I'm astounded. It takes some serious brass to lay out a policy like that. But at least we'll have a tram, take that Shelbyville.

Perhaps you have discovered the third Vortex.

House of Mystery
http://www.oregonvortex.com/

Trees of Mystery
http://www.treesofmystery.net/

City Council of Mystery
http://www.portlandonline.com/

My concern is that I live within the triangle.

Am I to then suffer at the hands of PGE (Portland Gouges Excessively)?

Amen!

What constituency is Buckman pool going to go after? The same people who are writing checks to the schools foundation, or to nonprofits like the one I work for that are already fighting hard to keep every donated dollar as the fund-raising marketplace becomes more competitive? Yet, we've got a million bucks or so waste on funding someone's election?

I share your concern over requiring private financing for things that should be public, like pools and community centers. I don't understand why you're against public financing of campaigns, when people elected under the Old Money system are making decisions like these.

In a previous thread, you offered to send me $50 if I decide to run against Dan Saltzman. Thanks. The average donation to Commissioner Saltzman's re-election campaign last time was $487. He raised over $600,000 to get elected in 1998. So anyone running against him needs another 12,000 or so $50 contributions in addition to yours, to be able to compete on a level playing field, without taking Big Money and without Campaign Finance reform. Or do you want to continue to let business and development interests finance election campaigns?

Look, all I'm asking right now is that this be put up for an immediate public vote. I think the majority of Portlanders would support me on that.

You will vote yes, and I will vote no.

Amanda - "I don't understand why you're against public financing of campaigns, when people elected under the Old Money system are making decisions like these."

The 2 big supporters of the Free Money campaign are folks who won by spending notably less on their campaign then their opponents. I'm all for 'fair', but Free Money isn't supported by the facts.

Posted this once already, but it applys here as well:

OK...I know I WILL catch hell for this, but, Why the hell do you people cry if you won't do a damn thing to stop it?

Can you just think about human nature for just a bit? If the recall I lead against Vera, and the one against Linn had been successful, do you think that these people would be so "arrogant"(Leonard/Linn, and unwilling to listen, (Linn/Leonard) if one or both recalls had dropped one of them? Don't whine, it's not very adult of some of you.

"Don't whine, it's not very adult of some of you."

Very amusing, coming from a consummate whiner like yourself, Jack Peek. If you think you are the only person taking action against wrong-doings, then you're nuts. For example, the Buckman Community Association is CONTINUALLY battling against the powers that be (and screw us over). Our Chair, Susan Lindsay, has extraordinary dedication, serves on numerous boards and committees, and goes to an inordinate amount of meetings.

You are always blowing your own horn Jack Peek. Other peope do just as much or more as you, but don't have to shove it down everyone's throat. Your hubris and bitterness is a real turn-off.

You are always blowing your own horn Jack Peek. Other peope do just as much or more as you, but don't have to shove it down everyone's throat. Your hubris and bitterness is a real turn-off.

I SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT...because when Buckman, for example HAD a chance to do something about all the OYA youth homes and all the threats to neighbors by the "mis-understood" youths there that ran out a couple of familys (including a famous blogger) you, and people like you did not stand up when you were asked too. I GOT LEFT AT POINT, I asked for the point job because I EXPECTED that people would not backdown.

I stood up, and people like a few I COULD MENTION ......when the chips were down in the first real big meeting to stop crap,that certain Big name bloggers left the area for, acted like it was just me...,.well Lily, it was a signed deal of 80 neighborhood association that we wanted a safe neighborhood and asked (nice) then for electeds to do something about it...YOU ALL LEFT.....why? because some wanted to protect their pet neighborhood projects and were told that standing with me would prevent those projects...IF YOU SAY THAT ISN'T TRUE, YOUR A LIAR. So now....you really are getting it shoved not down, but up...an I for one, am enjoying the whining. I DONT CARE ANYMORE, what you think.

In the end, I will see the stuff I have begged for finally come...after somebody is killed because people like you, dismiss people like me, because of my "hubris and bitterness" AND A TURN OFF. You need only too blame yourself, we could have stopped this crap 5 yrs ago.

The recall could have stopped a few of these folks in their tracks...now, they are running you down like a cat on I-5 at rush hour. We could do it again...A RECALL. but none of you have the guts.

I UNDERSTAND...all your anger towards me, but, if people once reach a level of " We don't have to take this!" and stick together, "JUST ONCE!"

