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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2011)
Street roots 3 Dec. 9, 2011 Forum raises candidates views on housing, homeless policy BY JOANNE ZUHL STAFF WRITER ayoral candidates squared off over issues of the street Dec. 6 in the Mayoral Candidates’ Forum on Housing. The forum featured frontrunners Eileen Brady, Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith, along with Joshua Nuttall, Loren Charles Brown and Shonda Colleen Kelley in what has become a crowded race for the city’s top post The event was sponsored by Oregon Opportunity Network, Street Roots, JOIN and 211Info, and featured questions drilling down on the candidate’s plans for addressing homelessness and affordable housing in Portland during tough economic times. Common threads in the discussion were streamlining city government, creating more public-private partnerships, focusing on finding dedicated funding sources for low- PHOTO BY ISRAEL BAYER Mayoral candidates Jefferson Smith, Charlie Hales, Shonda Colleen Kelley, Loren Charles income housing, and praise for the success Brown, Joshua N uttall and Eileen Brady answer questions during the Mayoral Candidates of the 30. percent set aside from urban Forum on Housing Dec. 6 at the First Unitarian Church in Portland. renewal districts. Questions focused on finding new revenue sources to replace declining funding “The federal government has abdicated secure more federal dollars. She also streams, job creation, gentrification, and its responsibility. But as a city, we can’t,” emphasized a commitment to job creation, balancing civil rights against the homeless Smith said. which creates a more substantial tax base, condition. Charlie Hales emphasized greater and referred several times to the Portland Jefferson Smith pushed one option by partnership with surrounding governments, Plan and its stated pledge to increase and reflecting on a nationwide lawsuit brought and said he wanted to see the entire maintain the city’s supply of low-income by states, including Oregon, against metropolitan region dedicating its share to housing. mortgage companies and banks that, if the housing crisis. Brady’s message on gentrification issues successful, could bring a windfall of between “We need to call the rest of the region to was to stress revitalization in a form that $15 million and $50 million into the state. do their part as well as we do ours in doesn’t create displacement. Smith proposed that money should be Portland,” Hales said. “Revitalization is good. Displacement applied as seed money to buy foreclosed Along with support for the 30 percent set- isn’t,” she said. “We want to increase our... homes from banks and reissue them back to aside and incentivized public-private tax base, but not at the expense of families at affordable prices to preserve partnerships, Eileen Brady said she would destroying communities and displacing their housing. push to have greater lobbying efforts to people.” M Smith stressed the need to incorporate housing investment with infrastructure investment, including public transportation, employment opportunities and other community amenities. All of the candidates expressed support for loosening restraints on anti-camping laws to allow for legalized camping in small measures. Such a plan, involving the faith- based community, is under consideration in City Hall. “Fourth and Burnside is a good example that it doesn’t take $100,000 to create a safe place for people to sleep at night,” said Joshua Nuttall. With the opportunity to speak in general about their intentions as mayor, Loren Charles Brown said he would be the “people’s mayor,” and the face and voice of the people, especially those experiencing homelessness, “Your voice has been suppressed long enough,” Brown said. Brown also proposed that as mayor, he would join stakeholders in sleeping on the streets to, “have everybody go out and feel what it’s like to be homeless.” Nuttall embraced his underdog status, expressing support for the Occupy Portland movement, the reduction of city bureaucracy, and called for the creation of a professional skills library for the creation of self-employment enterprises. The 90-minute forum included set questions from organizers and several submitted by members of the audience. In addition to the discussion held during the event, questions were submitted in advance to the candidates, and their responses are available at the candidate’s answers link through the post on the event at www. streetroots.wordpress.com. Fallen Off the Edge A new hook by A rt Garcia "Fallen Off the Edge" is a chronicle of one man's experiences after returning from the Vietnam War. Told through the eyes of Street Roots columnist Art Garcia, this book celebrates the major victories born from a series of questionable choices. Art's jocular storytelling takes the reader along with him in and out of the California prison system over the course of 10 years until he found the strength and courage to pull himself up from the fall. The book is available online at www. blurb.com under searchword Art Garcia. 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