In the upcoming elections, vote for "NO" incumbents period.

I would vote against all the City Council incumbents except I'm moving out of Portlandia/MultCo to reduce my biz and property taxes. Portland will eventually have nothing but the underclass and the wealthy, because those in the middle are getting pushed out to the suburbs.

Don't count on the wealthy to be around for long.

I guess it may be best not to wait until the elections. Here are the locations for the recall petition collection sites for the weekend.

Multnomah County Court House 11AM to 1:30 PM Thurs/Friday 18th/19th

SE 52nd & Woodstock Noon to 4 pm Sat. March 20

Fri. Mar 18 Between 122nd and 124th and SE Divison 2-6 pm

Sat. Mar 19 148th S.E. and Division 1-5p.
Sun. Mar 20 S.E. 17th and Clinton 10:30a.-12:30p.
Sun. Mar 20 S.E. 16th and Tacoma 9:30-11:30a.

The worst Mayor in Portland history. #1 SCHMUCK.

One thing that came out at the meeting not reflected in the Oregonian's article or noted above was the Bureau of Environmental Services’ (BES) cavalier attitude while being redressed by the PURB. Tracy Marks chastised City Council and the Mayor for not waiting one day to allow this issue to be vetted by the PURB. What came out in the meeting was that BES had $20 million in bond funding in excess of what they required for current projects. The Mayor saw the money and thought spend and not save the rate payers money. Dean Marriott was asked at the meeting “why not repay some of the debt or use the money to reduce budgeted costs” and he rebuked the comment saying you can’t use the money to repay the debt, pay for debt service or use it to reduce other projected budget costs. The PURB then asked why not move up one of BES’ other capital projects and use the money for true identified capital projects. No good answer was given to that comment.

BES plans and determines how much to borrow and when. How could they make a $20 million mistake! The attitude of representatives of the BES shows a lack of concern for fiscal responsibility. BES is funding a $1.4 billion big pipe project it seems an extra $20 million is nothing to them or to City Government. Anything to reduce our already high and escalating rates must happen, even if it’s only 90 cents for the first year; anyway, it’s a good start.

Now I read those criminals are buying the post office for $63 million when it appraised at the height of the bubble for $47 million. If they want to buy any other real estate around here for 35% more than it was worth in 2007 I'll sell them mine. Think of how good it will be for the economy!

News flash.

Make no mistake about it, it's your BlueOregon brethren who are propping up and sustaining Creepy and company.
And all of the madness around the region.

Until they are called on the carpet and held accountable for their lunatic advocacy things will only get worse.

"Apparently commissioner Amanda Fritz is also learning a bitter lesson"

Don't count on it - She is officially one of them now. She just needs her pet project to get money for.

"Our federal government borrowed billions of dollars last year, and by doing so was able to send money to states to fund projects to provide jobs."

HA-HA! What a self-serving piece of crap. All of that money went to preserve benefits for public employees.

Go to recovery.org and look at what kind of jobs it created. Total puffery.

BES plans and determines how much to borrow and when. How could they make a $20 million mistake! The attitude of representatives of the BES shows a lack of concern for fiscal responsibility.

I disagree. The career people at the BES don't want to do this. But they're being ordered to do it by Mayor Creepy. And under Portland's dopey commission form of government, the people in the bureaus who know what they're doing must do the bidding of whichever city commissioner gets put in charge of their operation.

I'd bet if Dean Marriott could tell you what he really thinks, he'd tell you that this is a colossally stupid idea.

The moral at the city government is so low it is no wonder that the city employees take off the most sick days possible.
Too bad the city council members don't take time off too.

I hope everyone in Portland is starting to get how it works now.

The city sets up "citizen review" of things like utility rates, or the police. Or the city holds ten "public outreach" events on every planning idea.

But the public has no actual sway on any of these ideas.

It is a sham. They know what they're going to do. All they want from the public is a rubber stamp, and if they don't get it, they ignore the public, or tell us we don't "understand."

That was my favorite from Randy the other day, that critics "just don't understand". Lean in here Randy, and listen up: Spend my f**king sewer money on sewers! Understand that?

