The exact language voters will parse in the upcoming battle for Portland’s water and sewer systems hasn’t been ironed out—it’s currently before a judge.
But the first notion of who’s bankrolling the effort became public today, as organizers for a proposed Portland Public Water District have filed the first batch of fundraising transactions with Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown.
Surprising no one, the group’s received a hefty infusion from Portland Bottling Company, which has long complained about the city’s water rates. The company—whose president, Tom Keenan, was on-hand to speak at a press conference unveiling the push—cut a $25,000 check for the initiative. The only other item? An $800 payment to local web design firm BitClone LLC.
The initiative would wrest control of the Portland Water Bureau and Bureau of Environmental Services from the City Council, and put it in the hands of a seven-member elected board. It’s an initiative backed by industrial interests—who think they’re paying too much for their considerable water use—and water activists leery of the city’s stewardship.
Organizers of the initiative petition have claimed for more than a month that people have been clamoring to give to the cause, but hadn’t tipped their hand. They have 30 days to report contributions.
As the Mercury first reported, the political action committee hit the ground running, tapping seasoned Republican fundraiser Tiffany Grabenhorst shortly after announcing its formation in July.
The initiative needs almost 30,000 signatures to get an initiative on the May 2014 ballot.
A…Republican…fundraiser. Yeah. No alarm bells there. Do you hear any alarm bells?
Friends of the Reservoirs hit the pavement nearly ten years ago with a water board Initiative Petition as well as two others to address management issues, alarmed at the City’s avoidance of public scrutiny of its utility budgeting. Lack of transparency, lack of accountability, the persistent pervasive influence of global engineering firms http://friendsofreservoirs.org/Consultant%…, crony utility management are persistent problems that have never been resolved no many how many new City Commissioners we’ve elected over the years.
Water and BES rates are too high for individuals, families and businesses. All rate payers pay the same volumetric charge, and all pay too much. Rates are a big issue, but not the only issue. Lack of independent oversight, lack of transparency, special interests, etc., lack of independent community involvement in determining what goes into the budget are big issues as well. Community values are ignored routinely by the Water Bureau.
Community concerns regarding regionalization (or privatization) of our drinking water and blending of Bull Run water with other sources such as the Willamette or the Columbia as outlined in the Bureau’s Regional Transmission and Storage document (MWH Global/CH2MHill) are issues addressed by this initiative which would ensconce Bull Run water protections in the City Charter and prohibit privatization, regionalization of our Bull Run water and prohibit blending of our water aside from blending with the Columbia South Shore Wellfield other than in case of an emergency.
The business woman that is challenging the initiative ballot title language that will appear in the voter’s pamphlet( wanting to keep hidden from the voters the initiative’s prohibition against privatization, regionalization, and blending of Bull Run water, and the independence of the district from City Council as well as the conflict of interest provisions that prohibit bureau cozy consultants from serving on the board), owns a company that profits from the $5.00 per square foot ratepayer (BES) subsidy of ecoroofs. If not for her costly ballot title challenge the initiative would be on the street collecting signatures.
Contributions have not come in yet as no one has been informed where to contribute. It took longer than expected to set up the financial compliance program.
PORTLAND PUBLIC WATER DISTRICT INITIATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS CAN BE SENT TO:
Portlanders For Water Reform, P.O. BOX 82324, 97282
PDX 2000, there is no longer a $5 subsidy for ecoroofs. And yet she’s still challenging the language.