...Eight reasons to vote ‘no’
on the Water District measure
(From Page 5)
ered under a contract between the
seven-union District Council of Trade
Unions and the City of Portland. Their
benefits are administered by the City.
Their seniority and transfer rights are
defined within the City. How does that
work when they’re no longer employ-
ees of the City? Presumably lawyers
will figure that out in court if it passes.
The Water District, pitched as
a way to bring accountability to
water bills, could end up being
less accountable. Which is more an-
swerable to the public, one career
politician looking to get re-elected, or
seven elected officeholders you’ve
never heard of who oversee a general
manager? A full-time City commis-
sioner who keeps office hours and at-
tends three public sessions a week, or a
volunteer board member who meets
once a month? A body like City Hall
that gets routine media coverage, or a
body like the Multnomah Soil and Wa-
ter Conservation Board or the Mult-
nomah Educational Service District
that rarely if ever see a reporter? The
new Water District would be like the
latter in each of those examples. For all
its flaws, in Portland’s commission
form of government, the lines of ac-
countability are actually pretty direct.
The mayor appoints one elected com-
missioner to be in charge of a bureau,
full-time, with day-to-day oversight. A
bureau screw-up, like a bad computer
system for water billing, means public
disgrace for the commissioner in
charge (in that case Commissioner Eric
Sten, who resigned in 2008.) If you’re
angry about the Water Bureau funding
public restrooms or a water-conserving
showcase home, you can vow never
again to vote for Commissioner Randy
Leonard (who decided not to run for re-
election in 2012.)
There’s no particular reason to
think water and sewer rates will
fall, and there are reasons they
might go up. There’s no question wa-
ter and sewer rates are high in Portland
— they’re sixth highest of America’s
top 50 cities. But most of that goes to
repay bonds for some very expensive
projects that were mandated by the fed-
eral government — including the $1.4
billion “Big Pipe,” the largest public
works project in Portland’s history (in-
cidentally, completed on time and on
budget by an overwhelmingly union
workforce.) The new district would still
be liable to repay those debts. And it
might face higher interest rates. It turns
out that the City has one of the best
bond ratings in country, which gives it
access to the lowest possible interest
rates for capital construction. The new
district would also have to duplicate the
City’s overhead: HR, legal, mechanic
operations, et cetera.
As the word gets out about these
facts, signs are popping up all over
Portland like mushrooms after a rain:
“Stop the Bull Run Takeover.” The
campaign is headed up by AFSCME,
which has put up $40,000 so far to fight
the measure, joined by International
Association of Fire Fighters, IBEW
Local 48, and UFCW Local 555 con-
tributing $5,000 each. And they’ve as-
sembled a formidable coalition of en-
vironmental and business groups. The
Audubon Society has contributed
$10,000. So have all three of the public
utilities: Northwest Natural Gas, Paci-
ficorp, and PGE. [It turns out that when
you tear up roads to work on water and
sewer lines, you have to interact a lot
with electric and gas utilities. Those
companies don’t want to risk a system
they think works well. The contractor
community is stepping in as well, and
no wonder. When’s the last time legis-
lation barred your company from pub-
lic contracts — just because you had
the technical competence or business
savvy to have won previous contracts
in the last six years? Companies like
Stacy and Witbeck, CH2M Hill, Beam
Construction & Management, Brown
and Coldwell have chipped in $5,000
each.
Now it’s up to voters.
IN MEMORIAM
Labor historian E DWARD B EE -
an active member of the Pacific
Northwest Labor History Association,
died in Albany, Oregon, April 13. He
was 93.
Beechert taught labor and economic
history at the University of Hawaii’s
Hilo and Manoa campuses from 1963
until his retirement in 1988. Previously,
he taught at Mexico City College and
in California at Ventura College,
Modesto College, Sacramento State
College, and Saint Mary’s College.
Born in Hawthorne, California on
June 10, 1920, Beechert first joined a
labor union at age 14 and never stopped
organizing for peace and justice.
He put himself through UC Berke-
ley as a Teamster cab driver and gro-
cery clerk in the Retail Food Clerks
Union.
He served in Europe with the Army
in 1943-46 and returned to Berkeley to
earn his master’s degree and a doctor-
ate of philosophy.
He is author of “Working in
CHERT ,
EE
R
F
Hawaii,” a history of labor in the Is-
lands; “Honolulu: Crossroads of the
Pacific,” and many articles and papers
about plantation and labor history.
After his retirement, Beechert and
his wife, Alice, moved to Pacific
Grove, California. Later they moved to
Albany, Oregon, where he was active
in the Northwest Labor History Asso-
ciation and conducted oral histories for
ILWU Local 5 at Powell’s Books.
In February 2009, Beechert was di-
agnosed with Parkinsons.
He is survived by his wife; three
children; and two granddaughters.
2-1-1 can be a lifesaver
2-1-1 is an easy to remember tele-
phone number that connects callers to
information about critical health and
human services available in their com-
munities. In Oregon, it is run by
211info, in partnership with United
Way. It can be accessed online at
www.211info. org.
BARGAIN COUNTER
Free classified ads to subscribers
DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication
Published 1st and 3rd Fridays
Now accepting e-mails
Send to: Michael492@comcast.net
Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213
(Please include union affiliation)
• 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue
• All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) •
Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published
A UTOMOTIVE
‘08 ford expedition xLt, 6 sp, auto, 4
wheel drive, all power equip, 90K miles,
exc cond, $14,900. 503-630-3877
4 StUdded SnoW tires, 235/55/r17, al-
most new, $250. 503-342-6355
H OUSING
roCKAWAY BeACH rental, 3 bed, 2 bath,
sleeps 10, Jacuzzi, 5 min to beach/shops;
Vacationhomerentals. com/43026
roCKAWAY ocean front, 503-777-5076,
5 bdrms/2 ba, call for fisherman’s Special,
http://rockawaybeachfrontrental.com
100 ACreS, trees, wildlife, will carry con-
tract, Spray oregon, $750 per acre oBo.
541-468-2961
LongVieW, WA 6 acres, 30x48 shop,
well, power and new septic, ready for mo-
bile or ? $125,000/obo. 360-577-5231
W ANTED
oLd woodworking tools, planes, leather
tools, levels, chisels, handsaws, slicks,
PAGE 14
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
adzes, wrenches, rulers, chests. 503-659-
0009
U.S., gerMAn, Japanese military, avia-
tion, uniforms, helmets, swords, daggers,
bayonets, rifles, pistols. 503-852-6791
BUYing US & world coins to add to col-
lection, paying fairly, any amount welcome.
503-939-8835
CoLLeCtor, cash paid, old fishing
tackle, wood plugs, reels, creels, salmon
fishing photos, etc. 503-775-4166
CoLLeCtor pAYS cash for older toys,
oil paintings, American art pottery, and cos-
tume jewelry. 503-703-5952
S PORTING G OODS
goLf CLUBS, left-hand w/ bags; topflite
tour 3-pW, 17 & 21 degree hybrids, SW,
putter, $45; Adams a2 irons/hybrids, SW,
putter, $100. 503-522-6542
50 gAL eLK HUnting StoVe, com-
plete, $175 or make offer. 503-775-9822
Men’S HodgeMAn’S breathable fishing
waders, xL, never used, $50. 971-409-
9625 (Jim)
reVoLVerS, niB condition, 4" Colt
python $2,795; S&W Model 66, $795,
S&W Model 25,45ACp $900. 503-366-
0218
May 2, 2014