January 29. 2003
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ids World Renowned Educator Visits
C lassifieds / B
Marva Collins (center left)
m o w n D*vu> P uchl
T hy P imhiand O bsyiiyu
r
■
W; rr-n' -
I
She’s very loving,
very passionate
about kids and their
ability to succeed.
She doesn’t carry
the children through
a lesson she
encourages them.
■
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Director of Children’s
Investment Fund
ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST II
The City of Portland is seeking a
D irector for the C h ild re n ’s
Investment Fund. This is an at-will,
exempt staff position that will
report to Com m issioner Dan
Saltzman’s Office. The Children's
Investment Fund was created by
the passage th is fall of the
Portland Children’s Initiative. The
Director will serve as staff for the
5 person C itizen 's Allocation
Committee as well as for any
advisory committees established
by the Allocation Committee. The
Director will provide support and
leadership to help identify and
implement the funding decisions
; of the allocation com m ittee.
Experience in the areas of
program developm ent and
m anagem ent;
policy
development; management of
•. complex processes; and public-
• private partnerships is highly
desirable.
Please submit a resume, cover
letter
and
inform ation
de m o nstra tin g the sk ills,
experiences and abilities you
possess to O ffice of City
. Commissioner Dan Saltzman,
1221SW A’” Avenue, Room 230,
Portland, OR 97204.
Annual sa lary: $52,000 -
$69,000. The City offers a city-
■. paid core benefits package and
participates in Oregon's Public
Employee Retirement System
(PERS).
This position will remain open until
; filled. The City of Portland is an
Equal Opportunity Employer.
SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTATION
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Sheriff's Office positions require
availability to accept work on a
sh ift basis (day, sw ing, or
graveyard), and work weekends,
if assigned. Some positions
require inmate contact
Must be bilingual - English/
Spanish.
$2,315 - $2,815 / month
Closes February 7, 2003
DEPUTY SHERIFF
$3,456 - $4,202/ month
Closes February 7,2003
Call (503) 846-8606/TTY (503)
846-4898 for information or see
our
w ebsite:
www.co.washington.or.us. County
application and supplemental
application form s required.
Women, minorities, and people
with disabilities are encouraged
to apply.
APPLYTO:
Washington County Human
Resources Division
155 N. First Avenue, Suite 320
Hillsboro, OR 97124
-L is a Manning, community
continued
Immediate full and part-time open
ings. S eekin g d ep e n d a b le , w ell-
groomed, positive Individuals.
$8.00 + Starting wage
Overtime/advancement
potential
Medical & Dental,
401K avail.
Drug test/Background Check
New hires must have acceptable
documentation to confirm both
identity and eligibility to work.
Apply 12:00-12:30 PM, Tues
& Thurs at
City Center Parking
130 SW Stark, Portland
Salem Area Mass Transit District
is seeking a Program Coordinator
to jo in
our S p ecialized
• Transportation Division. This newly
created position reports to the
Sp ecia lized Transportation
Director and will be responsible
CITY OF WEST LINN
for preparing and monitoring
Job Opportunity
specialized transportation grants
and assisting in the planning and Police Officer - (C ertlfled/Lateral)
'developing of elderly, disabled and
$3141 - $4087 per month DOQ
rural public tran spo rtatio n
Position performs all aspects of
s e rv ic e s in Marion and Polk
police duties, such as: patrol,
Counties.
report writing, radar operation,
Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree traffic stops. Must have ability to
in public transportation planning, communicate effectively and with
public administration, or related authority both orally and in writing,
fie ld and two years of and the ability to work assigned
p ro gressively
responsible shifts. Requirements include: two
experience
in
public years
law
enforcem ent
adm inistration and/or grant experience, DPSST Basic Police
administration or any satisfactory Certification, and a valid Oregon
equivalent combination of related driver’s license (or ability to obtain
experience and training. The prior to appointment) with good
annual salary range is $35,767 driving record. An Associate's
to $46,553. The District also Degree is desirable. Must be 21
offers an excellent fringe benefit years o f age and a U.S. citizen. Bi
lingual (Spanish speaking), a plus.
package.
Prior to appointment, successful
Come in or call 503-588-2424 to candidate m ust pass pre-
obtain an official application form
em ploym ent
screening.
and detailed recru itm ent Application packets are available
announcement. Send completed at West Linn City Hall, 22500
application form to Salem Area Salamo Road, West Linn, OR
Mass Transit District, Human 97068, (503) 722-3427 (voice
Resources Division, 555 Court mail, (503) 657-7845 TDD. (This
St., NE, Suite 5230, Salem, OR is
a
con tinu ou s,
open
97301-3736. O fficial District re cru itm e nt.)
