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Task Force reviews Portland’s Hometown Plan
Mayor Neil Goldschmidt
appointed a task force to
review the Hometown Plan,
which is Portland's affirrua
live action plan for the
building trades.
Members
named to the Manpower Area
Planning Council »uh com
miltee are Chairman Leland
Johnson, E xecutive Vice
President of First National
Bank of Oregon; Charles
Moss, a Black utility worker
with the City of Portland and
associated with the Municipal
Employees Union; and Lyle
Eller, Regional Director of
AFL-CIO, IIK D I.
Marlene
Boyless and Richard Broun
stein were named by the
Metropolitan Human Rela
turns Commission. Working
with the Task Force w ill be
Tom Dorby, an MAPC staff
mcuilier and Rita Clinton, an
employee of the Human Re
lations Commission.
Carl
Semington heads the MAPC
staff and Phil McLauren, ad
minislrative assistant to the
mayor, serves as liaison In-
tween the Task Force and
the mayor's office.
The Hometown Plan was
written in 1970 following a
directive from the federal
government to approximately
70 cities to devise plans
similar to the “ Philadelphia
PORTLAND
Volume 3, No. 45
Portland, Oregon
IM I
O N I Y NEWSPAPER
IN
AN
fO U A l
OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
fHE
WHOLE
WIDE
Voter Education Project
seeks citizen involvement
The Urban League of Port
land ha» launched a Voter
Registration and Education
Project, one of eight in the
nation sponsored by the
National Urban League. The
goals of the project, directed
by Terry Rawlins, is to in
crease minority voter parti
cipation in the Albina area
by generating interest in and
disseminating facts about is
sue» that directly affect the
citizen».
The project will use volun
leer» and graduate students
from the local universities to
monitor meetings of city and
county government and agen
cies that make policies af
fecting the Albina area. In
formation on these agencies,
their fiolicies and procedures,
plans and decisions will bo
passed throughout the com
munity so that the people
will know what is hap,toning
and can he a part of the
derision making
Rawlins believes the people
of Albina to I m - capable of
making their voices heard
and of influencing decisions if
a method ran be found to get
information to them at the
proper time
Too often
nothing is known about pend
mg plans until their impact is
felt ami then it is too late to
intercede.
The project is non partisan
and will reveal both sides of
any question. There w ill bo
no attempt on the part of the
project to lobby any issue,
since the philosophy behind
the project is that an in
formed public will make wise
decisions.
Another important part of
the project is Voter Educa
lion.
Rawlins emphasizes,
especially to the young, that
they cannot participate and
cannot serve on juries if
they are not registered to
vole.
TERRA RAWLINS
A Community Forum Sys
te rn
will bring proponents
and opponents of legislation
to Albina to discuss the is
sues in often meetings.
The Portland project is
funded by a $16,000 grant
from the National Urban
League for a six month
period ending December 1st.
At that time the project is
expected to be self sufficient
or have additional funding.
Rawlins was raised in Port
land, where he graduated
from Grant High School. He
graduated from the Univer
sity of Oregon in 1970 with a
Plan" to include minorities in
the construction trades. Rep
resentatives of management,
labor and minority groups
wrote the plan, which was in
effect an agreement between
the contractors and the labor
unions.
The Hometown Plan has
never received funding and
has never been enforced.
Two attempts in 1972 to
receive federal funding failed.
bachelors degree in Sociology.
He has taken graduate work
at the University, working
toward a Masters in Political
Science.
Rawlins served as Man
power Services Programmer
for the laine County Com
munity Action Program be
fore returning to Portland.
In that poaition he designed
career ladders for high school
and community colleges and
planned apprenticeship train
ing for minorities. He pre
viously was employed as a
counselor by Operation Step
Up in Portland.
WORLD
The Associated General Con
tractors, which represents
the contracting firms, admits
the plan is not working arid
blames the tail- ol funds for
administration.
Alexander
Hicks, director of the Equal
Opportunity Division of the
E nvironm ental Protection
Agency's Seattli office who
has supervisory power over
the Portland Hometown Plan,
said the plan had been tor
pe toed by the U.S. Depart
ment of Labor, which had
refused to fund it.
flicks
also found the program to be
ineffective.
Goldschmidt directed the
Task Force to:
1) Conduct, with staff assis
lance, a thorough review of
the Hometown Plan and to
assess its effectiveness in
achieving it's stated goals
and objectives during its
first year and a half of
operation.
