Task farce
Governor Kohoutek's blue ribbon panel that meets in secret to save Downtown Portland has been a bit of a joke around town since it was formed a month and change ago. The "task force" has 49 people on it, which has made some of us wonder how it can ever get anything done.
But now comes the news (sorry, paywall) that the various break-out committees of the "force" have dozens of other people on them, too, so that the total number of characters involved is actually over 100. Now, many of these people are either officially responsible for the mess Portland is already in, or among the Usual Suspects in fake community involvement. And even if they weren't, their sheer number means, well, it's to laugh:
Central City Value Proposition
- Congressman Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Congressional District 3*
- Rep. Janelle Bynum, Oregon House District 39*
- Commissioner Carmen Rubio, city of Portland
- Lisa Abuaf, Prosper Portland
- Oscar Arana, Native American Youth and Family Services*
- Kimberly Branam, Prosper Portland*
- Ann Cudd, Portland State University*
- Brian Ferriso, Portland Art Museum*
- Ernesto Fonseca, Hacienda CDC*
- Erin Graham, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry*
- Nicole Davison León, Hispanic Metro Chamber*
- Nolan Lienhart, ZGF Architects (Committee Chair)*
- Dewayne Hankins, Portland Trail Blazers*
- Carrie Hoops, Miller Foundation
- Tom Kilbane, Urban Renaissance Group
- Jonathan Malsin, Beam Development
- Jan Mason, Mackenzie, Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon and Greater Portland Economic Development District*
- Jeff Miller, Travel Portland*
- Marcus Mundy, Coalition of Communities of Color
- James Alan Parker, Oregon Native American Chamber
- Peter Platt, Andina Restaurant
- Sarah Shaoul, Bricks Need Mortar
- Craig Stroud, Oregon Convention Center
- Anna Truxes, Portland Chinatown Museum
- Winta Yohannes, Albina Vision Trust
Livable Neighborhoods
- President Lynn Peterson, Metro*
- Duncan Hwang, Metro Council and APANO*
- Dan Bower, Portland Streetcar
- Margi Bradway, Multnomah County
- Laura Brown, Central City Concern
- Jessie Burke, Society Hotel in Old Town*
- Kris Carico, SOLVE
- Kimberly Cooper, Fortuna Group*
- Keren Eichen, Unico Properties
- Alondra Flores Avina, Trash for Peace
- Ramzy Hattar, Besaw’s
- Frank Moscow, AdoptOneBlock
- Curtis Robinhold, Port of Portland*
- Alando Simpson, City of Roses Disposal & Recycling (Committee Co-Chair)*
- Kris Strickler, Oregon Department of Transportation
- Vanessa Sturgeon, TMT Development (Committee Co-Chair)*
- Ken Thrasher, Community Leader
- JC Vannatta, TriMet
- Mark Wells, Downtown Portland Clean & Safe
- Rian Windsheimer, Oregon Department of Transportation
Community Safety
- Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, U.S. Congressional District 1*
- Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum
- Sen. Kate Lieber, Oregon State Senate District 14 (Committee Co-Chair)*
- Rep. Rob Nosse, Oregon House District 42*
- District Attorney Mike Schmidt, Multnomah County*
- Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell, Multnomah County
- Judge Cheryl Albrecht, Multnomah County Circuit Court
- Mayor Ted Wheeler, city of Portland*
- Candace Avalos, Verde*
- John Bishop, Media-Generation
- Laura Brown, Central City Concern
- Lisa Clark, Petunias Pies and Pastries
- Superintendent Casey Codding, Oregon State Police
- Patrick Criteser, Tillamook County Creamery Association*
- Bob Day, incoming Portland Police Bureau chief
- Craig Dobson, Portland Police Bureau
- Stacey Dodson, U.S. Bank*
- Terrance Hayes, Restore Nuisance Abatement
- Tom Kearney, Slalom Consulting
- Andy Ko, Partnership for Safety and Justice
- Steven Lien, UnderU4Men
- Kim Malek, Salt & Straw
- Jim Mark, Melvin Mark*
- Joe McFerrin, Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center
- Jeff Miller, Travel Portland*
- Mike Myers, Community Safety Division, City of Portland
