2004

Nick Fish Fails Fear Factor, Sam Adams Successful Survivor 9/7/04

Below are the answers to some fundamental public housing policy questions by candidate for Portland city council Sam Adams. You will not find answers by candidate Nick Fish. The ubiquitous Mr. Fish is happy to dispense platitudes to the crowd and cheerily hit the odd softball lobbed by inexperienced and ill-informed journalists. But when it comes to facing the music with someone who knows the score better than he does, Nick Fish swims away as if frightened by a predator.

Mayoral Candidates Potter and Francesconi Talk Public Housing Policy 9/7/04

On September 3, 2004 I spent an hour or more with each mayoral candidate, Tom Potter and Jim Francesconi, discussing a single subject, public housing policy in Portland, Multnomah county and Metro's regional jurisdiction. The responses below are either quotes or paraphrases that catch the spirit of their answers. The most gratifying result of these conversations was the realization that both candidates emerged with a greater understanding of their potential role as mayor regarding public housing policy.

Dodging the voters - Politicians and the Press 8/8/04

Asking candidates for public office where they stand on public policy issues is YOUR business. It's YOUR job to ask the questions and then tell us the answers. It's what readers expect. And you're not delivering any more than the politicians you chastise. The Oregonian's reluctance to examine the issue of public housing policy, both within (editorial) and without (reporting) is indefensible, unprofessional and a disservice to your readers and our community.

Paradigm Shift Challenges Public Housing Decision Makers 7/26/04

If you vote to spend a new dime of public funds in any neighborhood that already has six percent (6%) public housing clients you will be identified as voting for concentration of public housing and against the livability standards of the neighborhoods that have already done their fair share.

Hollywood is #1 - Beats Portsmouth 52-18. Gresham Neighborhoods Below Par 7/18/04

I welcome any elected or appointed official in the state of Oregon or any member of the Oregon press corps to publicly challenge my table with one of their own.

HAP Watchers Suit Up, You're Now In The Game 7/12/04

This summer citizens of Multnomah county will have the extremely rare opportunity to speak out and influence a public policy matter normally made inaccessible to them. For the first time Multnomah county voters will have a chance to "cast a vote" in favor of a public housing policy which is transparent, understandable and accountable to taxpayers.

Planning Director Kellley Tricks Auditor - Housing Data "Disappears" 6/14/04

Government accountability for connecting public housing goals with expenditures turns out to be a shared objective of Gary Blackmer, the Portland City Auditor, and myself. On June 5, 2002 City Auditor Gary Blackmer issued an immensely important ground breaking report on the relationship between housing goals and public expenditures at BHCD, PDC and HAP.

You Want To Be Mayor - OK, What Will You Do NOW With This Issue? 6/1/04

Hi Tom Potter, Jim Francesconi, Sam Adams and Nick Fish:
Below is a Bill of Particulars regarding the removal of HAP commissioners which was formally presented to mayor Katz on April 27, 2004. ORS 456.ll0 states that a commissioner can be removed by the mayor, "For inefficiency or neglect of duty or misconduct in office." The arguments at the end of this email make the case.

Round Two - Public Housing Visibility? 5/19/04

Hi Tom Potter, Jim Francesconi, Sam Adams, Nick Fish:
Congratulations on making it to round two of our election process on the path to Portland's City Hall. In the next five and a half months you will have ample opportunity to discuss and debate the one major subject noticeably and disturbingly absent from the first part of your campaigns, namely, public housing.

PGE, HAP And Katz Spurn Greening Of Columbia Villa 5-3-04

The question is not what WAS built at Columbia Villa but rather what COULD have and SHOULD have been built.

HAP Commissioners Failing Accountability Test Must Be Fired 4/27/04

Mayor Katz:
This is a formal request to remove from public office the following Housing Authority of Portland commissioners:
Jeff Bachrach, Harriet Cormack, Richard Fernandez , Shar Giard, Chris Lassen, Lee Moore, Kandis Brewer Nunn, Howard Shapiro, Antoinette Teixeira.

