Clark County Dems: Stay the Course on CRC

The Clark County Democratic Central Committee has taken the unusual step of endorsing a new Interstate 5 Bridge and light rail extension into Vancouver and warning against “political rhetoric that could undermine the cooperative effort to find and fund a compromise solution that benefits the region as a whole.”

In a letter to the Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council, County Democratic Chair Dena Horton declared, “We are all neighbors and should confirm our commitment to moving forward from the highest common ground that has been achieved through considerable efforts to date . . . The longer action is delayed, the more we risk losing federal funding for the project.”

The March 15 letter was a clear effort by party leaders to smooth ruffled feathers after four elected officials in Vancouver and Portland announced they wanted to take a fresh look at bridge project options independently of state transportation officials.

Kathie Durbin