There does seem to be a disconnect between the priorities of the citizens of Portland and priorities of the City Council.

The residents in PDX just want a nice well-run city that provides basic services like schools, police, parks and roads.

While the City Council seems hell bent on transforming Portland into a "world class city" like San Francisco or Vancouver B.C.

Would it be possible that we like Portland because of the various quality of civic life factors that *do not* have to do with gov't factors? Could it be that we *don't like* the reverse-Robin Hood style of government here? You know, where they steal from the poor to give to the rich.

The reason this situation is distressing is because it represents insiders' ideals trumping ordinary citizens' interests, and city gov't is *so* one-way, *such* a closed circle, that there appears no alternative in sight to help swing the pendulum back.

One problem is that the state/local MSM is such a hopeless cheerleader for this charade, as if we aren't really smart enough to figure out what's really going on. A "marketing problem"? Riiiight. Look. We know. It's all about The O.

I suggest the Oreg-onion's parent out-of-state corporation - Advanced / Newhouse - return its share of the coming corporate kicker. If they would just give it to the schools' PERS budget everything would be allright - like in yesterday's lead editorial that is *so* fish-and-chip paper today.

A marketing problem? I sense an impending project for the City Council here. Maybe for another 45 million we can add a digital scoreboard high atop the length of the aerial tram, that continually flashes out messages like, “The City Council Is Good!”

Another way of looking at it is that for every person who rated city government "bad" or "very bad", about three people rated it "good" or "very good".

Which is the lowest number in a while, and it's heading in a downward direction.

The disconnect is pretty simple, in my opinion. The citizens figure they elected the council to run the city. Roads, Parks, Police, Fire, Sewer and Water. Most of these basic services are not being perfomed very well and everyone knows it. Meanwhile the city spends millions and millions trying to re-design the city. Sewers and streets aren't as exciting as trams and condos, I guess. Besides, all those planners have to do something; they can't spend all day playing "Sim City".

If only we could quantify your contribution to the trend.

Snarkiness aside, certainly it's lower than it was in the 1990s. Against the backdrop of statewide and national trends though, I think the city is holding its own.

In any event, what matters are the substantive problems and how we respond to them, so back to the debate...and to work.

Against the backdrop of statewide and national trends though, I think the city is holding its own.

Sure, that's our standard of excellence around here nowadays: "Portland -- Managed Better than Jersey City."

A parting thought for Mr. Lister: street miles treated are up about 50% from last year, the direct result of council (led by Erik and Commissioner Adams, and wholeheartedly supported by the rest) redirecting administrative dollars into maintenance during the budget process.

A similar boost of maintenance spending in Water took place, which Commissioner Leonard is accelerating.

You leave the city for a while, and it's hard to keep up with the news, I guess.

street miles treated are up about 50% from last year, the direct result of council (led by Erik and Commissioner Adams, and wholeheartedly supported by the rest) redirecting administrative dollars into maintenance during the budget process.

A stunning achievement.

Are we Barcelona yet?

Rich,
Just to clarify... I never left the city. I've lived in Portland all my live and continue to do so. That's fifty one years. During that fifty one years the same streets in the forties south of Woodstock remain unpaved. This while your boss was blowing twenty million on a failed water billing system, several million studying a buyout of PGE, advocating for two or three million per election cycle for "clean money"...

Dave, please stop distracting the city government workers from their important work.

""""Dave, please stop distracting the city government workers from their important work.""""

Especially the planners.

Folks the biggest story in the survey is found on page B2 but not mentioned in the story.

In the box, the last item is
"Land use planning"

A whopping 37% think it is good.

So 63% don't.

Let's see, Portland has 100 planners, the PDC probably 100 more and Metro is an extra planning bureaucracy.

Hey planners.

People don't like your planning.

Does that matter?

I just KNEW I'd see a posting about this story. I was sitting in Fat City this morning reading the paper when I cam across the "marketing problem" story - I'm afraid the guys in the booth facing me may have though my dramatic eyeroll was directed at them. The LAST thing the city needs right now is to attempt to "market" itself. What we DO need is what we Villagers got last month at the MVNA meeting - Sam Adams (or his counterparts) talking in a level-headed and seeminlgy informed manner to the citizens and taking questions. What we need is straight communication and resonable action, not ANOTHER marketing gloss-up on a decision everyone knows is lame.

marketing gloss-up on a decision everyone knows is lame.

Like the "Saturday Market Permanent Home Project"?

