.
"For the city to guarantee the debt service on this project places the taxpayers at risk," Patella said. "We are not asking for anything more than the opportunity to vote on this issue."
Kelly Hinton, a former aide to state Rep. Marc Boldt, R-Brush Prairie, and, more recently, an assistant to state Sen. Don Benton, R-Pleasant Valley, during his brief tenure as state GOP chairman, warned that "we can't unbuild this building."
"Our leaders should not fear the voice of the people," Hinton said. "And in this instance, they clearly do fear it."
Ed Barnes of Vancouver was the only person in the audience who spoke in favor of building an events center and in opposition to a public vote.
"You elect these people to public office," Barnes said. "They're supposed to make the hard choices. If they don't, the next election you get someone to run against them and you vote their fanny out."
As Barnes continued to speak about the need to create jobs on this side of the Columbia River, Patella cut him off, which triggered a brief but testy exchange between the two men.
The next step in the process is a joint meeting of the Vancouver Public Facilities District and Vancouver Downtown Redevelopment Authority, scheduled for noon March 15 at Vancouver City Hall, 210 E. 13th St.
Gerald Baugh, a city project manager, said before Wednesday's forum that a final financial package is still being developed.
"If the project has the cash flows that it needs and the project works, then life is wonderful," Baugh said. "What we really have to analyze more is what happens if the project does not work. What is the probability of that, and what is the impact of that on the city."