Here are updates on two stories that likely deserve their own post, but as we've covered both here before, and both are updates connected to the ongoing homeless struggle in Portland, we'll combine them. (Also in common is the strong coverage of the issue by the Street Roots newspaper and blog.)
Freshest news first: we've received our answer to the campaign seeking emergency funding for hundreds of Oregon Section 8 voucher-holders to stay in their homes--but who aren't scheduled to do so for much longer, due to overextended assistance budgets that threaten to almost literally toss them onto the streets. It was not a mild and insignificant campaign, either; a coalition of grass roots advocacy organizations pressed for relief, and much of the Democratic Congressional delegation was incited to make a plea to the federal bureau of Housing and Urban Development.
The answer was a written metaphor for turned out pockets and a fairly terse "Can'tdonuttinfoya, man:"
The [Northwest Oregon Housing Authority--NOHA] contract with the Department covers a total of 1077 vouchers. For the first three months of 2009, the NOHA assisted an average of 1129 households per month. Because funding eligibility is based on prior year costs, the NOHA is actually funded this year for a total of 1040 households per month. The NOHA must either find another source of funding for some of the households or terminate households from the program. The Department has no additional source of funds to provide.
What's the best word to describe the situation here? 'Sucks' might be a good one. Hundreds of billions of dollars for Citibank and Chrysler et al, but not enough to keep 1100 families from getting kicked back down the ladder. That's the state of social equity in 21st Century America. The SR article and a firewalled piece by the Astoria Times indicate that NOHA is trying to buy time for its families, but someone somewhere is going to have to step up.
There's an interesting story developing in Portland, Oregon. Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler is looking for a Social Media Coordinator to communicate the local government's activities using tools like blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. Predictably -- and unfortunately -- many area residents are appalled. If the public outcry is any indication, Wheeler may find himself Tweeting from the unemployment line following the next local election.
Wheeler says there's more to the newly-posted job than meets the eye -- that it's actually a very important senior level communications position. "It is top-level strategy and content," he told local news channel KGW. "If this was just social networking, my wife and I could do it without further assistance."
Locals aren't buying it, though. They claim that as people face a sagging economy and massive unemployment, the last thing the government should worry about is social media. Blogger Jennifer Cloer disagrees and says this is exactly the time governments should be pulling out all the stops to connect with the people they serve.
Ms. Cloer's a Portland resident and a sporadic blogger, based on the number of posts at the cited page, but also one who claims to work PR utilizing a fair amount of new media. I think her take is a good one, particularly in the empathic acknowledgement that the current budget cutting in the County will cause real pain, and thus the optics of this aren't very appealing:
I understand the hesitation to spend any money at all when we’re in a recession and important social services are being cut. My sister suffers from mental illness and getting her access to even just standard healthcare and services is extremely difficult. But, the process by which we make decisions on what gets cut in hard times and what we maximize in good times should be prioritized in order for every voice to be heard as we reshape our country and its future. And, social media makes this process achievable for the first time in a very long time.
Well, the debate's been mooted now {pdf}; County Chair Ted Wheeler has rescinded the job posting in a response to those complaints about fiscal insensitivity. He doesn't shut the door on the idea completely, especially in more prosperous economic times, but for now will try to adapt and make do without a full time staffer to manage the job:
I have received considerable input (via Twitter and Facebook) from individuals who are experts in social media technology and some of them have volunteered valuable advice. In the coming weeks I will take that advice and solicit the involvement of social media communities in the design and implementation of new communication strategies.
Years ago, people came to the county courthouse to find property tax information in large bound volumes. Now, most of that information is provided electronically. Taxpayers can see our budget online and they can find performance measurements, jail bed occupancy and many more useful tools for holding government accountable on our websites. They have to look for it, but we’re making that easier.
We need to do more. Accountability doesn’t work if people aren’t paying attention. We have to find ways to deliver information that taxpayers need to hold government accountable. In some cases, that may mean doing it in increments of 140 characters or less. We’ll keep working on that.
What do I think about all this? First of all, Wheeler is exactly right--if the goal is a more transparent, interactive, asynchronous government that works to provide information about what it's doing every day, then Facebook and Twitter are key components of a forward-looking strategy.
