Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 9, 2014)
Opinion The Skanner News Endorsements “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor J ERRY F OSTER Advertising Manager L ISA L OVING News Editor The Skanner News Editorial Board Wherever you go, people complain that there aren’t enough great political leaders anymore. But in the Portland- area races on May 20, we struggled to choose among the excellent candidates we interviewed. We can only endorse one candidate per office; for those who didn’t get our support, we encourage you to run and ant from a tough background, giving her insight into how real people are impacted by municipal policy – or the lack of it. She lacks political expe- rience, but she would make a great commissioner. After years of working in Washington DC, incumbent Commissioner Loretta Smith knows more than almost any- body about where so much of the county money originates – the federal government. She knows chapter and verse H ELEN S ILVIS Multimedia Editor D AVID K IDD Graphic Designer M ONICA J. F OSTER Seattle Office Coordinator J ULIE K EEFE S USAN F RIED Photographers The Skanner Newspaper, established IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 pursue those political dreams of yours. Before we get to the names, however, we would like to make one big point: None of the candidates are strong enough on disaster prepared- ness. The Skanner News started covering local emer- gency management after Hurricane Katrina changed the racial makeup of New Orleans. The imperative of making sure communities of color are kept in the loop on emergency planning, on how to leverage limited local dollars into ambitious goals, such as increased funding to keep students in school and on track for suc- cess through President Obama’s Promise Zones Ini- tiative, which she discussed at length in our interview. Voters can’t go wrong elect- ing either of these marvelous women. Smith wins our endorsement by a hair simply because of her experience at the federal level. She has shown she understands how “We can’t forget that one of the first things she did as a Commissioner was organize a Town Hall meeting only for Black male youth, a revolutionary move that earned her criticism from colleagues” The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ- ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2014 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. resources and training is being ignored at the top. One thing we all know is that a big earthquake is coming, and we have seen almost zero out- reach to the communities who will be impacted the most – and both the City of Portland and Multnomah County have separate disaster planning bureaus. Where is the money going? To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. Loretta Smith • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds construction industry general contractor Sharon Maxwell of Boanerges Group, and we look forward to her future political plans. “None of the candidates are strong enough on disaster preparedness.” in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by Nick Fish The Multnomah County Commissioner 2 race is remarkable – for the first time we have ever seen, everyone running is African American, which is a good thing. Teressa Raiford is an especially wor- thy candidate. A hard worker who knows the issues, Raiford is a business consult- Page 2 The Portland and Seattle Skanner April 9, 2014 to use her knowledge. We are struck by the fact that so many Black candi- dates are running against Smith specifically. It makes us wonder why? Has Smith angered so many people in her own district? Her federal clout is very important, but she is also known in the community for helping with projects and pro- grams regarding seniors and youth. We can’t forget that one of the first things she did as a Commissioner was organize a Town Hall meeting only for Black males, a revolutionary move that earned her praise. In this race, The Skanner News endorses incumbent Loretta Smith. For City of Portland Com- missioner, Position 2, The Skanner News endorses incumbent Nick Fish. Over his years on the Council we have seen him collaborate with a wide array of groups and individuals to forge excel- lent policy in the Parks and Housing bureaus and else- where, despite taking a hard knock or two. We are also impressed with his opponent, Dan Saltzman For City of Portland Com- missioner, Position 3, The Skanner News endorses Dan Saltzman. Whatever his assignments are in the moment – he has managed both the Portland Police Bureau and Portland Fire and Rescue – Saltzman’s heart is clearly with kids and families. Proud driver of the Portland Children’s Levy, which puts tax dollars directly into non- profits helping children, Saltzman most recently has helped make it much easier for domestic violence sur- vivors at the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Servic- es – one of his bureau assignments --obtain restrain- ing orders against their abusers. Jim Francesconi For Multnomah County Chair (full term and unexpired term), The Skanner News endorses Jim Francesconi, an attorney and former Port- land City Commissioner, in his race against worthy oppo- nent Deborah Kafoury, who is trying to move from a Com- missioner’s seat to the top job in the County. Kafoury comes from a legendary Oregon political family, and many observers say she knows the county budget better than anyone else. But Francesconi caught our attention by fram- ing county operations as a potential economic driver rather than a passive safety net, suggesting a raise in the minimum wage, a firm grounding on job creation and leveraging Affordable Care Act money to free funds for a vari- ety of other needs (many candidates made that same suggestion). He sees the big- ger picture in the policy arena; he is a visionary; he's not afraid of change. While critics have said his campaign is fuelled by his resounding defeat as a mayoral candidate – after raising $1 million and losing anyway to Tom Potter in 2003 – we didn’t see that dur- ing our interview, but rather we saw a highly motivated person who cares about mak- ing a difference. Jules Bailey For Multnomah County Commissioner District 1 (unexpired term ending Dec. 2016), The Skanner News endorses Jules Bailey. Jules BaileyA three term state legis- lator from Southeast Portland, Bailey, an economist, impressed with his knowledge of how local political systems impact policy and where more work is needed. Clearly a money manager, Bailey had the sharpest insights on how to rein in overtime costs at the Multnomah County Sheriffs Department – the county’s second-highest expense. Whatever you think of the candidates, make sure you take the time to vote. The voter registration deadline for MultnomahCounty is April 29. Check online to see the status of your voter registration at www.web.multco.us/elec- tions. What do you think? Post your comment on articles in The Skanner News at www.theskanner.com