That was my favorite from Randy the other day, that critics "just don't understand". Lean in here Randy, and listen up: Spend my f**king sewer money on sewers! Understand that?

What does Randy care? He's got his fire pension, and everyone else can go pound sand while he works on one of his little pet projects, like creating his own militia or inventing new public toilets.

And under Portland's dopey commission form of government, the people in the bureaus who know what they're doing must do the bidding of whichever city commissioner gets put in charge of their operation.

From the stirring City Club defense of the current system, prior to the vote on the 2007 charter changes:

Your committee concludes that, while the proposed change in form of government would likely promote greater efficiency in city government, the changes would also jeopardize the innovation and resiliency that benefit Portland under the current form. By granting considerable authority to each commissioner, the current form attracts strong leaders to run for City Council and offers commissioners real pportunities to implement innovative policies and projects through their assigned bureaus. Furthermore, by spreading authority broadly among commissioners, the current form not only offers citizens greater access to city leaders, it ensures that diffuse leadership can serve as a bulwark against an ineffectual or reckless mayor. Your committee recommends that Portland voters not risk losing those advantages.

As has been stated before, it's very simple what has happened here. The City has decided to raise our taxes through increased water and sewer rates. Sure the PURB may have something to say about it, but they'll never do anything.

The big question is, can anything be done about it?

I calculated our water and sewer rates have been escalating at about 5.5% per year at least back to the year 2002 (the oldest bill I have on hand). This while the Portland-Salem CPI index has escalated at only a tad over 2% per year. What's worst rates are about to explode to fund reservoir covering and new water treatment.

What is just astounding to me is cityhall's transportation spokesman said the new bike plan is needed because families don't want to use current bike lanes but new side street bike boulevards. In other words, water and sewer rate payers are paying for a hope and dream (a "horse" so to speak).

Earth to cityhall: Families actually need cars to support anything approaching their current life styles.

i to am looking to make a move. blue oregon has got such a lock on this state, its not worth it to stay any longer.

vote democrat...it's way easier than working!!

Y'all just are not 'getting it'. The EPA regulation Leonard is drooling about was written by engineers....for engineers. There is no public health reason to add treatment or cover the reservoirs. Period. This has all been a wonderful scam, about as relevant as a SARS outbreak.
You have not seen anything until Leonard starts adding in the higher cost of engineer escalator clauses, increased money costs for borrowing, and inflation is just around the corner. We cannot have Fed money this cheap forever.
Y'all should start speaking up and writing if you want to bring this stupidity to a stop.

From the Oregonian, Tracy Marks of the PURB:

"Marks, who has received about two dozen emails from angry ratepayers, said he was tired of city commissioners squeezing pet projects into the environmental services bureau budget, which has the ability to increase rates.

“The reason council has stuck it in your budget,” he said, directing his comments at bureau director Dean Marriott, “is because they can.”"

This guy ought to run the city.

Snards,
The day before, he was quoted in favor of it. Tracy Marks is hand picked by Leonard. I doubt he will do more than lip service like the rest of them.

Snards comment:
It is a sham. They know what they're going to do. All they want from the public is a rubber stamp, and if they don't get it, they ignore the public, or tell us we don't "understand."

So true, so true. Adams learned that well from Katz. Remember there was a recall attempt made on her. Some people have been aware of the sham for years, others are just finding out.

What I don't understand is whether Adams thinks his position is so secure that he can do whatever now, even on a dare this last idea of his. If that is the case, what else will he push on us if he remains on his royal perch.

Or, is he feeling shaky about his position and being compromised on this and that in order to keep himself on the perch and this bike perk is just another way of feeding his support to secure his royal spot.

Either way, not good for us. Consider the recall if you haven't prior to this. If the
signatures can be collected, will be easier to collect them for Leonard.

