Update, 11:19am: The mayor’s office came through with Adams’ calendar, which I’ve posted after the jump, in a flat 10 minutes. Fritz’s office came through in 27 minutes. Also posted after the jump. Commissioner Saltzman’s chief of staff called up to alert the Mercury to the commissioner’s web page, which has his calendar on it, “every week for the last six months,” so apologies for the omission. But I don’t think I was alerted to this when I first asked, and it’s not exactly easy to find on the website. Commissioner Fish’s calendar still shows last week.
Notable points on these calendars: 1.The mayor gets a half hour “check-in” with Mark Larabee from the Oregonian on Friday morning. Since he seems to have some office time scheduled for 45 minutes afterward, perhaps we’ll send an email and see if the Mercury can’t get some face time, too. Do let us know if you have questions for the man.
2.Amanda Fritz is meeting with Lieutenant George Burke and Bill Sinnott from the Portland Police Bureau this afternoon—I’m expecting that Sinnott will be lobbying her to accept the realities of the “secret list” program he manages for the police bureau.
3.Nick Fish is “rescheduling” his meeting with Fritz, scheduled for Thursday. He probably has something else to do. Then again, we have no way of knowing, since we can’t read his calendar…
More later.
Original Post, Monday, 10:32am:
As part of my ongoing effort to keep track of our city commissioners, I emailed all of their offices on March 4, asking to be sent their weekly calendars. This week, I’ve got Randy Leonard’s calendar. And that’s it.
Amanda Fritz’s staff seem to have dropped the ball in sending it out. Nick Fish’s calendar for last week is online, but so far, no update for this week. Sam Adams’ calendar usually comes through on Fridays for the following week, but no dice. And I don’t think I’ve ever gotten hold of Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s calendar. What does the man do all day, I wonder…
Why is this important? Because it obstructs my ability to scrutinize city hall on your behalf. All I’m asking for is a little respect, here, on behalf of the public—and as anyone will tell you, you don’t tend to get respect, unless you give it.
If I’m trying to track city issues—assuming that city hall staffers all have their axes to grind and are most likely all going to tell me what they think is important, it’s very difficult for me to ask the right questions of their offices if I don’t know what the commissioner is meeting about in a given week. Instead, I’ll have to hang around, sucking up to everyone, hoping that they throw me the occasional bone. And I know from my early days covering the police bureau that that kind of reporting gets scant results. So: What does being able to look at a Commissioner’s calendar do for a reporter? Well…how about I show you:
Today, for example, Commissioner Leonard is meeting with Maria Lisa Johnson from the Office of Human Relations to talk about her budget—which is likely to be cut by 46% unless Leonard changes his priorities. At a budget hearing 10 days ago, Leonard made it clear that he thought Johnson’s work was important, but that the lack of one-time funding, which funds half of Johnson’s office—means the money is best spent on services for the homeless. It will be interesting to hear how that meeting went.
At four o’clock, Leonard is having his monthly check-in with Commissioner Fritz. This was originally scheduled for last week, but for some reason, got pushed back. I’ll be curious to ask whether Fritz lambasted Leonard over Major League Soccer during the meeting—especially since Leonard actually mocked Fritz at last week’s soccer announcement, waving his Timbers scarves and saying, “but I voted for the proposal.” Tension mounts. Actually, Fritz has so far been the most difficult commissioner to meet with, even for two minutes, to ask about her agenda/meetings/activities. One of Fritz’s staffers told me two weeks ago that Fritz is nervous about her comments being misconstrued in the wake of the Adams scandal, but the ability to say “no comment” and “this is off the record” is still available, as far as I know. It’s particularly frustrating, given that Fritz campaigned on a transparency platform. Again: A little respect, please.
On Thursday, Leonard is having his quarterly meeting with PBA boss Sandra McDonough. McDonough is a keen lobbyist in favor of the sit/lie law, which is due to sunset in April. So they’ll probably be talking about it during their hour-long meeting. The following day, Leonard is due to meet at 1:00pm with Monica Goracke from the Oregon Law Center to talk about the same subject. So it’s a story I can be tracking.
At 2:00pm on Thursday, Leonard is meeting with Darryl Paulson from Ramsay Signs—Leonard has been trying to buy the White Stag sign from Paulson, and has been making more and more noise of late about the University of Oregon’s efforts to re-design it.
That’s just the calendar of one commissioner. Imagine, good God, if I had the calendars of all five commissioners on a Monday morning, so that I could plan my coverage and reporting for the week? I could be more effective, and you would be better informed. Everybody would win. But it seems that nobody at city hall seems to want that. And I’m starting to wonder why.
