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TURMOIL OVER COPS AT TRANSITION PROJECTS: Since last summer, dozens of employees at Transition Projects Inc., the Portland nonprofit that runs 10 local homeless shelters with a budget of about $20 million, have pushed to expel two board members: Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese and Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Jami Resch. The employees' objections were not personal but rather a reflection of the negative interactions many homeless people and TPI staff have had with police. TPI executive director George Devendorf says the board took the requests very seriously, brought in an outside consultant, and held a series of meetings with employees, but ultimately decided it "makes more sense to engage with law enforcement than to turn our backs." The issue is far from over, but Reese, who sat on the board for 13 years, left at the end of December when his term expired. Resch will remain. A recent letter to the board signed by 110 of TPI's 375 employees says the struggle to oust law enforcement and make other social justice gains will continue. "We are at a pivotal point in history," they wrote, "where we must make a choice between remaining complacent in an oppressive institution, or rising up with the Black community in demanding justice."
FOUR SEEK TO FILL HERNANDEZ'S SEAT: Four candidates met the March 2 filing deadline for the appointment to serve the rest of the two-year term of state Rep. Diego Hernandez (D-East Portland). Hernandez won reelection to a third term in November but resigned effective March 15 after a finding by the House Conduct Committee that he'd engaged in sexual harassment. The four candidates seeking the appointment are: Robin Castro, a recent Portland State grad who briefly ran for the Portland City Council in 2020; Cayle Tern, a member of Service Employees International Union who works in human services; Adrienne Enghouse, a registered nurse; and Andrea Valderrama, a policy director for the ACLU of Oregon and chair of the David Douglas School Board. As WW first reported, Valderrama filed for—and then withdrew—a restraining order against Hernandez last year.
RUMBLINGS IN NEXT GOVERNOR'S RACE: Rukaiyah Adams, chief investment officer of Meyer Memorial Trust and founder of the neighborhood revitalization nonprofit Albina Vision, set off speculation over a possible run for governor last week. She penned a mission statement for the state's future in an online forum called The Oregon Way. "We will find ways to care for each other directly in our communities, and we must implore our leaders to help us care for each other indirectly through the ennobling work of governing," Adams wrote. She declined to comment further. Speculation on the 2020 Democratic gubernatorial primary has included House Speaker Tina Kotek and Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, among others. On the Republican side of the aisle, former gubernatorial candidate and physician Bud Pierce has already announced for 2022, as has a more right-wing candidate, Paul Romero, who ran unsuccessfully for a GOP nomination for U.S. Senate and pushed the baseless conspiracy theory that anti-fascists started Oregon's wildfires.
NIKE EXECUTIVE QUITS AFTER SNEAKER-FLIPPING STORY: A high-ranking Nike executive has resigned from the Beaverton-based sportswear giant after a magazine article revealed links to her son's sneaker resale business. In a brief statement, the company said Ann Hebert, vice president and general manager of its North American division, had left the company after 25 years, effective immediately. Last week, Bloomberg Businessweek published a cover story focused on Hebert's 19-year-old son, Joe, and his company, West Coast Streetwear, which buys limited-edition and discounted shoes and flips them online for a profit. Although she'd been with Nike since 1995, Ann Hebert was promoted to her current role just last June. In announcing her promotion, the company said she would be "instrumental in accelerating our Consumer Direct Offense," a program aimed at rerouting sales from wholesale partners toward the brand's own apps and websites—a move credited with spiking the resale boom, which allowed flippers like Joe Hebert to use bots to grab high-profile shoes in greater quantity than that going to physical storefronts.