County Tax Plan Hit By Friendly Fire 4/7/03

Despite the success of a looming election measure being based on financial trust and without regard for the label of fiscally irresponsible, Multnomah County has recklessly decided to spend some of its scarce money, staff time and credibility to plan for a new library when there is no money to build it and the community it should serve overwhelmingly opposes it.

Commissioners Maria Rojo de Steffey and Lisa Naito challenged their colleagues to consider how it would look if they proceded to spend severely limited county resources trying to site a library in North Portland when the County was pleading poverty and asking voters to support the only county personal income tax in the state of oregon.

This vote put personal political agendas before the needs of the county to raise money for schools, public safety and mental health services. Rojo de Steffey said, "this is the wrong time to do this." Naito followed with, "we've been slammed about this before and we're doing it again."

Attention Neighborhood Activists and Good Government Types
Like many matters before government bodies the votes were decided long before the meeting began. On the solid ground of fiscal responsibility, Commissioners Rojo de Steffey and Naito entered the chamber ready to cast their votes to postpone the matter. Chair Linn and Commissioners Cruz and Roberts were locked in to vote in favor regardless of any citizen testimony or their colleagues' admonitions of danger.

It is very disheartening to citizens who believe they are participating in the democratic process and must take time away from their daily lives to spend a few hours before a government body which turns out to be clearly not interested in hearing what they have to say.

I've Got More Important Business Elsewhere
At the beginning of the session Commissioner Lonnie Roberts announced that he would soon be leaving because he had another engagement more important than the job to which he was elected. Knowing that his vote was the only way for the resolution to pass Chair Linn sped the proceedings along making even more of a mockery of the process.

As it turned out Roberts's public pronouncement of more urgent business never materialized. Every time he even looked toward the exit Commissioner Serena Cruz would grab his arm or whisper something in his ear and Roberts would get back in line. It was obvious that Cruz had made some kind of deal with Roberts, possibly to support some extravagance at the would be Troutdale library which was all Roberts talked about during a hearing on a library in North Portland.

Moving Right Along
The Commissioners were in such a rush and so disinterested in public testimony that not one of them asked a single question of any citizen opposing the resolution. Citizens who had spent years on the library siting issue or the Villa remodel were summarily ignored. It was insulting to the 26,000 North Portland residents of Arbor Lodge, Portsmouth, Kenton and University Park neighborhoods. It was a disgrace to the process of Multnomah County Government.

Unanimous Doesn't Count Here
Every citizen who wasn't on a government payroll connected to HAP or Multnomah County testified on behalf of siting a library on Lombard. Yes, every one. Yet the Multnomah County Commission refused to acknowledge this stark difference between the citizenry and the hired help. This is not the way to persuade your community and your constituents that you are listening.

Renee Mitchell Gets It Right
In a piece which caught both the essence and the tone of the morning's misadventures, Oregonian Columnist, Renee Mitchell got it right.* Here's an excerpt:
The question arises: Why is Cruz adamant about bucking the emotional tide rushing against putting a library branch in the New Columbia location?

It could be mere coincidence that the Housing Authority generously praises Cruz and the county for support in getting the $35 million in Hope VI federal grant money that will be used to redevelop Columbia Villa.

By happenstance, her in-laws own the construction company that will be paid $58 million by the Housing Authority to build New Columbia. And the library may be critical to the Housing Authority drawing enough middle-income families to make this ambitious experiment work.

"It would be unreasonable not to hold her suspect on any of her motives," says Richard Ellmyer, a vocal critic of the New Columbia project. "She's been the one whose been pushing the library thing, solely."

* http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/renee_mitchell/index.ssf?/base/news/1049461558217020.xml

Multnomah County Credibility Is Now On The Table
The following was part of my testimony heard by the Multnomah County Commissioners:
"All issues related to Columbia Villa, including this library, require consideration of HAP’s credibility. Should Multnomah County give taxpayer's money to a quasi-government institution that steadfastly refuses to release basic information about its operations to the public or the press?

Before this Commission gives another dime of taxpayer’s money to HAP it must insist that HAP answer the following questions:
1. How many clients do you serve and where are they located by neighborhood?
2. What is the difference in cost to house similar clients in HAP owned housing versus section 8 vouchers?
3. What is the true market value of the property and the land HAP plans to demolish and sell at Columbia Villa?

If you don’t ask and get the answers to these questions then you will have been derelict in your duty to provide oversight and accountability for a quasi-government institution that is not directly accountable to Multnomah County taxpayers. You cannot expect voters in Multnomah County to vote for your new income tax increase if your efforts to audit HAP’s books are not better than Arthur Andersen’s was with Enron."