Com pleted
application form m ust be application packets received at
com pleted and received at West Linn City Hall by 4:00 PM,
District by 4:30 p.m. February 21, February 10, 2003, will be
2003. Visit our web site at: reviewed for consideration in the
www.cherriots.org.
next testing date to be held
February/March, 2003. EEO
from Metro
wants. Each child came up to the
front of the class to recite the poem
from memory.
One particularly shy little girl
struggled with the second verse,
her voice barely above a whisper.
“I went to the store and bought
myself some ice cream, don’t have
it no more,” she said.
Collins puts her hand on the
girl’s back.
“Big voice,” she reminded the
girl. "Believe in yourself.”
N ewly strengthened the girl
boomed back, “I went to the park
and wrote myself a poem, still got
it!”
Collins gave her a hug.
“Good Job!" she said.
Marva Collins grew up in Atmore,
continued
from Front
PARKING FACILITY Operator
Ala., at a time when segregation
was the rule. Black children were
not permitted to use the public li
brary and her schools had few
books. But her father instilled in her
strong desire for learning, achieve
ment and independence.
Her experiences in that system
of segregation, coupled with her
dissatisfaction with the quality of
education her two youngest chil
dren received in prestigious pri
vate schools led her to open her
own school on the second floor of
her home.
Thus, Westside Preparatory was
founded in 1975 in Garfield Park, an
inner city Chicago neighborhood.
During that first yearCollins took in
learning disabled, so-called prob
lem children and even one child
labeled border-line retarded. By the
end of that first year every child
scored at least five grades higher,
proving that the previous labels
placed on the children were m is
guided.
Collins has continued to work
with dozens o f public school sys
tems and has always achieved strik
ing results. Her success with stu
dents labeled “unteachable” has
led to p ro file s in T im e and
Newsweek magazines, a television
appearance on 60 Minutes and a
made-for-television movie. It is ru
mored that both presidents Ronald
Regan and George Bush Sr. wanted
Collins to fill the position o f Secre
tary of Education during their ad
ministrations.
Collins’ visit to Portland was
arranged by Tony Hopson of Self
Enhancement Inc. She paid tutorial
opposing the hires.
The trainee program, launched
just five years ago, has become a
stepping-stone for minority appli
cants into what was once an almost
exclusively white world of Portland
firefighting.
Warren said 95 percent of the
department’s employees of color
enter as trainees with no prior expe
rience.
“What the trainee program does
is bring them up to the level of the
people coming in with priorexperi-
ence.” Warren said.
Since the program was introduced
five years ago the department has
jumped from four percent women
and minorities to 19 percent.
Though the fire bureau is re
quired by law to have an affirmative
action plan, Warren said the de
partment does not specify exact
numbers.
“We have no quotas. We do have
goals,” Warren said. “We want to
make the fire department representa
tive of the communities we serve.”
About 40 applicants will be
ski mmed from the pool of 174 for 14
weeks of training in EMT and
firefighting skills. After that, train
ees will complete the rest o f their
tra in in g
w ith e x p e rie n c e d
firefighters entering the department
from other states and cities.
All firefighters are required to
complete a year of training with
Portland before being considered
for employment.
“Its a way of assuring that ev
eryone is equal when they get to
the table,” Warren said.
Ed Wilson, Chief of Portland Fire
and Rescue, said the program is
successful in contributing to an
increasingly diverse firefighting
workforce.
“Portland Fire and Rescue for
many years has had various pro
grams to increase the diversity of
our department,” he said. “We have
spent a tremendous effort recruit
ing. Our numbers are getting better
year after year.”
He admitted the department made
little headway in the 80s and early
90s due to budget constraints that
limited recruiting and hiring efforts.
During that same time, a series of
districts were annexed that included
close to 200 employees. Subse
quently the department was flooded
with experienced firefighters who
also happened to be mostly white
males.
“We couldn't hire very many
people during that time,” Warren
said. “That hurt ourefforts todiver-
sify.”
Other situations hurt too. Last
year a firefighter out o f Station 24
endured rheial jokes and harass
ment. A law suit was resolved
through an out of court mediation
process. It was determined that the
employee was working in a hostile
environment.
But Wilson said the incident was
isolated and not typical of the de
partment as a whole.
“No other issues have been
raised by that individual and he's
back to work for us,” Wilson said.
Despite setbacks, the Chief now
believes the department is right on
track.
He echoed W arren’s desire to
see the department’s firefighters
represent the communities they
work for.
“I think the citizens o f Portland
are very diverse in nature, so I think
it’s important that the workforce
that responds to their needs re
flects that,” he said.