Well, yes, that's certainly one. IN fact I should have used the term "decisions everyone knows are lame", since I'm sure we could come up with quite a list....

I can't wait to read the O's spin on the decision to move Saturday Market anyway, despite what the public thinks, that we all know is coming... What do WE know anyway?

It's all about the condos, baby.

It's been pointed out to me that I should probably know better than to try to reason with you guys, but consider me a glutton for punishment.

Dave, I think you make sense in pointing out the need to pave roads.

Here is a link to a map of historical annexations to the city of Portland. The area that Lister mentioned was annexed into the city of Portland relatively recently:

http://www.portlandonline.com/planning/index.cfm?c=deaca

The city hasn't been able to pave all the unpaved roads it inherited in the 1980s-1990s from unincorporated Multnomah County. Its policies are still tied to the notion that growth should pay its own way, so as a rule new road construction is not front-loaded by the taxpayers, but rather by the neighborhing properties.

These rules, designed for new development, don't work perfectly for annexed areas without roads (or the huge areas with some roads, but no curbs, sidewalks, etc.)--but as yet the concerns about equity haven't been resolved in a way that puts more dollars into new road construction.

Urban renewal areas are exceptions, but Brentwood-Darlington is largely outside of the Lents urban renewal area.

On water, the average residential water rate increase while Erik was in charge of the bureau was well under inflation. We absorbed the revenue loss from the billing system problems through cost control and litigation. And just to clarify, the revenue shortfall to Water resulted from money that stayed in the pockets of some customers.

Finally, I am of the opinion that the costs of intervening in the future of PGE, and for public financing of city council campaigns, will be demonstrated to be a bargain.

the costs of intervening in the future of PGE, and for public financing of city council campaigns, will be demonstrated to be a bargain

He he! When you're ready to demonstrate that, do let us know.

As a former Woodstock resident I love this topic ad have been up in arms for years. It is true that there are unpaved streets in very close-in neighborhoods that are in dire need of attention. While paving these roads will not likely generate a lot of new property tax revenue, many of these areas are the very types of neighborhoods the city needs to invest in. (1) They're close to employment centers like downtown and are near transit. (2)They're more afordable -- a vanishing concept in present-day Portland -- thus ideal for families and older residents. (3) By investing a little public $ into these areas the city can instill more pride in ownership and can help eradicate the drug houses and crime. I think this issue cuts across many of the problems plaguing the city like crime, afordable housing and traffic congestion. Apparently, the City of Portland would rather hit individual property owners with the tab for paving a street. When are they going to wake up?

Rich,
You're a nice guy and a great spin-meister but I am going to violate Jack's over commenting policy (hopefully he'll give me a pass) and refute what you have just said.

First, I said the "forties", not the hundred and forties. There are plenty of unpaved side streets and connectors in the annexation areas on your map labeled 1901-1910 and 1911-1920.

Secondly, you can spin the water billing fiasco any way you want but it was the worst fiscal boondoggle in the history of the city. I don't care how the revenue loss was absorbed, it was LOST. Also, we are now in the process of buying another system to replace the failed system. I know from OMF that not only do we have to buy the software (for I think 16 million) but also all new hardware to run the system. So you have to add the cost of the new system to the cost of the failed system and throw in the lost revenue as well. The implementation of this new system has now been postponed an extra three months and the contractors awarded another 600 grand.

We would not have to buy this new system if your office had not bungled the first system. Makes no difference if it's now another commissioner's problem.

Dave,

A rebuttal to your rebuttal, and my apologies for my transgressions:

Look at the annexation map on the link I provided. It shows that the area in the 40s, south of Woodstock, was largely annexed in the 1980s.

You may not know, so I'll mention that we recovered $7 million from STS in our settlement, which means no out of pocket costs to the vendor. I mentioned how we managed to keep rate increases below inflation because I think that actually matters. I know you think you could have done the job better and for less than anyone else, and I respect your desire to run a successful business.

I don't think any other utility in operation in Portland kept their rate increases below inflation during that period. Is that not important information?

Somewhat off-topic but illustrative of the mind-set of "planners" in general and their tenuous contact with reality; in the O (10/31) "Measure 37 lives - or not" referring to the Marion County Circuit Court decision:

"This means we'll get back to planning and doing things we weren't able to do while processing Measure 37 claims," said Doug McLain, planning director in Clackamas County. "It was a very large workload *we hadn't planned* for." (*emphasis mine*)

Tell me he's kidding.

