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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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In Our View: Mielke Plan Lacks Logic

Proposed ordinance codifying county departments flies in face of will of voters

The Columbian
Published:

Sometimes, we must confess, it is difficult to follow the logic of Clark County Commissioner Tom Mielke.

Wednesday, while discussing an ordinance that would codify certain county departments, Mielke said, “What we have today has been very, very successful.” He hadn’t noticed, apparently, that voters recently approved a home-rule charter to change the makeup of county government. Or that a “very, very successful” government would not require changes in the ordinance. Or that fellow Commissioner David Madore, who was a staunch opponent of the county charter, has spoken against the proposed ordinance because it would violate the will of the voters. Choosing to ignore all of that reflects Mielke’s thought process, such as it is.

The nuts and bolts of the issue are an ordinance that would formally establish 12 of the county’s 15 departments, including public works, community planning and general resources. The practical impact is that it would prevent County Administrator Mark McCauley from consolidating or eliminating any of the departments as he assumes new power as county manager when the charter goes into effect Jan. 1. Commissioners will consider the ordinance at a public hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St.

Which brings us back to logic. On Nov. 4, then-Commissioner Ed Barnes suggested that the county’s Department of Environmental Services could be eliminated, with staff being reassigned to the community development and public works departments. Three environmental services positions — director, finance manager and administrative assistant — could be eliminated at a savings of $713,225 over the next two years. And it is only logical to think that Mielke’s move to entrench the departments is an effort to save the job of Environmental Services Director Don Benton.

Ever since Benton was appointed to the position last year as commissioners eschewed established hiring practices, the move has been an albatross in the court of public opinion. Now, critics have labeled the proposed ordinance as the “Don Benton Salary and Pension Preservation Act,” a notion that Mielke disputes.

But even if the specter of Benton is removed from the equation, Mielke’s proposal is devoid of sensibility. Voters last month approved the county charter, clearly giving the county manager the power to establish, consolidate or eliminate departments. Any attempt to subvert that power during the eight weeks between the election and the implementation of the charter would be an offensive thumb of the nose toward the electorate. “I am saddened that Tom Mielke would resort to this, and hope that the others will not support it,” said Nan Henriksen, who served as chairwoman of the freeholders group that crafted the charter.

Those others would be Madore and newly installed Commissioner Jeanne Stewart, who apparently will provide the swing vote on the ordinance. Stewart, a longtime former Vancouver City Council member who is new to county government, has not indicated which way she will vote on the ordinance, but she would be wise to infuse the charter with the power the electorate desired it to have.

In the end, voters clearly want the county manager to have control over county departments; approving the ordinance at this time would amount to political subterfuge; and many, many people don’t think county government has been very, very successful. All of which means the only argument in favor of the ordinance is one that defies logic.

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