Three to cheer in The O

The Oregonian carries two Editorials and an article today that deserve special attention and kudos. Learning while black calls attention to disparities in disciplinary suspensions and expulsions in Portland Public School’s middle schools. This issue is well known and understood by Ruth Adkins, who if elected will be able to help the School Board address it. A second editorial, A helping hand for working women, supports Senate Bill 946, which would require Oregon employers to grant unpaid leave to employees dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. “Nine percent of Oregon women ages 20 to 55 say they’ve been physically assaulted by a current or former partner in the past five years, according to the state Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology.” That’s a lot of domestic violence in our society, a lot of women living in fear even after leaving their abusive partner.

Ryan Frank’s article, Facts don’t quite fit City Hall reform case, made me smile despite my exhaustion from our college search trip yesterday. Ryan notes that a Voters Pamphlet statement by the proponents of changing Portland’s Charter is wildly inaccurate, stating “Today, we pay $640,000 a year to keep city-owned space vacant”, when in fact this year the figure is less than $200,000 (in a business with over 5,000 employees and a budget over $2 billion).

That wasn’t what made me chuckle, though. That’s sad, that the powerful insiders advocating for Charter change either don’t know, or don’t care whether their Voters Pamphlet statements advocating to voters are accurate. No, the part that amuses me even as I copy it in for you, is:

“Patricia McCaig, a political consultant for the Citizens to Reform City Hall, said the figure was based on a 2005 story in The Oregonian.

At the time, the city had four times more empty office space. Since then, city officials refilled most of the space through growth and staff reshuffling.

“I wish you’d updated that story,” McCaig said. “That was the last piece of public information that was available to us.”

They’ve got to be joking. A story in a corporate newspaper two years ago was the only source available to the Mayor of Portland to find out how much vacant space there is in the City? Even under the current form of government, a Mayor with 23 employees in his office must have the capacity to find out basic information like this. All anyone had to do to get facts, was check with the sources Ryan Frank asked for this article.

Another wry smile near the end of the article, thanks to delightful juxtaposition of quotations and facts by Ryan:

“While the numbers aren’t as bad as advertised, McCaig said the bigger point remains: “It is the form of government that is the problem.”

The council in 2004 approved a resolution requiring city bureaus to locate in city-owned offices. Only after those were full could bureaus go outside. Citywide, seven agencies rent private offices at an annual cost of $2.7 million.

But McCaig said the resolution is powerless. Council members, she said, end up putting their bureaus where they want.

Potter allowed his visionPDX staff to move into free space in the Lloyd District to be closer to the community. Commissioner Dan Saltzman allows his Office of Sustainable Development to rent private space in the Pearl District. He wants them to be in a super-green building to set an example.

Both bureaus could have fit into the city’s empty space.”

Hmm, Mayor Potter and Commissioner Saltzman, two of the three men voting to put the Charter change measures on the ballot in May, are the ones causing the city to pay extra to rent space outside of City buildings, despite a money-saving resolution passed collaboratively by the Council in 2004. Could it be that the “waste” problem is related to the decisions of elected politicians, and not so much the form of government? And/or, that there are sometimes good reasons for “inefficiencies”, such as better connections with citizens and ideals that may be more important than the bottom line dollar costs.

This illustrates one of the problems with the current campaign to change the Charter. It’s a series of PR soundbites and assertions that sound good/bad, rather than a true conversation about what we want to achieve in our city, what our values are, and whether we may be willing to pay a little extra to reach all our goals.

Great article, Ryan, and kudos to the Oregonian‘s editors for publishing it under the chosen headline despite their corporate support for the Charter changes.

[I can’t post something titled “Three to cheer”, without sending congratulations to the Wilson High School Cheerleaders, who placed fifth in the U.S. National competition a week ago. Fifth in the nation is a huge achievement, especially for a team that has to wash cars all year to raise money for uniforms, fees, and travel expenses. Well done, Wilson athletes, coaches, and parents!]