Congress has a 16% approval rating because political tactics supersede the democratic process which involves well documented public debate on issues before a vote is cast. This deeply flawed and repugnant congressional model has been chosen by Tom Potter and Dan Saltzman who have made a back room deal involving the disposition and development of public property on the former John Ball school site. They are now trying to jam through Saltzman's pet project before there are competing plans on the table and without a full public discussion with all the proposals and data presented to the Portland Planning Commission, the public and the press for review. Does this behavior have your approval? Is this the kind of Oregon local government you can be proud of? 

For many weeks a private development plan for the John Ball school site committed to building a state of the art green, owner occupied in perpetuity, residential community with a public library has been proposed to every member of the Portland city council. It was publicly announced on October 3, 2006. This market rate private housing will strive for architectural innovation and excellence which could and should become a destination showcase useful for PDC's marketing efforts to brand Portland and Oregon as a world class center of environmentally conscious homeowners, citizens and governments.

On Wednesday October 25 Tom Potter and Dan Saltzman will try to shut off debate on the disposition and developmednt of this public property before any competing proposals are allowed and before any serious analysis of the merits of Saltzman's proposal for more public housing are considered by the neighborhoods involved, the Portland Planning Commission and the general public. 

Whither The Portland Planning Commission?
Does anyone remember when the PPC twice sent HAP back to the drawing boards when it made outrageous, ill-considered and indefensible requests for zoning changes at Columbia Villa? How is it and why is it that mayor Potter and commissioner Saltzman both "forgot" about including the Portland Planning Commission in a major land use planning and public property sale at the beginning of the process? 

Potter's Vision Thing
With no longer atypical hypocrisy, mayor Potter invites all to participate and yet funds organizations in every community but North Portland to bring their visions to his office.
My vision is to have public housing statistical data relevant to public housing policy decisions made available to every citizen of Portland and Multnomah county.
My vision is to stop concentrating public housing clients in the same few select neighborhoods over and over and over again because it's easy.
My vision is to have a Portland city council that abides by the democratic process and not the unethical use of deal making leaving everyone else without a voice.
My vision is to have the Portland Planning Commission, the press and citizens study all proposals for the disposition and development of public property before the council decides behind closed doors.

Saltzman's "Green" Card Soon To Be Revoked
Dan Saltzman's choice to increase the concentration of public housing clients in a neighborhood with the second highest percentage of public housing clients in Multnomah county instead of vigorously advocating for a state of the art green, owner occupied residential community strips him of any so-called reputation for ecological and sustainable concerns.

Dan Saltzman's failure of both vision and leadership with regard to the opportunities presented by the Columbia Villa remodel were equal to Erik Sten's catastrophe at the Water Bureau.

Saltzman never envisioned on his own the possibilities of:
1. Converting the 30% excess methane gas, which was available at the time from the Columbia Boulevard Waste Water Treatment Plant, to hot water, steam or electricity to be piped across the street to Columbia Villa.
2. Using recycled water from the CBWWTP for use on lawns, car washing and many other non-potable applications.
3. Building a shared utility for heat and hot water which would service all of Columbia Villa thereby reducing the need for hundreds of individual space and hot water heaters.

Adding failure of leadership to failure of vision, even when Saltzman was told about these ideas he ignored them. Instead of 805 or 905 photovoltaic and solar water cells at Columbia Villa there are 5. Like Sten at the Water Bureau, the tax payers will foot the bill for Dan Saltzman's failure to reduce the costs of public housing and advance the environmental agenda because of ineptitude. A commissioner with genuine interest in green development would never have missed the many opportunities which presented themselves in this $155,000,000 public housing project.

Now Potter and Saltzman have joined forces to propose MORE public housing (Public Housing = Means Test + Government Subsidy + Rental Agreement with a heavy dose of social service component.) for the neighborhood that already has the second highest concentration of public housing clients of all the 117 neighborhoods in Multnomah county. They could confirm that statistic and act accordingly if either one of them ever bothered to ask HAP for authentic, accurate, complete and timely public housing statistical data, as their colleague, commissioner Sam Adams, has done several times, without complete success - yet. Go Sam.

If you are bothered at what is a disturbing display of the undemocratic and unethical execution of power with regard to the process of the disposition and development of the John Ball school site property and the ongoing indefensible public housing policy of concentrating public housing clients into the same few neighborhoods then now would be a good time to act.

I strongly urge you to contact Portland city commissioner Dan Saltzman ( 503 823-4151 dsaltzman@ci.portland.or.us ) and Portland mayor Tom Potter ( 503-823-4120 tpotter@ci.portland.or.us ) IMMEDIATELY and tell them that you oppose the flawed political process advanced by commissioner Saltzmen to unfairly preclude public discussion and debate about the disposition and development of the John Ball school site property in order to secure the land for Portland Hope Meadows. Tell them that you oppose placing yet another unjustifiable public housing project in the Portsmouth neighborhood. Tell them that as an environmentally conscious voter you support PDC's efforts to brand Portland and Oregon as a world class center of environmental consciousness which requires projects like the Portsmouth Green Homes Community Project to be placed on the public table. Tell them you want to be proud of your elected officials for exercising restraint and making decisions consistent with the democratic process.

Public testimony will be taken on Saltzman's proposal to subvert the democratic process for his personal ends at 9:30 AM Wednesday October 25th. You should be there and speak out. I will.

Thank you for supporting our community's commitment to the democratic process.