May 4 was the last day of work for Risk Manager Kate Wood.
Woodâs departure, which went largely unnoticed in the recent rush of bureau resignations, has (hopefully) allowed for a new chapter of accountability in city hall. According to city staff, thatâs because Wood refused to do a key part of her job: listening to what the city calls âfair and moralâ claims.
These types of claims come from citizens who believe theyâve incurred unfair expenses at the hands of city employeesâfor instance, if a city vehicle runs over a bike, or if a city water leak floods someoneâs basement with sewage. Under Portlandâs âfair and moral obligationsâ to its citizens, a rule written into the city charter in 1946, the city is responsible for compensating citizens for these kind of claimsâthat is, if a committee finds the claims to be justified.
At least, that was the case until 1990, when Portland City Council transferred the responsibility to the cityâs Risk Management Division. This reshuffling was meant to streamline the process. It didnât happen. Risk Management staff instead ignored these claimsâand their legal obligation to hear themâfor 25 years.
Then, in September 2016, Nguyet Leâs house blew up. Le owned a rental home that was wrecked by Portland police explosives after a man suspected of murder barricaded himself inside. Le was left with $25,000 in damages and more than $4,300 in lost rent.
When she brought her complaints to the city, the Risk Management office offered $5,000 and shrugged, claiming Leâs only other option was to sue the city for restitution.
But Portland Ombudsman Margie Sollinger, whose job it is to help citizens wronged by the city, reminded city council that this decision blatantly breaks the law. According to the city charter, Le is owed a committee hearing.
Thanks to Sollingerâs wrangling, Leâs case became the first heard by a claims committee in over two decades. At her April 6 hearing, orchestrated by Sollinger and chaired by City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero and Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Le detailed the extent of her financial losses. âPlease help me,â she asked, presenting various cost estimates from contractors.
Wood sat at one end of the table. After Le left the room, Wood announced that since joining Risk Management in 2007, she had never been asked to review these claimsâand wasnât going to start doing it now. âItâs unfamiliar to us. Itâs not work that weâve agreed to do,â Wood said.
âYou may not have been doing this before, but you were required to,â Hull Caballero reminded Wood. âYou are relitigating a decision that has already been made.â
Wood wasnât having it. But neither were the elected officials in the roomâand they didnât try to mask it. âIâm at the end of my patience,â Hull Caballero told Wood.
It was an awkward, confusing moment. No matter how many times Wood was told to do her job, she deflected. The meeting was inconclusive, and a decision to do... well, anything was indefinitely put on hold.
Less than a month after the meeting took place, Wood resigned.
This twist triggered a sigh of relief among city staff involved with the tangle sheâd created. Instead of trying to work around a person rigidly stuck in their ways, the city can plow forward with a new manager whoâll be open to hearing citizen claims.
This week, city commissioners will vote to issue a $25,514 check to Le for the irrevocable damage to her property.