Stonewalled
Here's a polite but outraged op-ed in the O from the person running the advisory committee to the Multnomah County bureaucracy on the homelessness budget. The county, he says, is hiding information and frustrating the advisory panel's work.
That the county dishonestly brushed off our direct inquiry casts doubt on its commitment to public engagement. In doing so, it arrogantly undermines every Portlander’s resolve to end our homelessness crisis, highlighting an urgent need for transparency and accountability.
Even as news stories earlier this year highlighted the office’s underspending of homeless services tax dollars, the office refused to answer our questions. Despite language in the county code that suggests otherwise, the Joint Office insisted our committee focus only on their budget plans and ignore actual spending. And in June, Joint Office staff stopped providing updates on Joint Office work and stated they would not assist us in our upcoming meetings, citing a letter from Chair Jessica Vega Pederson that dryly asserts our committee reached “the conclusion of this cycle’s engagement process.”
Despite repeated formal requests our committee has not had the opportunity to meet with Chair Vega Pederson or any representative from her office. If the chair actually intends to dissolve our committee, I challenge Vega Pederson to take the board vote required by the county charter.
Oh, that Chevy Vega. She's a lemon, that's for sure.
But it's classic Oregon "advisory committee" procedure, of course. When the bureaucrats and politicians like what you're about to say, they're all about you standing up and saying it. The minute you start to hold them accountable, you're cancelled.
And yet people like you keep voting in these progressive Democrats because "The Republicans are worse." How could they be worse? The key problem in Oregon is the legacy of single party, political machine control. The only way to have checks and balances is to elect people from the other party once in a while. So you don't agree with them on everything-- who cares? They will bring in new people, new blood, new ideas (some of which will be bad, sure), and investigate and clean out the old guys. And don't give the excuse that they are "too extreme." Please. Walter Huss died a long time ago. Christine Drazan, Knute Buehler... these are not "extreme" people. Wake up.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Donald Trump's party will never get my vote for anything, ever again. Youre wasting your breath.
ReplyDeleteI looked at the leading democrat party candidates, local and national. I think I’ll continue to vote Republican.
DeleteAs if. Your childish use of "democrat party" gives you up as a cult member.
DeleteInteresting observation.
DeleteAnd that is why nothing will ever change here. Last time I looked, Donald Trump wasn't on the ballot for any Oregon offices.
ReplyDeleteCrossover voters are becoming more uncommon. Each tribe of voters is like a committed fanbase for a lousy team that regularly embarrasses them - like the season ticketholders who show up to NFL games with bags over their heads.
DeleteThe author is also a candidate for the new City Council. He probably should have disclosed that. https://demelo4portland.com/
DeleteThey are more than two parties, Mr. Bogdanski. It's not an "either/or" choice.
DeleteWhen the Republican Party stands up and denounces that lout Trump, and that bastard McConnell, I may start to listen again. As for a third party, you're dreaming. Betsy Johnson, who would have made a good governor, got her butt kicked but good.
DeleteYou are very correct; voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.
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