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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 9, 2012)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM M AY 9, 2012 P ORTLAND , O REGON V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 19 Get your ballots in by 8 p.m. Tuesday – by mail or drop-off By Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News The most competitive local elections in years wrap up next Tuesday, with ballots due at 8 p.m. May 15. (Inside this edition of The Skanner News, our Elections Special Edition leads off with a story about one of the very first Black vot- ers in Oregon history – a suffragette named Hattie Redmond. This election cycle corre- sponds with the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the state.) Ballots were mailed out the last week of April; if you have not received yours call Check out our Elections Special inside this issue CENTS Election Special C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Election Day: May 15 25 Seeds of Service Groundwork Portland and the Muslim Community Center held a work day to help enhance urban food sites and improve stormwater management in North and Northeast Portland last Sunday as part of the international River Rally Conference. Dozens participated in the service project at the Seeds of Understanding farm on North Vancouver Avenue. Here, a member of Somali Youth of Oregon helps build water barrels from a kit. PHOTO BY MAILEEN HAMTO Multnomah County Elections at 503-988- 3720. If you are mailing in your ballot it must be received by the elections division by Tues- day, May 15—a postmark by that date is not good enough. Drop-off sites include all Multnomah County libraries, Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland, the elections division office, and selected businesses around the city. Your ballot must be delivered to any of these sites by 8 p.m. election day. On May 15, the county’s elections office is open expanded hours, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., at 1040 SE Morrison St. Some drop-off sites are open 24 hours – but check out the link on our website, www.theskanner.com, to make sure you get your ballot in on time. Multnomah County Elections spokesman Eric Sample says that so far the primary races are not burning up the ballot boxes with high participation rates – but that could How to Honor Charles Jordan? Proposal seeks to rename University Park Community Center By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News Charles Jordan has been a towering presence in Port- land–and not just because he’s 6 foot 7. During his 10 years as Portland’s first African Ameri- can City Commissioner, and later during 14 years as the city’s visionary Portland Parks and Recreation Bureau director, Jordan literally changed the city’s landscape. Now, a proposal slated to go before City Council June 6 See BALLOT on page 3 INDEX News .2,3,6,7,12,13,16 Opinion ..................4,5 A & E .........................6 Elcetion Special ...7-10 Food........................12 Bids/Classifieds ...14,15 seeks to rename University Park Community Center in his honor, as the Charles Jordan Commu- nity Center. “There never has, and there never will be, someone under our policies more deserving of having something named in his honor,” says Commissioner Nick Fish. Fish is asking community members to weigh in on the plan. If everyone agrees on the name change, the Parks Bureau will host a renaming ceremony and community celebration later this summer. Last year, Portland won the National Recreation and Parks Association’s top honor – the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recre- ation Management. Fish says he and his team wouldn’t dream of taking all the credit. The award was 150 years in the making, and many people contributed. Jordan was one of the most sig- nificant. “He was the person who took Portland Parks and Rec. to the next level,” Fish says. “He was a first in terms of his public service here in Portland. He was a champion for the environment and conservation statewide. And he was a national leader for the Conservation Fund in making sure that historically significant African American sites were preserved and protected for future generations.” Fish asked former Portland Parks and Recreation adminis- trators Michelle Harper and David Judd to co-chair a nine- person committee to suggest a See JORDAN on page 3 Chaplain Maj. Trisa Kelly Makes History She plans to advocate for National Guard on veterans panel By Bruce Poinsette Of The Skanner News Trisa Kelly is surprised she is making his- tory. Again. “I’m amazed that in 2012 you can still be a first Black anything,” she says. Last month, Kelly was named to the Ore- gon Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ (ODVA) governor-appointed Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee — the first Black woman to be appointed, and the youngest to serve. She was already the first African Ameri- can chaplain – and the first female chaplain – in state history for the Oregon Air Nation- al Guard, where she serves with the 142nd Fighter Wing. Her rank, after 10 years of service, is Major. Kelly says she hopes to use her experience to bring a different perspective to the state ODVA advisory committee and more awareness to underserved veterans. She often gets questioned on how she can work with so many non-believers when she is a dedicated Christian. “There are Buddhists and Atheists at the base but we’re all human,” says Kelly. “My See KELLY on page 3
