^ÌnrtÌanò (Observer
Page 8
New Prices
Effective
May 1,2010
NION
A p ril 27. 2011
Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the
Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and
story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com.
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$45.00
A sm all distance/travel charge
m ay be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 sm all H allway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services): $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs ( Wool):
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139
Chair or Recliner:
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Sendees): $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
Equity Study is Only the First Step to Fairness
Disparities are worse
than what was found
by
M elvin O den -O rr
The City of Portland
and the Portland De
velopment Commission
recently released their
draft City of Portland
Disparity Study 2009.
At almost 800 pages, it
will take a while to fully
digest. However, the National Associa
tion of Minority Contractors, Oregon
chapter, is in the process of reviewing
and analyzing the study’s conclusions
and encourages its membership to pro
vide their feedback directly at the city’s
website designated for that purpose:
p o r tla n d o n lin e .c o m /o m f /
index.cfm?c=54139.
The disparity study is a constitutionally
required predicate to the City and PDC
continuing their efforts to combat the
effects of historical discrimination in their
contracting programs.
No one disputes that such discrimina
tion has existed. The U.S. Supreme Court
has even acknowledged this saying that
there is “no doubt that the sorry history of
both private and public discrimination in
this county has contributed to a lack of
opportunities for black entrepreneurs.”
NAMC-Oregon acknowledges that the
city's disparity study was a necessary
step to identifying and addressing the
underutilization of all the talents that the
Portland metropolitan area has to offer,
including those of minority-owned busi
nesses.
The study does not, however, address
some critical issues that disproportion
ately affect minority communities in the
Portland area: poverty; schools that don’t
educate our children; and the historical
remnants of societal discrimination that
continue to plague the creation and growth
of many minority-owned businesses.
Nevetheless, we believe the study starts
a discussion and provides a good founda
tion for the city and PDC to address the
identified disparities in their respective
construction and professional services
contracting programs.
Based on our own experience, NAMC-
Oregon continues to believe that the real
disparities that exist are significantly
higher than those found in the study. Be
that as it may, the city and PDC must
continue to take the lead on eliminating
the identified disparities and others? In
deed, the study suggests that only through
affirmative efforts by the city and PDC
in encouraging utilization of minority-
owned firms can any gains be made.
I
The city’s and PDC’s contracting pro
grams are far from “ok.” The city, PDC
and the community cannot be satisfied
with a contracting process that sees no
prime contracts awarded to an African-
American or Asian-American firm over
a four year period.
In fact, substantial disparities were
found for these firms as well as His
panic-owned firms for prime contracts,
even under the city’s good faith efforts
program. No one can be satisfied with
minority-owned firms on PDC-sponsored
projects receiving less than */2 of 1 per
cent of the contracting dollars.
And no one should be satisfied with the
substantial disparities found for minority-
owned firms in contracting for profes
sional services, particular for Native
Americans, Asian-Americans, and Afri
can-Americans.
NAMC-Oregon looks forward to work
ing with the city of Portland and PDC to
eliminate the real disparities in their con
tracting processes and to removing the
barriers that continue to disproportionally
exclude minority-owned businesses and
make their contracting programs more
equitable.
Melvin Oden-Orr is the Oregon
counsel fo r the local chapter o f the
National Association of Minority Con
tractors.