On April 8, 2008 residents of the Portsmouth neighborhood gathered to discuss the disposition and development of the surplus city property known as the former John Ball School site. Every person in this group of about 50 who rose to speak opposed the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation plan. There was not a single voice in support.

On April 22, 2008 the board of the Portsmouth neighborhood association unanimously voted for the followIng:

The Portsmouth Neighborhood Association opposes the use of the former John Ball School site for the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation. The Portsmouth Neighborhood Association wants to be more involved in finding a more suitable use for the site.

I was at both of these meetings.

Three candidates for Portland city council, John Branam, Jeff Bissonnette and Mike Fahey are already on the record as supporting equitable distribution of public housing and its attendant opposition to the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation plan to bring more social and economic pressure on the already overloaded Portsmouth neighborhood.

One candidate for the Portland city council, Amanda Fritz, has testified against the plans of the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation.

Mayoral candidate and likely victor Sam Adams and sure to be reelected commissioner Randy Leonard have already voted against the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation plan.

The likelihood of maintaining four votes to distribute surplus city property known as the John Ball School site to the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation diminishes daily.

The continuing refusal by the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation to provide public contact information on its board members and funders seriously reduces any good will it may have had as well as diminishing the public's view of its honesty and credibility.

The Portland Hope Meadows Corporation acted selfishly as a coconspirator with mayor Tom Potter, commissioner Saltzman and then commissioner Sten in the complete disregard of due process in the distribution of the surplus city property known as the John Ball School site. On your board sits a Multnomah county circuit court judge, Alicia Fuchs. Alicia Fuchs, an elected officer of the court, will soon be asked to take the stand and give a public account for her argument in defense of the blatant dismissal of due process in this matter. In time every individual member and funder of the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation will come under intense scrutiny to defend themselves. 

In the interests of due process I urge the board and funders of the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation to immediately withdraw any claim in the surplus city property known as the John Ball School site. Should the Portland Hope Meadows Corporation choose to compete in some future open and fair process for the surplus city property known as the John Ball School site then it would be welcome to do so.


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 (PDC ignores ICURAAC request to stop funding.)
2. The former John Ball School site (Portland Hope Meadows Corporation and commissioner Saltzman refuse to make available accurate and complete public data on funders and board members.)
3. The recently closed Clarendon School site (Temporarily defined by PPS as a "swing space.")
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.