Page 4 Portland Observer, March 23, 1963
EDITORIAL/OPINION
vP Position #5—
Steve Buel has most closely adhered to the
recommendations and suggestions o f the Black
United Front for the education o f black children
than any other School Board member, and we
say this know ing it could very well be used
against him in some quarters. Buel’s attention to
the desires o f the black com m unity and the
needs o f black children has not been at the ex
pense o f white children. His overriding and ever
present interest is the education of chlildren.
While buildings, supplies, renovations, and all
the other things the School Board discusses and
decides are important, they are all secondary to
the decisions that directly affect the classroom -
teacher selection and training; curriculum; li
braries and support staff. These are Buel’s con
cerns and he repeatedly attempts to have Board
decisions based on their effect on children.
Buel has been roundly criticized by the press
and some o f his fellow Board members because
he wants to ask questions and explore decisions
when others would like to close the meeting and
go home. He is ridiculed because he is frequently
the one dissenting vote. That he is often the butt
o f criticism and harassment by fellow board
members is a reflection o f their lack of integrity
and good sense; (hat he is criticized by the press
for his advocacy for open meetings and open
discussion is a mystery.
Steve Buel is an outstanding School Board
member. He has made hard decisions that are
politically unpopular. He has put his reputation
and his election on the line. The best way to re
ward him is a larger voter turnout on election
day, March 29th.
The Observer endorses Steve Buel for Posi
tion 5.
vf Position #4—Shields
Those who support the community before they
run for office are deserving o f support. Frank
Shields, a resident and pastor in inner Southeast
Portland, did not have to get involved in the
Tubman Middle School issue, but he did. He or
ganized white support for the black organiza
tions and parents who fought to hold the School
Board to its commitment to place Tubman at
the Eliot building.
Shields would support community involve
ment, working together with the citizens to ex
plore ideas and reach solutions. His ability to
help heal some o f the wounds o f past conflict is
evident. Shields would represent inner Southeast
Portland, an area with a high percentage of poor
and working class residents, a needy area that is
often overlooked.
Other contenders are Stephen Kafoury, form
er state Senator from Northeast Portland, a po
litical liberal, Ross Dcy, a Portland businessman
who has been heavily involved in Northeast
community and School District activities, and
Saih Weiss, systems nnalyAt, «Iso involved in
West Mde school advisory boards.
Curt M artin , a black teacher, is running in
this race. M artin should have potential for fu
ture efforts but his current understanding o f the
School District’s relationship to the black
community seems lacking. He said recently that
he believes Tubm an should be in the Jefferson
building; that he did not support the B U F ’s ef
forts to have it placed at Eliot; that the Eliot de
cision was a mistake; that the School Board wilt
ed under 1960s tactics; and that he doesn’t like
people who fold under bad tactics.
The Observer endorses Frank Shields for
Portland School Board Position 4.
No endorsement
Forrest “ Joe” Rieke is seeking reelection to
the Portland School Board.
Rieke favors long-range planning in finance
and school closures and organization and has
made efforts in that regard, but he also tena
ciously clung to the old administration that so
miserably failed in those areas. His interest in
school finance and his lobbying ab ility have
been valuable to the District.
Rieke has certainly held fast to his own ideas
and ideals which is to be commended. On the
other hand his ideals and goals frequently con
flict with what the black community sees as the
best educational strategy for its children.
Rieke’s problems with the black community
came early and continue: his rebuff o f commu
nity spokespersons backing appointm ent o f
Darrell Miilner; his involvements in total re je c t
tion of the Community Coalition for School In
tegration’s recommendations; his votes for clos
ing Adams and Washington; his advocacy for
closing Jefferson are but a few. He opposed
placement of Tubman M .S. at Eliot and refused
to reconsider even after the opposition o f the
black community was well known. He preferred
injunctions and court action to reconsideration.
The Observer makes no endorsement for this
position.
vf Position #6—Standring
Bill Scott was elected with a sizeable black
vote for two primary reasons: he was a member
of the Community Coalition for School Integra
tion and more or less favored its findings and
recommendations; and he looked with favor on
changing superintendents.
Scott has made contributions to the Board.
He is largely resptWkible for establishing a bud
geting process that involves the school commu
nity and he has attempted to make budgeting
more understandable to the public and the
Board.
One event in the life of Bill Scott, however,
was enough to ensure that the Observer cannot
endorse him. On (he Saturday morning before
the meeting at which the Board was expected to
terminate Blanchard, Scott called a press confer
ence to demand that Blanchard be retained. Pre
sent were many supporters but, strangely
enough, some Board members were not noti
fied. This attempt— timed to coincide with pub
lication of an Oregonian article designed to cut
the offending Board members to pieces— was an
attempt to subvert the evaluation process Scott
had helped design.
