“We have a full room today,” Clark County Chair Sue Marshall said ahead of the council’s public comment period that heard from opponents and proponents of light rail on Tuesday, March 18.
A pretty clear general consensus could be formed from public comment: A lot of Clark County residents disagree with the removal of Councilor Michelle Belkot from the C-Tran Board of Commissioners after she broke ranks and sought to revert language back to C-Tran not partaking in light rail funding.
But some speakers at the meeting did provide their insights and thoughts in favor of light rail.
“Clark County residents have consistently rejected tolls and light rail for nearly three decades,” Battle Ground resident Matt Bumala said. “Despite ongoing attempts to reintroduce these measures starting with the Columbia River Crossing project 20 years ago, the current Interstate Bridge Replacement project, strong opposition remains due to concerns over cost, crime, local control and economic impact on commuters.”
To start the public comment period, county resident Dick Rylander set the tone for what followed. Numerous opponents to light rail, the removal of Belkot from the C-Tran Board, and more followed suit in the comment session.
“The clear majority of the residents of Clark County do not want tolls, nor light rail, nor more taxes,” Dick Rylander told council. “The question is, why do you refuse to acknowledge that? If you question my opinion, why not actually do another public survey and confirm yet again what the people want?”
When Rylander took to the microphone, attendees of the meeting clapped and cheered, but Marshall quickly asked for the crowd to refrain from interjecting and supporting public comments.
“Your removal of Councilor Belkot from appointment to the C-Tran Commission is yet another example of a council that is out of touch with the people’s wishes,” Rylander said. “This is on top of your attempts to get rid of invocations and the pledge of allegiance. I respectfully ask that you reverse your removal of Councilor Belkot immediately. Further, you should apologize to the public for your actions. There are a lot of unanswered questions. Do you really care what people think? Do you know what’s better than the people do?”
Throughout his comments, the crowd behind him silently nodded their heads in support of what Rylander had to say, as well as what following speakers said during the public comment portion of the meeting.
One speaker said that light rail, Trimet and C-Tran is a “loser.” He pointed out the low ridership totals and the costs up from prior years. The C-Tran 2025-2026 budget consists of 76% baseline revenue from sales tax, 14% from grants, 3% from passenger fares and 7% from items labeled as “other.” In 2024, passenger fares were also 3%, showing no increase for 2025-2026 baseline revenue.
“I’ve been watching Clark County politics for about 40 years,” Anna Miller said. “And the people here don’t want it. They just don’t want it. But you want it badly. Why? There’s something here that we don’t know.”
Miller added that the removal of Belkot from the C-Tran Board may have been a legal misstep. She said it seems the decision may be an effort to suppress opposition to a project that is a misuse of taxpayer funds, citing previous surveys and votes.
Outside of the meeting, the Everything is Fine in SWWA podcast pointed out that Belkot had missed six of 21 C-Tran Board meetings in a post on social media.
“As somebody who lives in the 18th (Legislative District), I have never once heard you reach out to anybody except for your core group of people,” LaDonna Kirkpatrick said. “You’re supposed to be a non-partisan seat. So where has the outreach been for anybody else?”
Kirkpatrick added that the interstate and public transit project is not just to address the challenges of today, but looking toward 100 years from now.
“Some say nobody will use it. Have you seen what’s happening in Seattle or the other Vancouver — the less cool one? These cities invested in light rail and people ride it,” Israel Lopez said. “The youth of today aren’t looking for the financial anchor of a car. They want options. And if buses were truly enough, why does it take two or three transfers to reach the airport?”
Lopez said utilizing a bus service with luggage is not fun, from his own experience.
“Then there’s the argument that light rail will bring crime,” he said. “I guess I missed the memo where light rail turns you into a criminal. The answer to crime is not avoiding light rail, it’s enforcement. If you’re worried about station safety, staff them with transit officers. But let’s be honest, if crime was the real issue, we’d be talking about crime cars, not trains. Because if you're looking for an easy getaway, a car beats light rail every time.”
Lopez said light rail is a proven solution to traffic problems.