Wilson said all aspects of diver
sity make the department stronger
by promoting communication in
emergency Situations.
The Firefighter That Almost Never Was
continued
from Metro
Ladd plotted his course and
weighed his options. A yearquickly
passed and he took the tests all
trainees must take before becom
ing a firefighter. He passed them
with flying colors and the depart
ment expressed interest in hiring
him.
Now Ladd had to choose - bus
driver, teacher, artist, writer or fire
man.
“I settled on being a fireman," he
said.
It was 1973 and at the time Port
land had only employed one Afri
can A m erican firefighter. The
firefighters union body had voted
not to approve the hiring of more
African Americans to the force.
Ladd was undeterred. Even as
he recalls the story he tells it with a
smile, like it’s just another one of
those things to overcome.
Ladd said there weren’t that
many African Americans in the
Marines either, so he didn’t think
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HA
visits to SEI, Jefferson, Boise Eliot
and Humboldt Elementary.
Lisa Manning, community coor
dinator at SEI helped Collins man
age her time in Portland. She felt
incredibly fortunate to have Collins
at SEI and in the local schools.
“She’s very loving, very pas- ’
sionate about kids and their ability ’
to succeed," Manning said. “She
doesn’t carry the children through •
a lesson she encourages them.”
By the end of class at Boise Eliot,
the kids couldn’t wait to partici
pate, but buses were lining up out
side and Flowers had to get them
out of the classroom. Collins still
had them captivated.
“ You ’ ve got the most wonderful
machine in the world right here,”
Collins said, tapping her forehead.
“All you’ve got to do is use it.”
Training Brings Diversity to the Ranks
he’d feel out of place in an almost
e x c lu siv e ly w h ite w o rld o f
firefighting.
“I’m used to being the only one,”
Ladd said. “But I never thought
about it like that.”
But after just 30 days Ladd didn ’ t
want to be fireman anymore. He
remembers those early days in the
downtown station as being par
ticularly frigid and said the attitude
o f m anagem ent was not much
wanner.
“It was the coldest winter. We
were shivering. It was just freez
ing,” he said.
He finished his shift that Friday
and dialed up TriMet to let them
know he was coming back. They
were happy to have him.
Ladd arrived at Station 4 on
Monday and planned to resign and
start driving busses the next day.
He told the lieutenant on duty that
he needed to speak with him.
“I want to resign,” Ladd said.
“Why? What to you mean?” the
lieutenant replied.
Ladd repeated himself.
“You’ll have to go to the main
station,” the lieutenant shot back.
“You can’t resign here.”
TriMet was a couple blocks from
the station so Ladd went there first.
He joked with the other drivers and
plotted his return. After a couple
hours he made it to the main fire
department.
Battalion Chief John Dooney Sr.
confronted l^idd as he scaled the
steps leading up to the station.
“Are you Ladd?” the chief yelled.
“Yes sir I am,” Ladd replied.
“What do you mean you want to
quit this job?” Dooney bellowed.
“I’m not letting you resign!”
Unsure of what to make of the
fiery Chief, Ladd stepped back and
let him continue unopposed.
“My grandfather was a fireman,
my father was a fireman,” Dooney
screamed. “By god you're going to
be a fireman too!”
D o o n ey th en a d v ise d the
stunned recruit to turn directly
around and go back to his post as
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if nothing had happened.
With the C h ief s words still ring
ing in his ears, the 30-day-old
firefighter did just that. The ques
tion of his resignation was never
raised again.
“I settled in to being the best I
could be in the fire department,”
Ladd remembered. “Chief Dooney
is responsible for me staying in.”
Ladd is now 55 years old. He has
been fighting fires downtown out
of Station 4 for the last thirty years.
When he came aboard in 1973, he
was the second African American
ever hired into the Portland Fire
Department.
Fitting in at Station 4 was not a
problem. Brimming with WWII vets,
the ex-marine was quickly accepted
as one of their own.
“They were very welcoming,”
Ladd remembered. “In fact, they
went kind of overboard.”
That same camaraderie and close
ness still keeps Station 4 buzzing.
The guys chide Ladd on being the
oldest guy in the firehouse, but they
take his experience very seriously.
“We like to work with guys like
Bill that have fought a lot o f fires,”
said Station 4 Lieutenant Dave
Baker.
Ladd knows the department has
had its fair share of complaints. He
said last year an African American
employee sued the department for
discrimination.
But Ladd likes to take every
thing in stride. To him, all the guys
are just firefighters, regardless of
skin color. He said he has few
complaints about the profession
that just wouldn’t let him go.
“I never had any of those prob
lems," he said, flashing his trade
mark smile.
1