4 • The Southwest Portland Post
Candidates Fair
(Continued from Page 1)
High capacity transit along Barbur
Boulevard?
Mary Nolan said, “High capacity
transit only works if the whole system
works,” including access to transit,
and that she would use “use my influ-
ence with Metro and TriMet to get our
share.”
Amanda Fritz said it would first
be necessary to do planning for that
highway.
Steve Novick was skeptical of high
capacity transit, saying we have been
doing such projects with the aid of
federal grants, matching it with “money
we didn’t have” that has hindered road
maintenance.
Jeri Williams said there should be
a road tax as there is in England, that
bicyclists should pay their fair share,
that TriMet’s cutting bus routes is “a
mistake,” and that light rail is “not for
everybody.”
What about storm water
management in Southwest?
Mary Nolan: We should “be a little
more creative in managing storm wa-
ter” in the southwest.
Amanda Fritz: Southwest should
get a higher level of service for the fees
people pay.
Steve Novick: The higher cost of
southwest storm water management
should be spread throughout the city.
Jeri Williams: “Every decision should
be made with input by people most
directly affected.”
NEWS
What should the city do to help
schools in Southwest?
Amanda Fritz: Asked about schools,
Fritz said she has supported the
“amount of funding we’re allowed to
give under Measure 5,” and that she
helped fund athletic facilities at Park-
rose and Roosevelt high schools, but the
“legislature must fix the inequities” of
current funding.
Mary Nolan, a southwest resident,
repeatedly referred to her record, saying
she had been “a vocal supporter of ev-
ery school measure in the last 30 years.”
Nolan said she is an advocate for
schools through support of all school
districts directly, the Safe Routes to
School and SUN School programs,
and recreational activities through the
Bureau of Parks and Recreation.
Steve Novick would support schools
through Safe Routes to School and con-
struction of sidewalks where needed,
and finance this through higher park-
ing fees.
Jeri Williams said she supported
SUN Schools and suggested mentoring
through faith-based organizations to
“keep kids engaged in school.”
Street maintenance, paving and
repaving?
Amanda Fritz: The City would have
to use funds “strategically” with “best
bang for the buck,” and help areas that
haven’t received basic services.
Mary Nolan: Money for road mainte-
nance has increased, “but it hasn’t kept
pace with the cost of materials,” Nolan
said, and the City hasn’t maintained the
schedule for repaving it had when she
was in City government.
Steve Novick: Higher parking fees
and street maintenance fees, could also
pay for paving, for which current fund-
ing is inadequate.
Jeri Williams: We need more money
for street repaving, she said, but we
need to focus on streets never paved
and address this “historic inequity.”
How would you help Southwest
deal with land use issues?
Mark White is an East Portland neigh-
borhood activist and Charter Review
Committee member.
Asked about constructing sidewalks
he paid tribute to southwest’s “wonder-
ful” trail network and said, “We need to
create a (sidewalk) network that really
works.”
According to White, “All areas have
challenges unique to them,” including
establishing 20 minute neighborhoods
“in areas that have topographical and
other challenges.” Solutions should be
created by “folks who live and have
businesses here.”
Regarding a recent decision to forgo
street repaving White said, “I would
agree it’s unacceptable, but it’s typi-
cal of government. It’s easiest to take
federal grants for special projects. We
need to stop doing what’s easiest and
do what needs to be done.”
How would you support small
businesses?
Scott McAlpine’s background in-
cludes real estate, insurance sales, and
a Jazzercise franchise. “There’s a tax
called the Business License Fee. There’s
May 2012
also a Multnomah County tax; together
they total four percent (of profits.) No
other city has this kind of fee.” This is
why businesses are leaving Portland,
he said.
Brian Parrott, a sports and events
promoter, said “I couldn’t agree more.
Portland lost 26,000 jobs for Washington
County. We need to change so we can
attract people to Multnomah County.”
James Rowell said he lives on a fixed
income and is running on the Common
Sense Party. “Fees keep going up. We
need to lower fees. We should encour-
age people to come here. We’re all in
this together.”
Bruce Altizer, a former military offi-
cer, grew up in Lebanon, earned a mas-
ters degree in finance from Willamette
University, and lives in Gateway. “The
best we can do is encourage people to
come here. I don’t mind paying these
fees personally, but times are tough.”
David Gwyther is a consultant and
lobbyist who was a newspaper dis-
tributor in Eugene before moving to
Portland.
Gwyther suggested raising the limit,
from the current $50,000 in gross re-
ceipts, for the business tax license fee
exemption.
“We should find out what businesses
want, and what it would take to get
them to add employees,” Gwyther said.
“We should change the mentality in
Licensing from Business Licensing to
Business Support.”
Don’t forget to vote on May 15
for more info visit:
http://web.multco.us/elections