Congrats to the Commissioners for cutting off one of the downtown mafia. Who's next?

I'm in 1000% agreement with this course of action and sincerely hope that every other group slurping at the government trough that suopports this full kitty-litter box get's cut off as well.

Kudos to Commissioner's Madore and Mielke.  For soon-to-be-FORMER Commissioner Stuart, you missed a golden opportunity here.

But my guess is that it won't be the last time before you join with former Commissioner Boldt looking for work.

County, CREDC formalize their split

Economic development group plans to proceed with one member fewer

An artist's rendering of the proposed Interstate 5 bridge between Vancouver and Portland.

By Aaron Corvin
Columbian Staff Reporter

Monday, March 11, 2013

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Lisa Nisenfeld is president of the Columbia River Economic Development Council.

The divorce is final.

Clark County government and its erstwhile economic development contractor — the Columbia River Economic Development Council — have officially parted ways, Lisa Nisenfeld, president of the CREDC, said Monday.

The mutual agreement makes permanent a rift that opened when Commissioners David Madore and Tom Mielke halted funding to the council unless the Vancouver-based nonprofit agreed to drop its support of the Columbia River Crossing, a proposed replacement Interstate 5 bridge that includes light rail. Their action canceled an earlier county

Clark County Commissioners Tom Mielke, left, and David Madore voted to cut funding to the Columbia River Economic Development Council because it supports the Columbia River Crossing project.



commitment to contribute $200,000 over two years to the CREDC.

Nisenfeld said that based on meetings between council board members and Madore — including one Friday between Madore and CREDC board chairman Bill Dudley — the parties have "determined that we will agree to disagree and that the county will no longer be a member of the CREDC."

For the CREDC, she said, the decision means that "we're just going to move forward."

The unusual split occurs as disagreement intensifies over which job-growth and transportation programs the region should pursue. Anti- and pro-Columbia River Crossing groups are squaring off locally and in the Washington Legislature. Meanwhile, the CREDC — which counts a wide range of Clark County businesses and governments among its members — is working on implementing a new growth plan. The 133-page plan, released in its final form in September 2011, calls for "cooperation and information-sharing" among local governments, ports and economic development groups to accomplish numerous tasks. Those tasks include increasing Washington State University Vancouver's role in business development, recruiting information-technology companies, growing existing businesses, building up shovel-ready land for employers and supporting infrastructure, including the CRC.

Not 'a side issue'

In their letter to the CREDC saying they'd halted funding, Madore and Mielke said, in part, they hoped the cut in financial support wouldn't be permanent. The commissioners said they hoped the CREDC board "will act appropriately and end its advocacy for CRC and light rail."

In a phone interview Monday, Madore said the CREDC does good work. However, his disagreement with the agency has to do with the CRC's 116-foot bridge height, which could cost several Columbia River manufacturers up to $116 million in lost profits.

"That represents hundreds of jobs" and hundreds of millions of dollars lost by those businesses because of CRC's bridge height, Madore said. "That's not been a side issue."
And the impacts to those businesses "undoes so much of the good that the CREDC has done," Madore said. "That's where our difference is."

Madore has also previously said the CREDC has supported the CRC at the expense of its core mission of economic development.

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