MaxRedline

The City That Works

When it rains, which is rather frequently, Portland sewage gets flushed into the Willamette River.  The hugely expensive Big Pipe project is supposed to fix that, for the most part.  But problems continue to pile up. 

Bureau of Environmental Services officials are warning people to avoid contact with Fanno Creek around the Fanno Pump Station at the end of Southwest 86th Avenue for the next 48 hours after employees discovered a leak there.

A spokesman for the bureau said approximately 150 gallons of sewage spilled from a broken pipe on the creek bank at about 8:30 Tuesday morning.

Stephen Sykes said the aluminum pipe probably broke during the recent cold snap of sub-freezing temperatures.

That'll happen when you use substandard materials; a problem that has plagued the Fanno Creek station since Day One.  The City That Works has since figured out that using pvc pipe was a bad idea, as it couldn't handle the stress of the sewage pumps.  Now it has occurred to them that aluminum may be a bit fragile as well.

Mind, this is the same City that insists upon high-density housing, and tries to push people onto trains and streetcars.  Build more condo towers!  Go by streetcar!

Ah, but when people go, they flush.

And all too often in The City That Works, those flushes end up in streams and rivers.  Maybe instead of spending all that taxpayer money on "planning" rail routes, they should spend a bit of it on planning for basic services that actually work.

Nah.  That ain't sexy enough.

Paging Randy Leonard

Portland City Council member Randy Leonard wants to arm his storm troopers to safeguard the municipal reservoirs, and he just may be able to get a deal in this regard.  Buy in bulk.

OregonGuy notes that the EPA wants to buy some cool Glocks, so Randy may be able to bundle in on the deal.  After all, they're both on the same team - protecting the environment, and all.

Why does the EPA need to buy weapons?  Of course, from Randy's perspective, that doesn't matter; it's all good.  But...why does the Environmental Protection Agency plan to buy high-quality weapons?

Might be time to add to our collection.

Losers

TriMet is trying to paint a rosy face on its ridership figures, but it isn't playing well.  Portland's so-called "mayor" isn't getting any love, either.  He's too stupid to have figured out that he should have just resigned.

In a rare rebuke to Portland Mayor Sam Adamsand efforts to rein in emissions linked to climate change, a panel led by the Metro CouncilThursday morning voted for a cautious approach in evaluating potential pollution effects of transportation projects.

Collette introduced a Metro alternative to Adams' proposal before the panel could consider the mayor's plan.

"We're not ignoring your amendments," Collette told Adams.

"I've been in public service for a very long time and I'm well aware of what's going on here," Adams replied. "While I appreciate your procedural sleight of hand, I'd like my amendment to be considered first."

Burkholder said the Metro Council wanted to "acknowledge the city of Portland's concerns."

"We say, let's develop those tools and bring them back to this body in an urgent manner," Burkholder said.

Adams quickly moved to table Metro's alternative. That prompted some confusion, as the members weren't sure how to handle the parliamentary jousting. Metro Council President David Bragdon, not officially a member of the committee, hustled to a back office to fetch a worn copy of Robert's Rules of Order, and read aloud a section on how to handle a motion to table.

In the end, Burkholder's amendment passed with Adams as the sole dissenter. Afterwards, Adams' proposal failed in an 11-to-5 vote.

Note to Sam: you've never been in public service, unless you consider the term to mean driving around in a public parking lot with your pants unzipped and crashing into stuff.  While it's entertaining, most of the rest of us don't view that as "public service".

You could best serve by leaving.  Quietly.

One Year In, The Death Knell Sounds

With the possible exception of Nanny Pelosi and a very few others, Democrats are quaking in their collectivist boots.  With good reason:  one year into a "new Washington" born of optimism and ambition, the mantra of "hope'n'change" has been clearly shown for what it was - just words.  The "transparent" administration has not only failed to materialize as advertised, quite the opposite has occurred.  There have been unprecedented numbers of closed-door meetings in the White House, while Congress votes in the dead of night on huge bills that nobody has read.  Meanwhile, record amounts of debt pile up, with no apparent results to show for it all.

The blinders have fallen off, and Americans are well and truly ticked.  Howard Dean, of all people, demands that we stop ObamaCare now, while Saturday Night Live performs the formerly unthinkable: delivering hard-hitting body blows to Messiah Obama on nationwide television.

DEAN: You know, what this is is a giant bail-out. This is a bail-out that makes AIG look cheap. Sixty billion dollars a year go to the insurance companies under this bill.