The blogs would be more then just a mental health vent. Think about that.

Don't shoot me as the messenger,(though some want too)but just once fight back as one voice by many and then see as one poster said about the "serious brass" of some electeds will melt in the fire of a city of those on the right or left

Every great society in all of history destroyed themselves and fell within because of a lack of moral and ethical values, greed, and internal strife.
Sound familiar?

We better stop this soon or we all go down.

Are people angry at you, Mr. Peek? I thought you were just, well, sort of a nut. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :>)

Then again, I could be jumping to conclusions. And heck, every town needs one. Works best if you get someone in the establishment media to carry the water for you without slopping over the sides.

For your information Jack Peek, I continue to live in Buckman, UNLIKE YOU. And I fight every day for liveability issues. I am on the board of my neighbourhood association, on the liquor committee and the new public safety committee (of which I was invited to be on by Commander Sizer of the SE Precinct). I edit, write and layout our community newsletter. I created a neighbourhood foot patrol 2 years ago, completely on my own. Solicited funds and equipment, desgined and produced the foot patrol brochure, facilitate training and keep the schedule, not to mention walking on patrol at least once a week myself. I am a block captain, pretty much the only one in Buckman. I step up and volunteer to help on just about every project that comes along. And I don't receive one thin dime for any of it, nor do I expect to. I do it because I care about my neighbourhood.

I live in a low-income apartment, suffer from chronic and debilitating health conditions and live on a tiny fixed income. Don't you DARE look down your f*cking nose at me.

You act as if you were the only person who everfought against the halfway houses in Buckman. There were scores of people fighting those issues, and as usual, Buckman always get the shaft because the City wants and needs a place to dump everything they don't want on the West side. I am just as bitter as the next person, but I choose to use my energies in a positive manner.

By the way, I supported the recall. But you are a big turnoff to anyone, and I would be hesitant to support anything you are associated with.

Wow.... I just read through this thread and admittedly don't have a clue about the trouble in Buckman. But I thought to myself - If Jack Peek and Lily were fighting on the same side, instead of against each other, who could stop them? An awfully lot of great energy and obvious caring there...

Here's the trouble in Buckman. During the flight to the suburbs in the 50's and 60's, much of the housing in Buckman was empty and run-down. (I wasn't living here then, so I'm just stating what I've been told by people who were there then.) At this point, the City started moving services over to the Inner SE because without alot of home owners and a strong tax base, there wasn't a strong enough power base to fight the City successfully. This practice has continued pretty much unabated ever since. Buckman is a low-income area, with just 16% owner-occupancy rate. Much of the remaining 86% of the housing has been in the hands of Reach Community Development since the early 1980's. They pay little to NO property taxes, and receive large subsidies from the Housing Authority of Portland to house people on their list.

So, with a large chunk of property taxes "missing", we have a poor tax base. Tax bases are one of the things the PDC looks at when choosing an area for urban renewal. Low tax base= no urban renewal monies because not enough margin for profit to interest the bigger developers who get most if not all of the pork from the PDC. Low tax base=no real power or clout with the powers that be in the City. Ergo, we are stuck as a planned urban social services ghetto. What little private housing that is available is now selling for upwards of $300,000. and that's for fixer-uppers.

There have been alot of studies about the viability of mixing low-income housing in around market rate housing. I feel very strongly that there are pro's and cons to this idea. When you have alot of low-income renters there tends to be less interest in maintaining property and liveability. And while many people are who low-income are perfectly nice people who have fallen on hard times, there seems to be a disproportionate amount of druggies, alcoholics, scam artists and so on in these buildings. I know, because I live in one and I've watched this stuff go on for 7 years now.

The biggest problem Lilly, et al, have is they think "meetings" work. That pursuasion will work because they voted for those they want to persuade.

Nonsense. She is beyond naive. Portland politics and electeds must be removed not convinced. She can have all the meetings in the world and feel good about attending them. But at the end of the day she is just as screwed as if there were none.

The above isn't my post...But it's true.

Wow.... I just read through this thread and admittedly don't have a clue about the trouble in Buckman. But I thought to myself - If Jack Peek and Lily were fighting on the same side, instead of against each other, who could stop them? An awfully lot of great energy and obvious caring there... SAID Larry:

Are people angry at you, Mr. Peek? I thought you were just, well, sort of a nut. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

This last post really shows my distain for people that "think" they ..well you know, don't stink!

