Mow Your Own Backyard First 4/21/03

Senator Wyden:
The New York Times says that you are, "one of the lead sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would require a public explanation of any decision to award Iraqi reconstruction contracts."*

In an interview, you said, "You look at this process, which is secret, limited or closed bidding, and you have to ask yourself: `Why are these companies being picked? How's this process taking place, and is this the best use of scarce taxpayer money ...? The administration has been keeping the taxpayers in the dark with respect to how this money is being used, and that information ought to be shared."

* http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/21/opinion/21HERB.html

Many of us would be more impressed with the sincerity of your concern for keeping taxpayers informed about how their money is being spent if you had turned your attention to exposing similar issues closer to home in which you are directly involved. In June of 2001 you signed a letter to the Director of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development supporting a $35 million grant of taxpayers' money to the Housing Authority of Portland to remodel the Columbia Villa. You persuaded others in our Oregon congressional delegation to support a project in a place, North Portland, which most of them had never heard of much less set foot in. Since that time you have not been involved nor have you persuaded any of your colleagues to follow up and see if what they signed on to was good public housing policy. All of you have been AWOL for almost two years. There is often a penalty for such behavior.

Will you ask Representative David Wu to join you in asking HAP what kind of closed door deals it intends to make selling public Columbia Villa land to developers at non-market rate prices as outlined in the grant revision document?**

** http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/HAPSellsLand.html

Will you ask Representative Darlene Hooley to join you in asking HAP how many clients it serves and where are they located by neighborhood?***

*** http://www.goodgrowthnw.org

Will you ask Senator Gordon Smith to join you in asking HAP what the cost difference is to house similar clients in HAP owned housing versus section 8 vouchers?

Will you ask Representative Peter DeFazio to join you in asking HAP what is the true market value of the property and the land HAP plans to demolish and sell at Columbia Villa?

Will you ask Representative Greg Walden to join you in asking HAP what ever happened to the $2 million dollars promised by Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman for methane conversion hardware to be used to supply energy to Columbia Villa?

Will you ask Representative Earl Blumenauer to join you in asking HAP about the connections with Multnomah County Commissioner Serena Cruz, her campaign contributors list****, her insistence on siting a library at Columbia Villa despite overwhelming citizen opposition*****, and a $58 million building contract at Columbia Villa recently awarded to her in-laws?

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

Before you start throwing stones at Bush and Bechtel you need to take care of business at home and focus your aim at Shapiro and Rudman. And bring your colleagues with you.