Avowed liberals are sitting up and taking notice of the fact that while Republican and Independent voters are energized, Democrat voters have fallen into malaise.  As one commenter notes:

It's absolutely true that those who worked so hard to get President Obama elected are totally disillusioned and burned out.

Another adds:

Many dems were brought to the dance under false pretenses. If your date reveals himself a radical idealogue, dismissive of a broad swath of our people and our laws, why are you then bound to leave with him, particularly when you know he will be in the center of a wreck on the way home.

It didn't take long for this honeymoon to end, but it comes as no great surprise.  Many Americans thought that politicians would actually begin to listen to them.  Their disappointment has turned to anger.

Metro: Don't Bogart That Joint, My Friend

At its November 12 meeting, Metro’s Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) adopted “performance targets” calling for a tripling of walking, biking, and transit use by 2035. This came despite the release of the Annual Portland Resident Survey conducted by the City Auditor, showing that levels of solo driving for commuters actually increased by 4.6% this year and that transit use dropped by 9%.

Oh, and the million more people that the area's supposed to draw?  That's not happening either.  Apparently, all of the barista jobs are full.  Of course, facts never get in the way of Metro's grand plans.

This is really what Metro would like to do - they'd like nothing better than to force the entire metropolitan population to live in a giant beehive.  But they can't, so they make do with shiny trains and bicycle paths instead.  For now.

Happy Trails!

The city of Portland has an extensive network of trails; part of their "green and sustainable" image.  It's particularly strong in hilly Southwest Portland, which has few sidewalks and a lot of unpaved roadway.  Portland has encouraged volunteers to construct much of the trail network there, but a number of problems have cropped up.  Among them, it seems that "The City That Works" has turned a blind eye toward little things like permitting and code enforcement (much as they have done with the homeless camp in Northeast) - but with a twist:  much of the trail-work has been run over easements for utilities - and residents along the easement can be held liable for any injuries incurred by trail-users.  Some homeowners, it seems, are a bit unhappy with that kind of arrangement.  Who knows why?

Metro Oregon Zoo Makes The Front Page

Rarely does The Oregonian newspaper actually report news, but this story hit the front page, above the fold.  There's a bit of difference between the print edition account and the web version, as the print edition notes that animals were not afforded sufficient time to acclimate to the new environments in the Predators exhibits, while the web version moves that detail to a sidebar.  The story ascribes the failure to delays in construction; in reality, the facilities were not slated for completion until late November 2009.  Zoo managers pushed for an early opening of the facilities in order to provide a bit of "wow" factor for the American Zoo and Aquarium national conference, which was hosted in Portland in early October.

Cost overruns for the Predators exhibits ran to over $1.6 million, which zoo managers compounded by pushing to move animals in even as construction continued.  Clearly, introduction of animals into uncompleted facilities slows construction and stresses the animals.  As a result of this fiasco, two high-level zoo staff were fired agreed to pursue other opportunities, but these were construction and finance staff.  What of the managers on the animal side, who pushed animals into incomplete facilities?

Apparently, their high-paying jobs are secure at this point, yet given other reports in the news during the past year or so, it seems reasonable to question whether or not Metro has gone far enough to redress issues at their subsidiary organization.  What we have so far are a number of troubling issues:  zoo managers have demonstrated incompetence in the areas of construction and financial management, as documented in the audit released yesterday.  However, zoo managers have also demonstrated incompetence in the area of animal management, as documented in part by the audit and in reports from other sources as noted above.

If Metro, which allegedly runs the zoo, is to regain any degree of credibility, then it seems reasonable to suggest that they closely examine all remaining zoo management staff, sweep away the chaff, and hire in competent individuals.

The zoo subsidiary has had ongoing problems for many years, though the auditors have naturally focused upon financial issues.  The departure of Big Tony, the most recent director, is of interest because he left the zoo to take an identical position at a Florida zoo - at half the rate of compensation that he enjoyed in Portland.  Why would he do that?

A possible answer is suggested by the following:

OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR

September 20, 2004

• Revenue from some Zoo activities was improperly sent to the Foundation and returned to the Zoo, which treated it as a donation to avoid paying Metro excise taxes on the revenue.

• The Zoo Director entered into unauthorized contracts that the Foundation paid, subjecting Metro to financial and legal risk.

• Zoo financial records have not properly reflected donations as well as revenues and costs for some projects and activities.

• The Zoo is not receiving adequate compensation for benefits provided to Foundation members.