Here’s Leonard’s calendar for the week, since his staff were so kind as to send it out:
Mon 3-23
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM – Office Time
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM – Chief Klum Check-in c: Barb 3×3729
loc: (our office)
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM – María Lisa Johnson from Human Relations Re: budget c: María Lisa 3×4428
loc: (our office)
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM – Ken Rust, Jennifer Sims & Warren Jimenez Re: EBS c: Geri 3×6938
loc: (our office)
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Director WB — Check-in
loc: (Our office)
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Paul Scarlett Check-in c: Leanne 3×7937
loc: (our office)
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Amanda Fritz Check-In c: Amanda 3×4124
loc: (Commissioner Fritz’s Office)Tue 3-24
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Budget Work Session
loc: (Council Chambers)
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Carl Talton from Portland Family of Funds Re: stimulus opportunities c: Deborah (503) 546-5678
loc: (our office)
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – Lunch
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM – John Mohlis Re: headquarters hotel c: 784-1566
loc: (our office)
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM – Kimberly Howard & Daniel Ledezma from IFCC Re: IFCC c: Kimberly 3-2072
loc: (our office)
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM – Alan Savier from Pacific Crest Community School Re: interview for school news paper c: (503) 239-5241
loc: (our office)
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Andy Shaw, Michael Jordan & Maria Ellis from Metro Re: construction excise tax & regional infrastructure finance c: Maria (503) 797-1732
loc: (our office)
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Tour new Archives Building with Lindsey Desrochers from PSU c: Debbie Kirkland (503) 725-5878
loc: (meet at Urban Plaza across the street from Seattle’s Best, 1742 SW 6th Ave)Wed 3-25
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – PF&R Core Management Meeting
loc: (111 SW Columbia, 6th Fl)
9:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Council Meets
loc: (Council Chambers)
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Mark Jackson from REAP (Reaching and Empowering More People) and 9 students Re: meet & greet c: (503) 341-6161
loc: (our office)
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Council Meets- LT2
loc: (Council Chambers)
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Dinner at Station 14 c: Lt. Woolington 3×3841
loc: (Station 14, 1905 NE Killingworth)Thu 3-26
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM – PBA quarterly with Sandra McDonough c: Karen VanVleck (503) 552-6765
loc: (our office)
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Sam Adams Check-in c: Cevero 3×1121
loc: (alternate offices)
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM – Dan Saltzman Check In c: Lynn Martin 3×3026
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Darryl Paulson from Ramsay signs c: Darryl 503-777-4555
loc: (meet at our office and get coffee)
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM – Gail Castillo from Metropolitan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Re: special approps for technical assistance to small businesses (not just latino owned ones) c: (503) 807-0101
loc: (our office)Fri 3-27
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Office Time
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Staff Meeting
loc: (our office)
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM – SAFE Committee Re: Sit/Lie c: Monica Goracke 503-473-8312
loc: (our office)
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Office Time
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Ken Allen from AFSCME Re: budget & TPI c: Stephanie Swan (503) 239-9858
loc: (our office)
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Pick up Cole
Here’s Fritz’s calendar for the week:
MON
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Staff Meeting
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Legislative Update from David Barenberg
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Ann Gardner, Schnitzer Steel and Phil Grillillo
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM – John Papagiannis of Public Campaign calls Commissioner for interview
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Scheduling
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Commissioner Saltzman monthly check-in
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Lt. George Burke and Bill Sinnot
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM – Fred Ross, Director of International Affairs with Mayor Adams’ Office
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – RESCHEDULED by Leonard from 3/19-Third Thur. Check-In btwn. Fritz and Leonard
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM – Citywide Land Use GroupTUE
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Council Work Group Meeting Time
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT: Water Bureau’s BRIDGE Committee/Women’s Affinity Group Brown Bag
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM – Mayor Adams Monthly Meeting
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Scheduling
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – RESCHEDULED from 3/26-David Olson and Mary Beth Henry-Cable Office
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Preview City Council with Tom
7:30 PM – 10:30 PM – OLCV Annual BanquetWED
9:00 AM – 9:10 AM – REAP Inc. Students coming with Mark Jackson
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM – City Council meeting
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM – Scheduling
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM – Council hearings
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM – MPAC MeetingTHU
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM – Mark Bello, Pres. City of Portland Employees Association (COPEA)
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM – Dave Benson, President, Portland Police Commanding Officers Association
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Lisa Turley Dir. BOEC