Rich,
I guess one of us is color blind. One block south of Otto's Sausage Kitchen on 42nd and Woodstock is an unpaved street. I can't tell by your map if that's yellow or orange, but it sure isn't blue. There's another example at 48th and Glisan, which is in the 1910 zone. Heck, you can find them all over the inner eastside.

To paraphrase your first snipe at me, "If you don't get out and about much, you don't know what's going on in town".

I do enjoy our debates, both electronic and in person. Please remember, politics is not personal.

I will now cease and desist, lest Jack bans me.

Westsider wrote
""""",,,,By investing a little public $ into these areas"""""""

"Investing a little"?

What a joke that is.

First off the "investing" has been a frenzy of ill-conceived, illegitimate, unaccounted for projects, ventures and boondoggles, which has grown to the current looting of the public's portfolio.

Second, "little" is a useful but dishonest label to put on the spending and waste level.
And how wold you know it it "little"?

In addition to the unethical behavior of government officials, agencies and staff
with their favorite cash weapon of choice, "Urban Renewal" illegalities are likely involved as well.

The City of Portland's PDC is in violation of state law (ORS 457.460) in not preparing yearly reports on the impact of Urban Renewal on taxing districts. http://www.pdc.us/pdf/pubs_general/ura-rpt_02-03_03-04.pdf

Portland should be doing what most other cities do to comply.
http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/finance/fy04_impact_report.pdf
FINANCIAL IMPACT REPORT
of the City’s Urban Renewal Plan

"Each year urban renewal agencies must prepare a report for the governing body and the general public in accordance with Oregon Revised Statute 457.460"

I ask you all, what do you suppose the public polls would say if the PDC reported what they have been doing to school, police, fire, park and library property tax resources?

I suggest the 37% number who think the land use planning is good around here would plummet to somewhere around 10 or 15% if people knew what it is costing in addition to the lousy outcome.

I'm so sick of hearing council members (and their support staffs) slam each other whilst patting themselves on their backs. Most of us are smart enough to draw our own conclusions. Petty rhetoric and grandstanding won't change our minds. Just do your jobs.

Hey Rich Rodgers -- I take it from your e-mail address that you're an employee of our fair city. And your posts were submitted during what I can only assume are your working hours.

So, we're actually paying you to cruise blogs like this one and to spin the gospel of "The City That Works" by submitting comments to them?

And the citizens of Portland don't think they're getting much for their tax dollars. Imagine that.

Darn! Erisaweasel beat me to that observation!

Must be nice to have a cushy job that pays you to cruise blogs and sing the praises of your boss. Say Halelujah, brother!

My tax dollars at work....

So, we're actually paying you to cruise blogs like this one and to spin the gospel of "The City That Works" by submitting comments to them?

Hey, lay off my readership!

8c)

I think the most interesting set of statistics is the one breaking down residents' opinion of the livability of THEIR neighborhood, vs the one where they rate the livability of the city as a whole --

Every single neighborhood except Central NE rates their neighborhood higher than the rest of the city. That is so, so Portland! I loved the silly parochialism of it. (Marketing/schmarketing -- for most people the Portland they most care for/know most about, is "the street where I live" -- and city hall will never be on that street.)

Gotta wonder what's with Central NE though...

Aside from that, my favorite quote is from the Auditor's office press release, in which Auditor Blackmer is quoted as follows: “Even excellent reports need to be read and used by decision-makers and the public," Blackmer said. (end quote)

hee hee. "Even" excellent reports need to be read? What, "even" used?

Cliff notes, anyone?

As for Rich -- an important part of his job IS to talk to citizens. That is indeed, one of the things we pay him to do. Even to talk to (I do hope I'm over-reaching here?) seeming self-hating folks who refer to the blog they themselves post on as "blogs like this" -- as though he'd really hit the bottom of the sludge pond coming here...

I appreciate that he has the nerve to do the job we pay him to do. I can't help but wonder whether certain of you all would rather a cozy choir, than a real discussion.

So, we're actually paying you to cruise blogs like this one and to spin the gospel of "The City That Works" by submitting comments to them?

Oh give me a break. If he stopped responding, you'd bag on him for "ignoring the voters who pay his salary." If he does respond, you bag on him for wasting valuable tax dollars by responding to you.

