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