The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt struck a tough tone in his first State of the City speech Thursday, addressing some of the city’s most controversial issues and calling upon the city council, staff and residents to work together to find solutions.

In a 50-minute speech titled “We are Vancouver,” Leavitt said impending budget deficits of up to $12 million in 2011 and again in 2012 will mean that city government will “no longer be business as usual.”

The mayor, who took office in January, also said the council-approved “preferred alternative” that includes extending light rail into Vancouver and building a replacement bridge over the Columbia River “will not be reconsidered.”

But, he said, the crossing plan, also approved by a 39-member task force and the 10-member Project Sponsors Council made up of leaders from both sides of the river, does have 140 conditions of support, “many of them conflicting with one another,” that still must be addressed.

Leavitt, who campaigned last fall to fight tolling on the bridge, did not mention tolls as he spoke before more than 300 people that included former Mayor Royce Pollard, Portland Mayor Sam Adams and numerous other local officials at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

Only recently have leaders and the public been presented with specific design plans for the bridge, and so only within the past three months has “tangible progress” been made to address the 140 conditions, he said, crediting “increased communication” with locally elected officials from Portland and Vancouver.

“Vancouver does not own this project. Portland does not own this project,” Leavitt said. “This is a roadway of international significance. And failure to do what is right is not an option.”

Tough transition

From the start of his address, Leavitt acknowledged the city’s budget shortfalls and outlined plans, including proposed fee and tax breaks, to help draw businesses and to help those already operating in Vancouver.

“With city support, it will be the private, job-creating and tax-paying sector that leads the way toward economic recovery,” he said. “Period.”

He also mentioned the upcoming plans to continue the city’s Horizons process, in which leaders and community members alike will help prioritize services in the face of looming cuts.

The mayor said he doesn’t know how the city’s future business models will look. But he knows that it will be a tough transition.

“The hard truth is: Our streets will be dirtier, medians and park lands brown and unkempt and public access to police buildings limited,” Leavitt said.

The city’s top politician also took time in his inaugural State of the City speech to say the internal discord and lawsuits at the Vancouver Police Department overshadows the good work that officers and staff do.

“I challenge leadership at all levels of the department to regain focus and perspective,” Leavitt said. “To re-establish consistent and systematic accountability throughout the ranks.”

And, referring to an outside study of police department weaknesses released over a year ago, he called upon police to “immediately implement the Matrix recommendations.”

‘I remain an optimist’

But the mood was not all doom; Leavitt, who grew up in Vancouver, also took time to laud the city’s people and natural surroundings.

“While it is impossible for me to speak candidly and paint a rosy financial picture, I am pleased to report that the foundation, the very fundamentals of our city, remain strong,” he said.

He showed a several-minute video of people from all walks of life describing what they do before declaring “we are Vancouver.”

“I believe in the people, the institutions and the businesses that make up this place we call home,” he said. “So today, despite our challenges, I remain an optimist.”

Though his speech was uninterrupted by applause, the crowd gave a standing ovation as the mayor came to a finish.

After he delivered his remarks, he said the main point of his address was “we are in this together.”

“As mayor of our community, it is important to set a tone, set some expectations and ask the community and public officials to support the direction we’re going in,” Leavitt said.

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