On Wednesday evening, the Portland Development Commission provided a prime example of why citizens distrust and even dislike governmental bureaucrats. After months of public input supporting Beam Development–and even after PDC’s own evaluation committee recommended Beam–PDC’s five-member executive board went ahead and awarded the Burnside Bridgehead contract to someone else. The announcement was met with […]
Phil Busse
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We’ll Still Be Friends?
City Council Plans to Withdraw from Task Force
No matter how mayor Tom Potter and FBI Special Agent Robert Jordan phrased their answers last Friday morning, the result is the same: Portland plans to withdraw from the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Three weeks ago, city council proposed a resolution demanding more oversight and higher security clearances for the mayor and police chief. But […]
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What’s Next? Banning Love?
Court Unravels Same-Sex Marriages; Leaves Hope Intact
On Thursday morning, the Oregon Supreme Court released its much-awaited ruling in Li v. State of Oregon. In that case, nine same-sex couples–all of whom married in Multnomah County last winter–sued the state after they were denied formal recognition of their marriages. The ruling, a unanimous decision by the seven-member court, undid those marriages and, […]
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The Un-Constitution
Attorneys Push Back Against Bad Laws
Once again, the city’s Drug Free Zones and sit/lie rules are under scrutiny. For the past few years, the downtown blocks surrounding Pioneer Square have been an embattled turf; home to some of the most contested legal battles over constitutional freedoms. The so-called DFZ allows police to boot suspected drug dealers and users from the […]
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Back in the Zone
Public Defenders Accuse Cops of Racial Profiling
For years, Drug Free Zones in Portland have proven to be a slippery debate. Under the decade-old rules, police officers can banish a suspected drug user or pusher for 90 days from large areas of Old Town and North Portland–even if there’s no conviction; the officer needs only to believe that the person is engaged […]
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Bye-Bye, Big Box!
Beam Construction Wins PDC’s Blessing
Only a year ago, the idea of Beam Construction winning the $250 million contract to develop the Burnside Bridgehead was as likely as the Red Sox winning the World Series. They were the dark horse, trailing behind the city’s darling developers, Gerding/Edlen, and the slick company of Opus Northwest. At best, Beam was almost an […]
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Money Laundering
Council Cleans Up Campaign Finances
Last week was perhaps one of the most glorious weeks in Portland politics–if you believe in progressive politics, that is. Behind closed doors, Mayor Tom Potter continued to wrestle control and oversight of the Joint Terrorism Task Force away from the federal government. If successful, Portland could set a national precedent for accountability that would […]
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Still Waiting, Still Waiting…
City Council Balks on Task Force Vote
Usually, if someone introduces a resolution, he is expected to vote for the idea–or, at least, support it. But last Wednesday, Mayor Tom Potter retreated from the very resolution he had proposed. Under the resolution, the mayor, police chief and city attorney would have been given more oversight for the police officers involved with the […]
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Money Is No Object!
Can City Council Really Wash the Green Out of Campaigns?
What’s wrong with money in politics? Let us count the ways: Special interests and donors like big-time developers can plunk down large campaign contributions; in turn, they expect a sympathetic ear once the candidate is elected. Or consider this: Is the best candidate really the person who can raise the most money? Of course not, […]
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Beam’s Community Love Fest
Beam Construction Continues to Impress
The jury has returned its verdict: There will be no Home Depot plopped at the edge of the eastern end of the Burnside bridge. In December, Portland Development Commission (PDC) released plans for the Burnside Bridgehead from three different developers; two of which included big-box stores. But in February, after residents raised enough objections, PDC […]
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A Task Force on Our Terms
Mayor Introduces Bold Resolution for Access and Equality
The wait is over: After months of delays and quiet negotiating, city council is finally scheduled to make a move on the Joint Terrorism Task Force–the agreement that allows local police to work with federal agents. For the past year, the central debate over the Task Force has been whether the mayor and police chief […]
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What’s the Difference?
Anti-War Protest Goes From Roar to Whimper
Blame the rain. Blame public apathy. Whatever the reason, Sunday’s anti-war march was a mere whisper compared to the massive protest two years ago, when 25,000 residents flooded Waterfront Park and pleaded with President Bush to stop his invasion of Iraq. Marking the two-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion, 1000 activists crowded into a pavilion […]