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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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In Our View: Cheers & Jeers

Economy on upswing for Vancouver; state Democrats short-change voters

The Columbian
Published:

Cheers: To the local economy. Because we are still a little skittish and cautious in the wake of the Great Recession, any good economic news is worthy of cheers. So it is impressive to hear that Vancouver’s sales-tax revenue was up 15 percent in 2015 from the previous year. And that the city’s revenues exceeded forecasts by 2 percent. And that city expenditures were slightly below projections.

The economy inevitably goes in cycles, and Vancouver’s right now is booming, led by a strong housing market and strong construction activity. That — and strong management — have led to stable finances for the city government. Continued growth and smart stewardship of that growth can keep Vancouver well-positioned for a thriving future.

Jeers: To the state Democratic Party. Washington’s Democratic leaders are allotting delegates to the national convention based upon results of the March caucuses, in which Bernie Sanders won more than 70 percent of the support. Whoops! In last week’s presidential primary, Hillary Clinton received 53 percent of the vote from those who participated on the Democratic side, compared with 47 percent for Sanders.

Primary elections are much more inclusive than caucuses and reflect the opinion of a larger segment of the electorate. In other words, they better represent the democracy that is a cornerstone of this nation. These results again point out the need for Democrats in the state to rely upon primary results in apportioning delegates (Republicans this year relied solely on the primary). Caucuses are antiquated and should have no place in modern politics.

Cheers: Vancouver Public Schools is in line for a $43 million state grant to create smaller classes for students from kindergarten through third grade. This comes out of $200 million provided by the Legislature for competitive grants in the wake of a voter-approved initiative to reduce class sizes.

But the situation points out several flaws with the system. Voters approved Initiative 1351 even though it included no funding mechanism. And Vancouver is among 21 districts to receive one of these grants — meaning that more than 250 districts in Washington will not receive them. Cheers go to Vancouver Public Schools officials and the children they serve, but boos go to those who put forth or support unfunded ballot measures.

Jeers: To darkness in the center of town. Downtown Seattle went dark for about an hour at midday Wednesday due to an equipment failure at a substation. The outage left people stranded in elevators, disrupted the transit system, and created a small bit of havoc.

Along the way it served as a reminder of the importance of infrastructure and the crucial job performed by those who maintain that infrastructure. Government and public entities are quick to receive criticism when something goes wrong, but rarely receive credit when everything runs smooth. Having the lights kept on often is an afterthought for the public — until they suddenly go out.

Cheers: To Washougal. A story recently from Columbian reporter Adam Littman highlighted how the previously sleepy town to the east of Vancouver is becoming vibrant and hip. About 20 businesses have been added to the city’s downtown in the past five years, most of those within the past three.

“There definitely was that animosity toward downtown Washougal because it used to be chain-link fences around empty parcels of land, and that was supposedly Main Street,” said Kevin Credelle, co-owner of OurBar. Slowly, thanks to entrepreneurs and a growing sense of community, that image is being pushed aside and making way for a revitalized city.

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