Street roots., October 21, 2016, Page 8, Image 8

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NOVICK, fro m page 7
of color and low-income families from our
central neighborhoods. Indeed, I have been
very vocal in the need to take advantage of
any opportunity to transform the Memorial
Coliseum to provide benefits to the African-
American community that was displaced by
its construction. I am hopeful about a
number of steps we are taking to reverse this
trend and provide for economically and
socially integrated neighborhoods. I continue
to champion requiring developers to include
a percentage of affordable homes as part of
new housing developments, and I am
committed to working with Commissioner
Dan Saltzman to finalize and implement this
policy. I also support current work to help
African-American residents move back into
neighborhoods in North and Northeast
Portland from which they were displaced, I
am a strong proponent of the November
housing bond to build 1,300 new, publicly
owned
affordable
homes across
Portland. We
also need to
continue the
work to amend
zoning
regulations to
allow for the
addition of
duplexes, row
houses, garden
apartments, and
other smaller
units into
existing
neighborhoods - 7
creating more
affordable homes
and helping better
economically
integrate parts of
our community.
Election 2016
address abusive, unpredictable scheduling
practices that make it impossible for workers
to arrange child care, juggle multiple jobs or
take classes while working, and otherwise
organize their lives. We need the state to
pass reciprocal licensing laws so that
immigrants with professional licenses from
their countries of origin do not need to wait
forever to be licensed here. And we need to
continue making investments that make it
easier for people in lower-income areas to
bike, walk and access transit.
We need city government focused on
helping lift up those on the bottom - not
supporting those on the top.
4. By nearly every metric, people of color are
overrepresented throughout the criminal justice
system. What are you going to do to correct -
that?
The overrepresentation of people of color
and other historically marginalized groups in
the criminal justice
system is an
epidemic, and one
that needs to be
addressed at every
level. In 2012-13,1
worked with Judge
Waller, the Sheriffs
Office, Lane Borg of
Metropolitan Public
Defenders, the DA’s
office and the
Citizens Crime
Commission to get
the county’s
“justice.
reinvestment”
initiative -
redirecting : »
resources from
prison to
prevention - off
the ground. The
city itself needs
to establish a
system to
2. Oversight of
constantly
short-term rental
review data on
^ S o r te r s of Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
operations such as
arrests to
Airbnb is abysmal
identify
Atlantic
City
on
Aug.
25,1964.
and undermines
disparate
treatment and
affordability. What are you going to do to
take action to prevent i t I believe the city
enforce current laws, and what laws do you
should reduce the Portland Police Bureau
want to see put in place to prevent abuses?
“drugs and vice” division, ending our
involvement in the failed “war on drugs” that
Portland is struggling with a severe
has largely been fought against people of
housing shortage, and it is distressing if
color; and in 2013,1 voted against rejoining
some of the scarce units that we have are
the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which we
being taken off the market for use as short­
know to have serious problems with
term rentals. We need to start imposing
transparency and accountability, as well as
sharp penalties on Airbnb and other hosts
disproportionately targeting people of color -
whenever they list a property that is not
specifically of Middle Eastern descent. The
permitted by the city. We also need to step
most powerful actors in the criminal justice
up enforcement against hosts that do not live
system, however, are district attorneys, and
in their homes 270 days a year, as required
we need to elect progressive DAs who
by law. The second part will be difficult and
prioritize criminal justice reform. I would like
require resources, because right now, I don’t
to join with other progressives to outline
think any mechanism other than dwelling-by-
goals we want the current DA to meet; if
dwelling inspections is going to be entirely
those goals are not met, we need to find and
effective. If we do find that illegal rentals are
support a progressive candidate.
removing affordable homes, however, it would
5. In addition to the issues addressed above,
be worth using some of the general fund that
what do you want to fix in the city?
goes to the housing bureau to fund
enforcement.
We need to transform the police force to
3. What specific policies are you going to put in
place your next term to help struggling
Portlanders?
In addition to investing in affordable
housing and passing inclusionary zoning, we
need to ban no-cause evictions. We also must
meet the demands of a low-crime era, trading
people with guns for people (whether housed
in the bureau or elsewhere) who do not carry
guns and act more as community-oriented
social workers. We need to ensure that the
fire bureau is reimbursed by medical
insurance for the medical care it provides,
Street Roots • Oct. 21-27, 2016
which would free up funds for investment in
housing and other services. We need to
continue to add 911 staff to reduce the
punishing workload our current staff suffers
from. And we need to address climate change
by investing in active transportation and
transit and continuing our commitment to
land use policies that make transit and active
transportation more viable.
SUN schools (Schools Uniting
Neighborhoods) and other school-based
programs.
• Seek a leadership position on the
Multnomah County Local Public Safety
Coordinating Council.
• Have more direct contact and
connections with communities of color so
more people have access to decision makers.
6. Why should people vote for you and not the
other guy?
