Election: "Stop Portland Creep" Resonates in Suburbs

Election results from all three of Portland, Oregon's largest suburban counties indicate a reaction against what has been called "Portland Creep," the expansion of the expansive light rail system without voter approval and the imposition of restrictive densification measures by Metro, the regional land-use agency.

Portlanders in the three largest Oregon counties (Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas) have previously voted against financing light rail extensions, however the transit agency has found ways to continue the expansion and now operates five lines, with a sixth under construction. While urban rail aficionados tout the success of the Portland system, transit use by commuters has fallen significantly in relative terms from before the opening of the first light rail line. At the same time, working at home, which does not need billions in taxpayer subsidies, has caught up to and passed transit (Figure).

The electoral events of the past 60 days could severely limit future expansion.

Clackamas County: Chicanery and its Price

In a September 2012 election, voters in Clackamas County approved a measure by a 60% - 40% majority requiring that any commitment of funding to rail would require a vote of the people. Perhaps fearing a negative result in the election, the pro-rail Clackamas County commission hastily approved $20 million to support the under construction Portland to Milwaukie (Clackamas County) light rail line.

Things were to become substantially more difficult for light rail in the November election. In Clackamas County, the two incumbent commissioners on the ballot, both of whom voted for the $20 million bond issue, lost their seats. Voters rewarded their chicanery by replacing them with anti-rail commissioners, leaving the Clackamas County commission with a 3 to 2 anti-rail majority. The Oregonian characterized the election as "a referendum on light rail."

John Ludlow, who defeated Clackamas County commission chair Charlotte Lehan by a 52% to 48% margin, told The Oregonian:

"I think the biggest boost my campaign got was when those commissioners agreed to pay that $20 million to TriMet" for Portland-Milwaukie light rail four days before the September election. I think that put Tootie and me over the top." 

"Tootie" is Tootie Smith, a former state legislator who unseated commissioner Jamie Damon in the same election by a similar margin.

Washington County, Oregon: Taxpayers Take Control

Meanwhile, light rail has run into substantial difficulty in suburban Washington County. In September, voters in King City approved a measure to require all light rail funding to be approved by the voters. In the more recent November election, voters in Tigard, the 6th largest city (50,000 population) in the metropolitan area, voted 81%-19% to subject all light rail expenditures to a vote of the people.

Clark County, Washington: Voters Say No

Portland's transit agency also had its eye on expanding light rail service across the state line and the Columbia River to Vancouver, in Clark County, Washington. The plan was to build a new "Interstate Bridge" (Interstate 5) across the river, which would include light rail. The voters of Clark County were asked in a referendum to approve funding for the light rail system and turned it down soundly according to the Columbian, by a 56% – 44% margin.

But there was more. For some time, citizen activist and business leader David Madore has been working to stop both tolls on the new bridge and light rail service. Madore was elected to the board of commissioners of Clark County at the same time that the light rail referendum was being defeated. Madore, like the two other Clark County commissioners, also hold seats on the transit agency board.

Tri-Met's Death Spiral?

Further, Tri-Met's dire financial situation could be another barrier to future expansion. As John Charles of the Cascade Policy Institute has shown, Tri-Met's fringe-benefit bill is astronomically high, at $1.63 for each $1.00 in wages. This is more than five times the average for public employers, according to US Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis data. Charles refers to Tri-Met as being in a "death spiral" and says that:  

"The agency is steadily devolving from a transit district to a retirement and health-care center, with unsustainable fringe benefit costs that now far exceed the mere cost of wages."

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

This is not just a single

This is not just a single one blog post but one of my favorite on this site. You look very good, and i think You have greate future upon all readers. Magazyn poznań wynajem

curing tinnitus

held back by injuries near the end, Vick hits the jackpot and makes history, becoming the first black quarterback ever picked first in the NFL draft. The young man whose mother worked at a Super Kmart receives a $3 million signing bonus.
curing tinnitus

24 hour alcohol

Buying alcohol at night in London has always seemed a daunting task, where to go – the black market off license located on that dimly lit street or head to that vastly overpriced night club that everyone is raving purely because it is open until the early hours of the morning!

Well thank fully, help is at hand – at last alcohol delivered on demand – lets keep that party alive!

Licensing laws were amended during 2005 and alcohol delivery companies like DrinksXpress have been offering alcohol delivery your very front door in areas such as London.

Late night alcohol delivery london is becoming as popular as pizza delivery these days with alcohol companies popping up all over London especially in recent years. There is a large choice of strong proof drinks available, with some companies offering large menus of different spirited drinks and others offer main stream brands such as Smirnoff vodka, Gordon's Gin & Jack Daniels.

Beers or rather lagers, as you would expect, include Fosters, Kronenbourg & Stella Artois. Most companies advertise that the beers are delivered ice cold and are offered for sale in 4 packs, 8, 12 and 24 packs.

Wine delivery is equally catered for with all companies offering 24 hour alcohol via a variety of reds, whites and rose wines. Others also offer Prosecco as a sparkling wine alternative and virtually all drinks delivery companies offer some sort of champagne delivery service. DrinksXpress offered a wide variety with 6 different champagnes including rose champagne.

Late night food delivery in recent years has boomed, with new delivery companies opening and existing food delivery companies expanding their opening hours by obtaining late night refreshment licenses in addition to their hot food licenses – undoubtedly 24 hour pizza delivery will end up being a front runner in the late night food delivery league; if there ever becomes one of course! It seems that alcohol delivery companies have gone one step further by combining 24 hour alcohol delivery with 24 hour pizza and late night food delivery.

It seems that most alcohol delivery companies have latched on to the convenience market very firmly, the concept appears to work. A quick inspection of delivery middlemen sites such as Hungryhouse and JustEat further confirms this. Most alcohol delivery companies seem to have a second string to their bow; cigarette delivery - London is a huge city with a vast population and this makes the smaller profits margins more viable.

For more information contact:

DrinksXpress – Alcohol Delivery
67-68 Hatton Garden
London
EC1N 8JY
http://www.drinksxpress.co.uk
0203 514 7570

Google+ http://plus.google.com/108290234654984202563
Twitter http://www.twitter.com.drinksxpressuk
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/drinks.xpress.uk
24 hour alcohol

caos

It pops up in the headlines when a suburban mom kills seven others, including the kids she loves, but that’s a gory headline. The real story is a silent, utterly bourgeois, and hiding-in-plain sight problem: How a lot of American women are hanging right over a cliff.
caos

firstfashion

which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." And then Mandela was found guilty, after an eight month trial. He would spend the next 25 years of his life behind bars.
firstfashion

Anchor text

The Indian public was thrilled and embraced this achievement as well as the Indian government and polio partners like the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. But in general, I think just the level of satisfaction and sigh of relief that people felt was something almost palpable.
Anchor text

I will always give a nice

I will always give a nice thrust look in to you from my bookmark feed. I don't actually comment and don't like to spend time in typing the comment. But here I have to do this because this deserves a good like. just check it out

The information you have

The information you have posted is very useful. The sites you have referred was good. Thanks for sharing... more help

really appreciate your

really appreciate your effort in writing this excellent blog article, I hope I could read more great articles in your future post...
http://www.victor-steel.com http://www.api5lx60.com http://www.victorsteels.com

Extremely useful info

Extremely useful info specially the last part I care for such information a lot... https://www.simplexfittings.com