Tomorrow evening a little over 8,000 voters make a decision for the rest of the county. Two commissioners who have committed no crime are in an election for a recall.
What are they charged with? The main complaint: "Not listening to the majority of their constituents" based on a broad, interpretive, statistical, reading of last year's referendum on a land use decision. The County Board voted 4-1 on a conditional land use decision permitting a pipeline to cross an acre of a private landowner's property that had been zoned OPR, which previously didn't permit pipelines.
Clatsop County's land use law permits pipelines through wetlands, through forests, through farmlands, but does not mention (or didn't until last year) OPR lands. Based on the fact that pipelines were allowed, conditionally, through such fragile systems as wetlands, the Board felt that conditionally allowing it through any other lands would be acceptable. The key word in this is "conditional".
Those opposing LNG howled. It is completely fine that they howled their disagreement. Disagreement is acceptable, it is even needed in order to maintain a balanced society. What isn't fine, what isn't balanced, is when lies are told that damage communities.
The lies started with telling people that pipelines could and would be put in parks where children played and people camped. Allowing conditional permits in certain zones would not allow that, and the person orchestrating the campaign knew it well enough since he had sat on the planning commission and currently sits on the recreational lands board. Auerbach's deliberate lies earn him nothing but disdain in the eyes of any honorable person in this debate.
They continued to lie to the voters by telling them that the issue had nothing to do with the Bradwood Project nor would it have any impact on the project adding, "Even people for LNG are against pipelines in parks." Within 10 days of the referendum being defeated Columbia Riverkeepers was writing to Federal and State departments demanding that the project be shut down because of the referendum vote, stating that the project would have to be altered now that an alternative pipeline route would have to be found. They wanted the permitting process to completely start over.
They lied to the voters when LUBA returned its decision. They promised voters that the Board was committing illegal or unethical acts in approving multiple land use decisions for the property owner's development. Columbia Riverkeepers challenged 23 of the decisions, another entity challenged 8 decisions for a total of 31 decisions that were asked to be overturned. On the day LUBA made its decision, upholding 29 of the decisions in favor of the Board, these people published a press release stating they had won and LUBA had overturned the Board's land use decision! A blatant lie. The newspaper refused to publish the truth that LUBA had merely remanded two decisions. A remand is for clarification. 50,000 pages of documentation had been done over a four year process and these people continue to say that the process was rushed through and decisions made were sloppy and without due process. Lies.
They continue to lie when they tell people that 67% of the county is against LNG, or even when they say 67% of the voters are against it. In reality, barely 39% of the voting population cast a ballot against the referendum and many of them thought it was merely about pipelines in parks, just as was shoved at them.
What makes these liars truly despicable is the total disregard they have for their fellow citizens. It would be different if these people were to give the voter the truth so that they could make up their own minds as to whether or not they want to sacrifice their money, their livelihoods, or their homes for the ideals that these people hold, but they don't give them that choice to freely make.
If the voter wants to pay higher prices for energy (and all that energy provides), now, in the hopes that everyone, including the renewables themselves, are wrong and that solar, wind and wave is a mere five years away (instead of a minimum
15 years for a mere 15% -or less- of the energy needs,
as predicted) then that should be their choice. All of our choice. They should know the truth. We all deserve the truth. LNG isn't dangerous, dangerous pipelines will never be placed in children's playgrounds. Simply, in some people's opinions using LNG will delay people investing in renewable energy
development.
But these people parading in red, wearing fish on their heads and shaking green signs have little respect for the intelligence of the average voter. They have been taught in their seminars that the average voter is too stupid to understand the "implications" of each land use decision. Too ignorant to comprehend the long term effect of a "bridge" to renewable energy. That the only way to make them understand is through emotion and the strongest emotion to hit them with at the ballot box is fear. Through fear mongering they want to pressure investors to pour money into renewable energy technology. They want their way and the end justifies the means.
If that is true then what the "average" voter should fear in this election is proving to these people that they are right. If these two commissioners are recalled these people will be coming for Warrenton City Council next and after that the Port. With each entity they will use fear and intimidation and pretty soon one group of people will be completely satisfied with life in Clatsop County. A fraction of 39% will be living the life they knew they could, they knew they deserved, when they moved here.
And the rest of us will be serving them.
Monday morning breaks with the knowledge that 8,403 people decide the fate of Clatsop County, tomorrow, whether they voted or not. More in this election then at any other time in the history of Clatsop County, every vote counts. Don't throw that ballot in the garbage. If you live in District 1 or 5 and go to work on Wednesday, don't be the one that says you didn't care to vote. This one IS relying on you. In last year's November elections two people won with a difference of under 5 votes. Think about it. Scrape the potato peelings off the ballot, slip it into an envelope (or go down to the election office at 820 Exchange St for a new one) and vote.
