street roots
3
April 1, 2012
P H O T O C O U T E S Y O F T H O S E A B O U T T O BE IN C H A R G E
Do any of these people look fam iliar to you?
Street Roots talks with Mayoral candidate
contenders for the City o f Portland — asking them
views o f everything that’s already been asked
before.
S treet Roots: How do you feel about the arts?
unions. Bride-building unions are a real good
thing for Portland.
J efferson Smith: I love democracy.
community. I’m not so sure the business
community loves me. I know the Portland
Business Alliance would soil themselves if I
became mayor. Other than that, jobs, and
more jobs. Really, it’s all about jobs.
E ileen Brady: You know the thing about
unions is that I love unions. Yes to unions.
S treet Roots: How can we fix government?
S treet Roots: I f you are elected mayor, how
will you support housing?
Jefferso n Sm ith: Government means
E ileen Brady: My grandmother loved the
arts. I love the arts. The arts equal jobs. Yes to
the arts.
J efferso n Sm ith: In a democracy, there has
J efferso n Sm ith: Think about this for a
to be art and I’m pro-democracy. Think about
moment — a house of democracy. Yes to
alt o f t h e g r e a t a r tis ts th a t h a v e ca p tu red
h o u s in g a d e m o c r a c y . W e a r e ta lk in g a b o u t
democracy over the years. Art and democracy
are fine tools for government.
democracy, right?
E ileen Brady: My family loves government.
E ileen Brady: My mother was a housing
Charlie H ales: If you think about it, I’m old
I love government. I’ve been trying to get into
government for years. Yes to government.
advocate. I love housing. Yes to housing.
Charlie H ales: I’ve made a lot of money in
enough to be art. I love myself. I love art. What
was the question again?
Charlie H ales: When I lived in Washington I
S treet Roots: Will you support a bike friendly
agenda in Portland?
thought a lot about housing in Oregon. All I can
say is that I’m glad I kept my house in Oregon
or I might be running for office in Washington
(chuckle). I love Portland so much.
J efferso n Sm ith: In a democracy, there will
be cycling and I’m very pro-democracy. Think
about democracy like spokes in a wheel. You
have to have a democracy to make the wheels
turn.
democracy. I like to think of it as getting on a
bus. And then riding that bus around Portland
and Oregon and then getting people to vote,
for, well, me. God, I am in love with democracy.
S treet Roots: How will you work with
business to ensure Portland’s stays a competitive
West Coast city?
the private sector and I’ve spent even more
while working in government. Yes to
government.
S treet Roots: When Portlanders go to the
ballot this May, why should they vote for you as
mayor?
E ileen Brady: My family loves Portland.
I love my family. Yes to Portland. Yes to me.
Charlie H ales: I’m all business, all of the
Charlie H ales: Baking is great. It creates
jobs and food, which are both good for
business. I’m working on a sustainable baking
program now. We need more green baking.
E ilee n Brady: My family loves to cycle. I
love to cycle, especially on the Esplanade. Yes
to cycling.
S treet Roots: How will you support unions?
time. I am a walking business. Business to me
means business, jobs, kids, healthy kids, and
business. Jobs and business, business and jobs,
lots and lots of jobs.
E ileen Brady: I bet you didn’t know I’m the
co-founder of New Seasons. My family loves
business. I love business. Business equals jobs
and more jobs. So many jobs. Jobs for your
neighbors, and brothers and sisters too. Yes to
jobs. Yes to business.
Charlie H ales: Unions mean bridges and
bridges mean jobs and jobs mean happy
Jefferson Smith: In a democracy you get to
vote. I get to vote, even though I haven’t always
voted. That’s the thing about a democracy, you
can also choose not to vote. I was so busy
studying democracy (chuckle), I forgot to vote.
Vote in a democracy, for me.
Charlie H ales: When you ask the question
about baking in Portland. I thought was a weird
question. But then I thought maybe you said
biking. The point is, vote for me. I love both
baking and biking in Portland.
Jefferson Smith: I love the business
Plans scrapped: New 30-year strategic plan in the works
BY LOVE TRAIN
S T A F F IN F E C T E D
umors have been circulating that the
next mayor of Portland will come out
in support of a new citywide plan to
lead the city into the next 30 years.
Current Mayor Sam Adams dumped
former Mayor Tom Potter’s “Vision PDX, a
30-year strategic plan for the city, for a new
and improved 30-year plan called The
Portland Plan.”
“Together, both plans took around 26,000
hours of community service, and cost the
city a shit-ton of money,” says one campaign
manager. “We think we can do it better.
“Our goal is to reach out to community
R
organizations and foundations and to help
build a plan to last,” another insider says.
“The first two plans really didn’t ask the
right people, or questions. It wasn’t
developed with the next mayor’s vision. We
believe it needs to be even more equitable
and visionary. It’s very possible that it will
take another 30 years to implement the next
plan and that may even be optimistic. But if
we listen, and plan, and plan to listen and
get everyone around the table, we think we
can do it. Create a plan that is. There’s a lot
of white people that care about this in the
community.”
This reporter asked several Portlanders
in East Portland at bus stops without
sidewalks about the plans, and most people
didn’t even realize there was a plan.
“My feet are wet, man. I don’t know about
any plans,” said one man.
Another woman said it’s really hard for
her to plan, but, she said, “You’ve got to do
it. I had planned on getting a cup of coffee
this morning, but forgot my purse. I didn’t
plan on that.”
Plans are currently being drawn up to
create another breakthrough plan, this time
planning in scarcity instead of abundance,
knowing that the federal government really
doesn’t have a plan either.
Staffers with the current mayor’s office
were thought to be reaching out to staffers
at the formers mayor’s office for advice on
how to deal with the fact that they spent
four years on a plan that isn’t going to plan
itself.
Mayoral candidates scoffed at the idea
that they would be put in the same position,
saying they’ve already planned for this, and
will again.
Consulting firms around the city, and
especially ones outside the city say that as
long as plans were being developed,
business would remain strong. “We’re still
planning on it.”