I don't think it's too early to start the "LaVonne Griffin-Valade for City Council" movement, is it?

Let's just get to the end.

New Portland Tax form:

1. Enter income (from all sources).
2. Enter value of all property owned (regardless of location).
3. Take #1 and #2 and multiply by 5
4. The result of #3 is your annual tax bill, payable in full on January 1 of each year. Failure to pay in full will result in the immediate forfeiture of any and all property owned to the City, and you will agree never to live within 1,000 miles of the City of Portland ever.

Not so sure we can wait until next time at the rate he is moving along.
We may need to consider a recall.
Does this mean that we can no longer visit our historic beautiful Rose Garden
without having to pay for a parking meter?
What's next?
The Old Rose Garden just doesn't have that many visitors as before,
so we can sell off a few acres for luxury condos?

Recall talk is a complete waste of everyone's time.

I don't live in Portland anymore. I knew Fish was a flake from the start and although I don't know him personally but I dislike everything about him. Even though I won't be able to vote against him, I will make a healthy contribution to whom ever runs against him.

Pay to smell the Roses stinks!

I hate parking meters, but would support people having to pay for parking when they visit the zoo. My reasons for the extra fee may be a little different than those given by The Fish. I would also add a poke in the eye and time in the lion cage for all visitors to that sad little place.

After reading about the incestuous breeding practices, infant mortality and short lifespan of the zoo elephants, I don't care if they charge $ 100/hour for parking at the zoo. It's a pure money grab and not even thinly disguised.

And anyone that thinks "public involvement..." would have any impact on the predetermined decision is merely fooling themselves.

Clearly we should just buy all the elephants and move them to the Hayden Island Elephant Preserve/Port of Portland where they can be trained to transport goods too heavy to go on a bike cart or carry on Max. We can convert Sharecar parking to elephant parking. Wear a helmet and carry a shovel.
Go by Elephant.

Jack's right... recalls fail, even when you're caught driving with your pants unzipped or in the Men's Room with a minor.

Tung Yin has the better idea. Go with a good, competent non-politician, and work to develope a Non-Goldschmidt campaign infrastructure around that person, LVGV. It would require a number of Portland influencers and leaders, a sounding board and platform (ie Bojack.org) and some money. Start now gathering 1 & 3.

DeAnna:

I know you were kidding, but I actually think an elephant sanctuary on West Hayden Island sounds like a great idea!

What is the deal here? Do we think city council needs to check with the citizens on every single little issue? He probably does have the authority to put meters in the park. Why not have metered parking in the park? Should folks just be able to park there all day?

In other news, here's Galndalf playing the bagpipes while riding a unicycle....

http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2012/12/video-gandalf-playing-bagpipes-on-unicycle-portland

In front of the Courthouse...

OT - Mr. "He'll Be fine" wants to come back again again:

http://www.blazersedge.com/2012/12/6/3736344/haynes-blazers-f-nicolas-batum-says-greg-oden-still-wants-nba-comeback

He's always been a sure thing. I can't wait to see the revival of the Oden Meter.

Maybe someone should tell Nick that some of the Occupy Portland folks have taken up residence in the parking lot, then he'll move super slowly and call for a bunch of meetings.

Supposedly the money from the parking meters is to maintain the both Washington Park and the roadways within Washington Park. That means only drivers are paying to use the park with people that arrive by bus, bicycle, skateboard or walk not having to par a park use fee. Similarly, anybody that will use the proposed shuttle bus will also be using the roadways in the park and not pay a fee. Bluntly, Jelly Fish is engaging in a form of DISCRIMINATION. He must now be taking his queues from Sammyboy. .

TR, you can ride up there on your one-trick pony, too. They'll probably even clean up after it.

Hey Nick, and you other yahoos, I am tired of this bulls**t. Send the surplus meters back, or sell them. Oh, the CRC Bridge is still too low.

At least you can still park for free near Peninsula Park and check out the beautiful Rose Test Gardens there. And I don't think it costs anything to park in Eastmoreland to see the Rhododendron Gardens. For that matter, Ladd's Addition isn't metered and when the roses are blooming that's a pretty nice stroll as well.

I'm not sure why Washington Park needs to be metered except that with its clustered attractions it's obviously seen as a cash cow.

I'll bet the city is beyond frustrated that it can't meter the Lloyd Center parking lots or any of the larger malls.

And by the way, if anybody is insinuating that the "co-signatories" are happy with the meter arrangement hasn't been talking to the same people associated with those organizations that I have.

I'm not sure why Washington Park needs to be metered except that with its clustered attractions it's obviously seen as a cash cow.

Bingo.

If they meter parking, one thing that will do is tip the usage model to favor residents who live close enough to walk to an access point. That's going to make it more of a class system, because we know that wealthier neighborhoods have more and better parks (ask outer SE residents about this). And speaking as someone who lives 200' from a Forest Park access, that's not the kind of usage model I want to be promoting for our park system.

John, there's plenty of on-street parking within walking distance of the park, on various sides of it -- even fairly near the zoo. That's what has the neighborhood interests up in arms.

I can't say I blame the neighborhood. This CoP is only interested in getting more cash in one way or another, be damn with the neighborhoods and livability. Just goes to show that even this neighborhood gets roughshod treatment from the city.

Everybody does -- and Hales and Novick are going to make it worse, not better.

