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Rule by committee threatens elective process
As the nation prepares once again
to pause on Independence Day to
reflect on the rights guaranteed by
the Uni'ed States Constitution, the
people o f Portland have learned
that a committee of the city's power
brokers and their representatives
w iil •'screen” candidates fo r the
School Board to insure that those
elected perpetuate the philosophies
and policies befitting the nation’ s
"most liveable city ."
A committee o f politicians and
former School Board members is
being formed to screen, sponsor and
finance candidates for the School
Board are being organized. A
sim ilar com m ittee -- The C ity
School Committee - promoted the
“ best candidates" for school board
service for twenty years, disbanding
in 1968. The influence o f this com
mittee was able to insure that proper
persons were elected to promote the
corporate interest.
After the demise of the previous
screening committee, less desirable
individuals - namely Wally Priestley
and Steve Buel - were elected to the
Board and they played a decisive
role in the appointment o f Herb
Cawthorne and Sarah Newhall.
Although the current recall move
ment against Board members
C aw thorne, Priestley, Buel and
Newhall was organized in protest of
thicr vote to fire Superintendent
Robert Blanchard, that issue is
dying away and the charges are
being directed at "incompetence,
bickering, etc." o f the Board.
In the eyes o f many observers, the
real reason elements o f Portland’ s
business com m unity are eager to
recall the four Board members is
that they have acted independently
and have not furthered the
programs and policies created by the
previous boards with the guidance
o f the power structure. Many o f
those who support the recall do so
because the current Board has
tended to follow the open meeting
law and discuss its business and
make its decisions at public
meetings rather than a rriv in g at
meetings w ith decisions already
made as its predecessors have done.
This along w ith a media created
image o f confusion and bickering.
has influenced many citizens who do
not attend meetings or follow the
business o f the school district.
According to its chairm an,
Robert Ridgley, the New Committee
for Good School Board Candidates
is not a part o f the recall movement
although some o f the members in
cluding himself favor the recall. The
committee w ill interview, screen,
sponsor and finance candidates for
appointment i f the recall is suc
cessful. Otherwise, it w ill have its
candidates for the spring election.
At the press conference announ
cing the com m ittee’ s fo rm ation,
Ridgley was flanked by Paul Howe
and Evie C row ell, form er Board
members who were defeated by
Priestley and Buel.
Individuals who helped organize
the committee include:
• Ridgley, who is an attorney, was
a member o f the School Board from
1966 to 1978 when he resigned in
June o f 1978, his position was filled
by Joe Rieke, son o f former School
Board member, Mary Rieke.
• C ircuit Court Judge John C.
Beatty, Jr., was appointed to the
School Board in 1964 and served un
til 1970. Subsequently he was ap
pointed to a judgeship.
• Lloyd Anderson is executive
director o f the Port o f Portland and
a former C ity Commissioner. His
wife, Pauline, was an unsuccessful
candidate for appointment to the
School Board in 1979.
• Rick Gustafson, executive direc
to r o f the M e tro p o lita n Service
District, is a former state legislator.
• Dr. John R Howard, president
o f Lewis and Clark College, has
been greatly criticized for his close
ties to the South African govern
ment.
• Dr. H ow ard C herry was a
member o f the P ortland School
Board from 1956 to 1968 and is a
member o f the ESD (Educational
Services District) board, the Port
land Com m unity College board,
and the state legislature
• Jonathan Newman, an attor
ncy,served on the Board from 1968
to 1979 and is credited with the
designing o f much o f the district’ s
desegregation policy. Opposition to
(Please turn to P 8 Col 3)
o’*”MATKMMU
PORTLAND OBSERVER
Nf WSPAP'N
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Volume 10 Number 26
July 3. I960
1(X per copy
U S P S 9 5 9 680
Herndon elected secretary
National United Front organizes
A m iri Baraka explained the
necessity for the organization o f a
national Black U nited F ront:
“ Because a Black U nited Front
composed o f all those forces in the
Black nation and oppressed
nationally, w illing to fight aginst
Black oppression and fig h t fo r
Black self-determination - such a
fro n t is necessary fo r Black
liberation.”
Ronnie Herndon, who along with
C aroline M urray and C aroline
Easterly, attended the organizing
conference o f the national Black
United Front in New York, told the
Observer that seeing grassroot
organizers from diverse po litica l
beliefs come together to form a
United Front was an inspirational
experience.
Penisule Park's wading pool is just the place for youngster to beat
the heat.
(Photo by: Richard J. Brown)
Demonstrating the diversity o f
those p a rticip a tin g were: H a ki
Mobhabuti (Don L I ee, Author,
Publisher, E d ito r); D r. Bobby
W right, psychiatrist o f Chicago;
A m iri Obadeli, The Republic o f
New Africa; Skip Robinson, United
League o f M ississippi; Reverend
Charles Koen o f BUF, C ario,
Illin o is ; John H enry C larke o f
Freedomways; Ossie Davis; Author
John O. Kittens; Queen M other
Moore; Prince Ahsiel Ben Israel of
the Hebrew Israelites o f Israel; New
York State Assemblyman A ! Vann;
Dr. Maleek Rashadeen, California
at Los Angeles; Bob Chrisman of
Black Scholar.