Leonard needs to be recalled for bit by bit dismantling our Bull Run Water System and Reservoirs. People concerned about $20 million? How about a billion with debt for unnecessary projects because he and these perch sitters will not seriously stand up to EPA regarding our good water. Remember,
EPA often declines to intervene with polluted water, what is this all about?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html
However, the vast majority of those polluters have escaped punishment. State officials have repeatedly ignored obvious illegal dumping, and the Environmental Protection Agency, which can prosecute polluters when states fail to act, has often declined to intervene.

Leonard last spring used *emergency ordinance for over $130 million for the Powell Butte storage tank just in case we don't get an exemption on this EPA LT2 Rule.
Again, this last week he did another *emergency ordinance for Kelly Butte project.

$20million a problem?? What will people think about $400 million for this and that and on and on being proposed by the water bureau and all for a public health problem that doesn't exist! Crazy making from those on the royal perch who aren't listening to the citizens who know better.

I suppose we will hear from Shaff now. To Shaff I would say, your explanation about why this was a *emergency was not believable.
I would add, this is bad enough about the billion dollar with debt crisis, but how can you justify degrading our good drinking water and degrading the health of our community? Adding Toxic chemicals, and radon, yes radon will be backed up into your home and others?

Amanda: "On the other hand, our Portland Utility Review Board voluteers are charged with commenting on ongoing rates, and I would have liked their input on a decision that affects ongoing rates in this manner."

Um, what more do you want them to do to give you input? Strip naked, paint themselves blue, and dance around holding signs to get your attention? The input was there, you just chose to ignore it.

Great picture, Jack. My only concern is that you're making the case for more user-friendly zeppelin landing lanes, which would be funded, of course, by that remaining $20 million in the sewer bond fund.

Amanda, the disappointment in you is growing immensely. You knew of the PURB's thinking before your vote, even though you didn't have their final vote, nor their comments. If I served on that Board I would resign because you and the Council have made them meaningless. Why didn't you vote your conscious, at least? The citizens of Portland have figured out what government means, and it isn't representative government.

The graphic is priceless - Hindenberg Adams - oh, the humanity! Here's hoping this fiscal disaster will do to bike-swales what the Hindenberg catastrophe did to zeppelin air-travel.

If Randy's arming his water bureau militia, and bike-related improvements are being funded from the water bureau, can we anticipate having armed guards in bike lanes? That should go well.

The symbolism in the photo is interesting as well.

Oh! IF only there was humanity!

You will make it more difficult for SleazySam to find interns if you mislabel it a blimp. The Hindenburg was a rigid dirigible. Otherwise, right on!

Don't throw Dean Marriott under the bus on this one. It's Sam's gig. I love bicycles, but not shell games for funding.

Nice Photoshop job!

Okay...I saw the headline and the first thing that I thought was, "

"We've got ancient sewers collapsing and swallowing up portions of the city, but we're diverting sewer funds to build bicycle paths?"

Yes, we are. Apparantly.

I'm not surprised people are pissed.

Ben comments:Make no mistake about it, it's your BlueOregon brethren who are propping up and sustaining Creepy and company.
And all of the madness around the region.
Until they are called on the carpet and held accountable for their lunatic advocacy things will only get worse.

I have often wondered about the silence of BlueOregon and the silence of the Multnomah Democratic Party on important issues and like you say the madness around the region.

After all, these matters affect them too.
Are they so tied in that they cannot admonish a D or certain groups in town?

I don't care if a D or R, leaders should be for the public good and be financially responsible. To be silent as we are in a crisis doesn't make sense to me.

Does anyone here know about the position of
a group, The Coalition for a Livable Future?
An interesting name, but what do they stand for? Seems to me they would be concerned about the issues we talk about on here, but again they seem silent.

Just seems like a kind of eerie silence around our city.

At least Amanda sort of admitted she was wrong on this. That takes fortitude. She's got more balls than any of her male colleagues, IMHO.

There isn't much the other incumbents can do at this point to get my vote. They're all collosal disappointments. Remember when Randy was going to be the voice of common sense and reason? Or when we were proud as a city to elect one of the first openly-gay mayors in the country? Or when Nick Fish was going to be an agent of change? All of them have shown their true colors as spendthrift d*****bags.

