Armageddon looms in Mystery Train war
The fight between the Clackistani rebels and the county commissioners over throwing $20 million to Tri-Met for the Mystery Train to Milwaukie is coming down to a tense 22-day period in which all-out street fighting is likely.
The protracted battle over funding for the pointless light rail line has seen the commissioners resort to some extraordinarily underhanded and desperate measures in the last two weeks. But the voters of Clackistan will get their say at a special election on September 18, and it seems highly likely that they'll say no to spending the money on the light rail extension to their county, which has come to symbolize "Portland creep." And although the commissioners say that the vote wouldn't stop them from forking over the money to Tri-Met, their crazy antics of the last two weeks show clearly how afraid they are that that proposition simply isn't true.
It seems to this observer that if the county doesn't get the money borrowed and paid to Tri-Met by the 18th, it will never get to do it. The opponents are going to win the election, and at that point, there's no way anyone is going to buy any county bonds for the project. And that is why the commissioners and bureaucrats sneaked around earlier this month and filed a stealth bond offering for a rating with Moody's, rushed through a bond resolution last week, and now will seek to hurry through a bond sale -- i.e., take out a giant IOU -- by the end of next week. The plan, no doubt, is to close on the bonds and make the jumbo payment to Tri-Met during the week of the 10th.
Can the rebels stop this villainy? They certainly don't have much time. But given the tenacity with which they've battled over many months now, it's hard to imagine them going down without at least one last stand. If they can somehow delay the bond sale until after the election, there's a good chance that the county will never pay Tri-Met $20 million for the Mystery Train.
At the very least, the latest shenanigans from the politicians seem to guarantee a change of personnel on the county board come the next election in November. But the fate of the eight-figure payment, to be made against the will of the voters, is the bigger story.
| Posted at 7:44 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (11)
Any chance we can find a lawyer to file some sort of dilatory motion like a TRO or injunction? Like 3 weeks is going to make a diff in a bond sale.
You think this is bad, wait till you see what Sam/Rand are going to shove down our throats as their legacy.
Posted by Steve | August 27, 2012 8:54 AM
This will be my first vote there since moving to Clackamas County two weeks ago. I will certainly vote yes on the proposition that stops funding for the Milwaukie light rail. I never thought I could screw the Portland transportation cabal from Clackamas County.
Posted by John Benton | August 27, 2012 9:08 AM
Can an injuction be filed with the courts to stop any pending bond sale to keep this transaction from proceeding until after the special election?
Posted by Mike McCulloh | August 27, 2012 9:19 AM
This is a major whopper!
Lininger,
"It would be reckless for commissioners to pass up those savings in favor of litigation over a ballot measure that lawyers say won't apply to this project anyway."
The rush to pay TriMet before the vote is a clear cut contradiction to that claim.
What lawyers?
Are county & TriMet lawyers still standing by that claim?
Or is Lininger hanging them out on a limb?
Posted by 3-401 rail vote | August 27, 2012 10:28 AM
R1Ray, sorry you don't get it. MLR is not a demo or republican issue. It is a common sense issue, that in many cases, is lacking for both sides.
Posted by Lee | August 27, 2012 10:51 AM
I was listening to KPAM on the drive in to work and someone (whose name I missed) was being interviewed about the Milwaukie light rail fiasco.
He actually said "Most people in Portland support light rail. Now, there are some blogs out there where you might hear complaints, but for the most part..."
I wonder which blogs he was referring to? :-)
Posted by TacoDave | August 27, 2012 11:45 AM
I don't live in Clackamas County and I'm not a lawyer.
But this entire scene reminds me of when a terminal relative goes into intensive care and is on hospice, when the kids decide to get Grandpa's visa card out out of his wallet, and not only charge up to the max, but call VISA to get the credit limit increased.
Maybe some of you lawyers can tell us what that's called.
Posted by ltjd | August 27, 2012 11:50 AM
He actually said "Most people in Portland support light rail. Now, there are some blogs out there where you might hear complaints, but for the most part..."
1. Then why not let an up-or-down vote go through? Certainly, if "most people...support light rail" there is absolutely NOTHING to fear by having a vote.
2. If "most people IN PORTLAND" support light rail, then those Portlanders can pay for light rail. Just because Portland wants it doesn't mean Milwaukie or Oregon City or Gladstone or Tigard or Tualatin want light rail. Portland already gets far more transit service than what it pays for, so maybe they need to step up and pay more.
Posted by Erik H. | August 27, 2012 12:44 PM
Might the "rail-o-garchs" finally be defeated? Let's hope so!
Go Clackistan Rebels!
Posted by Portland Native | August 27, 2012 1:17 PM
TacoDave, you probably know, but let examine the connections of the "KPAM interviewed"-it was Jim Redden.
KPAM is a Pamplin station. Jim Redden is the lead reporter for the Portland Tribune, a Pamplin paper. Steve Clark is/was a longtime editor/reporter for the Tribune. Clark serves on TriMet's Board. TriMet is trying to build the Milwaukie Lightrail.
TriMet is broke.
Of course Redden is going to say that "most people in Portland supports lightrail", it's his job or he'll lose his job if he questions it.
Since Redden wouldn't lie and strongly believes this to be true, then why doesn't he support a vote in Portland to see if citizens support lightrail. Or for Clackamas Co.; or for the Barbur Blvd. to Sherwood proposed lightrail? You'd think that any good newspaper or other media outlet would want verification of their statements. But Pamplin needs to sell concrete, papers, and radio ads, and keep Steve Clark's connections to the railvolution.
Posted by Lee | August 27, 2012 1:18 PM
I'm a Clackamas resident and have sat in the commission meetings. The way they ask legal questions of counsel makes it obvious which answer they are going for. The attorneys work for them, not for the people. I believe the attorneys are inclined to give and justify the answer which keeps them in the good graces of their bosses.
It's pretty awesome that the TIF district at Clackamas Town Center is coming off urban renewal in 2013, back onto the rolls. And they've already tagged that money for stuff people don't want. Or..."most people support." But can't vote on. And if they did vote, it wouldn't be binding.
Posted by Eric L | August 28, 2012 8:13 PM