Back to the issue of basic services-they are important has our city charter states. One of my neighborhood streets, SW Fulton Park near Johns Landing was built in the early 1880's as an important link from the Sellwood Ferry to the Tualatin Valley and the railroad line to Salem where I-5 is now. The same "street" was macadamized in the early 1900's. Today, it is still a one lane,potholed, rutted semi-macadamized failing lane with 120 year old sewer and water lines. Eight years ago the "street People" promised that they would throw some more oil and gravel on the lane.Never done. The street is used as a short cut from Barbur/Terwilliger to Sellwood Bridge. In fact, during construction of the Terwilliger Bridge a few years back and the recent "Big Dig" on Virgina St., our lane was used by the Street People as a detour route. Do your think we have received any improvements from the City? NADA. Do you think we can get Commissioner Adams and "street people" to improve our street so it is passable after we have payed taxes for over 120 years with no improvements?

I, for one, am actually glad that Rich (and others of his ilk) are reading and responding here - hell, even on the clock, with city resources.

But sorry, Rich - you lose me with 'facts' like this one:

I don't think any other utility in operation in Portland kept their rate increases below inflation during that period. Is that not important information?

While I appreciate the good old college try to put a semi-decent face on the water bureau fiasco, I'd advise you to put it to bed already. It smacks of the magician trying to distract us with the shiny coin and the sleight of hand - while the big 600 pound elephant's got a trunk and a tail hiding out of either end of the too-small curtain.

It might be true - but it also doesn't get you anything. Take your lumps and move on already...

How do you like being treated like an elephant with a chained-up leg?

How great would Portland be if single family housing was valued as rent justified investment property, just like affordable housing, for property tax purposes? See Nov 3rd SC opinion.

This is a trick question because it has an obvious downside, but . . .

Do you expect to feel better or worse tomorrow?

How does a choker chain work?

The bond folks say to the credit rating folks look look they are all choked up, seeee.

We couldn't be more ripe for even more and bigger bonds for a better tomorrow. "I Feel Good"

"Land use planning"
A whopping 37% think it is good.

Given the tendency of many folks to put their own desires before the good of the commons, it's not clear to me why this number is necessarily a problem.

"Land use planning"
A whopping 37% think it is good.

Given the tendency of many folks to put their own desires before the good of the commons, it's not clear to me why this number is necessarily a problem.

Seems to me everyone on this blog has been reading too much Phil Stanford and a bunch of other anti-gummint types.

A vast majority of our citizens say they love Portland and yet a significant minority doesn't like the city council. Well, that's just the American Way.

City commissioners are human and they make mistakes (and yes, these mistakes cost a lot of money). And every mistake is magnified by the media and, particularly, by the blogosphere, where virtually every blogger is out to trumpet his or her own superior intellect, frequently at the neglect of the topic at hand.

We have a good city council. If you don't like them, please tell me who you'd like to replace and with whom.

Gil,

Have you read any American history?

It is the American Way to be skeptical. It relates to the notion of not trusting Kings, even those that claim to be benevolent. A city council sits in the shoes of the king and thus it is par for the course for them to be on the receiving end of complaints. It is a ritual of sorts, and role playing, like theater.

In that light, your argument is that some kings are benevolent thus all kings should be accorded respect for the self-proclamations of benevolence. Funny.

Multco/COP is a dead zone for any would-be candidate who strays from the orthodoxy. It's even worse than a single party system. Worse than nearly every judicial election in Oregon - you remember, where incumbents all run unopposed. What *is* the orthodoxy? Take a look at the requirements for our public school teachers.

Working Definition of Cultural Competency
Cultural competence is based on a commitment to social justice and equity.

Culture refers to integrated patterns of human behavior that include the language, thoughts, communication, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and norms of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups.

Cultural competence is a developmental process occurring at individual and system levels that evolves and is sustained over time. Recognizing that individuals begin with specific lived experiences and biases, and that working to accept multiple world views is a difficult choice and task, cultural competence requires that individuals and organizations:

a.)Have a defined set of values and principles, demonstrated behaviors, attitudes, policies and structures that enable them to work effectively in a cross-cultural manner.

b.)Demonstrate the capacity to 1) value diversity, 2) engage in self-reflection, 3) facilitate effectively (manage) the dynamics of difference, 4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge, and 5) adapt to the diversity and the cultural contexts of the students, families, and communities they serve, 6) support actions which foster equity of opportunity and services.

c.)Institutionalize, incorporate, evaluate, and advocate the above in all aspects of leadership, policy-making, administration, practice, and service delivery while systematically involving staff, students, families, key stakeholders, and communities.

ref. http://www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/grants/saelp/resrcescultcomp.aspx

It's enough to make me wish that Frank Ivancie would come out of retirement.

truffula,

"...the tendency of many folks to put their own desires before the good of the commons(?)..."