• Required information is not coming to Metro about the Foundation’s financial activities, plans and accomplishments, weakening effective oversight and the ability to make budgetary decisions affecting the Zoo.

Our report makes several recommendations for improving Metro’s system of management controls over the relationship. Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan’s response to specific recommendations is at the end of the report. Mr. Jordan agrees with most recommendations; however, we are concerned that he disagrees with our recommendation to take appropriate action to hold the Zoo Director accountable for departures from Metro’s contracting requirements. Such action is essential if Metro is to maintain an environment that fosters conscientious management, integrity and accountability.

So just how high does the stink rise?  It seems clear that Big Tony blew out of town before the manure hit the whirling blades, though a couple of his hand-picked staff weren't quite as quick on the uptake.  Obviously, Metro's COO Michael Jordan is involved as well, as he opposed holding Big Tony accountable for playing fast and loose.

What we have, it appears, is a trail of incompetence and lack of accountability that extends from the COO of Metro, right into the general management of the subsidiary organization known as Oregon Zoo.  Big Tony, former director, fled.  Two of his associates have "chosen to pursue other opportunities".  Big Tony's last associate, whom he promoted, is now acting director at the zoo.

There's an obvious question that nobody seems to be asking, and it's really very brief:  "Why?"

Should they not be all swept away in order to provide a clean environment for competent managers?

People Places. Open Spaces.

That's the Metro regional government's tagline, although it increasingly appears that the open spaces to which they refer exist primarily in the heads of members of the Metro Council and its president.  Despite their extensive field of PR flacks, today's news brings a double whammy:  area builders have indicated their intent to sue Metro over a tax they've imposed.  The construction excise tax was approved in March 2006 by Metro...

The Metro Council voted to renew the tax in June 2009. At that time, the council expanded the purpose of the tax to include planning in already-developed urban centers and transportation corridors.

In brief, the government created a tax to be used for one purpose, then decided to use it for something else.  After all, they're government.  They know best.  For some reason, the Home Builders Association disagrees.

But there's more: this has to be a nightmare for their legions of PR flacks:  an audit of the Oregon Zoo's capital construction projects hasn't turned out well.  In fact, one new set of exhibits apparently exceeded its budget by nearly $2 million; leading to the forced resignation of two top-level staffers.  No matter how the flacks try to spin it, the Metro regional government is wearing egg.

Blue Oregon's Kari Smacked

Coyote, over at NW Republican, came up with a great find this morning: local liberal mudslinger Kari Chisholm, who runs the Blue Oregon site, insinuated that a recent fire in the offices of SEIU local 49 was politically-motivated arson.

According to Chisholm: 

I checked in today with a spokesman for Portland Fire & Rescue, Lt. Alan Oswald. He confirmed that the arson team is investigating the fire as a deliberately-set fire. Other than that, he wasn’t able to discuss any of the details, of course.

I noted for him that there’s a lot of folks asking if there’s a connection between the SEIU arson and the teabagger rally. According to Oswald, “anything and everything is on the table” for the investigators – as it always is – until they’re ready to announce their findings.

As Chisholm should know, arson teams routinely investigate fires in order to determine cause, and of course no potential source is ruled out until the investigation is complete.  He could have stopped at the first paragraph, which would have been reasonable and correct.

But no, that wasn't quite good enough.  A dedicated rabble-rouser always looks to go the extra mile, which is precisely what Chisholm did by "noting" for the PFR spokesman that "a lot of folks" wonder about a connection between the fire and a conservative rally.  One suspects that by "a lot of folks", Chisholm was referring to the voices in his head.

In any case, Coyote points to the smackdown delivered over at Big Government, and delivers a few rounds as well.

What Recession?

Forget about any so-called recession, or that Oregon's jobless rate continues to climb (in the private sector only).  Folks, we have a real problem, here: people seem to be abandoning land-line telephones.  This is a huge problem for cash-strapped communities like Keizer and Portland, and quite obviously, something needs to be done.  In Portland, this loss of franchise revenue is especially painful, because there are so many things that require attention - there are couplets and streetcars still waiting to be built.

Ah, but there is an answer: cell phone taxes.  You can't expect "progressive" cities to make do with what they have; that quaint theory applies only to the little people - the folks who gave up their landline phone because they couldn't afford it, and went instead to a pay-as-you go TracFone or similar plan with a free or inexpensive (and uniformly crappy) "phone".  The City needs the revenue, and by golly, if you can't afford a landline phone, then they'll have to impose a cell phone tax to make up for what you're not paying any longer.

The pig simply must eat - and grow.