Portland observer., March 22, 2000, Image 1

Volume XXX. Number 12
Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.theportlaiidobservcr.coin
Tiger
Woods does
it again
See Technology
Issue
Special
Career and
technology
March 22, 2000
See Metro
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
Ebony fashion
show hits
Portland
See Sports
PAID
Portland, OR
Permit No. 1610
Multnomah County launches “Reach Out and Read” program PDC fiscal
chief quits,
says he hit
‘home run’
Blazers Center
Arvydas Sabonis read
books in Spanish and
English as a part o f
Multnomah County’s
new program - Reach
Out And Read: A
project coordinated
by Multnomah
county's Health
Department and the
Library, based on the
national pediatric
literacy program that
encourages parents to
read to their children
beginning at birth.
COSTRIBETEDSTORV
F O K T h E P o K I I A M i O b s EKVEK
When: Tuesday,
March 21, 2000 -
2:00 p.m.
i
Event kicks off African-American Census 2000 campaign
Lutheran Inner-City Ministries
42I9N E Martin Luther King BI vd.
The importance o f the census to
people o f color is the theme o f an
ev en t to e n c o u ra g e A fric a n
Americans to participate in Census
2000.
Multnomah County Chair Beverly
Stein, Commissioner Serena Cruz,
S tate R e p re se n ta tiv e Jo A n n
Bowman, and members of the faith
community will preside at the event.
This free community fair will feature
food, entertainment, and children’s
activities.
Census 2000, the largest peacetime
mobilization in U.S. history, will reach
an estimated275 million peopleacross
the United States. Government and
community leaders use Census data
for everything from planning schools
and building roads to providing social
service dollars and managing health
care services. Over $180 billion in
federal funds are awarded to localities
based on Census numbers.
The State ofOregon lost an estimated
$162,000,000 in federal funds since
1990 because of the undercount in
the l990Census. Multnomah County
lost $30 million dollars in federal
funding because o f the undercount.
Children were undercounted by 52%
nationally and by 38% in the Portland
area.
It is estimated that 8.5% o f
M ultnom ah
C o u n ty
A frican
Americans were no, counted.
Scherer says system not failure
as re p o rte d T he P o rtla n d
D e v e lo p m e n t C o m m is s io n ’s
finance director resigned Monday,
five days after the public agency's
board called for greater scrutiniy
on outside contracts,.
Chris Scherer, who had run the
PDC's finance and information
services department since 1996,
stepped down from his $92,000
+a-year job to pursue a career in
the private sector. His resignation
is effective April 1.
“My own career goals include a
move into the private sector with
more of a focus on technology
projects," Scherer wrote in an e-
mail to Felicia Trader, the PDC’s
executive director, and the rest of
the staff.
“During my five years with the
agency, we have accomplished a
great deal together,” he wrote. “I
was brought in to help build PDC’s
resource base and, at the risk of
sounding immodest, I am going to
have to call that effort a home run."
S c h e re r
w as
p la c e d
on
administrative leave last week.
< ia t 's when T raderdiscovered that
for 14 months, Creative Data of
Beaverton had been paid more
than a half-m illion dollars of
taxpayer money without a contract
for a system that didn’t function
properly. One of Scherer’s
PDC officials have since hired
another consultant to install a
different financial management
system.
In his e-mail, Scherer wrote that
one
of
his
b ig g e st
accomplishments at the PDC was
helping to redefine the finance
department’s mission.
“Despite what you might read in
the newspaper, PDC's information
technology efforts have not 'failed,'
but have, in fact, provided leading
edge solutions to our complex and
demanding work environment.” he
wrote.
The development commission is
one of the city of Portland’s most
powerful agencies, responsible for
dozens of signature projects such
as Pioneer Courthouse Square,
the Lloyd District and development
along Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
Through its use of tax-increment
financing, the agency links with
developers and offers low-interest
loans tospurdevelopment. Insome
projects, the PDC will offer to pay
for infrastructure— roads, utilities
and other improvements— in order
to lure developers to build housing
and retail space.
Under Trader, the agency has a
proposed budget for next fiscal
year of more than $220 million.
(Please see 'P D C , page 6)
Friday tr
Showers late
W eather
Through the weekend
Today
58°F/14°C Saturda.v
Rain
Thursday
4,
Showers
>
W S
«
4 ? ° f/5 ° (’
Showers
54°F/12°C
3 8 °F /3 C
Sunday
Showers
56°F/13°C
42®F/5°C
54°F/12°C
40°F /4°C
54°F/12°C
42°F /5°C
Inside-A
Week in Review...................2
Vancouver extends money for
safe walkways........................ 2
$7.5 million set aside for
treatment of women............... 3
New Orleans chef hosts
culinary show.........................5
Metro-B
Ebony Fashion show draws in
the finest dressed.....................I
Spike and Mike return with their
twisted cartoons.................... 3
EMO's new board members
reflect diversity....................... *4
El Observador....................... 5
This Week
in History
On March 22. 1972. Congress sent the
proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the
Constitution to the states for ratification. It
fell short ofthe three-fourths approval needed.
On March 24. 19X9. the nation's worst o il
spill occurred as the supertanker Exxon
Valdez ran aground on a reef in Alaska's
Prince W illiam Sound and began leaking 11
m illio n gallons o f crude.
On March 25. 1965. the Rev M artin Luther
King Jr led 25.000 marchers to the state
capitol in Montgom ery. Ala . to protest the
denial o f voting rights to blacks.
V
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