Who drives to the Zoo anyway? I always use MAX to get there. As much as I hate Trimet, dealing with parking up there is far worse.

Remember?
Things have gotten worse since there, so where does that put us now?
Note that the depression rate is based on drug company data on antidepressant sales.
So sad.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0226_miserable_cities/2.htm
America's Unhappiest Cities
2 of 22 next slide previous slide
Portland, Ore.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Portland, Ore.
Overall rank: 1*
Depression rank: 1
Suicide rank: 12
Crime (property and violent) rank: 24
Divorce rate rank: 4
Cloudy days: 222
Unemployment rate (December 2008): 7.8%

*Editor’s Note: BusinessWeek.com ranked 50 of the largest metros based on a variety of factors including depression rates, suicide rates, divorce rates, crime, unemployment, population loss, job loss, weather, and green space. The most heavily weighted factors were the depression, suicide, jobs (unemployment and job loss), and crime rates. The depression rate is based on drug company data on antidepressant sales. The rate of depression within a place, the total number of reported depression cases divided by the total population. The suicide rate is for 2004 and comes from “The 2007 Big Cities Health Inventory” compiled by the National Assembly of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO). The crime risk indexes for property and crime used for the scoring were based on FBI crime reporting for the seven most-recent available years. Divorce rates and 2009 population change come from the U.S. Census. The number of cloudy days came from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

I will add that I don't think it helps our community to have these constant problems thrown at us, including behavioral changes in patterns of living, more congestion, more infill, and in general loss of livability in our neighborhoods and in our downtown area as well. On top of that Hayden Island in jeopardy, coal trains, water rates and water problems, how much stress can a community take? Now, throw in more parking meters, one more issue to deal with, the list is long!!
Merry Christmas from the city!!
By the way Jack, are you having an office cyber party this year? I look forward to it.

Jon--who drives to the zoo? Try taking a couple of small children, a stroller, a diaper bag, and a load of snacks on a 45-minute MAX ride. Then walk around the zoo until everybody's tired. Then take them all home again via MAX. Another 45 minutes with cranky kids who want out of their stroller.

Or, load everybody in the van and drive 15 minutes to get there. I've done it both ways, and the 2nd option is much less exhausting.

It's been a few years since we had our zoo membership, but it used to be that the zoo charged a parking fee that was waived for members or for those who could show their MAX ticket.

How the heck do metered parking in one of the city's main tourist attractions detract somehow from our livability? Folks we can't have it both ways, complain about livability, want the city to spend its money wisely, and at the same time complain bitterly everytime the city implements a fairly reasonable mechanism to raise a bit more revenue.

Again, what is the complaint exactly? Do you oppose parking meters always, everywhere? Do you oppose them in this location (and if so why)? Do you object to the decision making process?

It sure seems like another just undirected rant against the city.

The original "outraged citizen" wrote The co-signatories are the Oregon Zoo, World Forestry Center, Children's Museum, Hoyt Arboretum and Japanese Garden. The signatory missing is the one representing the public.

Nick Fish is an elected city commissioner, and the Zoo etc are all run by the elected Metro. Outraged citizen is wrong. Vote out Fish if you like, but to say the "public" is not relpresented is wrong.

As I get older, I can looking ahead to an increasing demand for handicapped parking permits. They sure come in handy when driving my fater around town, but I see more and more of them all the time which limits their unique privileges. Maybe this will be the only way people will be able to access parks with automobiles in the future. Or, Portland can make the city parks so unpleasant that we all stay away and let the parks become homeless camps. I wonder how many people live in WA Park these days.

The Zoo (meaning Metro) and the City pushed for the parking agreement and the meters. Elected officials are ultimately responsible for the Zoo. The Forestry Center, the Children's Museum, Hoyt Arboretum, and the Japanese Garden are non-profits run by private boards, not by the government, and were more or less forced to go along.

Because many of us do not think this is a reasonable mechanism to raise a bit more revenue. You must be new to this blog or you would know what is behind the complaints. This council has not been prudent, has been debt swamping our community, they have not been truly representing the public interest, have been shoveling money to pet projects and now we the public are to make up for it by being nicked and dimed!!

Folks we can't have it both ways, complain about livability, want the city to spend its money wisely, and at the same time complain bitterly everytime the city implements a fairly reasonable mechanism to raise a bit more revenue.

Perhaps you misunderstand that we've already got it both ways - I mean to say we"re GETTING IT both ways (if not several). They f*ck up the livability to enrich their future employers - p*ssing money away on them and nonsensical BS for tiny segments of the populace (see: bicyclists, trolleys et al.), wasting time and money on spray paint regulation, banning plastic bags, making garbage collection a complete mess. All this while unwisely neglecting their core functions. Then, through an "oversight", they blithely trample neighborhoods, stakeholders and anyone else who refuses to toe the line.

Who appointed you the arbiter of all things "fairly reasonable"; and where do you come up with your "bitter" and "everytime" (which should be two words - in English, that is) assessments? While Fish & Co. technically represent those who voted for them, we ALL get to voice our opinion whenever we feel we are NOT being represented. "Bait and Switch Fish" is a prime example of out and out misrepresentation.

A "...bit more revenue..." just gets flushed down the same loo as all the other money - and we can't complain?

Time to clean the stable - it's full of it.