[Council Clerk: Please include this communication as part of the public record regarding the Public Housing Funding Resolution - Regular Agenda Item #387 scheduled after 2:30 PM April 12, 2007. Thank you ]

Dear Portland City Council:
Michael J. Grieser, Associate General Counsel - Portland Development Commission, informs me of the imminent release of public housing statitical data that has been gathered by PDC for the last six weeks at the request of PDC commissioner Sal Kadri (see below). Upon receipt of this material I shall immediately send copies to the council clerk and all of your offices.

On February 28, 2007 PDC commissioner Sal Kadri voted against the resolution that is before you today.

On February 28, 2007 PDC commissioner Sal Kadri tasked PDC staff to gather information by neighborhood on the location of all public housing clients that are subsidized and administered by any government agency within PDC's area of influence.

On February 28, 2007 PDC commissioner Sal Kadri supported an effort to ask the legislature to extend the use of Tax Increment Financing funds outside the Urban Renew Areas from which the funding was generated.

All three of these actions taken by PDC commissioner Sal Kadri are clear and demonstrable evidence in support of the morally and politically defensible public policy of equitable distribution of public housing throughout Multnomah county. This is the opinion of the overwhelming majority of the 700,000 citizens of Multnomah county.

All three of these actions taken by PDC commissioner Sal Kadri are clear and demonstrable evidence in opposition to the discredited and abhorrent public policy of unlimited neighborhood concentration of public housing for which there is absolutely no support among the citizens of Multnomah county.

Regardless of whether you get the public housing statistical data from PDC in the next few hours or the next few days, that crucial decision making data is on its way. The Portland city council must table the $162,000,000 Public Housing Funding Resolution - Agenda Item#387 until:
A. The Portland city council and the citizens of Multnomah county, especially those living in the affected Urban Renew Areas, have had a chance to analyze the data. Should the data be insufficient to determine whether or not this Public Housing Funding Resolution reinforces a policy of equitable distribution of public housing then more data must be collected. If the data indicates that this Public Housing Funding Resolution contributes to unlimited neighborhood concentration of public housing then it must be rewritten to reflect the overwhelming public support for a policy of equitable distribution of public housing clients throughout Multnomah county.

B. The legislature returns a decision on the use of TIF funds outside an Urban Renewal Area. An allowance to spend TIF funds outside the URAs would change everything and require this Public Housing Funding Resolution to be rewritten.

The million dollars of taxpayers money spent on Portland's visioning project didn't include a future with the ghettoization of public housing clients in unlimited numbers concentrated into a few select neighborhoods. 

Please table the Public Housing Funding Resolution - Agenda Item#387 until such time as you have all the authentic, accurate, complete and timely public housing statistical data necessary as well as a response from the Oregon legislature on TIF allocations so that at the appropriate time the Portland city council can make a wise, moral and politcally defensible decision.

Thank you.

Richard Ellmyer
Community leader coordinating a local effort to bring the Oregon National Guard to the Sharff Army Reserve Center
Community activist leading the campaign to Stop The Portland Hope Meadows Corporation From Adding To The Overload Of Public Housing Clients In The Portsmouth Neighborhood And North Portland
3-6-9 Resolution author and project champion
Writer/Publisher - HAP Watcher commentary - Published on the Internet and distributed to 13,000 readers interested in public housing policy in Multnomah County.
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org
President, MacSolutions Inc. - A Macintosh computer consulting business providing web hosting for artists and very small businesses. Located in Portsmouth, the neighborhood with the second highest concentration of public housing clients, 20% and rising, within HAP's Multnomah county jurisdiction of 117 neighborhoods.

***********************************************
From:   GrieserM@pdc.us
Subject: Public Records Request | Public Housing Information
Date: April 11, 2007 1:31:25 PM PDT
To:   Richard Ellmyer
Cc:   Davis-BrownF@pdc.us

Mr. Ellmyer:
Good afternoon.  I handle the public records requests for PDC.  Mr. Wilch has forwarded to me your request for information.  I assure you we are working to process your request.  I will be in touch with you as soon as I have an update on the status of your request.  If you have any questions, please contact me using the information included below or contact PDC's Legal Assistant, Frederick Davis-Brown, using the email address above or at 503-823-2370.
Best regards,
Michael
Michael J. Grieser
Associate General Counsel
Portland Development Commission
222 NW 5th Ave
Portland, OR 97209-3859
Direct Line: 503.823.3297
Fax: 503.865.3869
Email: grieserm@pdc.us
This e-mail may contain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications.  The information is intended only for the use of the addressee.  If you are not the intended recipient, please delete the e-mail immediately without using, copying or otherwise disseminating it.  Thank you.