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INSIDE:
Celebrating 20 years of continuous Southwest news coverage!
Volume No. 21, Issue No. 1
www.swportlandpost.com
Portland, Oregon
Barbur Concept Plan
subject of Nov. 29
open house
– Page 2
Complimentary
November 2012
Mayoral and City Council candidates face off at Multnomah Center
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
The candidates in last month’s South-
west Candidates Forum were well-
mannered, took a few pokes at their
opponents, albeit covertly, and gener-
ally promoted themselves.
The debate, attended by about 100
people, was a collaborative effort
by Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc.,
Neighbors West/Northwest and the
Multnomah Neighborhood Association.
Once again Dr. Richard Clucas of
Portland State University served as
moderator, and Mark Sieber of Neigh-
bors WNW was time keeper; both
served in these functions at a similar
forum in April.
One hour each was devoted to the
race for City Council Position One
between incumbent Amanda Fritz and
challenger Mary Nolan, and the may-
oral contest between Charlie Hales and
Jefferson Smith. Clucas interspersed
questions compiled by community
members prior to the debate, and others
submitted by the audience.
Hales touted his prior experience,
and record, on the City Council. He
mentioned his volunteer service for the
Charlie Hales
Jefferson Smith
Hayhurst Neighborhood Association
(“I missed one meeting and they made
me chair”) and his part in creating the
Southwest Community Center.
Hales touted his role in the creation of
the MAX airport red line and the Port-
land Streetcar. He said that he would
consider lowering System Development
Charges, saying that they are “so high
they stop the development of small
businesses.”
Asked about support for a sales tax,
Hales didn’t answer directly, but praised
Governor John Kitzhaber for pledging
Amanda Fritz
to reform the state tax structure.
Smith made a point of saying he
would not favor tax reductions, that he
would put a sales tax on the “low end”
of possibilities and, instead, would look
at eliminating tax breaks. Eliminating
such deductions could pay for “more
than schools and health care combined,”
he said.
Smith criticized Hales for supporting
the proposed Columbia River Crossing
and referred to the Southwest Com-
munity Plan, which was undertaken
under Hales’ leadership, saying, “The
Mary Nolan
concerns of the community weren’t
addressed.” Smith also referred to his
career in the state legislature, saying
that he had “more recent public service”
than Hales.
On other issues the two candidates
had similar positions. Both cited, as they
have been doing for months, the City
Auditor’s report that City government
has too many managers in relation to
its work force.
“When Vera Katz was mayor she had
six staff workers; Sam Adams has 24,”
(Continued on Page 7)
Neighbors report seeing coyotes prowling around Southwest
MAPLEWOOD NOTEBOOK
By Jillian Daley
The Southwest Portland Post
Maplewood neighbors recently have
reported seeing coyotes prowling about
southwest Portland.
That means keeping cats and pet
food indoors and tightly closing trash
bins, said Officer Scott Foster of the
Portland Police Bureau during a public
safety presentation at the Maplewood
Neighborhood Association meeting
last month.
“I have complaints about coyotes
Photo by Jim Cruce, courtesy Portland Audubon Society.
Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2.
The Southwest Portland Post
4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509
Portland, OR 97206
again,” Foster said. “It’s that time of
year when they try to fatten themselves
up. They’re pretty well-fed out here, the
size of Siberian Huskies.”
Reports on coyotes should be made
to the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife, not to the police.
Be on the lookout for identity
thieves rifling through your
recycling
Foster also said at the meeting that
another issue affecting Maplewood is
people digging through the recycling,
possibly collecting papers for identity
theft.
One resident said she told a woman
rifling through her recycling to stop,
and the woman responded by saying
that refuse is public property once a
person sets it on the curb.
“Your garbage still belongs to you
until the garbage truck comes and picks
it up,” Foster said.
He added that there have been re-
ports of a man and woman in a white
Honda in the early 2000s looking
through recycling bins in the area.
City Council reduces speed limits
on neighborhood streets
Karen Williams, MNA transportation
committee chair, offered an update on
the neighborhood greenway. A “neigh-
borhood greenway” is a street with
little traffic and a low speed limit where
pedestrian and bicycle traffic safety are
priority one, according to the City of
Portland’s website.
Portland City Council recently ap-
proved dropping the speed limit from
25 to 20 miles per hour on such streets,
including: Southwest Maplewood
Road from 45th to 52nd avenues; 52nd
Avenue from Maplewood Road to
Vermont Street; and 60th Avenue from
Miles Court to Vermont Street. Many
speed limit signs had not been installed
yet as of press time.
“The work orders for our signage
crews have been issued, but we have
many miles over the city to do,” said
Kyle Chisek, a capital projects manager
at Portland Bureau of Transportation,
following an inquiry on the Greenways
issue from The Post. “I anticipate this
work being completed before next
summer.”
The city has not finished some
proposed neighborhood greenway
improvements, including expanded
shoulders and speed bumps, by this
September as planned. Some of the
work may be done this fall or in the
early spring, Chisek said.
After Williams’ transportation up-
date and some information on land
use, neighborhood association chair-
woman Jill Gaddis delved into her
parks update.
Gaddis discussed an effort to seek
grants to add a boardwalk with a
small bridge across the creek at April
Hill Park. The park has wetlands with
sensitive plants and animals, and a
boardwalk keeps visitors from tread-
ing on them.
She also touched on a project to raise
money for an ice cream social with an
acoustic band. Gaddis said she is seek-
ing someone to organize a summer
movie series for the neighborhood.
Community Recycling Day: This
event will be 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 3 at
St. Luke Lutheran Church, at South-
west 46 th Avenue and Vermont Street.
(Continued on Page 4)