Portland Observer, July 27, 1983, Section I, Page 3
METROPOLITAN
Controversy continues:
New MHRC Chairman picked
by Robert Lothian
Even though its budget has been
cut by two-thirds and its staff by
over half, the Metropolitan Human
Relations Commission can still play
a positive role, according to the
commission's new chairman. Bea
vtrton attorney Vincent Deguc.
" W e have a tremendous momen
tum,** said Deguc, 33, who has
served on M H R C since 1976 and
who describes himself as one o f the
"o ld guard" on the commission.
" I think there was a considerable
breakdown in communication,**
said Deguc, referring to the cuts.
" W e feel that for one reason or an
other, she (commissioner Margaret
Slrachan) received a lot o f misinfor
mation. W e’re trying to resolve that
now I'm optimistic that things can
be worked out.*’
In the 1983 budget, the city com
mission cut M H R C funds from
$300,000 to $100,000 and staff from
11 to 4. M H R C ’ s neighborhood me
diation program was transferred to
the O ffice o f Neighborhood Associ
ations, and the fair housing pro
gram into the city's housing office.
Deguc said responsibility for the
"massacre” o f M H R C cannot be
laid entirely at Strachan's feet. " I t
didn't take one vote to create the
current M H R C problem, it took
three, .it's the city’s commitment
to civil rights,” he said.
" W e go back and look at the bud
get process. There was no discussion
in terms o f policy as to why the fair
housing and neighborhood media
tion programs were divested.”
Deguc described the mediation
service as "an excellent program, a
program that we created, that had
phenomenal success. That was a
direct service function the commis
sion had. It was M H R C 's baby. All
of a sudden, zappo-bango, guess
what, folks, this thing you have nur
tured all along is no longer yours.”
For the fair housing program, the
scenario was similar, he said.
Deguc questions whether neigh
borhood mediation and fair housing
will be able to maintain quality pro
grams " in house.” " W e see some
watering down there. W e have at
least a question as to whether they
will be able to maintain the level o f
sensitivity,” he said.
M H R C is sponsored jointly by
the city and county, with seven
members from Portland, seven
from M ultnom ah County, and one
at-large member. Task forces cover
equal justice, employment, housing
and handicapped issues. M H R C 's
staff does research on local civil
rights issues, including police-com
munity relations.
The commission has been recog
nized as an independent body be
cause o f its sensitive role in civil
rights issues, according to Deguc.
M H R C is too strong, even with its
reduced capacity, for independence
to be an issue, he said. "T h e com
mission is not willing, even in its dis
cussions with Margaret Slrachan, to
discuss its independence. In order to
be effective, it must maintain its in
dependence in making policy deci
sions. I t ’s not going to be anybody's
political fo otb all,” he said.
"W here we are losing it ," said
Deguc, "is in our ability to initiate
new programs. W e have lost a lot o f
capacity to address new issues.”
The area o f "com parable w o rth ,"
or equal pay for equal work for
men, women, minorities and non-
minorities
was something that
M H R C had wanted to look into,
but which will now be neglected, he
said. In spite o f obvious need,
"th at's a research issue we simply
can’ t get in to ,” said Deguc.
Slrachan recommended the cuts
to make M H R C more efficient.
“ The M H R C hasn't been as active,
effective and visible as I'd like them
to be in the com m unity,” she said.
But according to Fred M ilto n ,
chairman o f the Comm ittee for
Restoration o f M H R C , the cuts and
transfers “ effectively gutted” the
city's civil rights program and were
"a n insult to our intelligence and an
insult to the com m unity,” he said.
Critics charged Slrachan with
staging a power play to take control
o f M H R C away from staff members
with whom she had conflicts, and
that whe was trading votes with
M ayor Ivancie. (M H R C reportedly
was unpopular with the M ayor for
its support o f Ballot Measure 51,
which asked for creation o f a citi
zen's auditing commission to review
police-community disputes.)
The Comm ittee for Restoration
of M H R C , an ad hoc coalition o f 30
community groups, agreed unani
mously at its July 20th meeting to
press for a full city council hearing
to air their grievances publicly and
demand the restoration o f M H R C
to its original budget, staff and pro
grams. The committee can be
reached at 248-1816.
Deguc, a third-generation Pole, is
one o f the few Polish- and Russian-
speaking attorneys in the area. He is
often called upon to defend Russian
farmworkers in Clackamas County.
From 1975-77, he served as a V IS T A
attorney with the Urban Indian
Council.
As far as his personal motivation
for civil rights work is concerned, " I
would like to have our community
and our world be a better place to
live in for my kids than it was for
me,” he said.
Children playing with fire were the probable cause of this one-alarm
fire at 6254 N. Williams lest week. Damage to the home was esti
mated to be 846.000. One firefighter was Injured In the blaie.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
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YWCA expands to
North/Northeast
steering committee, and Roy P itt
man and Katie Bretsch, who are in
volved with the Inner Northeast
committee.
" T h e programs we decide to offer
we want to be meaningful and con
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The "m ission" o f the Y M C A of
Colum bia-W illam ette. M iller ex
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and positively influence the condi
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for our members, our families and
our com m unity.”
" O u r presence in the N o rth /ln n er
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people in the community. W e want
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" T h e community has been very
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"People have been warm and cor
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Fred M iller, director of Y M C A Extension Program.
A new commitment to N o rth /
Inner Northeast Portland is being
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W illamette following a strategic
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Fred M iller, 33, has been named
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Program
for
the
N o rth /ln n er
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"C u rren tly, we're developing a
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the Y M C A in (hat area,” M iller
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ten or fifteen years.”
M iller explained that he is at work
now putting together a steering
committee o f citizens from N o rth /
Inner Northeast, and that it will be
that group which decides what kind
o f programs will best serve the
people in those communities. Key
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Naughton, chairman o f the North
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