Public Officials "Vote" on $217,000,000 Public Housing Accountability 4/26/04

It is a given that citizens who chose to be elected or appointed to public office want to make public policy. That is the job. Public housing policy involves the lives and businesses of 700,000 citizens in 117 neighborhoods in Multnomah county. More importantly, it involves the expenditure of $217,500,000 of public funds, i.e. taxpayer dollars. You are a player in this game and your constituents, your colleagues and the press expect you to have and to express an opinion on this subject.

HAP Watcher's Quiz #3 - Candidates All Say Kerry Best For Portland 4/13/04

Do you support a public housing policy goal for all of Multnomah county's 117 neighborhoods that establishes SIX PERCENT of the total population of any and every neighborhood to include public housing clients with no neighborhood having fewer than THREE PERCENT and no neighborhood having more than NINE PERCENT of public housing clients?

Francesconi, Potter and Leonard Ignore Public Housing Issues 4/12/04

We no longer rely on a page in the Voter's Pamphlet and a postcard from candidates to tell us where they stand on the issues. A candidate's web site can and should now tell us everything we need to know to make an informed choice.

How Green Is My Villa? 4/4/04

There is absolutely no reason to believe that HAP will build all, most or even some of the hundreds of structures at Columbia Villa for low-income public housing clients to the highest "green" standards without the pressure of a third party overseer.

The decision to sell public land, the number, size and cost of the for sale homes is entirely the product and responsibility of the HAP board. These were and are ALL PUBLIC POLICY DECISIONS relating to real public property.

HAP's Changing Of The Guard 3/29/04

Kandis Brewer Nunn is now the public official in charge of the Housing Authority of Portland. Ms. Nunn is Chairperson of a quasi-governmental organization that affects the lives, property values and businesses of 700,000 residents in 117 neighborhoods of Multnomah county and 35,000 HAP clients. Ms. Nunn presides over a $90,000,000 publicly funded budget which is larger than 70% of the counties in the state of Oregon (25 of 36). Ms. Nunn presides over a $90,000,000 publicly funded budget which is larger than 95% of the cities in the state of Oregon (229 of 240). Ms. Nunn, an appointed public official, has more budgetary power than about 1,000 elected officials in the state of Oregon. Any public official, elected or appointed, with a $90,000,000 checkbook of taxpayer dollars must be held accountable.

"Don't Bother Me With Public Policy" Complains HAP Board Member Fernandez 3/18/04

You are a public official. You have been appointed to the board of the the Housing Authority of Portland, a quasi-governmental public body which has the authority to spend $90,000,000 of taxpayers money in FY2004. You are the board Treasurer of an organization that has a bigger public budget than 70% of the counties in the state of Oregon (25 of 36). You are the board Treasurer of an organization that has a bigger public budget than 95% of the cities in the state of Oregon (229 of 240). And you want to remain anonymous and shielded from the public? Preposterous.

Mayoral hopefuls get a heads-up 3/12/04

Candidates should expect to be asked this question during and after the campaign until such time as the EVIDENCE proves that program results and policy goals do, in fact, match. Keep in mind that without neighborhood map based accounting there can be no evidence.

Round Two - Candidates Take 2nd HAP Quiz 2/17/04

Sam Adams and Tom Potter's answers support public policy positions that are clearly in the interest of the citizens of Portland and Multnomah county. They support free speech and citizen access to government leaders. Adams and Potter quite correctly and responsibly say they want government to provide evidence that the results of its housing practices match the goals of its public housing policies.

Candidates Respond to HAP Appointment Process 1/19/04

Contrary to the protestations of Ralph Nader, the election of George W. Bush proved with frightening clarity that it does make a difference who gets elected to public office. Or, in this case, who gets appointed to public office.

The Rules Of The Game 1/11/04

On Wednesday January 7th I asked all of you, candidates for public office, for "your reactions to the recent stealth nominating PROCESS (NOT the appointee) of Harriet Cormack to the HAP board." (See Below). The deadline for responding is 2:30 PM Tuesday January 13th.

HAP Stealth Nominee Sneaks In Under The Radar 1/5/04

The Portland City Council, Vera Katz - Erik Sten - Jim Francesconi - Dan Saltzman - Randy Leonard, has committed a dishonorable and unethical act by surreptitiously appointing Harriet Cormack to the board of the Housing Authority of Portland during a major holiday week without notifying the public the press or those who made written requests to testify.