Port tax hike inspires petition by frustrated foes

[Chief]

http://columbian.com/news/localNews/02072007news101806.cfm

Wednesday, February 07, 2007
By JONATHAN NELSON Columbian Staff Writer

Two Vancouver women upset with the Port of Vancouver’s sudden tax increase are leading a petition drive to kill the levy.

Lisa Ghormley, owner of Unraveled Fine Yarns, and her swim partner, Deb Elliott, need to collect more than 9,000 valid signatures to get a spot on the Aug. 21 primary ballot that would ask voters to approve or reject the tax hike.

The signatures need to be collected within 90 days of the port filing the public notice of the tax. That notice is expected to be published in Friday’s Columbian.

Ghormley said the effort isn’t a pro or con port issue as much as it is her frustration that the estimated 300,000 residents within the port district had no say in the matter.

“I should have the right to say yes or no on a new tax issue,” she said.

Ghormley said she is searching for an attorney to read the petition to make sure it meets legal standards. A printer has already committed to producing 1,000 petitions.

A robust force of volunteers is needed, and Ghormley said she intends to seek help from neighborhood associations.

A Web site, www.petitiononline.com/vancouve/petition.html, asks people to sign the unofficial petition if they oppose the port’s actions and want a public vote. Ghormley said those signatures are only to gauge public interest and can’t be used in the official petition that would be submitted to the county elections department.

http://www.petitiononline.com/vancouve/petition.html

[Chief]

T o: Vancouver, WA Port Commission

We do not support the raising of our property tax to fund the purchase of waterfront property located near downtown Vancouver. Any tax raise should be put to the vote of the people and development of this property should be left to private enterprise.

Sincerely,


**SCHNIPP**

Sorry boys and girls, but this is not the right petition to be circulating, if you want this issue on the ballot. Someone needs to advise these people on the proper wording about how to get a ballot measure on the ballot, to approve or oppose this tax, before too much more time expires.

If someone wants to draft a properly worded petition to get this on the ballot, please forward a copy to me and I will host it here on Clarkblog, gladly. I see no reason not to put this to a vote, let's just be sure that is what we are really doing before we start signing emotionally charged petitions, OK?

What troubles me, is where have these people been for a year or more?? It is no secret that the Port has been moving in the direction of implementing this tax, and I have not heard a peep out of the opposition until now. The Port has always had the authority to do this Folks, and waiting to raise hell about it until now means that it is likely too late to muster any meaningful opposition to it.

I'll bet you a burger right now, that some of these same people are going to be screaming bloody murder that they be allowed to appeal their property assessments, once they get the tax bill in a week or two....it is way too late for that idea as well, and you ought to have been a lot more concerned about it last August when you got the Assessment Notice and had a chance to address it properly then...

The lesson here, is that if you wait on things like this, you can be too late to do anything about it.

Think about that in regards to Loot Rail...

Stout Hearts!!

Chief

[Chief]

Again, I submit that this petition has nothing to do with calling for a measure to be placed on the ballot. I am going to submit this to Greg Kimsey, The Clark County Auditor, who I consider the final authority on such matters, to see what he has to say on it.

Developing...

[Chief]

Just sent. I will share whatever answer I get with you when Mr. Kimsey responds.

Developing....

----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Koski
To: auditor@clark.wa.gov
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 9:20 PM
Subject: Text of a petition...


Dear Mr. Kimsey;

The following is the text of an online petition, that is being circulated on the internet, and is purported to be a way to get a measure on the ballot to approve or disapprove the recent Property Tax increase by the Port of Vancouver.

Quote

T o: Vancouver, WA Port Commission

We do not support the raising of our property tax to fund the purchase of waterfront property located near downtown Vancouver. Any tax raise should be put to the vote of the people and development of this property should be left to private enterprise.

Sincerely,

Unquote

http://www.petitiononline.com/vancouve/petition.html

You Sir, are the final authority on all matters pertaining to elections in Clark County, and my question to you is, does that wording in any way qualify as calling for such a ballot measure, as it's sponsors seem to intend? Does that document have any legal bearing whatsoever, no matter how valid the signatures are?

I am asking because I am discussing this matter at my website, www.clarkblog.org , and I am not sure if it is worth the while of my readers to sign such a document. Before I recommend pro or con, I thought it would be wise to get your opinion on it. I do intend to share what ever answer you provide to this message online at my site.

I would interpret any comments you make as strictly pertaining to the question at hand, not to the merits of the issue itself.

Thank you very much for your time and your judgement on this important matter.

Bob Koski
Cascade Park
www.clarkblog.org

[Chief]

I actually got 2 answers back on this, and here they are.

The first is from Tim Likness from Clarc County Elections Office.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Likness, Tim" <Tim.Likness@clark.wa.gov>
To: <bkoski@worldaccessnet.com>
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 12:53 PM
Subject: RE: Online Petition Form


Mr. Koski,

County Auditor Greg Kimsey has asked me to respond to your email
concerning an online petition process relative to the industrial
development district levy recently approved by the Port of Vancouver
Board of Commissioners. The language you provided from the website
hosting the online petition bears no resemblance to any petition text we
have received in our office. I am not an attorney so take what I say
with a grain of salt. However, my opinion is that the language being
used is inadequate and unclear as to its subject. If this language were
used on an actual petition, it would probably be rejected based on the
language.

On the second question, does an online petition have any place in the
official process open to the citizens of the Port of Vancouver to
petition to put to a vote the industrial develop district levy decision
made by the Port Commission, the answer is no. This action carries no
weight whatsoever in the petition process. The official and only valid
process will require petition signers to physically sign a paper
petition document, which will be submitted to the County Auditor's
Office at the end of the 90 day petition gathering period or when the
petition gatherers feels they have collected a sufficient number of
signatures on the petition.