21 To report its findings in
written form within three
months to the MAPC and to
the mayor.
Jt To make recommenda
tions or corrective measures
to fa- implemented in the
present plan and as a course
of action for the Building and
Construction Industries and
for the MAPC.
Mayor Goldschmidt ad
vised the Task Force that it
can appoint additional mem
tiers and that it should give
consideration to bringing in
management and the labor
unions.
Public hearings will la-
held in the Albina community
so that residents will have an
opportunity to express their
concerns. The Task Force
will also serve as an MAPC
A ffirm a tiv e Action sub
council.
It will review all
manpower proposals to de
termine that they address
the priorities outlined in the
Comprehensive Annual Man
power Plan.
The first
priority of service will be to
individuals below poverty
level with racial or ethnic
priorities as follows: Ameri
c an Indians and Blacks; Span
ish; other minorities; non
minorities.”
A ffirm a tiv e Action pro
grams will he reviewed and
manpower training geared to
providing minority workers
for vancancies that exist.
ORSRRVRR
THAT REALLY
CARES
ABOUT
PEOPLE
Ih u r s d a v , A u g u s t H i. 1973
10c p e r ro p y
PDC seeks better image
P o rtla n d D e v e lo p m e n t
Commission Director John
K e n w a r d , R e h a b ilita tio n
Supervisor Ray Wilson anil
Charles Taft, Director of
Operations, met with the Ob
server Monday to discuss
the many complaints that
are being made by Albina
residents about home rehabili
tation work done with PDC
grants. Homeowners report
poor work and complain
about insensitive treatment
by PDC employees. For the
past four weeks the Observer
has published complaints of
homeowners and the resulting
investigations by the Ob
server and the Albina Con
tractors Association.
Mr. Kenward admitted de
fiencies in communication be
tween his staff and home
owners and agreed to have his
staff make more efforts to
explain PDC procedures and
the homeowner's rights to
their recipients.
Many homeowners are not
aware that they can either
select a contractor of their
choice or ran have one ob
tained by PDC through a bid
process.
The contract for
repairs is made between the
homeowner and the contrac
tor.
Policy of PDC has been to
tell homeowners who are not
satisfied with the work to
write a letter lo the contrac
tor with a copy to PDC. now
homeowners to get them to
sign the contractor's checks
even if they are not satisifed
with the work. This pressure,
he states, is the result of at
PDC Rehabilitation Counse
tempting to finish a large
lors will assist homeowners
number of jobs in a short
w rite th e ir letters when
time.
necessary.
Homeowners are informed
•that the contractor can file
with the court for a lien on the
Persons who are dissatis
property if they are not paid.
fled with work done by PDC They are not told their legal
are asked to call Ray Wilson recourse or referred to Legal
a, 2HH 5075. If you receive no •Aid for legal assistance. If the
adequate response within two contractor should file for a
weeks, please contact the lien, the decision would be
Observer. In the meantime,
made by the court and the
the Observer ind the Albina
homeowner would have the
Contractors Association will
opportunity to present his
continue to receive and in
case. The threat of a lien has
vestigate complaints.
had the effect of forcing some
4
homeowners to sign the
checks, since they are afraid
of losing their homes.
The Rehabilitation Coun
Article 38 of the HUD
selors will be directed to be
guidelines says:
alert to unsatisfactory work,
“The Commission shall be
advise their clients of their
the owner's representative
rights, be available to their
d u rin g the c o n s tru c tio n
clients, and to follow up after
period. The Commission will
the work is done to see that it
make periodic visits to the
is satisfactory.
site to familiarize himself
Work that is completed is
generally with the progress
guaranteed for a period of
and quality of the work and to
one year.
determine in general if the
Mr. Wilson admitted that
I
Please turn to pg. 5, col. 7)
pressure is often applied to
Contractors, PDC agree:
Minorities get priority
Representatives of the
ward agreed to make these $1.000. The ACA would use
Albina Contractors Assoria
figures available and if they the program to provide work
tion, the Portland Develop
show that minorities are not for minority contractors and
ment Commission, Model
getting a majority of the jobs workers; would provide train
Cities, the Mayor's Office
they should. PDC will in
ing and consultation for mi
and Commissioner Schwab's
vestigate a new method of nority contractors; would in
office met Wednesday to re
allocating jobs. The current sure quality work; and would
solve problems of minority
system used is to ask for provide a better relationship
employment and work qual
three bids, which often elimi
with the homeowners than
ity in PDC housing programs
nates small contractors from
(Please
turn to pg. 4, col. 6)
in the Model Cities area.
the competition.
