To: samadams@ci.portland.or.us, rleonard@ci.portland.or.us, tpotter@ci.portland.or.us, dsaltzman@ci.portland.or.us, erik@ci.portland.or.us
Cc: localmedia@macsolve.com, serena.m.cruz@co.multnomah.or.us, mult.chair@co.multnomah.or.us, lisa.h.naito@co.multnomah.or.us, lonnie.j.roberts@co.multnomah.or.us, district1@co.multnomah.or.us, Molly.Cafferty@ci.gresham.or.us, Shane.Bemis@ci.gresham.or.us, Shirley.Craddick@ci.gresham.or.us, Karylinn.Echols@ci.gresham.or.us, Jacquenette.McIntire@ci.gresham.or.us, Dave.Shields@ci.gresham.or.us, Paul.Warr-King@ci.gresham.or.us, board@hapdx.org, mazziottid@pdc.us, bferran@windermere.com, jbyrd@tnpf.org, tony@cascadiafund.org, lkaeser@easystreet.com, jimpatmc@msn.com, rogernmeyer@earthlink.net, john@hostdevelopment.com, roserria@hotmail.com, susanstoltenberg@gmail.com, irmavaldez@windermere.com, billv@noah-housing.org, joewykowski@cs.com, mhennessee@quiktrak.com, mazziottid@pdc.us, mazziottid@pdc.us

Mr. Mayor and members of the Portland City Council:
I'm told that very soon the mayor will be making bureau assignments. I have no foreknowledge of his choices. However, I would like to make a point about one particular bureau, namely, the Bureau of Housing and Community Development.

The mayor can assign all the bureaus to other members of the city council. But, he cannot assign his statutory authority to nominate and dismiss (ORS 456.110) the twenty-nine public housing commissioners at HAP, PDC and HCDC, which are responsible only to him and serve at his pleasure. Because many policy and operational activities of these twenty-nine publicly appointed officials extend throughout Multnomah county the term, Multnomah County Public Housing Czar appropriately describes a role of Portland's mayor.

I urge the mayor to publicly recognize that he and he alone is in charge of public housing policy, operations and the annual spending of $200,000,000 of taxpayer's money on public housing in Multnomah county. An excellent way to demonstrate an understanding of his singular authority and responsibility to public housing policy in Multnomah county would be to announce the permanent siting of BHCD in the mayor's office. Failure to do this would be a public admission that Tom Potter, mayor of Portland and Multnomah County Public Housing Czar, doesn't get it.

If the mayor mistakenly assigns BHCD to some other member of the council it will become incumbent upon that commissioner to publicly ask the mayor to take back that assignment. Failure to do so will put that commissioner in the direct line of fire with regards to the long overdue reports of public housing data by neighborhood as well as criticism for violating a public housing policy of distribution of public housing clients throughout Multnomah county's 117 neighborhoods and not concentrating them into a few select neighborhoods. To accept BHCD without protest is to accept the only bureau that would bring the unlucky commissioner an assignment that carries responsibility without real authority. That is a no win situation for everyone.

While mayor Potter may not have realized it yet, public housing policy is going to be a major issue on his plate for the remainder of his term. If he doesn't order it, I and others will serve it up to him nonetheless. Eventually all of you will be involved in a public discussion and debate of the 3-6-9 resolution which is necessary legislation to quantify public housing policy in Multnomah county, currently a mostly hidden amorphous uncontrolled blob. Sunshine and public scrutiny can't transform this unsightly creature until HAP, HCDC and PDC provide public housing data by neighborhood. For years they all have refused and will continue to refuse to provide this public information until the mayor and only the mayor makes them do it. By statute, the authority to hire and fire makes mayor Potter "the BOSS" which gives only him the primary responsibility to guide, monitor, supervise and coordinate the twenty-nine public housing commissioners that serve at his pleasure. Only the mayor has the power to move the public housing policy agenda.

I wish you wisdom and good luck in your public decision making.


Richard Ellmyer
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org