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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2011)
9 Street roots O ct 28, 2011 FRITZ, from page 8 There are a few silver linings to the but if we’re looking at creating entire recession. People have had to work together communities we probably neèd to look at J.T.: The Portland Business Alliance with these partnerships because we’ve that zoning, and we also have to puzzle questionnaire came out recently. You said you discovered that by doing that we leverage through the challenges of the East Portland would consider a downtown urban renewal each others’ strengths and support each school districts and the complexities of the other. We’ve also increased our volunteering area. What criteria would you use to assess the larger units and the smaller units and the and our understanding that we are all in this creation of such an urban renewal area? challenges of having these larger units with more kids and a smaller tax base and how together. A.F.: Who pays, who benefits and is that I would like to be a part of the process that’s going to work o u t This is the first fair. And is this going to be a wise use of that thinks big. Our step of refining taxes taxpayer money? There’s no magic money city form of so they’re more clearly created in an urban renewal district because government tends to targeted toward what it’s an agreement to use money that would make each we want. We shouldn't be making go to other things to create development commissioner look I think that there’s a decisions one at a time as if out for their bureaus. that in the long run will spur economic definite need to look at development that pays back. I’m waiting to they don't matter or don't We ought to be preservation of see what’s being proposed. We don’t have assessing the needs affordable housing. We have a connection to the that much land for urban renewal, so we of each bureau and shouldn’t be looking to whole. have to be strategic. I’m definitely open to each program while build more because urban renewal districts. We are getting a lot asking about public new stuff is more more property taxes because we have a priorities. expensive than vibrant downtown, and there’s also work preserving old stuff in J.T.: How will you work with county and that needs to be done in the neighborhoods. many ways. I opposed the Oregon state to develop a better strategy for addressing Sustainability Center because it’s proposing J.T.: How would you assess how urban the needs of people experiencing poverty? to change land that is zoned residential for renewal has been used in the past? A.F.: I have been very collaborative with commercial and office spaces, and, as you A.F.: I’ve asked for a comprehensive say, we have a no net loss of housing policy. the county, in particular. The particular report on th a t The auditor recently came There’s no indication of how that’s going to . piece of that form e has been working with out with a fiscal sustainability audit that people with disabilities, 50 percent of whom be m et We shouldn’t be making decisions questioned the amount of debt that the city live below the poverty line; and in particular one at a time as if they don’t matter or don’t has taken out for urban renewal that is paid working with people experiencing mental have a connection to the whole. So I voted back by current taxpayers. I asked at that illnesses, many of whom are unemployed or against that because we need to understand work session for what the benefits have underemployed and impoverished. how we’re going to save the housing units been. We had an assessment when we made I’ve started working with the police, the right now rather than somewhere down the the Airport Way urban renewal area. The 911 system, the county and Cascade line. numbers on that showed that a huge amount I don’t have particular suggestions for Behavioral Health on how we can take care of property taxes were coming into the of people experiencing mental health crises, how to do th a t If you have a particular general fund because we made the So that police aren’t the first responders and bureau, you don’t have all the staff to advise investments there. But it’s very clear with when police are toe first responders we can on something like affordable housing. I Airport Way what we intended to do and keep everyone safer, and we don’t have know that ComEmissioner Nick Fish is what the outcome has been. some of toe tragic outcomes we’ve had in working on that, and he is the expert on In government in general, we need to be past years. The project is about halfway affordable housing. So I’ve definitely been much clearer about closing the loop and through, it’s a three-year project. We’ve one of Nick Fish’s most supportive partners doingthereport, doing the evaluation to made some changes in both police protocols on the council and been a dependable vote find out if something worked. I ran three ' and 911 protocol^ to begin dispatching for him on affordable housing things he’s year-ago promising to spend taxpayers’ people other than police to people feeling brought forward. But my role on the couricil gu^dahor ho n ^id al.