I recently challenged the Portland city council to stop voting for HAP nominees based only on the candidate's presumed interest and history of public service but rather their positions on public housing policy. Without so much as a hint of acknowledgment to my testimony they proceeded to appoint a novice politico with no evidence of experience or even interest in public housing policy who had the intellectual cowardice and political hubris to publicly announce that he would NOT reveal his views on public housing policy until after he was confirmed. Of course, since his appointment he has not "revealed" his views nor can he because he has none. The Portland city council knowingly hired a carpenter who owned no woodworking tools and was unfamiliar with the difference between hard and soft woods. Would you make that kind of decision in your home or business?

When Al Gore wrote, The Assault on Reason and Susan Jacoby, The Age of American Unreason they focused on the dangers to a democratic society of public ignorance, anti-rationalism, and anti-intellectualism. The Portland city council has now officially established that public ignorance, anti-rationalism and anti-intellectualism are not only acceptable virtues but are demanded qualifications for those seeking appointed public offices under their control.

In response to this disturbing and disgraceful public conduct, I, Richard Ellmyer, am provoked into placing my 33 years of political activism - including serving as campaign manager and personal staff advisor to Multnomah county commissioner Gladys McCoy from 1981 to 1984 -  and, more importantly, my reasoned and defensible positions on public housing policy on the public table before the Multnomah county commission for consideration to serve the interests of Multnomah county as one of its HAP representatives.

I would ask you dear reader to support the value of education, knowledge, reason and my candidacy by sending the following email, or something similar, to Multnomah county chair Ted Wheeler with a copy to me. Please send this now.

To: Ted Wheeler<ted.wheeler@co.multnomah.or.us>
CC: Richard Ellmyer<ellmyer@macsolve.com>
Subject: HAP Candidacy

Dear Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler:
The interests of Multnomah county are served when authentic, accurate, complete and timely public housing statistical data from the Housing Authority of Portland is regularly placed on the public table for consideration by elected policy makers and the citizens of Multnomah county.

The interests of Multnomah county are served by a policy of equitable distribution of public housing throughout all of Multnomah county's neighborhoods.

Richard Ellmyer has demonstrated seven years of commitment to these policies. I encourage the Multnomah county commission to recommend him to the Portland city council for the position of HAP commissioner representing the interests of Multnomah county.

Sincerely,

Multnomah county voter


The interests of property owners, business owners, neighborhoods and taxpayers who want accountability for the annual spending of $90,000,000 of public money are UNREPRESENTED on the HAP board. That needs to change. I am not promising to start fighting for that change if appointed because I have already been fighting for the interests of property owners, business owners, neighborhoods and taxpayers who want accountability for more than seven years and I will continue to do battle with the entrenched special interests regardless of whether I'm appointed to the HAP board or not.

My candidacy for this position will assure a public conversation on the public housing policy positions I have articulated for years. This public dialog should include every candidate for Portland city council and the Multnomah county commission. If I reach the Portland city council for a vote I would be the very first HAP nominee to express his views on public housing policy BEFORE confirmation. That's the way it should be. I ask for your support in making this the standard procedure for all future HAP appointments.

Barak Obama put the politically volatile subject of race on the public table and confronted it.

Richard Ellmyer is placing the taboo subject of public housing policy on the public table and confronting it.

Thank you for your support.


Richard Ellmyer
Community activist leading the campaign to stop all potentially new public housing (means test + government subsidy + rental agreement) in the Portsmouth neighborhood, especially the following:
1. Hacienda CDC public housing project on N. Newell Street
2. The recently decommissioned Sharff Army Reserve Center (Adams, Leonard, Saltzman publicly support ONG option)
3. The former John Ball School site
4. The recently closed Clarendon School site
Standards for Equitable Distribution of Public Housing Resolution author and project champion
Writer/Publisher - HAP Watchers commentary - Published on the Internet (http://www.goodgrowthnw.org) and distributed to thousands of readers interested in public housing policy in Multnomah County. To Subscribe: HAP-Watchers-on@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, 30% and rising, within HAP's Multnomah county jurisdiction of 117 neighborhoods.


PS
Here are my public housing policy positions which have been in the public domain for a very long time.

1. The term Public Housing is defined as any government administered housing program that requires all three of the following conditions, means test + government subsidy + rental agreement. I promise to do everything in my power to assure that all documents generated by the Housing Authority of Portland will use the term Public Housing where those conditions are met.

2. The citizens of Multnomah county have a right to public housing statistical data from all public entities that administer public housing programs. I have often asked the HAP board for the following public housing statistical data without success. If confirmed I pledge to make every effort to ensure that this data is available on the HAP website and updated monthly.

Report #1. HAP Public Housing Program
A tab delimited text file with the following fields: 1. Age 2. Gender 3. Income 4. Neighborhood 5. Last Modification Date, for ALL clients in this database.

Report #2. HAP Section 8 Housing Voucher Program
A tab delimited text file with the following fields: 1. Age 2. Gender 3. Income 4. Neighborhood 5. Last Modification Date, for ALL clients in this database.

Report #3. New Columbia in North Portland's Portsmouth Neighborhood Program
A tab delimited text file with the following fields: 1. Age 2. Gender 3. Income 4. Neighborhood 5. Last Modification Date, for ALL HAP public housing clients (means test + government subsidy + rental agreement) living in New Columbia as of April 1, 2008. 

Report #4. HAP Affordable Housing Program
A tab delimited text file, including the total number of public housing (means test + government subsidy + rental agreement) HAP clients living in all of HAP's 32 properties in Multnomah county as of April 1, 2008, with the following fields: 1. Age 2. Gender 3. Income 4. Neighborhood 5. Last Modification Date.

