City PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL
POSITION 2 Erik Sten It seems like just last year boy wonder Erik Sten was riding around in the Stenmobile, seeking election to City Council. Actually, it was two years ago, and Sten is running again because that 1996 contest was to fill out the term of Earl Blumenauer, who took his bike and bow ties to Washington, D.C. Sten is challenged by Ed Lindsey, a political novice who jumped into the race at the last minute. Lindsey offers little besides an argument that his life experience as a firefighter, paramedic and college instructor would make him a good city commissioner. That Sten, 30, almost ran unopposed--even though he's angered powerful forces in his two years--speaks to his impressive start as a city commissioner. Sure, Sten's had his problems. Shortly after he took office, a cell-phone abuse scandal rocked his Bureau of Environmental Services. Then his own mother blasted his pro-development stand in the River District. And he continues to struggle with the vexing problem of flooding in Johnson Creek. But overall, Sten's been a bright spot on the council: getting sewer rates down, fighting for clean water, arguing for affordable housing, standing up for more school aid, voting against draconian and unconstitutional "drug-free" zones. In the process he's taken on developers who gave him campaign contributions, neighborhood associations who threatened retribution, and a powerful police chief. Sten's accomplishments don't end there. He helped overhaul the Portland Development Commission, reinvigorated the demoralized BES and hired a talented, energetic staff. Sten's 18 months in office have been enough to demonstrate that he deserves another term.
PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL
POSITION 3 Dan Saltzman 1996 never looked so good. That year's two City Council races attracted a crop of candidates that were downright inspiring. It wasn't just Jim Francesconi and Erik Sten, who went on to win their seats. It was also the challengers, including Chuck Duffy and Lucious Hicks, who provoked an urgent sense of the challenges and opportunities facing Portland. Not so in 1998. The two front-runners seeking the seat of the departing Gretchen Kafoury have generated as much excitement as the REO Speedwagon reunion tour. Indeed, one local official told us he was so underwhelmed by the choices he might not even vote. We won't go that far. There are two qualified candidates for this race: Tanya Collier and Dan Saltzman. And while they have similar voting records, we think there is a significant difference between them. Our choice is Saltzman. An environmental engineer by training, Saltzman first got involved in local politics in the early 1980s as an aide to then-U.S. Rep. Ron Wyden. Since winning election to the County Commission in 1992, he's mainly focused on three areas: child abuse, domestic violence and watch-dogging government spending. In pursuing those causes, Saltzman crafted some innovative policies. A divorced father, he started divorce classes in Multnomah County (at no cost to taxpayers) so that estranged couples could learn to mediate differences without hurting their children. He has consolidated city and county business taxes. And he stood as the lone--and ultimately successful--voice against an expensive, politically driven plan to turn over ambulance service to Portland firefighters. (The Oregonian called that plan, devised by Collier, "political malpractice" and a "transparent attempt to make...firefighters happy.") Saltzman is also versed in two of the region's most important issues--education and growth--thanks to his service on the Portland Community College board of trustees and a panel of local elected officials that advises Metro. We're aware of the rap on Saltzman: He's got the charisma of oatmeal; his focus is too narrow; and he's too cozy with big downtown developers. But we still think his interest in public safety, frugality and the environment are the right qualities for the job. Collier is also a capable candidate. She has a compelling personal story of growing up poor, putting herself through college and working as a representative for the state nurses union before she was elected to the Metro Council and then the County Commission. In those two elected posts, she's demonstrated knowledge of transportation, public safety, growth and social service issues. But while Collier's record is impressive, her shortcomings are more worrisome that Saltzman's. Our main concern is her thin skin and hot temper. Again and again, county officials and others told us that Collier doesn't take well to criticism or challenges to her authority. She reacts like a bully, they say, particularly toward staff who dare to disagree with her. More than one person admitted that their own politics were closer to Collier's but they were leaning toward Saltzman because of her mean streak. In Portland's commission form of government, in which elected politicians manage entire city bureaus run by top-notch experts, this strikes us as a dangerous quality. An alternative to Collier and Saltzman exists in Martie Sucec, a Southwest Portland neighborhood leader and technical writer for Kaiser Permanente. Sucec is well known on the west side for her battles with City Hall over community planning and park use. She's campaigning, in her first run for office, to slow growth and give neighborhoods a louder voice in City Hall. We agree with Sucec that city government often operates in secrecy, with more hidden agendas than you'd find in the Kremlin. But we're troubled by Sucec's links to selfish neighborhood NIMBYs. More important, we're not convinced that Sucec has the management experience to oversee a fifth of the city's $1.2 billion budget. The remaining candidates are Mark White, Jada Mae Langloss and Les Wilson. White got 1 percent of the vote in a 1996 bid for the council, and his ideas remain as vague now as then. Perennial candidate Langloss is back with a goofy slogan: "Made major mistakes before 50--celibate semi-saint ever since!" Wilson is almost in the same class. He says he's running because the job pays $38.50 an hour and he's hoping it leads to a tropical vacation with beautiful girls. Obviously Wilson will never make it in politics--he's too honest. |
