The Clackamas County Commission is facing a difficult decision after the county counsel's office issued an opinion this week saying that the public rail funding measure on the Sept. 18 special election ballot doesn't apply to the $1.49 billion Portland-to-Milwaukie light-rail project.
Activists who gathered enough voter signatures to place the measure on the ballot certainly intended for it to require a public vote on the county's $25 million commitment to project. Virtually all of the news coverage said it did, too.
But now the commission has to decide whether to risk angering even more voters by saying they don't have the right to vote on the funding even before the measure passes or fails.
The decision is especially tricky for Chair Charolette Lehan and Commissioner Jamie Damon. They are already facing funding opponents at the November general election. Appearing to be against the right to vote is probably not the best way to win re-election, even if there's a legal opinion to justify such a decision.
Sources Say • Candidates hit rail vote hitch
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