Would this happen under a Chief Administrative Officer?

In a recent post on Commissioner Sam’s blog, “One Constituent Can Make A Difference”, staffer Vicki Grudzinski tells one story of how having City Commissioners responsible for city bureaus gives citizens more access and makes Council members accountable for city actions. Vicki writes:

Last fall, Commissioner Adams’ office received an email from a concerned constituent over the City’s practice of using green dye to locate and analyze sewer leaks. The green dye was spotted in Vermont Creek which runs through Gabriel Park.”

“Concern over the green dye in bodies of water throughout Portland is not new; other concerned citizens have dutifully notified the Bureau of Environmental Services’ (BES) Spill Response number (503 823-7180) to report the green water”

Commissioner Sam’s office staff referred the issue to the Bureau of Environmental Services and the Office of Transportation – both of which are headed by Sam as Commissioner-in-charge.

“BES and the City’s Maintenance Bureau immediately started to review City use standards of Flourescein dye in rivers and streams. A meeting was called including key people from BES, Portland Department of Transportation (PDOT) and Bureau of Maintenance (BOM) to discuss the business practice of using the green dye for leak detention…..the City purchased a meter to measure green dye concentrations in streams and is currently testing the device. Plus, the City is changing the signage at all test sites to read “Dye test in progress.