The bid
ACA requested the meeting
system will be reviewed and
to raise these issues and to
consideration given to ne
apply to become the opera
gotiating contracts.
ting agency for the Model
A new system for checking
Cities Home Repair Program
complaints is being devised
now held by PDC.
by Ray Wilson, and Albina
Minority contractors claim
Contractors Association Busi
'Reprinted from the Seattle
they are not receiving a fair
ness Manager Eugene Jack
Facts I
share of the Rehabilitation
son will be asked to partici
projects, which involve grants
pate in this planning.
All
On a hot spring afternoon
of $3,500 to reh ab ilita te
case.
complaints involving contrac
in
the little rural town of
PDC's records for
The award is part of a homes.
tors who are members of
Gibsland, Louisiana, during
consent decree, entered last the past three years show
ACA w ill I m - referred to the
1941, the Black High School
month, resolving a 1971 Jus the greatest amount of work
ACA office.
was filled with parents and
lice Department suit against going to white contractors.
ACA requested that the
friends of the small grad
Local 3 of the Operating PDC’s Rehabilitation Super
contract for the Model Cities
uating high school class. The
Engineers and a number of visor said up to date records
Home Improvement Program
valedictorian was nervously
contractor associations.
that would show the current
be shifted from PDC to
IxM-al 3 is the largest build trend are not available.
ACA.
This program pro finishing his speech extoling
the virtues of Black men.
ing trade l<x-al in the United
PDC Director John Ken
vides home repairs of up to
You could clearly hear the
States, w ith some 10,000
words of "and he along with
members who operate heavy
other men retake the oath
construction machinery in
that this nation shall not
northern ( aliforma, Nevada.
perish from the earth." The
Utah and Hawaii.
The complaint of four Black
they were dropped because crowd applauded. The School
Compensatory payments
they did not pay a fee. The Superintendent hooted and
will be made to Blacks and men against Local *40, Super
men said they had never as the Valedictorian stumbled
other minority members who Cargoes and Checkers of the
International Longshoremen's
lx-en |bld there was to I m - a off stage a little old lady
were excluded from opera
fee.
Beno Johnson, Black, threw a bouquet of flowers
ting engineers' jobs and from and Warehousemen's Union,
ILWU. and the Pacific Moun
and John McDermatt, white, in front of him. Not know ing
apprenticeship training.
appealed.
McDermatt was whether to pick up the
Under the consent decree. tain Association is being
reinstated; Johnson was not. flowers and afraid to stoop
50 minority members will be heard in federal courts this
The class action suit, filed over lest he collapse, the
allowed to enroll immediately week.
Booker Gibson, Andrew
by Attorney Frederick Smith, eighteen year old boy sat
in the four year apprentice
Smith. Napoleon Jelks and
asks that the union be en down to the tune of the ap
ship program and w ill re
Willie Tanner are charging
joined from practicing dis plause and dreamed of the
reive up to $2,000 upon com
Local 840 with racial dis
crimination and asks for com future, while his mother shed
pletion of their training.
tears of delight.
pensatory damages.
Earlier this year, the II.S. crimination in employment.
The four men applied for
The suit charges that Loral
This was the boy's day.
District Court in San Fran
840 had never employed He had been selected Class
cisco ruled in favor of the work in the fall of 1967.
Blacks in any capacity prior V a le d ic to ria n . Best A ll
Justice Department in the Gibson, who applied first,
case and ordered Local 3 to was denied an application on to October 6, 1967. At that Around Boy and the Student
tw o occasions, then was time they hired 6 "B" card Most Likely to Succeed. He
establish an affirmative ar
tion program to increase given one after he called the workers. Class B workers had every right to be a bit
m in o rity opp ortu nities to Civil Rights Division of the are not union members and woozy in the little rural area
Bureau of Labor He and the have second priority at ob where nothing exciting ever
work as operating engineers.
Below the happened except the shoot
The order set a five year others were given a few jobs taming jobs.
goal for Blacks to attain 7 until February 20. 1968. when Class H are casual workers. ing of Clyde Barrow and
they were removed from the
There were no Black Class Bonnie Parker.
percent of job and training
list. In August of 1968. they, A workers, who are union
Friday morning, August
o pp ortu nities and other
another Black and a white members, until July of 1973. 3rd, 1973, this same boy,
minorities to attain an addi
were sent letters stating (Please turn to pg. 6. col. 41 now a man of 51, stood
tional I I.ft percent.
z
I Fisa bled father serves time for non-support.