Another event that precludes our endorsing
Scott was his handling of the Black United Front
pickets of the School Board meetings. Using a
bull horn to try to outshout the Front and mov
ill
I Oregon
Newspaper
Publishers
Asso» uhon
ing the meeting to a closed room with armed
guards were rtb, the marks of leadership.
Scott favored the Eliot site for Tubman M id
dle School but was willing to go along with the
majority to place the school at Boise.
Jim Standring is a businessman who lives in
Southwest Portland, the father o f four school
children. In addition to his business activity and
his concern about school budgeting and finance,
Standring has studied toward a degree in family
counseling.
Standring would be more attentive to commu
nity participation. Adm itting that he is not an
expert in all School District issues, he advocates
full and open discussion— then keeping commit
ments once they are made. This, together with
long-range planning, would eliminate crises like
the Tubman and Jackson decisions.
Standring also advocates more attention to
the classroom, including setting a teacher-stu
dent ratio to prevent having classrooms of 30 or
more children in some schools.
Standring would be an independent vote; he
would no, be par, of the Beeman/Gisvold/Scott/
sometimes Rieke coalition. He also favors elec
tive districts, which would break west side con
trol.
Standring’s emphasis on citizen participation
and his openness give him the Observer's
endorsement for Position 6.
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Racism in the Capitol?
W ho put the bug in Fadeley's ear— or did it
come from his heart?
Three bills— calling for commissions on Black
Affairs, Hispanic Affairs and women— have re
ceived such d ifferen t treatment by the Senate
President that it can only be credited to racism.
The bills would legislatively establish the three
commissions, which were established by the
Governor and exist at the Governor’s discretion.
House Bill 2353, establishing a Commission
on Black A ffairs, and H B 2356, establishing a
Commission on Hispanic A ffa irs , were voted
out o f the House Committee on Aging and M i
nority Affairs with a unanimous vote and were
adopted by the House with a 49-5 vote.
H B 2354, establishing the commission on
women, was adopted by the House with a 51-4
vote.
When the bills arrived at the Senate, Senator
Fadeley assigned the women’s commission bill to
the Com m ittee on Hum an Resources, chaired
by Senator Bill M cCoy, where it will receive an
early hearing and be forwarded to the full Sen
ate.
H B 2355 and 2356, the bills fo r Black and
Hispanic Affairs, he assigned to a sub-commit-
tee o f the Ways and Means Committee, where
they will die.
W hy the different treatment? D id this plot
come out o f the darker recesses o f Senator Fade-
ley’s mind? O r did Fadeley. usually a good guy,
get the word from long-term foe o f the commis
sions, Rep. Vera Katz? So the rumor goes.
Rep. Katz has opposed the commission for at
least three sessions and still favors a “ Hum an
Rights Com m ission.” It is an established fact
that although all m inority people have some
things in common— racism and discrimination
for example— their needs, problems, goals and
priorities are d ifferen t. A series o f statewide
hearings three years ago established the fact that
blacks and Hispanics need and want separate
commissions. The problems of women are even
more distinct.
The time has come for those who hold out for
“ one commission or no commission’’ to get out
of the way and let the legislative process work, it
is obvious that a majority of the legislators favor
establishment o f the commissions and devious
little games to prevent a vote on them will only
delay the will o f the people.
vf ESD—Cherry, Ashbaugh
The M ultn o m ah C ounty Education Service
District is largely overlooked and hardly under
stood, but it has a powerful influence in the allo
cation o f special funds among the school dis
tricts in Multnomah County and in funding spe
cial programs. Its power is now being fel, in the
Jackson secession movement— the pursual o f
which was dependent on ESD approval.
For years this board has been inhabited by ul
tra-conservatives with less than adequate under-
standing to make such serious decisions. One ex
ample that comes to mind is a decision to fund
certain bilingual education programs because
“ those people should learn English.”
This year, again, several “ also rans” are seek
ing election and unfortunately name familiarity
can bring success.
For this im portant election we endorse: D r.
Howard C.ierry, Zone 2; Jim Ashbough, Zone
7. (Zone 6, no endorsement).
Balancing the budget
by Greg Wasson
One thing sure about death and
taxes— most everybody would like
to avoid both. However, Ponce de
Leon never found the Fountain of
Youth and the 1983 Legislature will
almost surely spend more money
than existing taxes w ill generate.
Where the additional cash will come
from is one o f two major issues in
the current legislative session.
The other is concern over the near
passage o f Ballot Measure 3 last
fall. Thai measure would have lim
ited property taxes, which fund al
most all local services, to a fixed
percentage well below existing
levies. Legislators are convinced
that unless property taxes are dra
matically reduced, the tax limitation
will be resurrected in 1984.
