Vile effluent flows from South Waterfront's affluent
Published: Saturday, June 12, 2010, 7:08 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/06/vile_effluent_flows_from_south.html

Editor's note: A news story that revealed the city's broken promise to build housing for low-income residents in the South Waterfront district ("Empty lots, empty promises," June 10) generated dozens of online comments on oregonlive.com/portland, including some that urged "Keep the poor out" and "keep the rif raft out of the waterfront." The following comment was posted in response.

By MICHELLE DIANE ROSE - Guest Columnist

Richard Ellmyer's Published Comment In Reply

Congratulations Michelle Diane Rose for having the courage to write your piece and to use your real name. As a recent candidate for the North Portland House seat I advocated for a cap on Public Housing clients from one person households that earn more than $30,000 per year (HAP has single clients with incomes of 40K, 50K and more). It is outrageous that taxpayers should support housing for those individuals making more the 30K when there are thousands of UNDER 30K individuals, like Michelle Diane Rose, who should rightly have that help.

The flap over PUBLIC Housing in the South Waterfront neighborhood is merely the tip of the PUBLIC HOUSING ICEBERG. We taxpayers spend about $200,000,000 annually in Multnomah county on PUBLIC Housing which requires MEANS TEST + GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY + RENTAL AGREEMENT and is COMPLETELY CONTROLLED BY OUR GOVERNMENTS.

Our infamous mayor, Sam Adams, has complete control over the Housing Authority of Portland ($80,000,00 budget) and the appointment of the person controlling $109,000,000 Portland Housing Bureau budget, Nick Fish, who, like Dan Saltzman, can be removed from that job at a moments notice.

Adams denies there is PUBLIC Housing in Multnomah county. Sam Adams continues to lead other elected officials in support of the discredited and abhorrent policy of UNLIMITED neighborhood concentration of PUBLIC housing. For Sam and his followers our city is better served by segregating PUBLIC Housing into a few selected neighborhoods. The South Waterfront is NOT one of those neighborhoods.

Mayor Adams' position is in direct conflict with the Obama administrations newly proposed PUBLIC Housing policy which includes the goal of DECENTRALIZING PUBLIC Housing and extending it into neighborhoods like South Waterfront. To support Obama's new PUBLIC Housing policy elected officials, like Sam Adams, MUST DEMAND PUBLIC HOUSING STATISTICAL DATA from the Housing Authority of Portland, the Portland Housing Bureau, Multnomah county and the state of Oregon. Obama's new PUBLIC Housing policy, known as PETRA, CANNOT be accomplished without PUBLIC HOUSING STATISTICAL DATA which mayor Sam Adams has adamantly refused to allow from HAP and the Portland Housing Bureau.

Members of our congressional delegation, Earl Blumenauer, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley will soon have to decide to vote with the PUBLIC Housing DESEGREGATIONIST plan of President Barak Obama or go to the dark side with mayor Sam Adams Et. Al.

Richard Ellmyer
North Portland
Advocate for Equitable Distribution of Public Housing in Multnomah county and in the Metro region
Writer/Publisher HAP Watchers http://www.goodgrowthnw.org