First, dear reader, ask yourself: Do I believe that public institutions in Multnomah county should use tax moneys to concentrate public housing clients (means test + government subsidy + rental agreement) into a few select neighborhoods in Multnomah county effectively building low income housing ghettos?

If you answered, "absolutely NOT" then you will feel comfortable in the company of your fellow citizens who are leaders of neighborhood associations throughout Multnomah county and those serving on Urban Renewal Area Advisory Committees in Portland. A recent survey showed their numbers range from overwhelming to unanimous in sharing this view with you.

If you answered, "absolutely" then you will feel comfortable in the company of the appointed commissioners and staffs at the Portland Development Commission and the Housing Authority of Portland. A recent survey showed their numbers range from overwhelming to unanimous in sharing this view with you.

These groups, neighborhoods and URAACs versus PDC and HAP, hold startlingly different and diametrically opposed positions on public housing policy.

Neighborhood organizations and Urban Renewal Area Advisory Committees are made up of citizen volunteers. By contrast PDC and HAP are almost entirely paid public employees and a handful of politically entwined appointed commissioners. 

What we have here is dramatic evidence of the classic confrontation between the people and the paid political power structure.

On Wednesday March 19, 2008, the Portland city council unanimously confirmed to the status of HAP commissioner a novice politico who astoundingly and publicly declared that he would NOT divulge his public housing policy positions until AFTER his nomination was confirmed and the keys to HAP's $90,000,000 vault of public funds were turned over to him. Think about that for a moment. ... When was the last time you voted for a candidate for public office who refused to tell you what his views were on the public policy issues that related to the public office he was seeking?

Hours after Gresham city commissioner Mike Bennett was confirmed as HAP's Tabula raza commissioner I asked him to provide me and his colleagues on the Gresham city council and all the candidates running for Portland city council and the Multnomah county commission, with HAP's public housing statistical data for ALL of HAP's 33,000 clients. More on the story, who is Mike Bennett and what exactly does he believe, as it develops.

Next Up - Multnomah County HAP Nominee
Hordes of candidates are vying for the three soon to be vacant seats on the Multnomah county commission. If the county chair's office can figure out how to advertise for the open Multnomah county HAP seat so that interested parties from every district have a fair shot at the HAP nomination before the May primary then all of the county candidates will have the opportunity to weigh in on the matter. During this process we will be especially mindful of commissioner Jeff Cogen who twice as a candidate and once as a sitting commissioner was denied authentic, accurate, complete and timely public housing statistical data from HAP. The last refusal came from Multnomah county HAP representative Lee Moore in November 2007. It's unclear why Cogen hasn't demanded Moore's resignation.

The jury is still out on Ted Wheeler. Just because there are no verbal fisticuffs and virtual hair pulling at commission meetings doesn't mean things are running smoothly. To his credit Ted seems to use reason more than most other elected officials. We hope this serves him well with the Wapato battles that are already underway and escalating. Ted's on the right track, open at least some of Wapato without increasing taxes. Open, even a little, is a hugh step forward from closed. Keep in mind that candidate Wheeler was also rebuffed by HAP when he asked for public housing statistical data. Public housing is a countywide operation. Multnomah county should be the main player not the city of Portland. Ted, we wish you well and we'll be watching.


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.