In a move to bring cameras to commissions* that will certainly add "hypocrite" to "bully"* and other pejorative descriptors used by some to define a certain Portland City Commissioner, Randy Leonard has just "awakened" to the notion that public Boards and Commissions need more public access. Hallelujah Brother Randy, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Unfortunately, it seems Brother Randy's born-again conversion from the dark side is motivated more by petulance and pique* than a true belief that the public should have a better opportunity to communicate with, observe and understand the workings of all public Boards and Commissions.

"When you're in public life, somebody is watching"* Yes, that's true Randy. Many in our community have been watching your past performance regarding citizens' rights to communicate with, observe and understand the people and policies of public Boards and Commissions. Here are some examples of Randy Leonard's pre-enlightenment behavior in the B&C arena:

A) Randy Leonard refused to ask HAP to provide public information by neighborhoods instead of zip codes. He abdicated his responsibility as ONI Commissioner to neighborhoods in favor of obfuscating information to protect HAP. Leonard refuses to shine light on HAP's indefensible zip code based information policy.**

B) Randy Leonard refused to ask HAP to prove that it has not overtly, covertly or inadvertently developed a public policy of concentration rather than distribution of low-income housing clients. Leonard refuses to shine light on HAP's indefensible public housing policy.***

C) Randy Leonard refused to ask HAP to explain why any citizen should be denied direct, unfiltered written access to a HAP Board member or a board member of any city board or commission? Leonard stood mute when HAP Chair, Howard Shapiro, announced the absurd proposition (swallowed whole by some gullible Willamette Week reporters****) that taking thirteen minutes over sixteen months to forward policy related emails was too much stress on HAP staff thereby compelling him to take on the job of HAP censor. Leonard refuses to shine light on HAP's indefensible public communications policy.

D) Randy Leonard refused to ask HAP to explain why there is no board employment information published on HAP's web site.***** Most other Boards and Commissions list this information along with a biography of the board member.# Contributing more than $50 to a political campaign requires the recipient to list the employer of the donor. In order to determine whether a public board member's public behavior may involve a conflict of interest it is mandatory that the public and the press know the board member's employment status. Leonard refuses to shine light on HAP's indefensible board employment information policy.##

E) Randy Leonard refused to ask HAP to explain why HAP thought it was above the law by blatantly violating zoning laws over a period of years at Columbia Villa. Even after HAP was officially cited by the city of Portland it still refused to comply. How about discussing this on cable TV? Leonard refuses to shine light on HAP's indefensible illegal zoning compliance policy.###

F) Randy Leonard refused to ask HAP to explain why a proposal to use excess methane from the Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant to provide a free energy resource to Columbia Villa, which was supported by HAP's Director and the Villa remodel manager, mysteriously disappeared after Steve Rudman became HAP director. Leonard refuses to shine light on HAP's indefensible missing methane policy.####

Brother Leonard should focus his newly evolving missionary zeal for openness of public Boards and Commissions on those institutions that have statutory control over the spending of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, namely, the Housing Authority of Portland and the Portland Development Commission##### instead of the Portland Planning Commission which is strictly advisory and spends no public dollars.

If Randy Leonard doesn't want to be known as a "bully" that's full of "bull" then he needs to show some of that presumed "firefighter" courage not bravado and shine his flame of righteousness on the powerful darkness at HAP and PDC before he tries to light up the benign Portland Planning Commission.

* http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/exclude/1066392232270050.xml
** http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/GovGetsMap.html
***
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/NoAudit.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/20Million.html
****
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/ChiefCensor.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/WWletter.html
***** http://www.hapdx.org/about/board.html
#
http://www.planning.ci.portland.or.us/pc_about.html
http://www.pdc.us/about_pdc/leadership/leadership.asp
## http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/WWRogue.html
### http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/Reporter.html
####
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/Methane.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/BuckStops.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/MissingMethane.html
##### http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/PDC.html

Richard Ellmyer
HAP Watcher, Political Observer
Portsmouth neighborhood, North Portland