I spent thousands of dollars in pursuing the commensense idea that to place 5 PEOPLE, all with a documented history of violent crime,IE. murder, arson, rape, have then judged guilty but insane(criminally insane)and place them next to a grade school, and allow them 90 minutes of "unsupervised" walks past that school, I did this after going to 80 neighborhood meetings and then getting the support of these groups, only to have it crushed in such a way by the mayor, and a host of others that took me to task a lot worse then Lily, and others have.

But that doesn't change the fact that some lost the courage when the officals gave some of you a choice...lose some of your pet projects or support for this or that ,and dump that "
Nutcase that tried to protect not only his wife and kids but your's too.

Now, we have word that not a few but a couple of hundred of real "NUTCASE CRIMINALLY INSANE" will need to find a home very soon.

ALL I did, was work for the good of the neighborhoods that didn't have the ability to fight themselfs...and for this..,I GET HUNG!

If you can't express bitter anger for the way not only I WAS TREATED..but all of you who have kids and must now face the possiblity soon that those 5 people moving in are not...VERY NICE!

Lily.. I say "good for you" on your duty and work, but it isn't enough. and Sally, if you have kids..GOD HELP THEM, because myself and a committee of people tried to help them and you, but it's not enough, your not going to help them be very safe when you diss someone who will do what there lazy mom wouldn't.

Now lastly, If you think I have the PC nature to kiss someone who promised to do a task he was elected for...then took the view, the people who caused the problem in the first place were the least problem...then RANDY LEONARD can go to hell.

You need to look in a mirror, you need to direct your anger and distain not for me, but the people you elected and are now "taxing" you into the streets, closing schools when you know there is enough money to keep them open...back tracking on something you all voted for,turning dangerous people loose into neighborhoods that already have enough problems...BUT NOT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.

When you see that I'm just like you,but I'm the one challenging your courage and you don't like me for it...but I'm not the problem, you are.

Get behind a recall of Leonard,or Sten when they shove some more of this crap down your throats.

Stop going to these meeting's because you will find, it's already a done deal!

Get your anger directed not at me....I'm really on your side as well. The only way to fight this is to drop one of these folks off at the corner and tell them to take the bus home.

Until you finally get to that point, remember,I tried to help you all, not to get shafted for it.

Get your courage up, unite as one group, then take this city back.

You are nothing like me, Jack Peek. And do you think you are the only person in Portland who has a halfway house of undesirables living nearby?? Buckman is INUNDATED with social services, parole offices, methadone clinics and an easy DOZEN halfway houses. It's just part and parcel of the rape of Buckman. There have been a number of times when we Buckmanites have found out that a recently paroled sex offender is living with two or three blocks of Buckman Elementary School. When we phone the parole officer, he or she is always surprised to hear that one of their "clients" is living so near a school.

You are always saying "Don't shoot the messenger" but the fact is, you provoke it. You are incapable of simply stating a fact or opinion, you then have to follow it up with ranting rhetoric and insults to the very people you want on your side.

And insinuating that Sally is a "lazy mom" is beyond the pale.

O.k., everybody, let's get back on topic. Enough about each other? Thanks.

Jack - Is it possible the park budgets being cut is a precursor to some of the smaller parks (or parts thereof) being sold off? Local schools (Normandale, Kennedy, et al) have been auctioned off for a while now.

Buckman is INUNDATED with social services, parole offices, methadone clinics and an easy DOZEN halfway houses. It's just part and parcel of the rape of Buckman. There have been a number of times when we Buckmanites have found out that a recently paroled sex offender is living with two or three blocks of Buckman Elementary School. When we phone the parole officer, he or she is always surprised to hear that one of their "clients" is living so near a school.

Jack: This is the issue..the rape of Buckman, the rape of this city by people that you all started this thread about.

Lily never read what I wrote, She thinks its my "attitude", my words that get her upset that she can't get pass my anger as to what has happen.

Well I attended the first "social service" meeting about group homes which was held in Buckman, I didnt see her in my face to face meeting with Vera, I didn't see her at city council when I said to them all sitting there that there was a "saturation issue " in BUCKMAN, and Sten,pretty much called me a liar, as well as Andy Eismen who was Buckman association chair...so she can just Cool it.

You damn right I'm P-----, I want no more meetings, I WANT NO MORE BLOG'S that just talk and don't act..If you folks like getting run over...be my guest, but if you stop for a minute and just think....I'm just telling you what you know you need too do.

