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


The mayor of Portland is solely responsible for nominating a candidate for the Housing Authority of Portland board. The Portland city council must confirm the nomination. HAP directors will spend about $ 80,000,000 of public funds this year on 35,000 clients affecting the lives of 700,000 Multnomah county residents.


1. Do you support the public's right to uncensored written communication with appointed officials of public boards and commissions especially in matters of public policy?

Sam Adams: http://www.samforpdx.com
Yes. At the time of public confirmation every appointee to a pubic board or commission will be told that a line of communication must be maintained between the appointee and the public. No chairperson or staff member will be permitted to censor written communication between citizen and public board member. An email address and a postal address by which every board member can be contacted directly will be posted on all web sites of public boards and commissions.

Supporters who endorse Sam Adams and by extension his public policy statement:
UFCW Local 555 - African American Alliance - Serena Cruz - Peter DeFazio - Larry Hildebrand - Carl Hosticka - Tom Imeson - Steve Janik - Sharon Kelley - Jewel Lansing - Dave Lister

Analysis: Grade - A
Excellent response. Once again Sam Adams comes up with the right answer in the public interest.


Tom Potter: http://www.tomformayor.org
Yes. As mayor I will require an email address and a postal address by which every board member can be contacted directly to be posted on all web sites of Portland's public boards and commissions. No staff person or chairperson of any Portland public board or commission will be permitted to censor written communication between citizens and any public board member.

Supporters who endorse Tom Potter and by extension his public policy statement:
Bud Clark - Jane Cease - Ron Cease - Jo Ann Bowman - Maria Rojo De Steffey - Pauline Anderson - Margaret Strachan - Gretchen Kafoury

Analysis: Grade - A
Well done Tom. You not only get a good grade but also most improved.


Nick Fish: http://www.gofish2004.com
No. As HAP VP I loyally supported Howard Shapiro's decision to censor citizen access to the HAP board and by extension to all of Portland's public boards and commissions. When citizens try to communicate in writing to public board members on matters of public policy it can make those public appointees uncomfortable especially if they are unfamiliar with the organization's public policies. HAP's minimum information about board members on its web site and limiting written communications by citizens to its board is the correct model for all of Portland's boards and commissions.

Supporters who endorse Nick Fish and by extension his public policy statement:
AFSCME, Local 189 - LIUNA, Laborers' Local 483 - Joint Council of Teamsters #37 - David Bragdon - Deborah Kafoury - Julia Brim-Edwards - Lonnie Roberts - George and Nobuko Azumano

Analysis: Grade - F
Nick Fish would feel right at home serving as a lawyer defending VP Dick Cheney's claim that the process by which Cheney developed America's energy policy was not the business of the American people, especially those with environmental concerns. Maybe Washington D. C. would be a better home for Nick's "talents."


Jim Francesconi: http://www.jimfrancesconiformayor.com
No. Citizen input must be restricted to the three minutes generally allowed at the beginning of most public boards and commissions. This is more than enough time for any citizen to express his or her concerns. My colleagues on the city council and I did not think that it was necessary or relevant before we voted to ask the nominee for the HAP board her positions on major public policy matters she would be facing at HAP. As council president I lead Erik Sten, Randy Leonard and Dan Saltzman on this action which should be used as an exemplar for all of Portland's boards and commissions. As the record shows we stand as one on the issue of limiting citizen input and access to public officials.

Supporters who endorse Jim Francesconi and by extension his public policy statement:
AFSCME Local 189 - Amalgamated Transit Union Division 757 - International Longshore & Warehouse Union Dist. 8 - IBEW Local 125 - Joint Council of Teamsters #37 - Metro Assoc. of Realtors - SEIU Oregon State Council - OPEU - UFCW Local 555

Analysis: Grade - F
Jim gets points for honesty but looses them all for bad judgement. Just because Sten, Leonard and Saltzman made similar mistakes doesn't excuse Francesconi. Keep Jim's record in mind during the campaign when he will, no doubt, go on at length about the importance of citizen input into city government.


2. Should the city of Portland and HAP be required to prove, using neighborhood map based evidence, that they are succeeding with their own policies of not locating low-income housing clients in a few select neighborhoods?

Sam Adams: http://www.samforpdx.com
Yes. The city of Portland must adopt neighborhood map based accounting to prove that its public housing policy is not at variance with its public practice. The city council must require HAP to adapt a public housing policy which is similar to Portland's policy of distribution not concentration of low-income clients in a few select neighborhoods. HAP must also adopt neighborhood map based accounting to prove that its public housing policy is not at variance with its public practice. I will ask the Portland city council to remove any HAP board member that does not support neighborhood map based accounting of HAP's low-income housing clients.

