North County voters deserve to know the truth about what the recent Skamania County criminal investigation uncovered. The report released on November 6 isn’t vague or political—it is blunt and alarming. The investigator concluded that the Clark County Council’s actions on February 12 and March 12 to remove Councilor Michelle Belkot from the C-Tran Board were unlawful, violated state law, and violated the County Charter.
But what happened next may be even worse. According to the report, several councilors—and the County Manager—refused to cooperate with a lawful criminal investigation. Clark County now has an official record showing elected officials declining to answer basic questions about their own conduct. That is unprecedented in this county and deeply troubling for anyone who cares about honest, transparent government.
The report also makes clear why this happened. Belkot—who opposes light rail—was removed and replaced with someone who supports it. This was done without notice, public input, or legal authority. A major regional transportation position was manipulated behind closed doors, out of public view, and in direct violation of the Charter and the Open Public Meetings Act.
And here’s the hard truth: the silence since then has been deafening. The involved councilors won’t answer questions. The County Manager won’t answer questions. And I have little confidence that the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office—whether through its own action or by deferring to another county or to the Attorney General—will fully pursue accountability on behalf of the public.
That means it may ultimately fall to you, the people of North County, to decide whether this kind of conduct is acceptable from those who manage our local government.
If county officials won’t correct an unlawful act…
If they won’t cooperate with investigators…
If they won’t give the public honest answers…
Then accountability must come from the voters.
Restoring integrity may begin with a simple and obvious step: demanding that Councilor Michelle Belkot be reinstated to the C-Tran Board, as the law requires.
But the larger question is whether North County is willing to tolerate elected officials who ignore the Charter, sidestep transparency, and refuse to answer to the public. If you don’t want this kind of government, then it will be up to you—not them—to make that change.
Rob Anderson
Ridgefield
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