The disappointment among the blogoscenti likely stems in part from the realization that it's just those kinds of communiques that make it much easier for bloggers (and anyone else) to view and link to primary sources of news, without a traditional media filter. The dirty secret of places like AP is that these days they don't do much of the vaunted "old-school journalism" they're worried about us losing; they do exactly what bloggers do to make news: watch a press conference, read a press release or research report...and increasingly, get a tweet about it. So any movement by governments to provide more of that kind of information would be blessedly welcome.
Here's hoping that when things die down a little, Chair Wheeler will give his Head Tweeter position another go. It's a smart idea that perhaps needs a little more educating on before its time will come to Mighty Multno.
I finally managed to catch up with Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard, the tip of the spear when it comes to the MLS deal that has apparently precipiated the awarding of an expansion franchise to Portland beginning in 2011. However, we pretended that the news of yesterday wasn't official, formal or obvious--and in any case, we talked mostly about other issues surrounding the process, including his ongoing debate with Ted Wheeler about City and County finance, why he thinks the Blazers did an about face, and what should go into the proposed entertainment district for the Rose Quarter.
The whole audio file of our 39-minute interview is available here, so that you can hear precisely the questions asked, and Leonard's full responses. Be warned that it's a 20MB .mp3 file, and as such may put a strain on your PC if you are using older equipment. But it's worth the full listen.
However, so that you don't HAVE to listen to it, I've transcribed readable versions of some of the questions and answers that yielded the most interesting parts of the conversation. I would call the transcript "close to verbatim;" while I've edited some things out for readability and length, the edits do not change the meaning of the responses, and once he gets into the meat of his answer his words are almost 100% as he said them. And of course if you're skeptical about that, listen to the audio for yourself.
So with that, let's hear what Randy had to say on the eve of what shapes up to be an historic announcement in Portland tomorrow!
-----
What do you think Chair Wheeler is expecting from the "new covenant" suggested to bring the County and Portland Public Schools more closely to the table in the Urban Renewal District (URD) discussions for the PGE Park area?
He was referencing a broader conversation he and I have had with reference to Measure A, a resolution adopted by the county in 1984, that was a document that reflected the division of responsibilities between the City of Portland and County of Multnomah. Basically what Resolution A said was the county will do jails, the county will do human services, and the city will do police, fire, parks, infrastructure services because up until 1984, there really was no core delineation who did what, who was responsible for what.
Since 1990 and the passage of Ballot Measure 5 the County has had diminishing resources, then they've had administrations in the White House who've cut various funding for human resource programs, aging programs--that money has diminished at the state, and the state has diminished it to the counties. The County has found itself in the position of having all these responsibilities stay and even increase as we've had a growing aging population and in some case a growing poverty population where the resources have diminished.
What Ted was talking about yes, I think let's talk about URAs and the impact on us, but also this broader discussion--should Multnomah County really be saddled with repairing all the bridges anymore? Shouldn't they be the City's responsibility? Should we be funding Hooper Detox anymore, when really primarily the people that are being served by that are Portland people? I know that's what he was saying, because he and I have had that discussion before.
When the most recent contempt ruling against Bill Sizemore was announced and Bill actually went to jail for 36 hours or so, perhaps the most interesting part of Judge Judy (!!) Janice Wilson's ruling was "Appendix A," a four-page catalog of what Wilson called Sizemore's "deceits"--false statements on documents and in testimony under oath among them, it appeared. What both former Sizemore employee Becky Miller and I both wondered was, "When is Sizemore going to have his blatant lies catch up with him?"
Am I psychotic? Is it wrong to think that when a judge writes "oh by the way, you are a compulsive liar who has repeatedly written bullshit down on your declaration forms and given bullshit answers under oath," that someone might well consider whether a crime has been committed? Don't they call that perjury? It's a five year beef if you do it under federal purview, which some of the tax documents Wilson accuses of making false statements on, would appear to be.
