Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt dug his heels in Monday night, telling the city council that his meetings with three other local elected officials from both sides of the river are instrumental in getting a new Interstate 5 bridge built.
In turn, several council members had pointed words for Leavitt, expressing concerns about his meetings with Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart, Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Metro President David Bragdon, regarding the bridge.
The fallout continues from a letter the four sent last month to the governors of Oregon and Washington, calling for more local input on the $4 billion project, including independent analysis of the $72 million of planning and data the five years of preparation has produced.
The newly elected mayor wrote in his blog Sunday that he reached out to the three officials after seeing the “progress on the project ground to a halt in December.”
Leavitt told the council Monday that negotiations on the bridge are “precarious” and getting construction under way is going to require compromise.
“We have partners on the other side of the river that have different pressures,” he said. “If we’re working as a team … we have to be respectful of their concerns.”
Still, local leaders were taken aback last week, when The Columbian reported that Portland was independently assessing a six-lane bridge option, far different than a bridge with 10 to 12 lanes the Vancouver council gave its formal approval to in 2008. Adams has since suspended that analysis.
“I don’t like to feel we’re being used or playing against each other,” Councilor Larry Smith said. “If someone else has another agenda that’s more focused on their constituents — Portland — that does cause me some concern.”
The meeting drew several dozen to the audience; some sat with signs that read “No Bridge Tolls” and applauded loudly when Councilor Jeanne Stewart voiced her opposition to a planned light-rail line into Vancouver.
Councilor Pat Campbell said that Leavitt should keep the council informed on his actions and cautioned him to check in before making any decisions. Issues should be processed through the council, he said.
“We should work through what we’ve already set up … we don’t need this derailed,” he said.
‘I’m at liberty’
After the meeting, Leavitt said the workshop, which was scheduled last week at the council’s request, was a good opportunity to update members on what was happening.
The council likely will meet again soon to further discuss tolling and the potential for an independent analysis of the planning data that’s been amassed.
He also said that he felt like the council was generally supportive of what the letter to the governors contained and that all seven members want to see a bridge built.
But he asserted his right to continue meeting with the other local elected officials and to take action.
“I’m the mayor of Vancouver, it’s my responsibility to provide leadership, collaboration and partnership with others in the region,” Leavitt said. “For any reason other than a policy shift, I’m at liberty to represent the citizens of the community and the city council.”
