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The filing deadline for the upcoming Portland School Board elections passed last week, but the person most involved in the election won't appear on the ballot. Stephen Kafoury, who served 12 years on the board in the '80s and early '90s, spent the fall actively recruiting candidates. He found takers for three of the four available posts, including two who will try to oust incumbents. Kafoury, now a lobbyist, has kept a close eye on local education policy since he left the board and hasn't always been happy with what he has seen. "I think [board chairman Ron] Saxton is doing an excellent job, but he's all by himself," Kafoury says. "The people on the board are not bad people--they just could be stronger." Convincing people to run for the unpaid positions wasn't easy. In Zone 7, where incumbent Joseph Tam is stepping down, newcomer Debbie Menashe, a former U.S. Bank lawyer from Eastmoreland, is running unopposed. Only one of the three other posts drew more than one challenger. Kafoury's influence will be felt in nearly every race. Menashe, Zone 1 candidate Karla Wenzel and Zone 3 candidate Carolyn Sheldon all consulted with him before filing their candidacies. Wenzel, who will oppose incumbent Donna Jordan, says that Kafoury contacted her last fall and urged her to consider running. A former assistant attorney general, Wenzel made an unsuccessful legislative bid in 1994. But Kafoury, a former Democratic state senator, is taking the most active role in Sheldon's campaign to unseat incumbent Marc Abrams, the outgoing state Democratic party chairman. Abrams says he's disappointed that someone of essentially the same political leanings would challenge him. For his part, Kafoury says he's simply interested in helping the district become more functional. "We need a stronger board," he says, "and one that works together." Ballots for the March 9 election will be mailed to voters on Feb. 17. --Nigel Jaquiss Volunteering InformationWhen Youth Gang Outreach hired Louie Lira in 1991, his former gang ties weren't a problem. In fact, they gave him credibility among the at-risk youth he counseled at the nonprofit agency. The same logic applied with the Portland Police Bureau's Crisis Response Team, for which Lira has worked as a volunteer for several years, helping to calm tensions during violent incidents. Now it's the police who need some calming. WW has learned that the FBI is conducting an investigation into Lira's possible involvement in a Nov. 4 bank robbery at the Wells Fargo branch at 310 SE Taylor St. Some suspect that he might have used his police ties to facilitate the crime. According to federal court documents, Lira is suspected of "monitor[ing] transmissions from a police radio which helped the robbers escape after the robbery." They made off with nearly $113,000. Lira got the radio from the bureau, which provides them to CRT members. Although Lira could have bought a similar device at an electronics store, the cops are miffed that he may have used the privileges of his CRT post to work against them. "He's in a position of trying to keep people from becoming involved in crime," says Det. Sgt. Derek Anderson, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman. "To turn around--if he did--and be involved in a criminal act like that is a betrayal of trust." Still, the bureau is not about to revoke its radios from other civilians participating in its community-policing efforts. "You do run the risk of people misusing whatever little authority they may have through the Police Bureau," Anderson said. But, he adds, "We have gotten quite a bit of benefit from our association with people like this."--Maureen O'Hagan Why, There Oughta Be A Law...the 1999 Oregon Legislature set up shop in Salem. On Monday 30 state senators and 60 state representatives took their solemn oaths of office and began figuring out ways to spend our money and regulate our lives. Here at WW, we see no reason those folks should have all the fun. So this year we're letting readers submit their own ideas for legislation. Each week we'll pick the best proposal we've received and print it in this space. In addition to earning the acclaim of friends and family, winners will also receive a fabulous gift (which we'll announce next week). The guidelines: 1. You may propose any type of law you like. In cases of new taxes or tax credits, keep in mind that we believe taxes should reward good behavior and punish deeds that lead to social ills. 2. Please follow the general format we have used below for our proposed tax (an idea we stole from music writer John Graham) and limit your idea to 200 words. 3. Send your proposals to WW Law Contest via fax ([503]243-1115),
e-mail (jschrag@wweek.com) or
snail mail (822 SW 10th Ave., Portland OR 97205). THE HOOTIE
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