"F o r the first time in ten years
Blacks from different backgrounds,
who are organizing the grassroots,
have created a national vehicle that
will be created from the grassroots
upward. Everyone was committed
to building a national organization
and were able to suppress their in
divid u a l beliefs and in order to
create unity.
“ It was thrilling to watch people
from all walks o f life, from all parts
o f the country, work together, share
ideas and hammer out resolutions.
There were many prominent people
there who were just participants like
everyone else.”
A ll participants attended at their
own expense, with everyone - even
the speakers and workshop leaders -
paying a $5 registration fee.
The conference proved, Herndon
explained, that there can be an
organization that w orks at the
grassroots level, that takes positions
on local and national issues, and
that does not have to consider what
is best for its funding sources.
The conference was an oppor
tunity to share information on con
d itions throughout the country.
People from Georgia told o f having
land to which they held deeds sold
out from under them and their
homes bulldozed away. Blacks from
Wrightsville, Georgia told ol being
threatened w ith the loss o f their
children and employment if they
joined demonstrations
"M any people had heard about
Portland and were very impressed
with what we had been able to do in
a short time. There were questions
about how we were able to organize
- to pull together - and they want to
learn from us.”
A tem porary co n stitu tio n was
adopted and tem porary o fficers
elected to serve for a year. Next
July, following regional meetings, a
constitution will be adopted and o f
fleers elected to a two year term.
Temporary officers are: Reverend
H erbert D ougherty, Chairm an;
Florence Walker o f Philadelphia,
Treasurer;
Ronnie Herndon,
Secretary; Jitu Weusi o f New York,
National Coordinator
INED Council plans image
The public inform ation com m it
tee o f the Inner Northeast Develop
ment Council presented its proposed
pu b lic relations package to the
Northeast C o a litio n o f N eigh
borhood O rganizations M onday
evening.
Ben Webb, chairm an o f the
committee, explained that the coun
cil is in the process o f hiring a con
sultant to develop a logo, m otto,
and promotional materials to help
sell a "new image o f the area.” The
council is charged with identifying
sites fo r business and ind u stria l
location in the target area.
The public inform ation com m it
tee had identified real and imagined
negative and positive characteristics
o f the area. Using these they want to
create a media campaign that w ill
highlight positives and improve the
public concepts about the area. The
approval will be "em otional," not
educational.
Bob Nelson, representing the
C o n c o r d ia
N e ig h b o r h o o d
Association, called the plan an " in
tellectual exercise in nothing" that
will not fool anybody. The best way
to improve the community’ s image
is through active, involved people
who are doing something - real
com m unity involvem ent. C om
munity involvement in the eyes of
most com m ittees is "u s u a lly
processes for meetings."
Webb reiterated that the effort is
to provide a positive image to en
courage investors and businesses to
consider the area. M any people
know nothing about the area and
receiving brochures and packets will
interest them in locating in the area.
John H ills said decisions about
commercial and industrial develop-
inent should be made by neighbor
hoods. "W e don’t want to give the
impression that we are wide open
for anything."
Eddie Moss com plained that
com m ittees are co n tin u a lly re
searching the needs, id e n tify in g
what the people want, but nothing
happens and in fo rm a tio n is not
provided to the community. "W hat
can we do to develop the economic
base in the community?” He feels
the city has marketing and develop
ment inform ation that could help
Black business if it were shared.
Two consultants will be heard by
the com m ittee - one to be paid
$5,000 to develop a media and
public relations package; the other
to be paid $6,000 to do an economic
study.
Reading Tree opens season
By Stephanie Cole
The Reading Tree, a summer
educational program will begin it ’ s
summer session starting July 7th,
and will run until August 8, 1980, in
Irving Park. The program w ill be
held M onday thru Friday from
10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Activités and classes offeree* arc:
individual reading, listening skill
practices, phoentics, phoentic bingo
games, storytelling, singing and arts
and cra fts. Also free books are
available to children participating in
the program.
Prizes w ill be given to every
youngster who colors the Reading
Tree in this week’ s P o rtla n d
Observer newspaper, and take it to
the Reading Tree at Irving Park on
July 7th.
Coordinators o f the program are
Bea Anderson, an elementary
school teacher at King School and
Linda McDovell.
Everyone in the community is in
vited to participate in the program
and
volunteers
are
always
welcomed! F urther in fo rm a tio n
about the Reading Tree can be
sought by contacting Bea Anderson
at 282-3328.
Visit a volcano this summer
Now that M t St. Helens has
blown its top, some geologists
believe the other Cascade volcanoes
will follow suit. If so, the time may
be opportune for Northwesterners
to visit their favorite mountain and
find out what’ s going on.
OMSI w ill offer a series o f field
trip s this summer to several
volcanoes in the Cascade Range of
Oregon and Washington. Led by
geologist Bill Burton o f the Univer
sity o f Oregon, each trip w ill focus
on the volcanic features o f the area
visited, the eruptive history o f the
volcanoe, and the possible impact
on human a c tiv ity should the
volcano become active in the near
future.
Trips include a visit to the mud
flows o f M t. Rainier; a three-day
to u r o f New berry Caldera and
Crater Lake; two backpacking trips
to the Three Sisters are; and several
trips to Mt. Hood. For information
call 248-5907.
Wegetaff Battery, Little league baeeball teem
catcher Johnny Cawthorne hae a talk with pitcher
Randy Schafer and the teem coach,
(Photo by: Richard J. Brown)