NBCFGFG City Council Candidate Questionnaire Final Words

Levi Clow chose not to reply to our questionnaire, but, instead chose to make the following statement. Here is his statement, un-retouched in its entirety. Readers can determine whether he answered the questions and provided any understanding of city issues, vision, or solutions for the future of the city.

“Hello,

I will not participate in your clearly targeted response questions. This questionnaire is obviously derived to push your agenda, and to focus on the PAST ballot measures as well as a support feeder for James Rose. Why is it that your group is always dwelling on the past and never looks forward to the future? Do you not want this city to grow?

I do not trust your organization, or yourself personally Greg. I wholeheartedly believe and feel that the “good faith” group you help run, lied and fully deceived the public into believing your rhetoric. The public were told time and time again that the public safety fee was illegal, even though North Bend charter specifically enables the council to do so. That was obvious when the courts dismissed your group’s lawsuit. You successfully got the pool to close AND cost our tax payer’s $60k in legal fees, all for nothing. So now you pushed the rock down the road for another year, which will then require a revisit. You also pushed a measure that ties the hands of the council to run the city as required.

I do not need, nor do I want any support from your group for my campaign. I do not like to associate myself with a group as damaging as yours. It is time our city moves forward, not backwards like you want to do. ”
 
 
NBCFGFG Response to Mr. Clow’s email.

Mr. Clow’s email contains substantial misinformation based on Mr. Clow’s own misunderstanding of what has actually occurred in the multiple situations to which he refers. The facts surrounding his allegations:

1.The questionnaire was written based on feedback from the voters from which we gathered some 1500 signatures on two separate ballot petitions in December of 2019. And as demonstrated by the overwhelming passage of 6-176 and 6-177, (76%, and 58% respectively) the voters have clearly indicated what they care about including the past, the voting record of councilors, and all that happened without their voter approval. Voters are VERY concerned about what has happened in the past 2.5 years. As a result, this election is a referendum on the city ignoring the vote of people and all the councilors who participated in the entire sham by voting to approve. By failing to understand and learn from the past, listen to and comprehend a voter opinion different from his own, Mr. Clow is also ignoring the will of the people in the same way the City Council has, by suggesting we forget it and move on. Voters have to decide how much more they wish to be ignored.

2.NBCFGFG never stated the public safety fee was illegal. That was a belief of at least one of our members, but was not the stated position of the group. If the consensus of the NBCFGFG Board had been that it was illegal, we would have written 6-177 to rollback the fee from $30 to 0 rather than the $15 on which we settled.

3. NBCFGFG had absolutely no connection to the lawsuit filed. If Mr. Clow had reviewed the case, he would have noticed that the plaintiff was not NBCFGFG or any of its officers. The suit was a class action suit filed on the part of city residents on Marion St. This information is public knowledge for those seeking information.

4. Mr. Clow’s assertion that this suit cost $60k in legal fees is wildly incorrect. That actual number from non-final budgetary information was above $80k and assumed to be around $150k (of citizen’s money) at resolution which involved two law firms employed by city.

5. NBCFGFG had nothing whatsoever to do with the pool closure. Covid-19 restrictions has closed the pool for an extended period which severely increased it’s already large losses. The pool was operating at a loss of about $300k annually for some years.

6.NBCFGFG didn’t tie the hands of council. NBCFGFG reminded City Council and administration through the ballot measure process, that when the city wants to reach into citizens’ pockets for more money beyond the basic tax base, it needs to obtain approval of those citizens first. By learning from, cleaning up and avoiding the mistakes of the past, only then may we move forward.