Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1981)
Portland Observar Apr« ». 1M1 P ^ a I k Equity in apportionment By Calvin O. L. Henry Section 6 o f A rtic le IV o f the Constitution o f Oregon states that the number o f Senators and Representatives shall, at the session next follow ing an enumeration o f the inhabitants by the United States government, be fixed by law and apportioned among the several counties according to the population in each.’ * The 1980 U.S. Census is complete and Oregon population is now 2,632,663. The Black population is 37,059. O f this number, 27,720 live in Portland. The main issue before the 1980 Oregon Legislative session, which is follow ing the 1980 census, is reap portionment o f the state senatorial and representative districts. Because o f an increase in p o p ula tion, Oregon will get a fifth congressional seat, and the Legislature w ill be drawn the boundary lines fo r the five congressional districts. A pproxim ately 523,489 people w ill live in each congressional district, and the average represen tative district population is 43,878. W hile the average senatorial population is 87,755. One m ight wonder why should Blacks in Oregon be involved in the reapportionm ent process o f the 1981 Legislature. And the question may also be “ What w ill reappor tionm ent mean to the Black com munity in Portland? One o f the objectives o f the Oregon Assembly For Black Affairs (O ABA) is " to encourage Blacks to understand, participate, and affect the political process at all levels o f government.” Reapportionment is one o f those political processes that decides who w ill be the people’ s representatives fo r the next ten years. And Blacks need to assist in the decision o f who w ill represent them for the next ten years. This is one o f the reasons why Blacks should be involved in the process. Reapportionment was one o f the main topics o f discussion at OABA T h ird C a ll-T o -A ctio n Leadership Conference which was held last January 31. As a result o f the re apportionm ent discussion at this conference, an ad hoc com m ittee was set-up to study rea p p o rtio n ment and to insure that input from the Black community on the process would be given to the legislature. Herb Golliday o f Salem, Marvin Revoal o f Tigard and Greg Batiste o f Portland volunteered to serve on this ad hoc committee on reappor tionment. And Batiste was asked to call the committee together. In 1970, about 94.5% o f th'e Blacks in the urban centers lived in Portland. Many Blacks felt that the Black com m unity in Portland was divided up in the 1971 re a p p o rti onment so that there was almost no chance for a Black to be nominated or elected to a legislative office. And only one Black, State Senator B ill McCoy, has been elected during the past ten years. Because 80% o f the* Black population live today in Portland, O A B A has concentrated its re apportionment efforts toward get ting better representation o f Blacks in P ortland. Most Blacks live in N orth/Northeast Portland. And it is in this area that the greatest possibility of Blacks being elected to legislative o ffic e seems more reasonable. In February, members o f OABA and the ad hoc com m ittee met in Salem to discuss proposed legislative d istricts fo r N o rth / Northeast P ortland. This group developed a reapportionm ent proposal fo r N o rth /N o rth e a st P ortland which calls fo r fo u r representative d istricts and two senatorial d istricts, in an area bounded by 42nd Avenue to the east, the B anfield Freeway to the south, the W illam ette River to the west, and the Columbia River to the north. Blacks, who attended the Republican Dorchester Conference held at Seaside in March, discussed O A B A reapportionment proposal and agreed to support it. Gale W ashington, Thomas Kennedy, Bernard Richardson, Ethel Lee, and C arl T a lto n , all o f P ortland, are working for the acceptance o f this proposal. Bernie Foster, publisher o f The Skanner, agreed to p rin t copies o f O ABA reapportionment proposal and .sent them to all members o f the 1981 Oregon Legislature. Also, The Skanner printed it on M arch 18, 1981, as its feature story. In dividuals who have not seen the proposal should get a copy o f that issue. State Representative Glen W hallon, Chairm an o f House Com m ittee on Elections and Re apportionment, and State Senator Jack Ripper, Chairm an o f Senate Com m ittee on Government Operation, have welcomed this in put. Both W hallon and Ripper have assured members o f the OABA that the interests and concerns o f the Black community will be considered when the lines o f the district boun daries are drawn. Both committees have agreed to consider "ra ce ” as one o f the critera to be applied to the creation o f legislative