Page 6
June 8, 2016
O PINION
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Finally, a True Black Prime Contractor at TriMet
A grand reason
to celebrate
J ames P osey
It is a well-
known fact that
TriMet has been
the
perennial
leader
among
governmental
agencies
for
successful results in hiring and
supporting minority contractors
and workers over several decades.
This history spans as far back as
the 1982 I-84 Banield Light Rail
project. The chronology includes
the Westside Hillsboro line, their
signature Interstate Light Rail
project, a series of local street car
projects, the South Corridor I-205
MAX, the Milwaukie MAX and
more.
Thus, TriMet’s most recent
action of awarding a major con-
tract to black-owned Raimore
Construction is evolutionary and
is the culmination of many years
of struggle. It represents prog-
ress of huge portions. This $6.8
by
million contract to build transit
shelters for the Milwaukie MAX
line is a turning point, a major
breakthrough, and a momentous
achievement not only for minority
contractors but the entire Oregon
community.
It is not clear that TriMet actu-
ally understands the full impact of
what it has done in terms of hiring
Raimore as the irst black gener-
al contractor to complete a major
construction project in Oregon. It
is no secret that these large trans-
portation projects have been the
Patrick John Sweeney
Attorney at Law
1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon
(503) 244-2080
(503) 244-2081
(503) 244-2084
Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com
Catering
& Take-Out
Chicken • Pork Ribs • Beef Ribs
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Wayne Cannon (Proprietor)
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5410 N.E. 33rd
Like many other government bod-
ies, TriMet’s emphasis has been
focused on supporting minority
contractors in a social-welfare
context rather than in fundamen-
tal investments in the economic
It is not clear that TriMet actually understands
the full impact of what it has done in terms of hiring
Raimore as the irst black general contractor to
complete a major construction project in Oregon. It
is no secret that these large transportation projects
have been the catalysts for enormous economic
growth and wealth-building throughout the region.
he Law Oices of
Patrick John Sweeney, P.C.
Portland:
Hillsoboro:
Facsimile:
Email:
catalysts for enormous econom-
ic growth and wealth-building
throughout the region. As well,
it’s also understood that com-
pared to their white counterparts,
African-Americans and other mi-
503-288-3836
norities have always struggled to
beneit signiicantly from the bil-
lions of dollars expended on these
projects.
One reason this had not hap-
pened previously is because met-
ro-area governmental organiza-
tions have been unwilling to really
commit to institutional inclusion.
infrastructure of communities of
color.
And now, once again TriMet
has made history by hiring an
authentic black contractor, a con-
tractor who has all the prerequisite
skills and independent resources
to be successful. Raimore is gen-
uine because its physical location
and operation are in a historical-
ly-black community of northeast
Portland where the owners and
key staff live, work and play. With
a few exceptions, their workforce
is distinctively black with no
equivocation. And more impor-
tantly, there is a high probability
the black community will be eco-
nomically enriched by the compa-
ny’s participation in this segment
of the transportation market.
This is the vision, mission and
goal of the disadvantage business
enterprise (DBE) program, which
has seldom been implemented ef-
fectively in the Oregon’s construc-
tion market. Therefore, TriMet
should be commended, recog-
nized and encouraged to continue
this truly progressive example of
authentic equity and inclusion. In-
deed, the community as a whole
has a grand reason to celebrate.
James Posey is a Portland
contractor and business owner,
co-founder of the National Asso-
ciation of Minority Contractors,
and former president of the Coa-
lition of Black Men and vice presi-
dent of the Portland NAACP.
Letter to the Editor
Improving Housing and Wages
As stated in the preamble of
Oregon Initiative Petition 65, the
High School Graduation and Col-
lege Readiness Act, “Oregon has
one of the lowest graduation rates
in the nation. More than 10,000
Oregon students fail to graduate
each year. As a result, they face
a future of lower earnings, higher
unemployment and greater reli-
ance on public assistance.”
According to the Oregon Ofice
of Economic Analysis, when in-
cluding the entire state of Oregon,
middle wage jobs have continu-
ously diminished, while low and
high wage jobs have increased
signiicantly over the past decade.
According to U.S. Bureau of La-
bor statistics, 9 out of the top 10
occupations in Portland bought an
average median annual income of
a mere $26,177 in 2012. On top of
the list was a “retail salesperson,”
while the second leading occupa-
tion for employment was “food
preparation service, including fast
food” and the
third was “cashier.”
Since 1999, Oregon strictly
prohibited enacting mandatory
inclusionary policies to create
affordable housing, joining only
Texas in the entire country which
refused to offer this vital protec-
tion to their citizens. But Sen-
ate Bill 1533 was promoted as a
solution when it was passed in the
State Legislature during the last
session and signed into law by
Gov. Kate Brown.
The generally accepted formu-
la for pricing affordable housing
units is derived from 60 percent of
the region’s annual median wage.
SB 1533’s deinition of affordable
housing is “households with in-
comes equal to or higher than 80
percent of the median family in-
come.”
According to the Portland
Housing Bureau, the 2015 medi-
um income for a family of four in
Portland was $73,900. Ap-
plying the minimum 80 percent
threshold, the region’s medi-
an wage, for a family of four, is
equivalent to $58,800 as a quali-
ier for affordable housing. This
newly enacted law gives housing
developers a favorable option to
appeal to a wealthier citizen. They
will have the ability to charge an
additional few hundred dollars for
rent, due to this higher threshold
in determining affordability re-
quirements. This will essential-
ly discriminate against families
making less than $58,800 annual-
ly here in Portland.
SB 1533 also grants out of state
developers multiple incentives,
such as advantageous tax breaks,
and full or partial exemptions
from property taxes, and also the
legal permission to construct taller
projects.
Additional beneits can be es-
tablished for these developers that
can be determined at will, and can
be enabled by any city or county
in the state. Currently out of state
apartment developers are build-
ing residential structures all over
the Portland metropolitan area
that are far too expensive for na-
tive Oregonians to afford. How
will our elected oficials provide
human security to all Portland-
ers, and not just to the abundant
amount of economically fortunate
transplants, who have transformed
our city’s demographics over the
past decade?
Also, how will our city and
state leaders increase our gradua-
tion rates here in Portland, and as-
sist this highly volatile generation
of our society, our future leaders,
in providing them with the proper
education to succeed in obtaining
a profession that actually produc-
es a livable wage, and one that
will not force them to sleep in
their car?
Alexander Krokus,
North Portland