Sounds like human nature; people without this "tendency" are either not human or not telling the truth.

The question is what portion the 37% think planning serves "their own desires". Don't for a moment think that "planning" isn't a career growth industry, particularly in the metro area.

As Schopp mentions, many of the rest of those who think local land use planning is good probably have little idea how it really affects "their own desires".

Gil,

If you consider Phil Stanford to be an "anti-gummint" (nice slur) type, you must be off the scale in the other direction.

Sounds as if you want anyone who questions the ever so well-meaning members of the city council to just take their meds and go back to sleep.

Characterizing dissenters as "(not) liking" the council, as if it'some personal thing, is a red herring. We don't like their actions (or their lack of action, in some cases).

As for your contention that the media and bloggers somehow magnify their mistakes, I'm not sure that's even possible with something like Erik's Leaky Faucet!

If you don't want us to hold them accountable, you'll have to make more room "under the rug" where you would like to sweep any upsetting questions and where, apparently, you feel quite comfortable.

As Richard Daley the First used to say, "It's easy to criticize, but show me your program." If the people on the city council aren't the right ones, who do you suggest? So far, no one has thrown out any names except Frank Ivancie, who last I heard lived in D.C. and was about the worst politician we've had in these parts in my lifetime.

Yes, a fundamental distrust in government is a big part of the American Way, which both contributes to our nation's successes and monumental failures. One of the reasons our national government is in such a mess is that a near majority of our citizens have been persuaded that government is the enemy, in Reagan's words.

Blogs are a great place for carpers. If you got a better way of doing things and better people to do them with, let's hear about it.

By the way, I was no fan of Richard Daley, but the quote was relevant.

Uh, let's see. For City Council, Dave Lister and James Posey. For Governor, Vicki Walker. County commission, nobody wants, but how about somebody who's had a real private-sector job at some point in the last 20 years, and can behave like an adult?

Here's a program: Take that $200 million PDC budget and build 1,000 - $200,000 detached single-family homes with it every year.

There are better people, and far, far better programs, than most of what we have in local government now. You can wave your red herring all you want, but I and many of the commenters here (most of whom are not Reaganites, not even close) have done much more than carp over the past several years.

Dysfunction Junction

Let's see. The system of elective representative governance has been so abused by powerful factions that it is, by most accounts, dysfunctional and subject to continuing complaints.

A different system of representative governance applies in the judical system. Similar to the elective sphere, important matters of life, liberty, and property (or pursuit of happiness, if you prefer) are at stake.

The jury system may be imperfect. But it is not as dysfunctional as elective representation. It is not subect of continuing attempts to repeal, reform, or revise it.

If we want to improve elective representation - we'd be better off with officials randomly selected from Sec. of State Bradbury's secret list of Oregonians who are able to sign their name the same way twice.

Gil,

Thanks for tossing out that "...our national government is in such a mess..." - I imagine that line is intended to serve as an example of what "carpers" have to say.

If you're feeling frustrated with the national government (as are many of us) - then you should understand and welcome the open discourse here. Open your mind, grasshopper!

All politics is local.

Just ask Richard Daley

or Neil Goldschmidt

or Homer Williams

Well, now we are starting to gedt somewhere. I don't know anything about David Lister. Didn't James Posey run a couple of years ago or are we talking about the badketball player for the Miami Heat? The guy I remember running seemed to be strong on passion and very weak on information.

If Vicki Walker shows a snowball's chance of getting through the primary, I'll work for her.

So where are we gonna put 1,000 new detached single family homes every year inside the city limits? I think what you are getting at is that too much of town has been developed as apartment complexes, particularly high end stuff for Yuppies and empty nesters, and not enough family homes have been built. Portland has to promote density because it doesn't really have much urban boundary to expand and yet by law, we have to assure a supply of new housing.

There may be ways around it. I keep thinking of creating artificial hillsides and/or somehow stacking homes, sort of like Habitat in Montreal (where one person's roof is another person's back yard). That's a 40-year old project and probably could have done better.

Rather than debate housing in this thread, perhaps a new topic should be started.

I've often had the same thought as Ramon about juries being selected to make our public policy decisions. People being selected at random to serve on committees and/or decide on public issues would mostly eliminate the corruption of special interest money and pandering for votes. It would also totally erase institutional memory. You'd think a jury system couldn't be any worse than what we have now, but who knows, it could be.

Gil's answer:

The HABITRAIL!

GERBILS UNITE!!!