After three years apart, Clark County government and the county’s largest nonprofit jobs promoter are back together again.
In yet another example of backtracking on policies set by its previous board, the Clark County council voted 3-2 Tuesday to restore $100,000 in annual funding to the Columbia River Economic Development Council, a Vancouver-based nonprofit that works to recruit potential employers to the area. The funding will help support economic development services in Clark County through 2016.
“The CREDC for the last two years has provided services to the county,” said Jeff Swanson, the county’s economic development director. “While other jurisdictions have made contributions as an investor … we have not made any kind of investments or contributions.”
With Tuesday’s decision, Clark County joins more than 140 investors to the CREDC, including private businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies such as the city and Port of Vancouver.
“It’s a huge year for economic development initiatives, and we are pleased to be able to focus on our work in concert with the entire (economic development) community,” CREDC President Mike Bomar said.
The divided vote reversed a 2013 decision by Republican Councilors David Madore and Tom Mielke to halt $200,000 in funding to the organization over what they called its advocacy for the now-defunct Columbia River Crossing project, which would have replaced the Interstate 5 bridge and brought a light rail line to Vancouver.
While Council Chair Marc Boldt, no party preference, and Republican Councilors Julie Olson and Jeanne Stewart voted to reinstate that funding, Madore and Mielke maintained their position not to fund the organization.
Mielke, citing a recent contribution of $100,000 that the county gave to the CREDC to fund a study identifying development-ready parcels, said Clark County has already given the organization too much money.
“This amount of money is way too much, in my opinion,” Mielke said.
The discussion also prompted a brief debate between Madore and Acting County Manager Mark McCauley, a continuation of tension between the two in recent weeks.
“The previous board decided to terminate long-term relationships that we had with a number of community organizations,” McCauley said, adding that the “new board is interested in reestablishing those relationships.”
Madore, however, told McCauley that “politics should not come into this,” adding that funding was pulled from the CREDC because its “No. 1 agenda item was pushing the CRC.”
Madore’s accusations echoed not only what he said in 2013, but also last May when he threatened to vote against granting the CREDC the county’s Associate Development Organization status. That label qualifies the CREDC for $160,000 in annual support from the state Commerce Department to support business services.
At the time, Madore, who eventually voted to support the CREDC’s ADO status, raised concerns about the CREDC’s advocating for improvements to the Interstate 5 interchange at Mill Plain Boulevard, claiming it was a veiled attempt to revive the Interstate 5 Bridge project.
“(The CREDC) broke relationships with the citizens,” Madore said. “Please don’t bring in politics.”
“Sir, I object to your characterization,” McCauley retorted. “I am simply reciting history.”
The funding, however, had vocal support from Stewart, Olson and Boldt.
“People are sick of me saying this, but we are a regional service provider and that includes economic development,” Boldt said.
“We are in this county together,” he added.