But there are other statements apparently made in Oregon civil courts pursuant to his long legal battle against the state's labor coalition, and those should be locally prosecutable. Since the ruling was handed down in Multnomah County, the Multnomah County District Attorney (MCDA) would be the natural choice. So shortly after the ruling was made public, I started trying to ascertain who knew about, and was interested in investigating, what a Multnomah County judge was accusing him of in a civil proceeding.
The Senate race appears deadlocked for the near future, as long as Multnomah County returns increase apace with the stragglers from elsewhere. But eventually those Big 3 votes are going to overwhelm the ground on which it's now being contested. If you're Jeff Merkley you fall asleep on the hospitality suite couch feeling pretty sanguine about what the morning will bring.
On the off chance that you're viewing this around 1AM so the numbers are meaningful:
Gordon Smith X 476,973 47%
Jeff Merkley 473,430 47%
Dave Brownlow 56,210 6%
See, it looks really close now--but that's only 900,000 votes, which means there's another 900K coming...and that just happens to be about the number of total registered voters in the Big 3. Well over 500,00 votes remain in solid Merkley territory from just those three counties--and around 300,000 of THOSE votes are in ridiculously blue Multnomah. And did I mention Lane County's huge turnout among 200,000 voters, only 23% of which have been counted? As they say, do the math.
By the way, this back of the napkin math above was done very easily from MSNBC's political map. This is Oregon, but you can click the MSNBC08 banner at the top and a national map will come up. It was pretty handy, although I had to use a different reference to easily count up votes. The scoreboard at DailyKos is pretty bitchin' too, for rivaling a major corporation on people power and a little easy capitalism. So use their map instead.
We also got turnout numbers by party: Dems are clinging to the tiniest of turnout leads, .5% at last count; 87.8% to 87.3%. It would still be the first time Dems win turnout since 1964. Anazing how reliably Republicans come out no matter how consensually poor their candidate.
Last update of the night...soak up the history. It was an almost universally great night for progressive victories. (Keep an eye on Georgia, by the way--some 600,000 votes from early voting have yet to be counted, apparently). I left the Grand Central Bowl crowd literally dancing in the streets, to what appeared to be a subset of the sublime March Fourth Marching Band making booties shake in joy. There was some unknown helpful "desginated thinking adult" keeping the now-single lane of SE Morrison clear of straying revelers. Kudos to that guy.
It was spontaneous celebration of a kind I doubt few have ever seen for a political victory, especially given the fact that I was probably the 3rd oldest person there. I can get used to that kind of youthful hope and persistence in our national conversations, I really can.
Goodnight, President-Elect Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America. (I just had to write that. I actually keep looking at it and being struck that it's really true).
Jenni Simonis is a diehard Democratic activist in Multnomah, particularly in the East County area of Gresham where she lives. She's also a regular reader and contributor to Loaded Orygun, and true to her roots and activism this fall she's running for a seat on Gresham City Council.
She's running on a strong progressive platform focused on working class issues--as basic as being able to work a job in Portland or Gresham without a car using public transportation, being safe using that transit and in the city overall, or dealing with the increased need for services due to the influx of Portlanders squeezed out by high home prices.
That's pretty cool for her to step up like that, and we think she's got a good chance of winning. Apparently Democracy for America's Jim Dean thinks so too, and so DFA have put their relatively rare stamp of approval on Simonis' candidacy:
BURLINGTON, VT –DemocracyForAmerica.com, our nation's largest progressive political action community, has endorsed Jenni Simonis’s campaign for Gresham City Council.
"Jenni Simonis is an active community leader with the skills to deliver for the people of Gresham," said Jim Dean, Chair of DFA. "Democracy for America is proud to endorse her campaign."
Jenni Simonis is an experienced entrepreneur, writer, and community leader who has worked for non-profit organizations and Multnomah County. She is currently in the process of starting a web design firm for small businesses and non-profits.
Jenni is president of the North East Neighborhood Association, which covers the area north of Division to the city limits and east of Hogan to the city limits. This area includes Mt. Hood Medical Center, Gresham Golf Course, and Mt. Hood Community College.