I want this town to stop acting like we are all sheep getting slaughtered .and fight back, if not, we all die in one way or another, we lose our homes, our safety, our pride...Don't waste time yelling at me...go after the people responsible.

Buckman is INUNDATED with social services, parole offices, methadone clinics and an easy DOZEN halfway houses. It's just part and parcel of the rape of Buckman. There have been a number of times when we Buckmanites have found out that a recently paroled sex offender is living with two or three blocks of Buckman Elementary School. When we phone the parole officer, he or she is always surprised to hear that one of their "clients" is living so near a school.

Jack: This is the issue..the rape of Buckman, the rape of this city by people that you all started this thread about.

Lily never read what I wrote, She thinks its my "attitude", my words that get her upset that she can't get pass my anger as to what has happen.

Well I attended the first "social service" meeting about group homes which was held in Buckman, I didnt see her in my face to face meeting with Vera, I didn't see her at city council when I said to them all sitting there that there was a "saturation issue " in BUCKMAN, and Sten,pretty much called me a liar, as well as Andy Eismen who was Buckman association chair...so she can just Cool it.

You damn right I'm P-----, I want no more meetings, I WANT NO MORE BLOG'S that just talk and don't act..If you folks like getting run over...be my guest, but if you stop for a minute and just think....I'm just telling you what you know you need too do.

I want this town to stop acting like we are all sheep getting slaughtered .and fight back, if not, we all die in one way or another, we lose our homes, our safety, our pride...Don't waste time yelling at me...go after the people responsible.

You need to look in a mirror, you need to direct your anger and distain not for me, but the people we elected and are now "taxing" you into the streets, closing schools when you know there is enough money to keep them open...back tracking on something you all voted for,turning dangerous people loose into neighborhoods that already have enough problems.

The protocol of a "BLOG" say's to stay on topic,well folks, I haven't gone off course,not at all. A poster that said if Lily and I harness our anger against each other, and take it out on the issue's you started the topic on, THINK WHAT THE WHOLE CITY COULD DO?

Is it now time to stop talking, and act as one?

Buckman is INUNDATED with social services, parole offices, methadone clinics and an easy DOZEN halfway houses. It's just part and parcel of the rape of Buckman. There have been a number of times when we Buckmanites have found out that a recently paroled sex offender is living with two or three blocks of Buckman Elementary School. When we phone the parole officer, he or she is always surprised to hear that one of their "clients" is living so near a school.

Jack: This is the issue..the rape of Buckman, the rape of this city by people that you all started this thread about.

Lily never read what I wrote, She thinks its my "attitude", my words that get her upset that she can't get pass my anger as to what has happen.

Well I attended the first "social service" meeting about group homes which was held in Buckman, I didnt see her in my face to face meeting with Vera, I didn't see her at city council when I said to them all sitting there that there was a "saturation issue " in BUCKMAN, and Sten,pretty much called me a liar, as well as Andy Eismen who was Buckman association chair...so she can just Cool it.

You damn right I'm P-----, I want no more meetings, I WANT NO MORE BLOG'S that just talk and don't act..If you folks like getting run over...be my guest, but if you stop for a minute and just think....I'm just telling you what you know you need too do.

I want this town to stop acting like we are all sheep getting slaughtered .and fight back, if not, we all die in one way or another, we lose our homes, our safety, our pride...Don't waste time yelling at me...go after the people responsible.

You need to look in a mirror, you need to direct your anger and distain not for me, but the people we elected and are now "taxing" you into the streets, closing schools when you know there is enough money to keep them open...back tracking on something you all voted for,turning dangerous people loose into neighborhoods that already have enough problems.

The protocol of a "BLOG" say's to stay on topic,well folks, I haven't gone off course,not at all. A poster that said if Lily and I harness our anger against each other, and take it out on the issue's you started the topic on, THINK WHAT THE WHOLE CITY COULD DO?

Is it now time to stop talking, and act as one?

damn SCREWED UP..an hit the button twice, Lily and Jack will get me again...sorry.

I was not at any of the meetings you describe, Jack Peek, for the simple reason that I wasn't living in Buckman then and didn't know about the issues.

Dear Lily,

Seems the latest news on THE "HIGH RISK GROUP" HOME issue,is there will be about 234 "new neighbors" very soon, so do like the idiot do -gooder in Gaston did when a Level 3 sex predetor moved near..."BAKE HIM SOME COOKIES!"

The rape of Buckman will continue...I know what I'm talking about.