Exploiting an unintentional loophole in the Oregon Public Records Law, Portland mayor Sam Adams and his subordinate, Housing Authority of Portland Chair Lee Moore, continue to legally ignore a public records request made on July 1st (see below). Members of the Oregon legislature who will consider Attorney General Kroger's admirable proposals to repair the deteriorating Public Records Law next session should pay close attention to this example of contempt and failure.
Mayor Adams' recent public safety decision was tantamount to a public admission that the social engineering experiment known as New Columbia, Oregon's largest public housing compound, was a failure when he ordered two additional Portland police officers to full time assignments at New Columbia bringing the total to four officers plus the regular district officer. This action is well received by most New Columbia residents, the Portsmouth neighborhood as well as citizens and businesses throughout North Portland. However, this is the wrong public policy decision for the long term.
Equitable Distribution of Public Housing is the right long term public policy. This CANNOT be achieved without accurate, complete and timely Public Housing Statistical Data such as that made in the Public Records Law request of July 1st (see below).
A public policy of Equitable Distribution of Public Housing, which is in keeping with the newly proposed federal department of Housing and Urban Development legislation, PETRA, the Preservation, Enhancement, and Transformation of Rental Assistance Act of 2010*, would change the total population and client types at New Columbia to a size and mix which would no longer require any dedicated police officers to keep the peace.
Unless and until Multnomah county's political class, led by Portland's mayor, who has the singular statutory authority to nominate and dismiss HAP's board, come to grips with their indefensible support for the discredited and abhorrent current policy of UNLIMITED neighborhood concentration of Public Housing, the quality of life involving the public safety of North Portland neighborhoods and businesses, will forever REQUIRE a major police presence at New Columbia.
Richard Ellmyer
35 Year Homeowner and Small Business Owner in Portsmouth Neighborhood.
Standards for Equitable Distribution of Public Housing Resolution author and project champion.
Writer/Publisher - HAP Watchers commentary - Published on the Internet (http://www.goodgrowthnw.org) and distributed to thousands of readers interested in public housing policy in Multnomah County. To subscribe send request to hwcomments@goodgrowthnw.org
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Subject: Public Records Request On Behalf Of Portland Police Officer Willie Halliburton
From: Richard Ellmyer
Date: July 1, 2010 1:43:23 PM PDT
To: board@hapdx.org, Jim.Ferraris@portlandoregon.gov, samadams@ci.portland.or.us
Cc: Nick@ci.portland.or.us, Michael.Schmerber@portlandoregon.gov, Derek.Rodrigues@portlandoregon.gov, john.kroger@state.or.us, tony.green@doj.state.or.us, michael.c.kron@doj.state.or.us, interested@macsolve.com, Amanda@portlandoregon.gov, LaVonne@portlandoregon.gov, rleonard@ci.portland.or.us, dan@portlandoregon.gov, tom.hughes@tonkon.com, campaign@johnkitzhaber.com, karolann11@gmail.com, bobstacey@mac.com, sloretta407@aol.com, info@chrisdudley.com, mult.chair@co.multnomah.or.us, district1@co.multnomah.or.us, district4@co.multnomah.or.us, district3@co.multnomah.or.us, district2@co.multnomah.or.us, Shane.Bemis@ci.gresham.or.us, Shirley.Craddick@ci.gresham.or.us, carol.nielsen-hood@ci.gresham.or.us, dick.strathern@ci.gresham.or.us, Paul.Warr-King@ci.gresham.or.us, David.Widmark@ci.gresham.or.us, raphael.w.bostic@hud.gov, jackson_chan@hud.gov, Neill.Coleman@hud.gov, Shaun.L.Donovan@hud.gov, hotline@hudoig.gov, Deborah.hernandez@hud.gov, Sandra.b.Henriquez@HUD.gov, manfert_m._lee@hud.gov, Mercedes.M.Marquez@hud.gov, betsy_marsh@hud.gov, WA_Webmanager@hud.gov, OR_Webmanager@hud.gov, Sandra.Mitchell@hud.gov, roy_scholl@hud.gov, Ron.Sims@hud.gov, David.H.Stevens@hud.gov, John.Trasvina@hud.gov, Mark.Wells@portlandoregon.gov, michael.d.schrunk@mcda.us, temp.blumenauer@mail.house.gov, senator@merkley.senate.gov, wyden@wyden.net
Hi Housing Authority of Portland Chair Lee Moore Et. Al.:
Portland police officer Willie Halliburton has engaged me in a public conversation regarding the quantity and kind of HAP clients at New Columbia and elsewhere* . To advance this public debate I am making, on officer Willie Halliburton's behalf, the following Public Records request:
Richard Ellmyer
Report #1. HAP Public Housing Program
A tab delimited text file with the following fields: 1. Age 2. Gender 3. Income 4. Neighborhood 5. Last Modification Date, for ALL clients in this database.
Report #2. HAP Section 8 Housing Voucher Program
A tab delimited text file with the following fields: 1. Age 2. Gender 3. Income 4. Neighborhood 5. Last Modification Date, for ALL clients in this database.
Report #3. New Columbia in North Portland's Portsmouth Neighborhood Program
A tab delimited text file with the following fields: 1. Age 2. Gender 3. Income 4. Neighborhood 5. Last Modification Date, for ALL HAP public housing clients (means test + government subsidy + rental agreement) living in New Columbia as of June 1, 2010.
Report #4. HAP Affordable Housing Program
A tab delimited text file, including the total number of public housing (means test + government subsidy + rental agreement) HAP clients living in all of HAP's 32 properties in Multnomah county as of June 1, 2010, with the following fields: 1. Age 2. Gender 3. Income 4. Neighborhood 5. Last Modification Date.
Despite the fact that the Multnomah County District Attorney, Mike Schrunk, has previously alerted you to the gaping loophole in the Oregon Public Records Law that says as long as HAP does NOT respond to a Public Records Law request the Multnomah County District Attorney will NOT get involved in enforcing the law, in this circumstance it would clearly be in HAP's interest to quickly respond.
I am quite sure that the charges to provide the Public Housing Statistical Data, which HAP has required in the past of individual citizen taxpayers, would be paid by officer Halliburton or the Portland Police Bureau or the mayor's office in their efforts to place all relevant material on the public table for discussion and debate regarding public safety in New Columbia, the Portsmouth neighborhood, North Portland and HAP housing wherever it may be in Multnomah county.
This information will also be not only useful but NECESSARY with regard to implementing the Obama administrations new Public Housing legislation designed to DECENTRALIZE Public Housing known as PETRA, the Preservation, Enhancement, and Transformation of Rental Assistance Act of 2010**.
Mayor Adams has promised a second public meeting on the matter of Public Safety in New Columbia, the Portsmouth neighborhood and North Portland next week. Considering that ALL of HAP's 33,000 client records would be reasonably expected as a matter of accountability and responsible business practices to be on computers under HAP's control, the request made on officer Halliburton's behalf should take only a matter of minutes to complete and then be distributed to interested parties and posted on HAP's website BEFORE this meeting.
Please forward your response to all recipients of this message.
Thank you.
Richard Ellmyer
35 Year Homeowner and Small Business Owner in Portsmouth Neighborhood.
Standards for Equitable Distribution of Public Housing Resolution author and project champion.
Writer/Publisher - HAP Watchers commentary - Published on the Internet (http://www.goodgrowthnw.org) and distributed to thousands of readers interested in public housing policy in Multnomah County. To subscribe send request to hwcomments@goodgrowthnw.org
* http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story_2nd.php?story_id=127791880831366000]