Jenni serves as a precinct committee person for the Democratic Party of Oregon, having been appointed in 2000, elected in 2002, and re-elected in 2004, 2006, and 2008. In this position, she has worked to keep her neighbors informed on matters including elections, ballot measures, and important local and national issues.
Democracy for America is a key endorsement in this race, bringing donations from progressives and providing volunteers to participate in door-to-door, grassroots outreach. DFA has helped elect over 550 progressives to office from Governor Deval Patrick in Massachusetts to Rep. Donna Edwards in Maryland’s 4th Congressional District.
As Matt Davis points out at Mercury Blogtown, this isn't the final verdict by any stretch, but the first decision is in on Portland's "sit-lie" law, and a Multnomah County judge has upheld its constitutionality and reasonableness. If there were an Intrade market on the likelihood of appeal, I'd say 95 cents might win you a nickel. Marr's got the report:
Meyer called Monica Goracke, attorney for the Oregon Law Center, and co-chair of the mayor's Street Access For Everyone oversight committee, as a witness on Newman's behalf. Goracke reportedly described downtown and where the homeless tend to congregate, and said the law was focused on those areas. Meanwhile homeless activist and pastorKen Loyd testified about the homeless in Portland, too. Downtown cop Craig Dobson reportedly said he'd cited Newman even though he had a sign saying he was "protesting" the law.
It's understood that Hannon ruled that the ordinance is constitutional because it only leads to a violation, and not a criminal prosecution. But Meyer disagrees.
"We want to appeal it. I think the judge is wrong on the law. This law really falls on the homeless and basically I think it allows the state to herd the homeless," he says.[ital orig]
I understand the legal point being made, but on a common sense level it's ludicrous to have an exemption for "protesting" the ordinance. ANYONE being cited is essentially protesting it, unless we assume someone out there is thinking, "Yes, I deserve to be punished for sitting here quietly on this public sidewalk" while the cop writes the citation. Everyone potentially to be cited just needs to say "I'm protesting" and they're off the hook? Then there's the other odd part of the ruling, that simply citing (ie, fining) someone rather than convicting them of a criminal offense makes it OK.
I've been following this case avidly for a while, but this seems like an entirely unimportant way station along the path of final ajudication. The 9th District has already had to take up similar cases before, and I don't expect the broader legal concepts to get much play until the appeals reach at least Oregon's Supreme Court. And there are few states in the union with a court so predisposed towards free expression and movement. (Note the futility of blocking nude joints like Stars Cabaret in Tualatin). Based on case precedent, the venue and the body likely to hear it, I'm hopeful.
Today, our family received a letter from the Oregon Republican Party. It seems that they weren't able to find a candidate for Senate District 25 (currently held by Laurie Monnes Anderson, D) in time to have him file to be on the ballot. However, they have located someone and they're running a write-in campaign for the seat.
This is a pretty stealth campaign, otherwise they must have found him at the last moment. There's been no letters to the editor, and I've heard nothing about it around town. But today, there was a letter from ORP Chair Vance Day sitting in my mailbox along with our ballots.
You can read the entire content of the letter, and view a PDF scan of the letter, in my full posting on this at Blog for Oregon.
I'm curious to see if they're doing this is any of the other districts around the state where no Republican is running.
(very helpful info for the truly curious... - promoted by torridjoe)
Oregon voters have many new tools with which to evaluate candidates for public office in this election cycle, and one of the most important is ORESTAR.
To gain information about where, when, how and from whom a candidate receives cash and in-kind support, all you need is their committee ID number, as registered with the Secretary of State.
To examine the books of the candidates for Senate District 23, for example, you enter either of the candidate committee ID numbers and “search transactions.”
The numbers also indicate how long one candidate has been at it, compared to the other (my opponent has about a six-year advantage in campaigning and working the PACs, but scores a minus-five year disadvantage in actually working in the Oregon State Senate).
12548 Sean Cruz
4090 Jackie Dingfelder
The ORESTAR data doesn’t give you the “why” of the contribution, but if you look, you can learn some amazing things, all in the interest of getting a good look at the wizard(s) behind the curtain(s) (to borrow a metaphor), and broadening public access to the political process.
