HR Parks charter amendment heads to ballot after 5-2 ‘do nothing’ council vote

The technicality is that, by law, 14-67 will go to a vote of city residents anyway, as it is the result of a successful initiative petition submitted and approved by the Hood River County Elections Office.

(In other business, Mayor Paul Blackburn issued the oath of office to reserve police officer Franciso Salgado, and the council set aside the question of approving a lease with the Port of Hood River for creating a dog park at the waterfront.)

The question before council  was whether or not to pass a resolution in support, to “do nothing,” or to propose an alternate measure to 14-67.

Specifically, the council’s three options regarding the proposed charter amendment were to: One, adopt the measure, in which case it will still proceed to a vote as required for all Charter amendments; two, reject the measure and recommend a competing ballot measure, both of which will proceed to a vote in the November election; three, do nothing, and Measure 14-67 will still appear on the November ballot.

Councilor Kate McBride cast the motion with Councilor Megan Saunders seconding, to “do nothing.”

The vote on the motion was five in favor, two against. Councilors Erick Haynie and Tim Counihan cast the dissenting votes. Councilors Mark Zanmiller, Jessica Metta, Saunders, McBride, and Mayor Paul Blackburn voted in favor of the motion.

City attorney Dan Kearns reminded the council, “it doesn’t mater what you do, it will be on the ballot.”

Counihan harkened to the council’s rezone decision itself, saying, “if it were up to me, we’d put Morrison Park on the ballot.

“I applaud the fight, but I don’t think that’s (a charter amendment) the best way,” Zanmiller said of the initiative petition. “I say put it (charter amendment) on the ballot and don’t support it.”

“We’d have saved ourselves a lot of trouble if we’d put it on the ballot, and I’d be surprised if it hadn’t passed,” Counihan said.

 Zanmiller said, “I’d still make the same decision, next time.”

The petition needed 762 registered voters’ signatures from inside the city. The county elections division officially listed the count as 764 out of a total of 1,002 signatures collected.