Amanda, however, isn't a total waste of space. She still can earn my support by taking a more critical view of crud like this in the future.

Forget the future, Fritz needs to act now and take steps to defeat this project. This isn't elementary school - we don't have time for her to learn her job as it is taught to her by idiots like Adumbs and Randy Loo.

The sewer/bike path funding is an excellent idea. It is this type of thinking that is moving Portland forward. Reduce runoff in to the storm sewer system reduces cost and maintenance cost. More bides due to bike paths and boulevards, less auto traffic, less road maintenance, less congestion. Tell me what is not to like in this?

Michael, I'll tell you what!

Paying for it by slight of hand!!

Michael:Tell me what is not to like in this?

The Portland Water Bureau proposed rate increases:
FY 2009-10 17.9%
FY 2010-11 18.9%
FY 2011-12 19.0%
FY 2012-13 18.8%
FY 2013-14 19.0%
In addition to the above proposed water usage charge, the base charge will
also be increased.

Hey Michael,
Go put on your Spandex and ride away, bike mafia.

What's not to like, Michael? Well, some of us NEED and WANT to drive. Not everyone can take care of their transportation needs via bicycle.

Oh, and uh, why not use my sewer dollars to pay for sewers OR refund the money to me and my brethren and sistren!! What a concept!!!!

And for the record, I do ride my bike a lot, but not for work which takes 40 minutes via car. Get real, Sam Adams - if you like biking so much, move to flat Amsterdam, but don't set a goal that 20-25% of us will be travelling by bike.

I'm rapidly coming to HATE this city, and I'm a 5th generation gal.

I wouldn't worry about Michael. Either he's a troll, or this is a textbook case of hipster logic. "If it's an idea that benefits me, or at least allows me to get the attention I so desperately crave, then I'm all for it. I won't pay for it myself, and I'll shriek bloody murder if I'm expected to pay a tax increase, but so long as someone else is going to be held responsible, I'll support it. Well, for a week, and then I'll refuse to use it because it's not cool any more."

That's my biggest concern about the bike lanes, and consider that I ride my bike to and from work every day. I'd love bike lanes along my route, but I'm also perfectly comfortable in sharing the road with drivers. If the city had real numbers and real statistics on exactly how many people would switch to bike transportation if the lanes were available, I'd consider it. However, if Sam reaches any further up his butt for the stats that back up this little game of hipster welfare, he's going to snag his fingers on his back teeth.

Here's something I've been thinking about lately. I haven't really seen diagrams of how these drainage ditches work, but I've heard them referred to as curb extensions. So does that mean that the whole block's curb is extended out into the street, reducing auto traffic lanes? I guess so. But my real concern is how they are actually arrayed.

We know the city tried last year to relieve itself of the overwhelming burden of leaf collection. Will these extensions further inhibit that effort, allowing for further justification of the city's refusal to do its job? And since the property owners are already responsible for the sidewalk (curb), will they now also be responsible for maintaining the ditches? And does anyone think they won't fill up with leaves in the fall and contribute to some great street-rafting experiences when the downpours hit as they inevitably do? Oh, and how about those trapped concentrated toxins that are then released in the overflow, only to enter the nearest storm water drain?

I wonder if by attaching the bike lane premise, the city is hoping that they can distract from the issue of just how these ditched can be effective in our climate and in the limited space they are planning to implement them. In other words, "Okay, forget the bike lanes. We've heard you. Now we'll just build the ditches." When it's the illusion of the ditches we should be questioning.

Why can't we improve our water treatment capability to begin with?

"I would vote against all the City Council incumbents except I'm moving out of Portlandia/MultCo to reduce my biz and property taxes. Portland will eventually have nothing but the underclass and the wealthy, because those in the middle are getting pushed out to the suburbs."

Responding to Jennifer's comment, above, Portland is intent on becoming what Detroit, Michigan is today. High taxes, government red tape, unrestrained spending, and parasitic public employee unions will work their magic on this city. Eventually all with resources will exit, leaving a permanent underclass supported by entitlements. Who will pay the bill then?