Some of this will take a little explaining. I’ve extracted data from ORESTAR to illustrate several points: 1. Transaction date: This is the date recorded with ORESTAR. The date the contribution was received by the candidate could have been 30 days prior to the entry, and the deal could have been struck at any time before that.
2. Source of the contribution
3. Type of contribution, cash or in-kind
4. Amount or value of the contribution.
I have learned many amazing facts with just a few hours of scrutiny (which is why this post is titled “4a”).
With three key Portland-area legislative contested primaries looming on the May 20 ballot, opportunities for the candidates to appear in public forums and debates have been strangely absent.
This week alone, both Elders in Action and the Oregon League of Minority Voters will hold candidate forums, and neither will include legislative races.
It is easy to explain the lack of interest regarding the many uncontested legislative races, as those “contests” were decided back at the filing deadline in March.
But House District 42, House District 45 and Senate District 23 feature well-qualified contenders for these three open seats, and how all three races have slipped below the radar is hard to understand.
The several candidates offer competing views on the state’s policies and priorities, and yet no opportunity has emerged for a public discussion.
The Urban League and its partners will be the first to offer a platform featuring the race to succeed Senator Avel Gordly in Senate District 23, on May 2 at Highland Christian Center, an event that will also feature the contest for Oregon Attorney General.
It is the lone scheduled event for this key race that will determine the policy direction for Oregon’s underserved populations for years to come.
Recently, the Oregonian ran an editorial stating that the most important races on the May 20 ballot might be the legislative contests, and they are correct.
Each of these races are worth far more than the superficial look they have received to date, simple measures of money raised, special-interest and insider endorsements gained, lawn signs staked and paper promises printed.
Behind the scenes, political payback, petty jealousies and kneecapping are in full Spring bloom, the role of endorsement nepotism lies unexamined.
Who will take the intitiative and put these vital contests on the front burner where they belong?
I leave the question open, as open as the opportunity to bring real change to the Oregon legislature, but the door is closing fast.
I've been waiting and waiting to see something on this on the blogs, but nothing. It's a topic that's been going on for a week, ever since Gresham decided not to vote on the issue. Even the news media has been fairly quiet on it, except The Outlook (and maybe The Tribune since they share a lot of stories). Since it's a pretty big issue affecting the metro region, I decided to write something up...
For the past few months, Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler has been trying to talk the cities in the county to vote yes on a vehicle registration fee proposal. This proposal would add $24 a year to your vehicle registration to pay for fixing/replacing the Sellwood Bridge.
The county was required to get buy-in from all the cities because this proposal is that the county would keep the entire fee and use it on the bridge. Without the agreement, by state law each city would be able to keep a share of the fee.
Residents in east county have been extremely critical of the plan, as 70% of the bridge's users are from Clackamas County. Another sizeable chunk comes from Washington County. The rest are primarily Portland residents. It is a bridge rarely used by residents out this way. In contrast, there are plenty of transportation needs out this way, especially since we've seen huge population increases in the past 10 years with almost no new transportation capacity increases (roads, mass transit, etc.).
Celebrate Senator Gordly’s birthday in February and hear from the great lady herself why she is supporting Sean Cruz to succeed her in the Oregon Senate
Place:
The historic Billy Webb Lodge #1050
Dahlia Temple #202
The Improved, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World
6 North Tillamook
Portland, Oregon
Date and time: TBA (February)
Dahlia Temple #202 marked its 85th anniversary "Celebrating 85 years of Unity" in December 2007.
MIKE DELMANfor Multnomah County Commissioner District. 3www.mikedelman.com503 710-8266
Experience & Commitment for a better MultnomahCounty
I am deeply honored to run for county commissioner, not because the job is glamorous, but because the county’s policies and programs make a difference in the lives of my family and yours.
My heart and soul is in MultnomahCounty. I’m passionately committed to causing county government to work better, spend tax dollars more wisely, and make decisions in a more open way.
It’s no secret that our county government is struggling-- to pay its bills, deliver services, and connect with the private sector and citizens.I worked at the county throughout most of the ‘90s, when the elected officials worked well together and provided excellent customer service to citizens.I see no reason why we can’t return to that standard quickly.