- Alix Nathan, Mark Spencer Hotel
- Elizabeth Nye, Lan Su Chinese Garden
- Aaron Schmautz, Portland Police Association
- Lisa Schroeder, Mother’s Bistro*
- Jay Scroggin, Department of Community Justice, Multnomah County
- Mindy Stadtlander, Health Share of Oregon
- Rob Stuart, OnPoint Community Credit Union (Committee Co-Chair)*
- Robin Holmes Sullivan, Lewis & Clark College
- Mark Wells, Downtown Portland Clean & Safe
- Natalie K. Wight, U.S. Attorney District of Oregon
- Ron Williams, Health Justice Recovery Alliance
- Andrew Wilson, TriMet
- Lamar Wise, AFSCME Council 75
- Jenni York, Neighbors West-Northwest Review Board
Housing and Homelessness
- Sen. Kayse Jama, Oregon Senate District 24
- Rep. Tawna Sanchez, Oregon House District 43*
- Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, Multnomah County (Committee Chair)*
- Commissioner Dan Ryan, city of Portland
- Kathryn Correia, Legacy Health*
- Roderick Cruickshank, Portland Rescue Mission
- Mercedes Elizalde, Latino Network
- Ernesto Fonseca, Hacienda CDC*
- Laura Golino de Lovato, Northwest Pilot Project
- Felisa Hagins, SEIU Local 49
- Mitch Hornecker, Here Together
- Scott Kerman, Blanchet House
- Julie Livingston, Home Forward
- Jenn Louis, Homeless Relief Initiative
- Andy Mendenhall, Central City Concern*
- Denetta Monk, Urban League of Portland
- Andy Nelson, Impact NW
- Mindy Stadtlander, Health Share of Oregon
- Marisa Zapata, Portland State University
Taxes for Services
- Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, Oregon District 17
- Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, Multnomah County*
- David Anderson, NW Natural
- Monique Claiborne, Greater Portland, Inc
- Graciela Cowger, Schwabe*
- Shea Flaherty Betin, Prosper Portland
- Robert Gootee, Moda Health*
- Stephen Green, Business for a Better Portland*
- Nkenge Harmon Johnson, The Urban League*
- Andrew Hoan, Portland Metro Chamber*
- Renee James, Ampere*
- Rachel Langford, Home Forward
- Cobi Lewis, Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon*
- Rob O'Neill, Moss Adams
- Lance Randall, Black Business Association of Oregon*
- Michelle Weisenbach, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking, Greater Portland Inc*
- Charles Wilhoite, Willamette Management Associates (Committee Chair)*
Yeah, let's put on a show! With 100 of our closest friends.
This has reached a level of parody I can't comprehend. I take it Farrah Chaichi and Khan Pham had conflicts and couldn't serve on the homeless and public safety committees?
ReplyDeleteAnd so it goes.
ReplyDeleteThe saddest part of this is that some people will be impressed by the names on the groups.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amateur suggestion
All those names, yet, nothing's happening very gradually.
ReplyDeleteIn its fight against homelessness and drug addiction the committee is emulating W.S. Gilbert's bon mot about the House of Lords, from Iolanthe: "The House of Peers throughout the war / Did nothing in particular / And did it very well."
DeleteReposting from previous as more relevant here: Some potential good news> The courts have updated that horrible Idaho decision where you can't kick the "campers" off the streets unless you provide housing has been revised. They now clarify that if they refuse to go then you have the right to give them the boot. We will see what Oregon does with this new updated ruling.
ReplyDeleteNothing will change. Kotek was the one forcing cities and counties to remove their longtime anti-squatting ordinances and replace them with narrowly tailored ineffective ones.
DeleteThe original committee has spawned new committees in line with the famous maxim of comitologist C. Northcote Parkinson: "A committee is organic rather than mechanical in its nature: it is not a structure but a plant. It takes root and grows, it flowers, wilts, and dies, scattering the seed from which other committees will bloom in their turn."
ReplyDelete