4
street roots
Nov. 25, 2011
BRA D Y, from page 3
Stages, so they’re going into that as a
partner.
1,100 jobs. Their whole mission is to
continue to grow by doing research and
development on what they call personalized
medicine. In order to build their vision they
need some facilities on the hill or on the
water front and the city should be a good
partner and say what are the land issues?
What are the transportation issues? We
should be out ahead of them so we’re not
slowing the process down.
The Portland Development Commission
has some great initiatives like the Main
Street Program and the Neighborhood
Prosperity Initiative. We should be the best
place to start a small business in the
country. Ninety five percent of thè
businesses here have 50 or fewer
employees. This is a hot bed of innovation
and the city could have a streamlined
permitting system for opening and growing
small businesses
J.T.: The affordable housing inventory in
the city’s core continues to shrink despite a
promise by the city to preserve those units.
Meanwhile, the waiting lists for apartments
are becoming very long. What are your ideas to
expand affordable housing to the lowest income
households in Portland?
with multiple barriers to getting hired?
J.T.: How will you Work with the county
and state to develop better solutions for people
experiencing poverty?.
E.B.: I’ve certainly worked in an industry
focused on saying that there’s a lot of work
that people can do if you give them a
chance, or a second chance. If you’ve been
an inmate, you deserve a second chance.
You have to believe in people and that they
can take on different jobs. You have to think
past barriers. You can make reasonable
accommodations for a lot of individuals in
many jobs, and I’ve been very successful in
doing that. It really creates a sense of
community to bring in people with
disabilities so that everyone is working
together.
E.B.: I’ve been on the Oregon Health
Fund Board and the Oregon Health Policy
Board. For the past few years, I’ve been
working on health policy, which really links
the state, the counties and private industry
in a solution-building process.
We need to have people in the room who
E.B.: We’re facing a crisis on funding. On
are not afraid of the complexity of the
top of that, we have a homeless population
problem and recognize that it’s a multi-
that we’re not fully addressing. I’m
stakeholder problem
extraordinarily
and find our set of
concerned about i t I
shared valúes and
don’t have the
J.T.: Every year public transportation gets
build something
solution. I know that
more expensive while sendees get cut. The Free
together
that
can
be
there’s a number of
The measure of a great city
Rail Zone is always threatened with
more than a white
people working on
is how it takes care of its
elimination. What ideas do you have to
paper on the shelf. I
solutions, and it’s got
most vulnerable people.
preserve the Free Rail Zone?
don’t tolerate white
to be one of our top
papers on the shelf at
priorities. The one
That's one of the things
E.B.: I want that Free Rail Zone. There
all. I’m always
thing that we have to that's going to be on my
are three things you’re going to hear me
looking for the
do is be honest and
immediate priority list. This biggest boldest
talk about in this campaign: One is jobs and
get ahead of it.
the economy, the public'safety system and
community can solve this.
solution, and J don’t
It’s really
the neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue.
see boundaries so
disturbing to me to
One thing that is key for the neighborhoods
much on these
think that right now,
east of 82nd is more bus service to job sites
jurisdictions.
according to the last
For instance, the , and the city center. I’m adding to your
count, we have about
question here.
Oregon Health Policy Board brought
750 kids that are homeless, and since 2009
together insurance executives, hospital
the number of homeless families has
J.T.: How about the Free Rail Zone?
executives, labor leaders and community
increased 35 percent. That’s not acceptable.
activists to say we should cover the kids; we
The measure of a great city is how it takes
E.B.: I’d have to look at the budget. I ,
should make sure that evéry child in Oregon
care of its most vulnerable people. That’s
has access to health insurance. That seemed think it’s one of the great regional draws for
one of the things that’s going to be on my
like an impossible dream four years ago. I’m visitor?, not just for people who live and
immediate priority list. This community can
work there. We have to think about it from a
solve this. We can muster the compassion to optimistic, even though things can seem
hospitality perspective. Great cities of the
give 75Q kids a place to sleep. Right now, we complicated, if you get the right people in
world have great transportation systems.
the room.
have close to 2,000 people who are sleeping
outside or in an abandoned building or a car.
For past interviews with city candidates, go
J.T.: Employment is at the foundation of
It’s going to take community partnerships to
to www.streetroots.wordpress.com
self-sufficiency. What will you do to help people
solve the problem.
J.T.: What are your thoughts on the new
Office of Equity and Human Rights, and what
are some issues you ’re hoping it’s going to
tackle?
E.B.: Well, first off. I’d want it to report
to the mayor in order for it to really have
the credibility that it’s looking for. I’m vey
excited about it; I hope its mission can really
get clarified so that it’s working on highly
leveraged projects that are upstream. Here’s
how the office could backfire: the City
Council puts forward a set of policies
they’ve been working on for months, and
someone says, we should have the Office of
Equity look at i t That’s not a useful thing to
do. You’ve got to have the office looking at
projects that are upstream at the initial
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