2 . Across the county, there is a massive
While Chloe and I are ideologically pretty
similar, I have a long record of
accomplishment in government, and as an
activist - winning major cases at the Justice
Department, playing a key role in defeating
right-wing ballot measures, successfully
advocating to increase the funding schools get
from the lottery by decreasing the amount
going to subsidize taverns, and making a
difference for working families as a city
commissioner. Admittedly, I was a little bit
eager and impatient when I was first elected
in 2012, and not always the easiest to work
with, but I learned some very important
lessons and over the past couple of years, by
collaborating with community members and
my fellow lawmakers, I’ve accomplished a
good deal - including establishing a funding
source to fix our streets, voting to pass paid
sick leave for Portland workers, implementing
our text to 911 program, and taking the lead
in the fight to end abusive scheduling. I’ve
demonstrated that I can get things done, and
also that I will continue to grow and adapt to
the needs of our changing city.
Multnomah County
Commission
POSITION 4
Lori Stegmann
Street Roots • Oct. 21-27, 2016
Election 2016
and intrinsic construct of white supremacy.
People in power do not wish to see that
systemic racism has placed them in any sort
of advantage. It is time to ensure that people
of color are part of the conversation that
steers policy. I would invite community
leaders, both secular and faith-based, to the
table to determine policy, to promote
empowerment and to deconstruct the system
of privilege that is currently in place.
imbalance of resources for people in need, with
services concentrated in Portland. How do you
see the county’s role in getting its various
municipalities to step up with dedicated
resources to what is a regional need?
It has to be acknowledged that
communities in District 4 - East Multnomah
County - are bearing a disproportionate
burden in the region. Gentrification in
Portland has pushed more and more
vulnerable people east, but the resources
have not followed.
While the socio-economic status has
improved for many in Multnomah County, it
has had an inverse relationship in East
County. High poverty, high crime, lack of
available housing, an insufficient
transportation system and low graduation
rates have come home to roost here. Not
only do we need our “fair share” of resources
and investment, but we need more. I will be
relentless in fighting for those resources.
My role as a commissioner is to represent
the folks in my district from Southeast
Portland, Corbett, Wood Village, Fairview,
Troutdale, Gresham and the unincorporated
areas. With so many different jurisdictions in
District 4 ,1 will have a unique opportunity to
use my skills as a consensus builder to create
a coalition that addresses the needs of East
County. To do that, I will work closely with
those individual jurisdictions on a regular and
frequent basis. By having a direct link with
those communities, I hope to leverage their
individual contributions and challenges to
garner support for more regional dollars.
1. By nearly every metric,
people of color are
overrepresented throughout
the criminal justice system.
What are you going to do
to correct that?
We are seeing the fruits of a more
collaborative approach to serving people in
need. From the Joint Office of Homeless
Services to A Home for Everyone Coalition
to the work of East County Cares. But we
must do more.
First, I want to start by
acknowledging that many
of the flaws in our
criminal justice system are fueled by our
society’s implicit and explicit biases. These
biases have created significant structural
barriers to education and economic
opportunity for many Americans, particularly
in communities of color.
Many of us understand that fear is what
drives bias, and it’s imperative that as a
community we examine our fears,
acknowledge our biases and work to move
beyond them. We heed to give each other the
benefit of the doubt. We must look at other
cultures and embrace their uniqueness and
customs not with fear but with interest and
respect To do that, we have to create a
space where it is safe to express ourselves
according to our individual cultures and not
be judged and punished.
As a Multnomah County commissioner,
here’s what I will do to get racial bias out of
our criminal justice system:
• Advocate for more active audits and
specify targets for improvement to check for
racial disparities at every major point in the
criminal justice pipeline.
• Focus more on prevention and
intervention, like increased investment in
3. According to county statistics, ambulances
responded to more than a dozen opiate
overdoses each week in 2014, prompting steps to
limit dosing. But one OHSU doctor even said,
“We cannot emphasize enough the importance
of expanding addiction treatment as well. We
cannot decrease the access to opioids without
having effective treatments
available to patients.” What
are you going to do to curb
opiate deaths and addiction?
Page 9
2 . Across the county, there is a massive
imbalance of resources for people in need, with
services concentrated in Portland. How do you
see the county’s role in getting its various
municipalities to step up with dedicated
resources to what is a regional need?
Actress Margaret Vale Howe participates in the women’s suffrage parade in Washington, D.C., in March 1913.
had the honor of attending Walgreens’ launch
of its Safe Medication Disposal Kiosk
Program here in Gresham a few weeks ago.
As a Gresham city councilor, I am proud to
say that we have had a kiosk for some time at
our Gresham Police Department People
don’t realize the danger of leaving those
leftover medications in their medicine
cabinets. Now they have a safe and
convenient way to dispose of those unwanted,
unused or expired prescriptions.
As a member of Multnomah County’s
Mental Health Department’s County Budget
Advisory Committee, I had the opportunity
to make recommendations to fund the use of
naloxone to reverse opioid overdoes. As you
know, people who are at-risk of experiencing
or witnessing an overdose often cannot
access this lifesaving drug.