3. I strenuously oppose the discredited and abhorrent public policy of unlimited neighborhood concentration of public housing.

4. I vigorously support a public policy of equitable distribution of public housing.

As a consequence of this general housing policy position:
A. I support the details and the ideas expressed in the ICURAAC letter to PDC below which sets a cap of 15% neighborhood public housing concentration on new PDC funding for public housing projects. This would include opposition to any HAP involvement in the Hacienda CDC project on N. Newell street in the Portsmouth neighborhood as well as opposition to the addition of any new public housing by the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation on the surplus city property known as the former John Ball School site.

November 7, 2007

Dear Portland Development Commission:
We, the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area Advisory Committee, support a public housing location policy of equitable distribution of public housing (defined as requiring three components: means test + government subsidy + rental agreement). This is consistent with the public housing location policy of the Portland Bureau of Housing and Community Development's published public housing location policy which is:
1. Maximize housing choice, especially for low-income people who have traditionally been limited in the location of housing that they could afford; 
2. Discourage the concentration of low- or no- income households in any one area of the city; 
3. Encourage the creation of additional housing resources for low-income households integrated throughout the community.

Much of the work of the citizen volunteers on the ICURAAC involves advising the PDC on how to spend public funds on public housing. Acknowledging equitable distribution of public housing as a policy gives us the foundation upon which we can make reasonable, justifiable and defensible decisions.

As an operational imperative of a public housing location policy of equitable distribution of public housing, we have set 15% as a cap on the percentage of public housing clients in any of the 10 neighborhoods included in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area which would allow future PDC funding for public housing projects. The Portsmouth neighborhood, which has more than 30% public housing clients, is indisputably in this category. As a result, we, the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area Advisory Committee, exercise our advisory responsibility by advising you, the Portland Development Commission, to stop all future funding for pubic housing projects in the Portsmouth neighborhood and redirect those funds to other Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area neighborhoods with a population of less than 15% public housing clients.

Thank you for your support of this recommendation by the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area Advisory Committee.

Sincerely,
Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area Advisory Committee


B. I support the Standards of Equitable Distribution of Public Housing Resolution below and will endeavor to promote appropriately reworded versions of it to HAP and all the other public entities that administer public housing in Multnomah county.

Declare 5-10-15 Neighborhood Percentages As Transparent, Understandable and Accountable Distributive Public Housing Policy Goals - Provide Compensation To Neighborhoods Above 15%
WHEREAS the city of Portland has an established policy that public housing clients should not be concentrated into a few select neighborhoods but rather distributed throughout Portland’s neighborhoods,
WHEREAS it has become necessary to quantify the policy of distribution of public housing clients in order to assure that public expenditures are being spent in furtherance of these objectives,

WHEREAS it is necessary to adopt neighborhood map based accounting as a reporting and decision making tool regarding public housing policy and expenditures.

WHEREAS it is necessary to compensate neighborhoods that shoulder greater social responsibility than other neighborhoods by including more than 15% public housing clients.
WHEREAS for purposes of this resolution public housing shall be defined as requiring means test + government subsidy + rental agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the city of Portland shall establish as its primary public housing client goal in each Portland neighborhood a target of ten (10) percent of that neighborhood’s population. Goals for minimum and maximum shall be established so that no neighborhood shall have fewer than five (5) percent and no neighborhood shall have more than fifteen (15) percent of its population as public housing clients.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the office of the Portland City Auditor shall coordinate the collection of data and report annually on the status of accomplishment toward the 5-10-15 goal.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the city council shall fund the City Auditor’s 5-10-15 related activities by whatever combination of funding sources from HAP, PDC, BHCD or other revenue sources it may chose.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, all appointments for PDC, HAP and HCDC commissioner shall be made during the regular city council calendar.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the mayor shall determine that all nominees to become HAP, PDC and HCDC commissioners agree to support the 5-10-15 policy goal before being formally nominated for council approval.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, during the confirmation proceedings the mayor shall publicly instruct the appointee of his or her obligation to use the office to which they are appointed to further the 5-10-15 policy goal.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, neighborhoods with more than 15% public housing clients shall be considered “overloaded” and subject to compensation according to the following schedule:
$1,000/client/year from 15%-16%
$1,100/client/year from 16%-17%
$1,200/client/year from 17%-18%
Increasing $100/client/year for every additional percentage point.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, payments for compensating 15%+ “overloaded” neighborhoods shall be made annually to the affected neighborhood associations. Compensation funding may only be used for Arts related activities e.g. purchases of artwork, performances, classes etc. Compensation funding may not be used for any social services activity or purpose.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement shall annually issue a Neighborhood Art Card to every address in those neighborhoods which qualify for “overload” compensation. The card will allow four persons to participate in any activities sponsored by the neighborhood named on the card. The card shall contain the neighborhood budget for the year of issuance and an explanation of why it has been issued.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, this resolution is binding city policy.

5. I support legislation that will transfer the power to approve HAP nominees from the Portland city council to the Multnomah county commission.

6. I support legislation that will transfer the power of the mayor of Portland to dismiss appointed HAP board members (ORS 456.110) to the Multnomah county chair.
The Housing Authority of Portland has operational status throughout all of Multnomah county. It is politically indefensible to allow Portland's mayor and its city council, who are unconnected to citizens outside Portland, to have power for which they cannot be held directly accountable by voters affected by their decisions. This political circumstance is an un-American, unacceptable variant on the theme of taxation without representation.