At a Clark County Central Committee meeting, Auditor Greg Kimsey took the floor to speak on behalf of the county charter. I felt he was brief and unconvincing. Leadership voices such as Councilor Tom Mielke, state Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, and county research analyst Peter Silliman were ardently against the proposal, essentially describing a document written by bureaucrats for bureaucrats. We took a vote at that meeting, and more than 90 percent overwhelmingly agreed with the majority opinion in opposing the charter. Apparently Kimsey’s professional opinion forced him to campaign against the considered opinions of those he has sworn to support. This raises other questions, as did his authoring the arguments in the voter’s pamphlet. The March 24 story reported “PDC staff: No charter charges against Kimsey.” Those questions have been asked, and answers returned.
That this does not fit into The Columbian’s agenda is no surprise, (March 24 editorial “County GOP wounds itself”), as little they support is good for the community as a whole. (Just where did that $200 million of Columbia River Crossing tax money go?).
I am certain Kimsey is a bit unsettled to find this paper supporting him. We all have done what needed to be done, and did so in the light of day. As for The Columbian’s notions for how things should be done, well, we’d have to find out what back-room deals they are privy to.
Jim D. Johnson
Vancouver