$120 or 15 days in jail
Does it help to go to jail?
Are more Blacks sentenced
for non support than w hites?
What do the more than 10
percent unemployment rate
and rising costs do to the
father who must support his
family? These are the ques
tions asked by Charles Brad
well, Jr., who was sentenced
to 15 days at Rocky Butte
for being unable to pay his
child support while disabled
and unemployed.
Brad-veil claims he paid his
support faithfully, usually in
advance, until poor health
forced him to resign from his
job at the Post Office in
November of 1972. Bradwell
had an operation on his knee
in 1969 and was advised to
seek light work. He also has
a chronic back ailment and
has been advised that he
might eventually require a
spinal fusion. In 1969 he at
tended school through the
State Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation, but had to
drop out because he had
insufficient income to sup-
port his family.
He then
worked for the DEO Com
munity Action programs, but
quit and went back to heavy
labor in order to earn suf
ficie n t income.
W ith a
limited education
he had
begun work at the age of 11
and left school at an early
age
there were few ave
nues open to him. He drove
truck for the Post Office
until he became too disabled
to do the work, at which
time he resigned.
In the meantime. Bradwell
had divorced his wife in June
of 1971 and was regularly
paying support for his three
children, ages 18, 16, and 14.
I nable to make regular pay
ments after October of 1972,
he made some partial pay
ments and the full February
payment from his retirement
check.
Bradwell is now remarried,
to a white woman, and is
attending Mount Hood Com
munity College, taking pho
tography.
Bradwell has had a series
of support hearings.
The
first, on February 12, 1973,
after he had notified the
court that he was physically
disabled and unemployed, in
dicated that he was not in
contempt and asked for a
review in May. A t the June
11 hearing, the matter was
continued for 30 days by
Judge Jean Lewis, and Brad
well was ordered to supply
medical information and his
training plan. Family Coun
selor Jack Swiberg. to whom
the case was referred by
Judge Lewis, recommended
reduced payments.
On July 26th, he was
sentenced to 15 days in
Rocky Butte Jail by Judge
Mercedes Diez for contempt
of court for refusing to pay
child support.
Bradwell states that he
was not allowed to present
the materiaF requested by
Judge Lewis and was not
allowed to present his case.
He had planned to continue
school but to work part time
in photography to pay child
support.
His wife, Jill, is
employed and is able to
i Please turn to pg. 6. col. 6)
Black seeks Seattle M ayor’s post
Unions pay for discrimination
The U.S. Department of
Justice has obtained a record
back pay award in an em
ployment discrimination suit
against a building trade
union, Attorney General El
hot L. Richardson announced
last week.
Mr. Richardson said t he
record award
$390.000
will I m - paid to an estimated
450 minority victims of dis
crimination in the San Fran
cisco operating engineers
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.T illlk lill
Hebert H H a /e n Pres • 22 Ottices • Phone 248 ,2.14
H om e O ffic e F ra n k lin B ldg P o rtla n d , O re g o n 97204
Court hears ILWU suit
before the television cameras
and said “ I have reluctantly-
decided to become a candi
date for the Office of Mayor
of the City of Seattle. As
Mayor I would bring to the
Office over fifteen years of
outstanding public service,
both in the Legislature and
in the City Council.
The
record w ill verify . . . that I
have a deep concern for all of
our people of our City . . .
Every time a Senior Citizen
takes a 10c ride on the
bus . .. Each time a handi
capped person takes a re
duced fare taxicab ride . . .
when you hail a taxi that is
crusing along, you are re
ceiving the benefits of my
forward thinking and testi
mony to my service."
The cameras stopped whir
ring. The recorders shut off.
Newsmen scampered back to
their offices to meet a dead
line and the boy from the
little country town of Gibs
land. Louisiana. Councilman
Sam Smith, was officially in
the election race for Mavor
of the City of Seattle and in
the thick of things again.
Sam Smith had fought his
way from an unknown mem
ber of the Legislature to be
recognized as the "Legislator
of the Year” , and had stood
out as a member of the
Seattle City Council.
Now
his actions caused a long
shadow to be cast over the
Seat le Political scene . ..
The following is Smith's
statement on his candidacy:
During the past few weeks
(Please turn to pg. 5, col. 4)