County government is feeling the crush of poor spending decisions.It’s time to pull back from the noise and controversy, and the lack of open dialogue. It’s time to focus on solutions.
I have the experience -- from nearly 11 years as an executive assistant to a CountyCommissioner, and the Multnomah County Sheriff, and in my work at the Multnomah County Department of Aging and Disability services.In addition to my public sector and organized labor experience, I’ve run a small business in downtown Portland, and worked elsewhere in the private sector.Currently, I’m the public affairs director for a non-profit that trains and employs the disabled -- the PortlandHabilitationCenter.
I helped to originate the Public Safety Coordinating Committee.I lobbied and fought successfully for important state and federal money for MultnomahCounty.I understand the justice system challenges -- from opening Wapato jail to the management of our jails.
My experience with public education is important to me. Serving as the Fernwood PTA legislative representative, I lobbied local government for increased SUN funding, and lobbied state legislators for increased K-12 money.
The county must create community through positive relationships with neighborhoods, schools and partner governments.I believe in public-private partnerships, too -- which I know from my work helping to bring about McMenamin’s wonderful Kennedy School Project.
Diversity is important in our community. I believe that county government must strive for equality of opportunity.I believe county government needs to care for everyone – not just those “at risk” of failure.County employees and managers need to project an attitude of becoming problem solvers, not simply “putting fires out.”When I worked at the county, our employees were proud to be considered the government of last resort.We had a soul.I think that attitude has been suppressed.I will work to bring it back.
We need to create an effective County Mental Health Program.I propose a reorganization.I will work with developers, planning officials, advocates and non-profits to improve residential mental health facilities.Since the closing of Dammasch, our mentally ill are housed in expensive jail facilities, under our bridges, and wherever they can find a roof.This is unconscionable. The county must commit to changing this paradigm.We need to tackle these programs together, as a community.Our society needs us to do better, to care more about those unable to help themselves.
In our health care system, county money should go where it will do the most good.Coordination between medical facilities, county clinics and OHSU could result in serving more citizens. Duplication of high-cost machines, laundries and food service needs to be minimized. I will also push for increased partnerships between county health clinics and local hospitals -- Kaiser, Providence, Emanuel, OHSU, Adventist and Good Samaritan.For example, the county needs to take the indigent out of costly hospital emergency rooms, and help get them preventive and ongoing care elsewhere.I will fight for universal health care at the State and Federal level.
We are warehousing and recycling people in our county corrections system.We need to come together as a community to provide rational service delivery in the corrections system.Social service providers such as Human Solutions, Cascade Behavioral Health, and Portland Impact can help find alternatives to costly jail cells.Central City Concern, Alcoholics Anonymous and St. Vincent DePaul can design alternatives for alcoholics and drug addicts that help them re-make their lives, escaping the cycle of hopelessness.
The county has successfully created partnerships to help our public education system through the Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) programs.Currently these programs are sporadically located in low-income areas.I will strive to implement similar programs at middle-income schools -- schools that also have after-school needs for all students.
I grew up in this community.My wife, Lori, and I, and our two school-age daughters, want the same things you do: a good education system, a strong, healthy economy, and safe, vibrant neighborhoods.
I have contributed as a community activist and volunteer with Multnomah County Health Help, Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism, Save PIL Sports, the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association, a school volunteer at Laurelhurst and Fernwood, as a mediator for the Victim-Offenders Reconciliation Project (V.O.R.P.) and currently as a member of the Portland Citizens Disability Advisory Committee and the Multnomah County Human Services Budget Advisory Committee.
To win this election, I need your help.I need your help in my volunteer, grass-roots organization.Please let me know if you’re interested in volunteering.I’d greatly appreciate your support and look forward to hearing from you.
(Ordinarily a Multno Sheriff losing his job is not a big statewide story, but what he's being hit with--holding back knowledge of Neil Goldschmidt's sex abuse--makes it a story. Jenni's always on top of East County for us... - promoted by torridjoe)
Earlier this month the Gresham Outlook had an editorial called "Just waiting for Guisto" on Sheriff Bernie Giusto and the legal trouble he's found himself in. It talked about the position he was in and that it would only be a matter of time before he was out of his position as sheriff, whether it be through resignation or recall.