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – NAMI NW Walk Kick-Off Luncheon
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Shafia Monroe, International Center for Traditional Childbearing
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM — Staff Meetings
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – CANCELED: by Fish, he says no need to reschedule-Commissioner Fish
5:45 PM – 6:45 PM – Travel Portland’s Green Familiarization Tour ReceptionFRI
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM — Staff Meeting
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Wellness LMBC
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM — Staff Meetings
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM – RESCHEDULED by Peter from 3/2: Peter Johnson-Waterfront Park Amphitheatre Project
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Travel Portland Green Familiarization Tour Reception 8:45 AM – 9:30 AM – Gunderson Marine and Crowley Martime Present The Launching of 455 4SAT
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Pesticide-Free Parks 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Annual Oregon American Israel Pubic Affairs Committee Dinner
Here’s the mayor:
MON
MEET: Yvonne Deckard and Others RE: Check-In
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM – MEET: Portland Office of Emergency Management
RE: Update
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM –
MEET: OMF RE: Mayor’s
Proposed Budget
1:00 PM — 2:15 PM
OFFICE TIME
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM –
MEET: Asia Strategy
Outreach Meeting RE:
Presentation by PDC2:30 PM – 4:30 PM –
MEET: OMF RE: Mayor’s
Proposed Budget
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM –
MEET: BPS Staff RE:
BriefingTUE
Updated: 100 BIZ,
Porteon
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM –
Standing Commissioner
Mtg
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM –
MEET: Jack Hoffman RE:
Streetcar, IGA and other
issues
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM –
MEET: Amanda Fritz RE:
Check-In
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM –
MEET: HQ Peer Review
Presentation
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM –
MEET: Ted Wheeler RE:
Monthly Check-In
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM –
PDC & Mayor Adam’s
Weekly 1:1 Meeting
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM –
MEET: Tom Chamberlain
Standing Commissioner
Meeting
11:30 PM — 12:30 PM
OFFICE TIME
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM –
MEET: Carl Tilton RE:
Check-In
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM –
MEET: Susan Anderson
RE: Check-In
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM –
Standing Commissioners
Meeting
3:00 PM — 4:30 PM
OFFICE TIME
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM –
ATTEND/SPEAK: Erickson
Air Crane Corporate
Headquarters Open
HouseTHU
SPEAK: North Portland
Business Association RE:
General Meeting
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM –
MEET: Catherine Ciarlo
RE: PBOT Budget Check
In
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM –
ATTEND: P&D Directors
Kick-Off RE: Eco Districts
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM –
MEET: Randy Leonard
RE: Check-In
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM –
Weekly All Staff Meeting
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM –
Standing Council Meeting
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM –
MEET: Elaine Cogan RE:
Check-In
4:30 PM to 5:45 PM
OFFICE TIMEFRI
MEET: Regional Emergency Management
Group Meeting
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM –
MEET: Mark Larabee
from The Oregonian RE:
Check-In
11:30 AM — 12:15 PM
OFFICE TIME
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM –
ATTEND: Better Living
Show RE: Accept
SustainLane Award1:00 PM – 1:30 PM –
PHONE INTERVIEW: Ted
Sickinger RE: Clean
Energy Fund and Jobs
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM –
MEET: Transportation
Cabinet
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM –
TOUR: 100 BIZ, Laika,
Dale Wahl
Thanks for keeping up Matt.
I do wonder why someone so afraid to have their comments relayed to the public would seek public office.
What does “Pick up Cole” at 3pm on Friday mean? Who or what is Cole?
For clarification: “Cole” is in fact a bag stuffed with money, furnished by the unions. Kidding! I’ll ask, next time I’m at Leonard’s office.
Thanks Matt, this is actually really neat to see all the schedules put together like this. So far you’ve got the mayor and two council-members. Keep kicking the anthill till you get the last three.
Breakdown of codes:
Cole-Union Cheddar (hahahahahahaha)
Coffee with Dan-$500 steak dinner at El Gaucho
Office Time-Snarky, rude email writing to the County and anyone else that doesn’t see things my way
Interview for School Newspaper-Let student interviewer know that journalism is now cut from your schools budget along with sports. No worries, go grab a fugly muffler and go watch an MLS game.
I will go back to West Linn now…until Wed.
Good luck in following up on particular meetings, e.g., sit/lie.
Transparency is but a political term without substance or significance. So too accountability.
I wager they will wear you out before you obtain any transparency much less accountability.
There is no reason that the Mercury shouldn’t have a place at the table the same as the Oregonian. Good luck on that too.
Rondine, that’s a good one.
You forgot Staff Meetings: Drinking single malt whiskey and smoking Cohiba cigars on the city’s budget.
Very illuminating.
Thank you.
How is finding Commissioner Saltzman’s calendar difficult to find on his website? On the front page of his site, the link to it is posted in bold lettering.
Pardon my poor grammar in the last post.
Jeremy, it’s as if you think Matt is a reporter whose job is to find information.
As of 6:30pm on Monday, Fish’s schedule is up-to-date on his website.
Randy has only his previous quarterly schedule online, nothing up to date. Fritz only has a kind of general schedule available, nothing with date and time details.
Other than Matt’s snarky tone in the original posting, I think he trying to show how the Merc looks at these schedules to try and figure out whom is talking to whom at City Hall.