Also, I am pleased to see that Congress
passed the landmark opioid bill, the
Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act
(CARA). This act will promote the expansion
of diversion programs that will divert low
level drug violations away from the criminal
justice system and into treatm ent
Many folks did not
realize that the week of
Sept. 18-24 was National
Heroin and Opioid
Awareness Week. I think
we missed a huge
opportunity to educate
the public. When I am on
the Commission, I will
make this a priority by
promoting funding for
education, prevention
and treatment.
According to
Walgreens, 4 out of 5
new heroin users start
7 / A group o f A f r i c a n - ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
by misusing
Washington, D.C., in the I960*
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prescription opioids. I
and civil rights in
4. In addition to the issues addressed above,
what do you want to fix in the county?
As the county is responsible for public
health, it is incumbent upon us to take a
leadership role to educate the public about
mental health. First, we need to work on
destigmatizing mental illness. This is
challenging because you can’t always see
when someone is experiencing a mental
health crisis. They may look fine on the
outside. We have to send the message that
mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of.
Most importantly, we have to make
resources available to help heal people. We
have urgent care clinics for our physical
health; why can’t we have urgent care clinics
staffed with mental health care providers and
have walk-in care, 24 hours a day, spread
throughout the county?
Secondly, we need to give kids and families
the tools they need to improve their mental
health. I volunteered at a “Challenge Day” in
the Reynolds School District last year. The
program is based on my favorite quote by
Mahatma Gandhi, “We must be the change we
wish to see in the world.” Throughout this
one-day class, I witnessed first­
hand the recognition of the
trauma too many of our kids
have experienced.
A space was created where
both kids and adults felt safe,
loved and celebrated. We
learned how to be more
compassionate, empathetic and
kind toward one another. We
learned that we had more in
common with each than we
thought. And that much of the
cruelty we experienced was an
expression of the inner pain that
we all sometimes felt
5. Why should people vote for you
and not the other guy?
Even though my family
struggled at times, I got a good education and
was able to find a good job. I want everyone
in our community to have those same
opportunities.
I have a track record of getting real results
and have the experience to be effective on
day one. My community service includes six
years as a Gresham city councilor and
redevelopment commissioner, 14 years as a
Soroptimist working to improve the lives of
women and girls, and countless volunteer
hours on school bonds and other community
projects.
That’s why I’ve earned the endorsement of
every major newspaper and bipartisan
leaders, including Portland Mayor-elect Ted
Wheeler, County Chair Deborah Kafoury,
county commissioners Diane McKeel and
Loretta Smith, Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis,
the OLCV, Basic Rights Equality PAC, the
Portland Business Alliance and many more
(for a complete list, go to voteloristegmann.
com).
I believe that when our public officials
reflect the complexion of our community, we
get better outcomes for all. When I take
office, I will be the sixth person of color to
serve on the commission in 162 years. And I
will be the first Asian American ever to serve.
This is a major milestone that is long overdue.
Amanda Schroeder
1. By nearly every metric, people of color are
overrepresented throughout the criminal justice
system. What are you going
to do to correct that?
I will continue to
support strong oversight
of the criminal justice
system. In order for a
symptom to be cured, the
disease has to be named
and an agreed treatment
program accepted. White privilege is an
incredibly difficult concept to wrap one’s
brain around since it challenges the systemic
As a resident of East County, I find this
question to be quite interesting. Living on the
East Side - with only a tiny bit of Portland
municipality on the inside of our borders to
the west, it is often felt that we are left
completely out of the realm of consideration
and special prioritizations.
I think what is critical, when looking at the
imbalance of resources and involving
municipalities to share dedicated resources
for a regional good, is securing and
maintaining good working relationships with
the relevant levels of government, being
proactive with work across perceived
boundaries with various nonprofit and non­
government organizations, and recognition of
absolute and immediate need.
What I always compare this particular
resource allocation concern with is when my
daughter needed braces, we did not pay our
son (who did not need braces) $3,500 to be
equitable, because he did not have that need.
3. What are you going to do to curb opiate
deaths and addiction?
I would like to review the allocation of
resources counfywide to ensure that we get
more funding to assist those struggling with
addiction. I would like to see more facilities
that can case manage both mental health and
addiction services. We need to invest in long­
term addiction treatment facilities that
provide not only immediate rehabilitation
services, but also reintegration services with
emphasis on sponsor/sponsee relationships
and continuing support - both with physical
and mental obstacles upon completion of
such a difficult program.
4. In addition to the issues addressed above,
what do you want to fix in the city?
I want attrition to go down and
opportunity to increase; I want to augment
the SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods)
programs with additional funding. My goal is
to connect SUN school curriculum with
Oregon Food Bank’s program “Cooking
Matters” as early as fifth grade to facilitate a
healthier, more nourished and empowered
childhood for many of our most vulnerable
residents of Multnomah County.
5. Why should people vote for you and not the
other guy?
I have lived a life of service. I help people,
individually and anonymously - those who I
know and those who I don’t I have mobilized
and organized, at a grassroots level, people
around issues such as voters’ rights, women’s
rights, domestic violence awareness and
prevention, sexual violence awareness and
protection, workers’ rights.
I believe that we should pass Measure 97,
and have single-payer health care, a Tenant’s
Bill of Rights and an end to “no cause”
See SCHROEDER, page 12