A Skamania County Sheriff’s Office investigation has concluded that the Clark County Council’s March decision to remove Councilor Michelle Belkot from the C-Tran Board was invalid under the Open Public Meetings Act and county bylaws. The report recommends fines for four council members, reinstatement of Belkot to the C-Tran Board and either a criminal charge or a formal reprimand for County Manager Kathleen Otto.
Belkot was removed on March 12, the day after a C-Tran Board meeting where she opposed language that left open the possibility of using local tax dollars for light rail operations tied to the Interstate Bridge Replacement project. Her vote ran counter to the county council’s earlier 4-1 preference supporting the funding language. After her dissent, the council replaced her with Councilor Wil Fuentes, who supported the majority’s position.
Detective Christian Lyle’s findings state that Council Chair Sue Marshall and Councilors Fuentes, Glen Yung and Matt Little acted without the required public notice or discussion when they voted to remove Belkot. The report also says Marshall lacked legal authority to initiate the removal and that Otto did not step in, despite being the official responsible for board appointments under the county charter.
Lyle wrote that the appointment of Fuentes to Belkot’s seat was conducted without an application, résumé or any public explanation, and that the lack of discussion indicated what Lyle referred to as the “obvious existence of a secret vote” conducted in violation of state law.
The recommendations have been sent to Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Golik. The matter is expected to be referred to an outside prosecutor. The recommendations themselves do not carry legal force.
Rob Anderson of Reform Clark County, who filed the complaint that triggered the investigation, said he hopes a prosecutor will take the case and believes the public deserves accountability. He additionally criticized the county’s ethics commission for previously dismissing the complaint without further review.
“What would be great is that they just say, hey, we made a mistake and let's make this right,” he added. “I'm not hoping for real over-the-top consequences. Everyone makes mistakes, but hopefully there'd be a point when people say, ‘hey, let's try to make this right.’”
He said the light rail debate remains central to public frustration and believes the actions taken to remove Belkot were tied to that broader dispute.
“It continues to be put forward in a way that really people don't want, and that's really at the center of all of this. They’re desperate, and now we know potentially illegal actions that were taken to try to force this on the taxpayers in Clark County,” he said.
Marshall declined to comment, citing legal constraints. Belkot did not respond to request for comment.
