PDC salaries: nothing too fancy
Our survey of public employee salaries continues today with the Portland Development Commission, the city's "urban renewal" agency. They do well over there -- but not nearly as well as at places like Tri-Met and the Port, which partially explains the absence of Goldschmidt cronies from the executive ranks at the PDC.
Anyway, our figures are supplied to us by the PDC, whom we asked for a list of all those employees making more than $100,000. According to what was sent us by Frederick Davis-Brown, PDC legal assistant, for the year ended May 31, 2009, there were 27 people whose gross pay exceeded that amount. At the top was Bruce Warner (right), the PDC executive director, at $177,809. Behind him was Erin Flynn, urban development director, at $149,178; and Julie Cody, chief financial officer, at $138,560.
In all, there were seven execs making more than $125,000. The average employee in the top 20 made $123,929. Here is the rest of the top 10:
| John Jackley | Comm & Business Equity Dir | $135,404 |
| Sandy Reina | Human Resources Director | $133,770 |
| David Elott | Deputy General Counsel | $129,300 |
| Lewis Bowers | Central City Division Manager | $128,106 |
| Byron Estes | Neighborhood Division Mgr | $124,110 |
| Stanley Allen | Sr Development Advisor | $122,190 |
| Robert Alexander | Sr Projects Manager | $120,372 |
The whole list is here.
There are many questions that could be raised about the PDC, but the salaries paid to the folks at the top of the agency aren't among them. By comparison, the real money is at places like Tri-Met and the Port.
| Posted at 12:36 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (15)
I'm sorry but I am just as offended by these salaries as I am with any of the other agencies examined. What was Mazziotti's salary before he left? Are you saying that Goldy is not linked to the PDC?
Posted by RANZ | June 9, 2009 12:43 PM
Potter ran the Goldschmidt crowd out of the PDC. They may be back already, but I doubt it. Don Mazziotti, currently pulling strings for the Paulsons on the infernal stadium deal, is also affiliated with the Portland Family of Funds, a shadowy PDC "spinoff" from the Don's days running the PDC.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 9, 2009 12:59 PM
Is 10,000 a month enough?
What do these people need this much money for?
Do you know anyone who gets by (and pays taxes) on 20,000 a year?
Why is this or that person worth so much more than another?
Can this system survive?
Posted by jussaskin | June 9, 2009 1:18 PM
RANZ,
What offends you about these salaries? You may object to the way the PDC operates, but salaries for top people in an organization being in the low 100,000's is not obscene by any means. If you want talented managers to work in the public sector, you need to pay them decent wages.
Posted by Anon | June 9, 2009 1:21 PM
Where's the talent?
Posted by Bark Munster | June 9, 2009 1:30 PM
A "Deputy General Counsel" but no "General Counsel"?
Seems unusual.
Or does PDX City Attorney Linda Meng wear the "General Counsel hat?
Posted by Nonny Mouse | June 9, 2009 1:31 PM
Their website shows a new general counsel: Eric Iverson. Since he's new, he would not show up on their list for the year ended May 31, 2009.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 9, 2009 1:32 PM
Seems as if the median family are the servants of all these talented managers.
Note: HUD has determined that the 2007 Median Family Income 100% (MFI) for a 4-person household in the Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is $63,800, $3,100 less than in 2006. HUD has explained that this decrease resulted, at least in part, from the use of a new formula to calculate MFI. Because HUD-funded programs throughout the Portland MSA set eligibility criteria, rental rates, and other program elements based on the HUD MFI, this decrease could trigger a wave of eligibility reviews
and disqualifications, lease revisions, and other program changes. To avoid this, HUD has instructed all jurisdictions to make no changes to the values of 30% MFI, 50% MFI, and 80% MFI for households of all sizes in 2007. The values will remain at the 2005 levels. (HUD also held these values constant in 2006, when the MFI took a small dip.) You may rely on the information in this table to determine eligibility, rental rates, and other program elements for all federally-funded housing and community development activities in 2007.
MEDIAN INCOME FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR (PORTLAND, OR): $63,800
Posted by Bark Munster | June 9, 2009 1:36 PM
That figure for median income sounds high. Does the "Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area include the usual federal figure geographic realm of Vancouver/Portland/Beaverton? If so, the Pearl, West Hills, Beaverton and Lake O salaries may be skewing the average.
This figure could explain why the city considers $900 a month for a one-bedroom or even a large studio apartment, "affordable."
Posted by NW Portlander | June 9, 2009 3:41 PM
Portland's recent MFI at $66,900 certainly explains why the PDC has quietly promoted that Work Force Housing be included in the Affordable Housing category. The 30% of Urban Dollars designated to Affordable Housing allows an income of $80,280 to have taxpayer subsidized housing (120% x $66,900).
PDC is trying to raise the bar so that most of its employees and the CoP's to have Affordable Housing. Who's left to pay?
Posted by Lee | June 9, 2009 4:12 PM
I wouldn't have a problem with those salaries if I had any idea what a PDC is or why we need one. I do understand why we have a Port since that is a legit business that needs to be run. Metro seems like an useless extra layer of micro-managers and my guess is that the PDC also falls into that camp.
Someone at some point must have been handing out jobs as political favors. The problem is that 20 or 30 years later we're still stuck with all these pigs sucking on the teat.
Posted by andy | June 9, 2009 4:26 PM
PDC = Portland Developer's Coin-purse. Hope that helps, Andy.
Posted by RANZ | June 9, 2009 5:52 PM
It would be a fair assessment to tack on another 50% in benefits for any public sector position, which is why the real money and taxpayer commitment is in the head count. So unfortunate.
Posted by dave g | June 9, 2009 6:51 PM
I would bet money that off shore payoffs make up the difference... but I can't prove it.
Back 10 or 15 years ago when Homer and co were connected to the Russian banks on Naru, I am sure that was part of the deal. Also very shadowy but not beyond a doubt.
Posted by portland native | June 9, 2009 7:43 PM
I can't imagine what the Internal Audit Manager does for 118K.
Knowing how PDC deosn't keep track of crap there's not a whole lot of auditing to be done.
Unless it's snacks and office supplies.
Does that person audit how much money is spent in an UR scheme?
Perhaps they've seen the UR check register for SoWa?
Now that's funny.
Posted by Ben | June 9, 2009 8:34 PM