So, talking to some people in the neighborhood this morning about the anti-PHART roof sign, I was told that the person spent $200 on it. My response was that if the person really wanted to make the point, they should say they started to spend $200 on it but it quickly ballooned to $300,000. By that time, it was too late to stop.
“They’re paying good money for us to make their kids good citizens,” says Keith Nelson, dean of students at Gig Harbor High School. “Whatever that means to the parents, I’ll do it.” Apparently that includes showing parents security video of their daughter kissing another girl, so that they can then send their daughter to another school in another district.
“I would say that most people aren’t aware of these issues,” says Major Tom in today’s Tribune. “I was walking in high-turnout neighborhoods and there was a low percentage of folks that were aware of this campaign.” He makes no mention of this perhaps being a result of his insistence on fast-tracking Charter revision to an off-year May election with historically-low interest and turnout.
While I’ve seen no campaign literature whatsoever come my way, Jack received a good example of why Major Tom’s rush to fast-track Charter revision straight past a public discussion and directly into a political campaign was profoundly stupid and irresponsible.
Apparently, members of Team Potter are whining about their “opponents’ contention that the mayor didn’t seek enough public input before putting a proposed change in Portland’s form of government onto the ballot”. That they are stubbornly blind about the way the real world works is unfortunate. Today’s Merc has it right: “The Charter Review Commission attempted to hold public meetings, and to take their work out to the community. But nobody on city council — or any other high-profile city leader — used their star power to organize public involvement by, for instance, holding town halls.” Instead, the Major Tom convinced City Council to fast-track the proposal, providing no window of opportunity for a major public body — Council, instead of an obscure and wonky committee most Portlanders didn’t know existed — to invite a real public discussion. Take your tears and shove ‘em, folks.
When last we checked in with the Team Potter’s financial backers, the list of corporate interests eager to get their hands on a Curiously-Strong Mayor had grown. And so it has once more, with the latest run of reports showing Comcast ($5,000), Paul Allen’s Aegean Corporation ($1,000), Northwest Natural Gas Company ($5,000), and Criterion Investment Company ($3,000) hopping on board. But don’t look! Team Potter wants you instead to be afraid of the labor organizations funding the opposition.
In his interview on Charter revision published in today’s Theo (although the link goes to the non-expiring blog version), Major Tom gets it wrong again. Whether by intent or ignorance is an issue I’ll drop for the moment. But the issue is the sale of City property no longer needed for public use. And he’s snowing you on this one, too.
Good to see that the continued existence of Portland Communique as an archive has its uses in the present day.
