Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2014)
INSIDE: SERVING Burlingame • Capitol Hill • Garden Home • Glen Cullen • Hillsdale • Multnomah Village • Raleigh Hills • South Portland • Vermont Hills • West Portland Multnomah Village resident ventures to climb Africa’s highest mountain Celebrating 21 years of continuous Southwest news coverage! Volume No. 22, Issue No. 6 www.swportlandpost.com Portland, Oregon Complimentary – Page 5 April 2014 Mayor Hales and Commissioner Novick lead transportation town hall REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK By Erik Vidstrand and Don Snedecor The Southwest Portland Post “Roads are like teeth; if not flossed and brushed, there is decay,” said Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick in his opening remarks at a transportation town hall meeting at the Multnomah Arts Center Feb. 27. Novick was referring to the fact that the annual cost of maintaining all improved streets is about $97 million per year and only about 10 percent of that is currently bud- geted. According to Novick, gas taxes haven’t changed in years. People are driving less; fuel efficiency has im- proved; electric and hybrid vehicles have been introduced; and the city has one of the highest number of cyclists, if not the highest number of cyclists per capita. Revenue is down, gas taxes are down, and federal sup- port has been cut back. Greg Jones, assistant director of transportation, said the city’s goal was to come up with a six-month plan and the highest priorities need to be decided. In April revenue options will be defined; and finally, a specific bud- get plan will be proposed. Maintenance includes pavement, signals, street lights, bridges, signs, and markings. Mayor Hales said that street maintenance is a compli- cated issue. The goal is to have 100 miles of paving this year. Wes Risher of Hillsdale said he was concerned that, “we are not using our revenue smartly,” when it comes to transportation. Jessica Wade of Multnomah asked why the stretch of Capitol Highway between Taylors Ferry Road and Garden Home Road was being ig- nored after so many years. Jill Crecraft of the Multnomah (Continued on Page 6) Sen. Wyden’s town hall topics include energy, environment, tax reform By Erik Vidstrand The Southwest Portland Post U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (Democrat- OR) held a town hall March 1, at the Multnomah Arts Center, listen- ing and responding to over 100 southwest citizens on a variety of subjects. “This is my 688th town hall,” an- nounced Wyden. He was elected to the Senate in 1996 in a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Republican Sen. Bob Pack- wood. He’s been there ever since. Sen. Wyden is the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He’s also on the energy, taxation, and international trade subcom- mittees. Wyden also serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intel- ligence. Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick, a Multnomah neigh- borhood resident, introduced the senior senator. “I’ll be talking the next 90 min- utes,” Wyden explained, as many first timers groaned, He immedi- ately grinned and asked, “How many are new to this?” Half the crowd raised their hands. “You’re doing the talking and I’m going to listen.” After sighs of relief and without further ado, the questions began. Questions ranged from climate change to corporate money in the political system to the Hanford nuclear site cleanup. Energy con- cerns, the environment, and tax reform topped the discussion. “I have proposed a campaign fund disclosure bill,” Wyden said. This bill would be an effort to keep an eye on undisclosed corporate contributions, currently unlimited. Despite the recent Supreme Court decision, Wyden maintains that corporations are not people and thus certain rights do not apply to the businesses. He wants to amend the Constitution to limit campaign spending. Trudy Raz-Frengle (left) and Don Baack pose next to one of the new signs at Stephens Creek Nature Park (SW Bertha Boulevard at Chestnut Street), March 15. Completed in 2007, the boardwalk bridge which connects Multnomah and Hillsdale was named Raz-Baack Crossing for legendary trailblazer Werner Raz (Raz-Frengle's father) and SW Trails president Don Baack. Baack and Raz-Frengle joined a group of neighbors, trail builders, and local officials including Metro Councilor Bob Stacy and Portland Parks & Recreation Commissioner Amanda Fritz for a ribbon-cutting ceremony of a new trail in the park. The trail was funded in part by a Metro “Nature in the Neighborhood” grant. (Post photo by Don Snedecor) Surprisingly, only a few questions came up related to local matters. “There have been 15-20 years of projects stalled with regards to local infrastructure,” Jessica Wade stated. “What can the federal government do? All the money seems to go to downtown projects.” Wyden explained that the country is in an enormous infrastructure crisis. He supported the Build America Bonds bill with over $181 billion of bonds sold. “What has to happen is that the city, Metro, and state need to take it from there,” Wyden said. “I will get a chance to meet with all these leaders while I’m out here.” Wyden lives with his family in Eastmoreland when not in Wash- ington. As for the tax system, Wyden declared, “The current tax system is a dysfunctional, rotting carcass!” Applause erupted. Wyden went on to say that there are thousands of special interest perks. Over 15,000 changes have been made to the tax law since the last tax reform. There were a few elected officials on hand; it is an election year. The crowd was made up of mostly el- derly citizens and some business folks. Youth were not present and Wyden’s staff was there to make sure any other issues would be ad- dressed at a later time. Exactly ninety-minutes into the town hall it ended but Wyden hung around to shake hands and meet the crowd. Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. The Southwest Portland Post 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 Portland, OR 97206