Supporters who endorse Sam Adams and by extension his public policy statement:
Patricia McCaig - Gussie McRobert - Bob Naito - Brian Newman - Cheryl Perrin - Maria Rojo de Steffey - Bob Skipper - Beverly Stein - Felicia Trader

Analysis: Grade - A
Perhaps because Sam lives in Kenton he has a heightened awareness of the discrepancy between HAP's public housing policy and the results of HAP's public housing practice. I'm impressed with Sam's unequivocal commitment to neighborhood map based accounting.


Tom Potter: http://www.tomformayor.org
Yes. As mayor I will require that evidence of compliance to Portland's public housing policy be presented to the council for public comment and review using neighborhood map based accounting. As mayor I will persuade HAP board members to follow my lead. As mayor I will only nominate HAP board members that support neighborhood map based accounting of HAP's low-income housing clients. As mayor I will ask the Portland city council to remove any HAP board member that does not support neighborhood map based accounting of HAP's low-income housing clients.

Supporters who endorse Tom Potter and by extension his public policy statement:
Lloyd Anderson - Bev Stein - Mike Burton - Barbara Clark - Marc Abrams - Paul Leistner - Sumner Sharpe

Analysis: Grade - A
Tom has learned a lot since the last HAP quiz. Potter's promise to remove HAP board members that oppose neighborhood map based accounting shows boldness and strength and is to be applauded. Right on Tom.


Nick Fish: http://www.gofish2004.com
No/Yes. As a newcomer to Portland with political ambitions it was imperative that I convince the local establishment that I was a team plalyer. So I had no choice but to obediently support Howard Shapiro's opposition to neighborhood map based accounting of HAP's low-income housing clients. To do otherwise would have exposed the fact that HAP does concentrate its clients in a select few neighborhoods and has no intention of changing and upsetting the status quo. Later it was necessary to mislead Oregonian columnist Renee Mitchell about my position on this issue because as a candidate for city council I now need to appear to support the city of Portland's public policy of non concentration of low-income housing clients.

Supporters who endorse Nick Fish and by extension his public policy statement:
Charlotte and Ogden Beeman - Ernie Bonner - Ron Buel - David Austin - Sho and Loen Dozono - Rick Gustafson - Mike Houck - Pat LaCrosse - Sid and Muriel Lezak - Nohad and Dirce Toulan

Analysis: Grade - F
Nick Fish is the perfect example of, "where you stand depends on where you sit." As a scion of a wealthy Republican political dynasty and a New York lawyer, Nick Fish has had a lifetime of excellent training in the arts of obfuscation, deception and spin. Nick Fish is a charming, slick and slippery professional politician.


Jim Francesconi: http://www.jimfrancesconiformayor.com
No. Evaluating the success of public policy by comparing it to the results of public practice can be a very embarrassing exercise. The people of Portland and Multnomah county need to trust those of us in power to do the right thing. The Housing Authority of Portland is doing a great job.

Supporters who endorse Jim Francesconi and by extension his public policy statement:
Lawrence Black - Gwyneth Gamble Booth - Margaret Carter - Diana Goldschmidt - Gary Hansen - Mike Houck - Derry Jackson - Jim Kuffner - Susan Landauer - Debbie Menashe - Tom Moyer - Lonnie Roberts - Charles Swindells

Analysis: Grade - F
Keep Jim's record in mind during the campaign when he will, no doubt, go on at length about the importance of strong healthy neighborhoods. As long as Jim's neighborhood is safe from too many HAP buildings and Section 8 clients, comparing pubic housing policy with the results of public housing practice is not going to be on Francesconi's agenda.


The preceding statements were consented to by each candidate as uncontroversial, uncontested and a true reflection of their opinions.*

Summary:
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.

Nick Fish is a political chameleon who will say whatever is necessary to stay in the good graces of the established power structure. Caveat Emptor.

Jim Francesconi's public record of stealth appointments, opposition to citizen access to government officials and his refusal to hold HAP accountable for concentrating its clients in a few select neighborhoods is doubtless very disturbing to many of his supporters. Perhaps some of them should have a talk with Jim and try to steer him in the right direction.


Please visit all of the candidates' web sites. You will notice that not one of them mentions any HAP related public policy issues or positions.

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

HOME