Based on information we have received there is a group forming for the
purpose of creating and circulating a petition on this subject. On
Wednesday, February 7th, the Columbian carried a news story about two of
the individuals involved in this effort. I know they are working on
creating the petition form and getting the correct wording written for
the petition. For more information on their efforts you may want to
contact them. This is the newspaper article about them, including
contact information:
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/02072007news101806.cfm

If you have any more questions, please let me know.

Tim Likness
Clark County Elections Department


**SCHNIPP**

The language I provided is from that website.

[Chief]

Here is the second reply I got on this. I sent an inquiry to Lars Larson this morning, and this is what I got back.

----- Original Message -----
From: Daren Nelson
To: bkoski@worldaccessnet.com
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 12:51 PM
Subject: Port of Vancouver Petition

Hi Bob,

Lars Larson forwarded me your email regarding the petition to force the port to put the tax levy on the ballot. Just so you know we don’t have the official petition yet. It is with the lawyers and we hope to have it later today or tomorrow. What is on the web site is just to gage the support of the people and collect email address so we have a pool of volunteers when it is time to set signatures (hopefully this weekend or next week at the latest). I will forward you a copy of the petition if you are interested in help as soon as we get them.

Thanks,

Daren Nelson

**SCHNIPP**

Daren also included a telephone number which I am redacting from this e-mail.

I have let him know that as woon as he has the real petition ready, to let me know and I will do everything I can to help gather signatures.

As I suspected from the outset, this petition is not the way to go. Let's wait for the real McCoy, and sign it properly my friends. We are up against real deadlines and time constraints on this, and we do not have the luxury of time to correct errors...

Stout Hearts!!

Chief

[Chief]

And the site has now put up the following notice...

Please leave an email address and make it available to the petition author so we can contact you when we begin collecting hard signatures this weekend! Thanks, Daren Nelson

http://www.petitiononline.com/vancouve/petition.html

As soon as the paper edition is ready, I'll sign it, and do whatever I can to help in that effort.

A vote by the People is ALWAYS in order...

;D

[Chief]

This kind of cheezes me off... :-\ I put a message up on the petition site, as requested, and they sent me an e-mail reciept as confirmation. This is attached to that confirmation...

Please contribute $1.00 or more to PetitionOnline and help maintain
this premiere free speech forum. Your contribution is completely
voluntary -- and generous support from visitors like you is what keeps
PetitionOnline going! Contributing is quick, easy, private, and secure,
either directly to PetitionOnline.com:

So now this is a "premiere free speech forum" eh? Well, so is clarkblog, and I don't need donations.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/SeniorChieftain/bravo.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/SeniorChieftain/sierra.gif

[Chief]

Updating.....

I received this via e-mail....

----- Original Message -----
From: "Local Mailing List" <lmpatella@comcast.net>
To: <bkoski@worldaccessnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 1:33 PM
Subject: Petition


> (Mailing list information, including unsubscription instructions,
> is located at the end of this message.)
> __
>
> Good News from Lisa Ghromley,
>
> The petitions forms that will allow the taxpayers to vote on whether or not the Port of Vancouver should raise, without a vote of the people, our property taxes will be available 8:00am Saturday Morning 17 February 2007 at:
>
> Unraveled Fine Yarns
> 207 E. Mcloughlin Blvd
> Downtown Vancouver.
>
> We only need some 9000 signatures.
>
> Anyone interested in collecting signatures or just signing, please stop by.
>
> See you there.
>
> Larry Patella
>

[Chief]

While I am very glad to hear that the Petitions mayl be ready over the coming weekend, I sincerely hope that someone has more of a plan than to simply encourage people to stop by the store to sign it....

Developing...(I hope)

[Chief]

Updating....

Received via e-mail....

----- Original Message -----
From: Daren Nelson
To: Lisa Ghormley ; Daren Nelson
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 7:57 PM
Subject: Stop the Port of Vancouver from raising your taxes.

Thank you for signing our on line petition to stop the tax increase levied by the Port of Vancouver. Our official written petition is now done and we need help getting signatures!

Anyone ready to help support getting the Port Levy to a vote can do so by coming by and picking up a petition for signature collection, or signing directly.
Future locations will be posted soon.

Where: Unraveled Fine Yarns

207 E. Mcloughlin Blvd.

Vancouver WA 98663

When: Saturday Feb. 17th

8:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m.

Questions: Lisa@unraveledyarns.com

[Chief]

I have been asked via e-mail about my opinion of this Petition, and all I can say is that until I can find the time to drive down to that store, and actually see what the wording is, I cannot say if it is worth signing or not. I do know that this has been run past an attorney, so it ought to be proper.

Many people in this community though, whose opnions I trust, are concerned about signing another petition that is not correct for the issue at hand, and getting it tossed in Court as a result.

It has happened before, let's make sure that it doesn't happen again. If someone has the text, let's get it up on the internet for people to see... Please.

[Chief]

Still waiting, and I urge you to do the same.

On edit, if I can get ahold of the text of this petition, I have no cumpunction whatsoever about asking the Clark County Elections Office for an opinion on it again. All I am concerned about is this Petition is asking the right questions, and there is ample evidence from prior attempts that makes it necessary to continue to aske a few inconvienient questions about it, and expect a straight answer.

[Chief]

bumping...

15 Days and counting till the petitions have to be turned in.

Anyone know what the estimated count stands at today?

[Chief]

bttt

Since Jonathan Nelson was so good as to give Cascade Larry a plug in yesterday's paper, for being the hero who led the petition drive, I though it might be a good idea to remind everyone where he started to lead it, and who steered him toward the light...