Giusto, a Gresham resident, appears to have entered that peculiar political phase where people are waiting to see just how long he will last before succumbing to an inevitable resignation or recall. Whether it’s U.S. Sen. Larry Craig or Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth, public officials caught in a scandal always seem to fight to the bitter end. Knowing Giusto, he will be a particularly stubborn case.
Now that the 318 page report made by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training is out, they're urging a recall in tomorrow's edition of the paper:
The document ... provides all the evidence anyone needs to make a judgment about Giusto’s political future. This report, in short, ought to spur a serious and sustained recall effort against the sheriff — there is no reason to wait for the state to take his badge.
...
Giusto’s interview was filled with such non-answers to direct questions. Most people will realize, just by reading the report, that the sheriff is avoiding the truth. And that’s what this investigation is all about — whether Giusto lied to the public.
The evidence is clear. Giusto, however, is refusing to resign. That means a recall is the only option left.
Tonight, the Democratic precinct committeepersons (PCPs) from Oregon’s Senate District 14 convened in Aloha to nominate a slate of Democrats for the vacancy created by Sen. Ryan Deckert’s resignation yesterday. As you may have read here before, Senate District 14 mostly consists of central eastern Washington County, stretching from SW 209th Ave in Aloha through South Beaverton and into Portland’s West Hills.
[. . .]
The candidates standing for nomination at the convention:
-Betty Bode, Beaverton City Councilor
-Mike Bohan, high-tech sector veteran and math/science teacher
-Mark Hass, former state representative (2001-2007) and journalist
-Shantu Shah, electrical engineer and former candidate for the Democratic nomination to U.S. Congress (2006)
After each candidate gave a speech, the convention went into question-and-answer mode, involving questions relating to health care, Measure 49 andeven what kind of tree each would like to be. (Mark Hass’s answer: a Douglas Fir, of course).
The result of the weighted vote:
Mark Hass 12,905 (51.2%)
Mike Bohan 6,746 (26.8%)
Betty Bode 4,662 (18.5%)
Shantu Shah 839 (3.3%)
Read more, including more about the next step in choosing a new senator, at beaver boundary...
Looking to take over Lisa Naito's seat in Southeast Portland for Multnomah County Commission is social systems activist Rob Milesnick. Per the candidate's release:
Citing the need for a new approach to the challenges facing county government, Rob Milesnick filed today to run for Multnomah County Commissioner for District 3, encompassing much of Southeast Portland. This seat is currently held by Lisa Naito, who will not run for reelection due to term limitations.
Milesnick stated, "I'm running for County Commissioner because the problems we see at the state and national level can be addressed by implementing community-based strategies at the local level."
(This is an awesome opportunity for locals to get out and see Jeff Merkley in person--Carla - promoted by carla)
Oregon Speaker of the House Representative Jeff Merkley will be the featured speaker at this months Multnomah County Democratic Central Committee meeting.
Merkley, who recently announced that he is running for Gordon Smith’s U.S. Senate seat, successfully presided over a slim Democratic Party edge in the last Oregon legislative session.
Jeff Merkley is a five-term member of the Oregon House of Representatives. He was elected Speaker of the House in January after Democrats reclaimed control of the Legislature in the 2006 elections. A skilled campaigner, Merkley led House Democrats from a 25-35 deficit to a 31-29 majority in just two election cycles. Observers across the political spectrum have called Oregon’s recent legislative session the most productive in over 30 years.
Day and Time:
Thursday, August 9th
Dinner begins at 6 p.m., meeting begins promptly at 7 p.m.
Location:
Hollywood Senior Center
1820 NE 40th Ave.
Portland, OR, 97232
RSS Feed: http://www.loadedorygun.net/rss/rss2.xml
Jenni Simonis is a diehard Democratic activist in Multnomah, particularly in the East County area of Gresham where she lives. She's also a regular reader and contributor to Loaded Orygun, and true to her roots and activism this fall she's 