Quiring worried input from Clark County Citizens United was ignored
Clark County Councilor Eileen Quiring is concerned Clark County Citizens United wasn’t listened to.
In case you hadn’t heard, things aren’t going great for Clark County Citizens United. Last month, the rural property rights group saw virtually all of its appeals against the county’s comprehensive plan dismissed. Last week, Carol Levanen, the group’s executive secretary, confronted me after a county work session. She huffed that I’m “biased” because I published part of an email she sent me. The email informed me I wrote a lousy article on local farming and that local farmers are lousy at growing radishes.
Lately, Levanen and Rasmussen, CCCU’s president, have shown up to county council meetings to complain that input from rural landowners was not included in the record that was used to craft the county’s comprehensive plan.
But there is good news for the group: Someone in power is listening to them.
County Councilor Eileen Quiring told me on the most recent episode of Clark County Focus
that she would be looking into the group’s allegations. Quiring said that the group submitted a voluminous amount of information on the comprehensive plan that she’s concerned didn’t make it into the record. She said what’s included, or not included, matters because it influences the plan.
“If they don’t appear in the record then something is wrong,” she said.
Quiring also took issue with local environmental group Friends of Clark County and Seattle-based land-use group Futurewise bringing appeals (which they largely prevailed on) against Clark County’s comprehensive plan.
“Frankly, often the appeals that seem to come from the other side, it’s not their property in the first place,” said Quiring. “And I would say it’s a real bone of contention.”
After the show, Quiring told me she’d let me know if she finds any evidence that input from CCCU was excluded. Stay tuned.
