Mike Rosen, Portland School Board Member, Lost Credit-Card Privilege at Former City Job

MIKE ROSEN, PPS Zone 7

Mike Rosen won a seat on the Portland School Board in May, days after being placed on administrative leave from his city of Portland job for insubordination and bullying behavior.

Now, newly released records show Rosen had his city-issued credit card taken away in March after he used it to pay for a $569 dinner at Mekong Bistro without permission from his top boss.

The dinner, held for immigrants and refugees in the city's New Portlander Program, was intended to encourage communities of color to apply for Bureau of Environmental Services grants to improve the city's watershed.

A March 27 memo about the decision to revoke Rosen's purchasing card for one year says the dinner needed an OK from the bureau's then-director, Jim Hagerman, and wouldn't have been approved.

Rosen, who resigned from the city in July, says BES spends far more on dinners that feed city employees. He argues that the dinner, which fed dozens, provided grant-writing training to disenfranchised communities. "It was an appropriate expenditure," he says.

Months before resigning, however, Rosen apologized to city officials in a memo.

City officials accepted his apology.

"Although your actions have shown disregard for the appropriate use of rate payer money and a lack of judgment for following bureau policies, I do appreciate your acknowledgment of responsibility," Hagerman wrote in the March 27 memo to Rosen. "In view of that, I believe that the above action [taking away the card] is sufficient in this case and I am not taking any disciplinary action."

Willamette Week

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.