The gag-o-meter says: Lame
Are you like us -- do you hate "PolitiFact Oregon," the column in which the O purports to check on the accuracy of some statement that someone made? It cops the attitude that readers naturally trust the newspaper to get to the bottom of the story. Given the O's knack for missing and deliberately ignoring the big ones, it's a hilarious assumption.
Anyway, they recently decided to check up on Metro president Tom Hughes's statement that 20 percent of the housing in Portland's Pearl District is affordable housing. So where did they go to check the accuracy of the statement? The Portland Development Commission and Metro's own p.r. guy. As if they're going to get an honest answer from them. The PDC's survival depends on proving that it's meeting its goals, and since the p.r. guy works for Hughes, you can expect him to play yes man to whatever the boss just said.
In the end, the hard hitters at the O concluded that it all depends on what your definition of "the Pearl" is. But they go ahead and give Hughes a green light anyway. What a contribution to public discourse.
Hughes, by the way, has turned out to be Charlie Hales from Hillsboro, touting the advantages of "urban renewal" and rail projects to anyone who will listen. In his race against Psychedelic Rex and Spacey Stacey, Hughes was the least of three evils, but it turns out, not by much.
| Posted at 8:35 AM | Permalink |
|
Comments (11)
So 80% is not affordable. Sounds like good use of taxpayers money.
Posted by Evergreen Libertarian | November 21, 2011 8:45 AM
I view the O as the house organ of the local cabal and it's supporters.
I do my own fact checking. Starting on this site.
Yes, I believe that there is a slant to the reporting done here, and I do agree with the slant, at least there is a true attempt to be open and honest about it, unlike the O, which uses the Politifact column to try and paint itself as fair.
As far as the mayoral candidates, I figured they all came from the same ideological camp. So no big surprise there.
I also think Hughes is a huge disappointment.
Posted by Roy | November 21, 2011 9:24 AM
Evergreen,
Why would you assume that is even accurate?
The PDC is Liar Central.
Any claims they make about providing affordable housing or any other net benefit is certain to be a load of BS.
That's what they do. Lie, borrow, spend, lie some more. Repeat.
Anything Hughes and the PDC are claiming is false. It's just that simple.
Posted by Ben | November 21, 2011 9:45 AM
What percent of the housing is both affordable and non-subsidized?
Posted by Anthony | November 21, 2011 10:06 AM
Of course the numbers are BS, but on the bright side we are making them defend themselves.
Keep up the heat on the Urban Renewal scam - they are starting to get scared.
Posted by Ralph Woods | November 21, 2011 10:10 AM
Just whistling while they work over at The O, Jack: Happy, Sleepy, Dippy,, Sleazy, Basher, Fibber, and Crock.
Posted by Mojo | November 21, 2011 10:29 AM
I have no idea what the right number is, but any data would have probably come from this study which is pretty transparent in terms of what it reports. I don't know if it was updated this year or not.
http://www.pdc.us/pdf/housing_services/pubs/central-city-inventory-2008.pdf
There are some very prominant subsidized housing projects in the Pearl--Station Place, Lovejoy Station, Pearl Court, Sitka, Ramona. Most people don't know these are low income because they look good.
Posted by PDXPessimist | November 21, 2011 11:45 AM
The last time the Oregonian listed average rental rates for NW Portland, I'm not sure where they did their research but they were low, low, low. Most of my neighbors (and I) would be over the moon if we could find an apartment for those prices (or less, if it's supposed to be an average for the area). I'm almost certain that the writer went with facts and charts provided by the powers that be and didn't actually call around or check out ads to get the real story.
Posted by NW Portlander | November 21, 2011 12:11 PM
Perhaps they were counting the overnight accommodations in the homeless shelters.
Posted by John Rettig | November 21, 2011 12:32 PM
...Hughes, by the way, has turned out to be Charlie Hales from Hillsboro, touting the advantages of "urban renewal" and rail projects to anyone who will listen....
Maybe the other cities wouldn't listen anymore, so did Hales think he could come back in here where they shove these plans through one way or another?
By the way, does anyone know when some of those 10 yr. tax abatements at the Pearl are ending? Is there a law about extensions? Would Hales advocate for extensions?
Posted by clinamen | November 21, 2011 2:15 PM
Anything Hughes and the PDC are claiming is false. It's just that simple.
Well, I imagine that kind of shibboleth certainly does make life simple.
Posted by Aaron | November 21, 2011 10:32 PM