February 7, 2018
Page 3
INSIDE
The
Week in Review
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Black History Month
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A ribbon cutting ceremony marks the merger of two community-driven banks as the former Albina
Community Bank becomes the newly named Beneficial State Bank branch on Northeast Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Pictured are Randell Leach, president and chief operating officer of
Beneficial State Bank, and Kat Taylor, the bank’s co-founder and chief executive officer.
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Community-Driven Banks Merge
pages 10-13
M ETRO
page 11
C ALENDAR
page 15
O PINION
C LASSIFIEDS
pages 16-17
pages 18
Combining
the
financial
strength and clout of two financial
institutions is intended to boost
banking services to low and mod-
erate-income communities, and
provide financing for renewable
energy, affordable housing, and
women and minority-owned busi-
nesses.
A ribbon cutting ceremony
marked the merger of Albina
Community Bank with Beneficial
Sate Bank on Thursday. Leaders
for the combined financial insti-
tution gathered to celebrate at the
newly renamed Beneficial State
Bank branch office on Northeast
Martin Luther King Jr. Boule-
vard.
Attending the ceremony were
Randell Leach, president and
chief operating officer of Benefi-
cial State Bank, and Kat Taylor,
the bank’s co-founder and chief
executive officer. Customers and
local residents also joined the fes-
tivities.
Running for Public Office
Maxwell
enters county
commission race
Sharon Maxwell, a successful
business owner and recognized
community leader from Portland’s
African American community has
announced plans to run for Mult-
nomah County Commissioner in
the upcoming May Primary.
Her campaign will kickoff
Wednesday with a scheduled 11
a.m. rally in the lobby of the Mar-
garet Carter Technical Education
Building on the Cascade Campus
of Portland Community College
in north Portland.
Maxwell has been a trailblaz-
er for breaking social barriers.
She entered Portland’s male- and
white-dominated
construction
field after graduating from PCC’s
Skill Center construction program
25 years ago. She later formed
Sharon Maxwell
her own company, Bratton Con-
struction, and was named as one
of PCC’s ‘diamond’ graduates in
2012 for her success as a business
owner and civic leader.
In her new campaign an-
nouncement, Maxwell said she is
running for office on a platform to
strengthen families and push for
polices that support families. She
also pledged to promote transpar-
ency and accountability in how the
county spends public tax dollars,
promising to tackle discrimination
complaints in county workplaces.
Maxwell
said
employees
should never be disparaged in the
work environment or feel threat-
ened to speak up for themselves in
fear of retaliation, humiliation or
loss of livelihood.
Maxwell grew up in north and
northeast Portland and continues
to reside here. She attended Port-
land Public Schools in her early
years and became a journey-level
carpenter and sprinkler fitter after
receiving her PCC construction
skills training. She went on to
graduate with a bachelor’s degree
from Warner Pacific College in
2015 and said she completed an
accounting degree this year.
She is the mother of four adult
children and the grandmother of
her four loving grandchildren.
This will be Maxwell’s second
attempt at public office after run-
ning for the Portland City Council
in 2014.