districts. OABA is not the only one who is concerned about how N orth/N orth east Portland will be reapportioned. Now that O ABA reapportionment proposal has been presented, op position from Representatives W ally Priestley, Tom Mason and Rick Bauman has surfaced. Also there are some indications that the opposition is trying to drum up sup port fro m P ortland prom inent Blacks who may have different ideas about Black representing them selves. Priestley has been quoted as saying ‘ O A B A proposal does not represent the wishes o f the Portland Black com m unity," and that he is "g o in g to take a poll o f B lacks." Others want to see only one re presentative d is tric t to be fo r Blacks. Yet another wants to tie Northeast Portland with East M ult nomah C ounty fo r a senatorial district. But the tru th o f the m atter, O A B A proposal was in itia te d , drawn, reviewed and presented by Blacks. This proposal follow s closely the fo u r crite ria noted by Representative Whallon in his letter to the House Democratic Caucus, dated March 17, 1981. These criteria are equality o f p o p u la tio n , com m unity o f interest including race, compactness, and county bound aries and physical barriers. Slacks who feel that only whites can represent them must come into this decade. "G o o d w ill alone w ill not be enough to meet the challenges o f the 1980s ot which the Black community w ill confront." Reapportonment could mean to the Black com m unity in Portland that they can elect individuals from their community who w ill represent their interests in Salem. I f O ABA proposal or a similar one is accepted there is the possibility that the Black community could have at least four state representatives and two Senators representing it in Salem during this decade. Isn’ t it worth it? From the Capitol k Congressman Ron Wvden Q. Congressman Wyden, this week you te stified before the Judiciary Committee to ask fo r con tinued funding o f the Legal Services C orporation. You have also been quoted as fa v o rin g m a jo r cuts in fe d e ra l spending. H ow do you reconcile the two? A. 1 have said 1 am in full agree ment with the A dm inistration that we must stop run-away federal spending - and 1 am. But I also believe we must cut where it makes sense to cut - where we have programs that are w asteful, duplicative or rife with fraud. Legal Services is anything but wasteful. D uring 1980, Legal Services was able to help 13,000 low-incom e clients in Multnomah County alone w ith an operating budget o f only $850,000. O nly 11 percent o f that budget went to cover administrative costs. In addition, 1 strongly believe we should not abandon our long-stand ing commitment in this country to provide equal justice fo r all - the poor as well as the rich. W ithout Legal Services to cham pion their causes, many poor people in this country would simply be without a cham pion. And that is unaccept able. Q. Congressman Wyden, the A dm inistration has proposed cut ting a ll o f the A m trak runs except the one between Boston and New York. How do you feel about this? A. I am absolutely appalled. To begin with, I am a firm believer that with energy supplies growing tighter and tighter and the cost o f oil ever on the rise, we must look to mass transit systems o f all kinds to meet our present and future transporta tion needs. C u ttin g ra il services sim ply to lower federal spending this year is penny-wise, but pound- foolish. Secondly, 1 am outraged that the A dm inistration would ex pect Oregonians to pay with their tax dollars fo r an A m trak run between Boston and New York while at the same time cutting our Northwest Pioneer just when it is beginning to get on its feet. THE 2 5 HOUR CONTACT LENS IS HERE After years of waiting, the extended-wear contact lens is on the market And we have it In stock, ready for you. Work, play, sleep. Do it all in the 25-Hour Lens A, the Contact Lens Clinic of Portland our only business is contact lenses Contact Lens Clinic of Portland Portland Medical Center 224-5367 Dr James H Vale. Optometrlst Viso and Moi,»cho<oe Weicome From the Board Room Dr Philip Stockstod. Optometrist fmaneinQ A v a n a t« on Appraved Credit By Gladys McCoy Multnomah County Commissioner Whatever happened to the “ good old days” when money was easy to find? Due to the fiscal crisis our country is experiencing today, budget cuts are being made at each governmental level. There is no more evident than in the February budget that President Reagan re cently submitted to Congress. For the country to m aintain its present level o f services, a 9% in fla tio n a ry increase to the general fund is needed. This cannot be met, leaving a hole o f approximately $15 m illion that must be filled by either elim inating services or increasing taxes. These decisions need to be shared ones - shared by the C ounty Executive, the Board members, and the public. These decisions w ill ef fect the services provided by the county nd the residents themselves. County government must decide what it sees as its mission, and how this mission should be funded. Thus, the basis o f the budget, the fo llo w in g questions have been raised: 1. What services should be pro vided? 