Analysis
The Mountain’s opposition to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) grew exponentially throughout
October.

While the BCC continued its attack against the Villages at Mt. Hood Board of
Directors – more specifically its Chairman, George Wilson – the community
rallied behind the Villages at an emergency Town Hall meeting Oct. 11 at The
Resort.

The Town Hall, held in defiance of the BCC which had previously dissolved,
then put on hiatus, then again dissolved the Villages Board, voted
unanimously to oppose the BCC’s latest proposal to amend a county
ordinance, allowing the BCC to independently and arbitrarily remove an
elected representative of a Village or Hamlet. The only thing missing from the
amendment was mentioning Wilson by name.

“This is absolutely absurd,” Wilson said. “It is an outright deviation from our
democratic process.”

The unanimous vote to oppose the BCC action came in a raise of hands of 71
attendees at the Town Hall.

The Town Hall setting was a statement in itself. There were six seats set up at
the dais – one for each commissioner (John Ludlow, Tootie Smith, Jim
Bernard, Martha Schrader and Paul Savas), plus a chair for HD 52 State
Representative Mark Johnson (R-Hood River). All six had been invited. Savas
replied that he had a conflict and would not be able to attend. The other
commissioners deigned not to reply. As usual when there’s a pressing issue on
the Mountain, Johnson showed up.

“I had other commitments tonight,” Johnson said. “But this is a lot more fun.”

Wilson ticked off many complaints that the community fosters regarding the
BCC beyond arbitrarily scuttling of the Villages Board, including:
This is the same governing body to harvest and sell our surrounding timber,
with no proceeds coming back to our communities;

The same governing body that wants us to support increased taxes for road
maintenance and repair, with no monies budgeted for any or OUR county
roads;

The same governing body which due to its own neglect, failed to adhere to
FEMA reporting requirements over three years, causing all National Flood
Insurance Plan policy holders on the Mountain to lose their plan discounts and
suffer rate hikes.

“I could go on,” Wilson added. “But I hope residents begin to see a pattern
before it’s too late.”

Christine Roth, the former liaison between the BCC and the Villages Board,
knows the county’s players well.

“Costs incurred by Clackamas County for settlements or additional
unnecessary spending resulting from actions taken by Chair John Ludlow and
Commissioner Tootie Smith as of August 2016 total more than $3 million in
taxpayer monies,” Roth writes in her site at www.fixourcounty.org.

At the Town Hall, Rep. Johnson indicated he would be willing to put the
Mountain’s concerns about the BCC to other legislative colleagues who may
have some influence.

He added that the BCC’s actions smacked of “taxation without
representation.”

Other local residents weighed in at the public affair.

Kip O’Connor: “If there’s something they (BCC) don’t like, they just move the
goal posts.”

Gary Randall: “They (BCC) only see tax revenue and a bunch of ignorant
people.”

Rick Applegate (the original Chair of the Board): “I make the motion to not
dissolve the Board.”

The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

The BCC has announced a public hearing for 10 a.m., Nov. 9, in the BCC
hearing room in Oregon City, to review and discuss the amendments to the
County Code that would place the Villages Board under the complete control
of the BCC, rendering the Villages Board useless.

The public is invited to attend and have their voices heard.

Wilson will be at the meeting.

“You don’t get to change the rules in the middle of the game because you
don’t like the way the game is being played,” Wilson said. “I can only say that
if county commissioners continue to ignore the will of our community, they
must be challenged in court, and forced to abide by the rules and original
bylaws they agreed to when the board was formed.

“No matter how long it takes, this issue must be presented to the Oregon
State Attorney General’s Office.”