The most talked about answer to
this second problem is the sales tax.
Late last month, a coalition of local
governments proposed a plan of the
type that Bend Democrat Tom
Throop seems intent on seeing re
ferred to the people. Throop heads
the House Revenue Committee and
explains why many local govern
ment officials are supporting a sales
tax.
"They desperately want to reduce
property taxes in the state. The only
way to do that is pick up another
source o f revenue. The only other
major source of revenue in the state
of Oregon is a sales tax."
No so. say Eugene legislators Sen.
Margie Hendriksen and Rep. Carl
Hoslicka. The two have sponsored a
bill that, in effect, declares money
Oregonians receive under the Rea
gan-sponsored federal tax cuts as
“ another source of revenue.”
The H endriksen/Hosticka plan
captures for the state about a third
o f the federal cuts by readjusting
state income tax rates. Gov. Victor
Atiyeh says the state has no business
reclaiming any o f the federal tax
cuts and that the Oregon Legislature
ought to leave the Reagan tax
breaks alone.
" I haven't seen the bill establish
ing the Hendriksen plan, but I've
gotten some broad idea on where
it ’ s coming from . They're talking
about this wonderful source of
income that Oregonians are getting
and they want to tax it. I consider it
a m oral problem in this r e g a r d -
why look to a tax break to extract
more taxes from Oregonians. I just
don’t think that’s a fertile field for
taxation.”
For her part, Hendriksen says she
has no problems, moral or other
wise, in lessening the effects of the
Reagan tax cut on Oregon.
Hendriksen sees the Reagan tax cuts
as part o f the President’s war on
women and the poor.
“ The Reagan tax program was in
itiated with the rationale that it
would promote economic develop
ment. That hasn’ t worked. Even
David Stockman admitted that the
plan was really a way to give people
in high income brackets big tax
breaks under the guise of giving ev
eryone a tax break.”
Figures prepared by the Legisla
live Fiscal O ffice show that H en
driksen is correct in her assessment
o f who gets the federal money.
Those figures show that an Oregon
ian with an annual income of
S23.OOO will pay $672 less in federal
income taxes this year than in 1980
Oregonians making 10 times that.
$230,000 a year, w ill enjoy a de
crease almost fifty times as large,
over $30,000.
According to House Speaker
Grattan Kerans, D-Eugene, the fed
eral tax breaks involve a shifting of
tax burdens from the rich to the
middle class and working poor. Ker
ans says the Hendriksen/Hosticka
Plan is "simply a mechanism to re
balance that load, to say that there
has been an u nfair shift onto the
majority to the advantage of the mi
nority. At the same time, the stale
would recapture some of the impres
sive, one would say almost breath
taking tax cut afforded to the upper
two. three, five percent of Oregon
taxpayers by the Reagan Adminis
tration.”
As to reducing property taxes,
Kerans proposes a homestead ex
emption where the state pays an ini
tial part o f a homeowner's local
property taxes. The Speaker con
tends that the program should be
funded, in part, through income tax
increases, putting some of the prop
erty tax burden on a system Kerans
claims lakes from those most able to
pay
’
Salem Democrat Peter Courtney
responds that it’s not that simple.
" L e t ’ s get it straight — we’ ve
ruined the income tax; we’ ve de
stroyed it. Who’s kidding who? The
very rich can go out and hire lawyers
and CPAs to find ways that they
don’ t have to pay the income tax;
the low -income people aren’t paying
it. So who’s paying? The middle in
come people It is no longer a pro-
gressvie tax ”
But Courtney hasn't convinced
everyone that taking the income tax
route if fruitless. A coalition of the
A F L -C IO , the state Democratic
P arty, the Citizens P arty, the
Oregon Grange and others has
formed to fight all sales tax mea
sures. tf that struggle is successful,
and the legislature is serious about
funding property lax relief, income
tax increases are likely the only
other choice.
* * * *
Ray Phillips and the Oregon Tax
payers Union came to Salem early in
the session threatening to resume
their efforts to limit property taxes
if the legislature doesn’t cut spend
ing drastically. (abelling most legis
lators “ irresponsible buffo o ns,”
Phillips promised the return o f a
ballot measure that would lim it
property taxes to I or I 5 percent of
each thousand dollars o f assessed
valuation.
Had a 1.3 percent limitation been
in effect this year, the owner of the
average $40,(MX) home in M u ltn o
mah County would have saved $366
while the owner of the same home in
Sherman County would have saved
almost $630 and a similar individual
in Clatsop County nothing
Who's irresponsible?
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