2. How well is the county pro viding these services? 3. Which services should be re duced? Increased? M aintained? Eliminated? ' 4. What w ill these changes cost? The C ounty Executive and the Board are concerned that citizens have s u fficie n t in fo rm a tio n to determine the services provided by the county as well as the impact of those services. Survey questions have been com piled and widely distributed. Small groups have been exploring op p o rtu n itie s, and a tremendous am ount o f interest has been generated. The County Executive has submitted his proposal to the Board, in which he suggests revised budget cuts and sources o f revenue. However, the Board was not in clined to support the revenue measures until we have completed our own budget process. The Board w ill begin its budget process on A pril 9, when the County Executive presents his proposed budget document. There are a number o f Board work sessions scheduled throughout the month o f A p ril, as well as public hearings to encourage citizen input. Citizen participation is a very vital part o f this process. A balanced budget must be submitted by April 30. While each Commissioner feels a responsibility to protect the interests o f his/her District, priorities differ. It is my belief that we must: 1. Fund mandated services; 2. Remain financially secure; 3. Provide no services which can appropria tely be provided by others; 4. Honor our commitment to the poor, the sick, the elderly, and the dependent. C ounty government is often viewed as the government o f the poor, but, in fact, it serves everyone in its jurisdiction and includes such as lib ra ry services, court systems, road services, health services, men tal health services, and animal con trol to name a few. Your tax dollars support these services, and you make it all w orkable and w o rth while!! Washington named Kaiser VP A L V IN W . W A S H IN G T O N A lv in W. W ashington, Health Plan manager, has been named a vice president o f Kaiser Foundation Health Plan o f Oregon and ap pointed associate regional manager. In addition to Health Plan responsi b ilitie s he w ill have general management responsibilites for in form ation services, dental admini stration and risk management. W ashington joined Kaiser- Permanente in 1978 as Health Plan manager after three years as ex ecutive director o f the Medical Care Group o f Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. He retired as a lieut enant colonel after 25 years service with the U.S. A ir Force. He was one o f 10 managers selected in 1975 for the firs t academic fellow ship pro gram in H ealth Maintenance O rganization management at the W harton School, U niversity o f Pennsylvania. He holds a bachelor’ s degree in biology from Lincoln U niversity, M o ., and master’ s degree in physiological chemistry from Ohio State University and in a d m inistration and management engineering from George Wash ington U niversity, W ashington, DC. P L A 8 T E R IN Q E ric k a o n ’s P la s te rin g Specialties. Plastering of all kinds. 284-8483 Maureen Lundquist helps lighten the load. Saving PGE customers more than $123,000 a year. This year, and every year. Maureen Lundquist helps save PGE customers more than $123.000 by monitoring the electrical load ot every distribution transformer in PGE s service area Using a computer and an extensive, systemwide cross- reference book. Maureen is able to accurately determine which of the 180,000 trans formers PGE uses are over loaded (and which ones will soon be overloaded) This allows PGE service teams to replace the transformers on a planned basis before a possible burn out, because of overload. It cuts down overtime expenses, reduces unscheduled outages, saves hundreds of manhours and increases safety All savings that mean a lot today. Electricity costs are going up everywhere, it s no, jus, here. Both private and public utilities throughout the country are facing soaring pnees. Higher equipment costs, fuel costs and interest rates have everyone on a tight budge,. And the rapid increase of new residential and business customers in our service area is another strain on our existing supply. But, a, PGE, we are fortunate to have people like Maureen Lundquist working hard to keep costs down for customers wherever they can. People who care rGE People with cost saving ideas for you I