^h en M s safe to do so. mopey wisely, and that’s still the first tiung I a t th is tim e-is diff& rentÆ o I w oyld consider do when I look at anything o n th e counciTs Of course it’s a'very fine line. Keeping the my role to be supportive. Commissioner agenda. In order to be able to asses if they public safe is probably toe most fundamental Fish has been very congenial and are spending taxpayer money wisely, I need priority of a city government But then collaborative about inviting me to work on to have all the information to make that planning and zoning issues, which have been realizing that public safety and social services interact in a big way. decision. my area of expertise. We in toe city have provided funding for J.T.: The affordable housing inventory in J.T.: What ideas do you have fo r securing toe county for both mental health the city's core continues to shrink despite a sustainable revenue for housing and homeless professional services and also for law promise to preserve those units. Meanwhile, the services for years to come? enforcement services through toe county waiting list for a lowdncome apartment district attorney’s office so that when we A.F.: I would be supportive of a number remains very long or closed. What are your have people on our streets who are needing of different options. I’m disappointed that ideas to increase the amount of affordable services they can get them, and when we the legislature hasn’t stepped up oh the real housing for the lowest-income households in have people who are committing crimes estate transfer tax [that would generate ■Portland? money for affordable housing]. That was just against people, such as drug dealing and a start, but it seems to me that when people prostitution and other vice crimes that are A.F.: I’m actually working with Com m iss io n e r Nick Fish, County Chair Jeff sell their home that’s an opportunity to start really impacting people who live outside, there’s a reason for the police to make an Cogen and Commissioner Deborah Kafoury building a significant amount of money that arrest because there is going to be a from the county. We’re looking at the issue can be put into affordable housing. I’d consequence. Before we were funding those of tax abatements and affordable housing. consider a bond measure after the recession. Now is hot the time to raise taxes DA positions there was a decrease in the It’s a project called The Big Look, and we number of arrests and and an increase in or fées on pretty much anything. People are just had one of our sessions this afternoon. toe problems on toe street especially in Old We talked about how everything in outer barely making ends m eet Southeast is pretty much zoned multifamily, homeforward hope; access, potential. Madrona Place Apartments public housing waiting list to open November 2 through November 4,2011 Madrona Place Apartments Is pleased to announce that the 1,2 and 3 bedroom wait lists for pubHc housing unitswlll be open to new applicants from November 2 thrpugh November 4, 2011. Applicants must meet income gubellnes and preference will be given to households whose incomes are between 30 percent and 80 percent area median income. Applicants must apply using the Madrona Place Apartments application, form avaHable starting November 2 on our website at www.homeforward.org or at the Madrona Place Apartments leasing office by ma«, fax. In person. Applications will only be accepted at the Madrona Place Apartments leasing office, located at 17810 E Burnside, Portland,OR07233.CallMadronaPlaceApartmentsat503.280.3800orvisitour website at www.homeforward.org for complete details on how to apply. SSS-„..„, Town. J.T.: What is the city doing right and what is it doing wrong in terms how it’s prioritizing the use of taxpayers money? - A.F.: I think we’re careful about cutting, but we’re not always as careful as we could be on what we spend. We’ve had a little bit of a surplus, and I would have preferred that we put it all away for the rainy day that has come around in just a year. We are not as careful as we should be in spending ratepayers’ money with Water Bureau and environmental services. That really has been one of my most significant challenges and most significant achievements in changing some of toe policies. But we need to do more. I think we have been strategic in things like the short-term rent assistance, which stops people from becoming homeless. We’ve been careful in continuing to provide money for community involvement, which again leverages volunteer time and dollars and helps people know that they’re not in this plight by themselves. It’s provided some community cohesion, which is hugely important. It also > doesn’t show up on a balance sheet, but it will. One of my goals for my second term is that Portland becomes toe number one volunteer city in America, we’re coming in two after Minneapolis. When Portlanders work together, and we show that we care about each other that’s good for everybody, and that’s the kind of city we are. We also need to be able to show that in toe budget. J.T.: Every year public transportation gets more expensive and the free zone downtown gets chipped away steadily and is being threatened with elimination. What are you going to do to preserve the free rail zone? A.F.: I did as much as I could. As you know, toe city does not have any authority over TriMet, I went to testify when they were considering getting rid of toe free rail z n n e and th ey h ad a tra n scrip-tionist thcre- At toe very least they should listen to how I think this is going to affect people; don’t give me a transcriptionist I was very discouraged. The TriMet board is not elected; it’s appointed. I’d like to see some more accountability in TriMet and more accessibility so that people can feel part of the decision-making process. I will say that there’s been a degree of listening to people with disabilities who’ve been very concerned about toe LIFT program. I recognize that TriMet has had significant budget constraints. Because they rely on the payroll tax, I would like us to consider alternative funding for TriMet as one of toe first things we do when we dig out of toe recession. We’ve seen that during toe recession that people rely more on public transit when they can’t run their car.
