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A GROSS IMBALANCE AT HOME FORWARD
I’ve been following your journalism in WW regarding all things Home Forward in recent weeks [“Frequent Flyer,” April 15]. I appreciate that you present an honest and unbiased appraisal in your writing. Thank you for your straightforwardness.
I’m feeling irritably churlish and sullen, however, when I consider that Home Forward’s CEO, Ivory Mathews, “earns” well over $340,000 per year as established by Home Forward’s board of commissioners. (And on top of that, she receives a monthly car allowance that’s almost as much as my rent! and takes first-class “work-related” trips to exotic destinations like Hawaii for personal benefit?) Inexcusable, dishonest, and outrageous, by my count.
Home Forward’s board of commissioners and Ivory Mathews both need reality orientation. What a disservice it is not only to people who need assistance but also to the general public, for approving such an egregious and wasteful amount of misspent tax dollars.
By contrast, I survive solely on Social Security and SNAP benefits. Ms. Mathews’ salary in one month is more than double what I receive in a year. Think on that. I’ve worked hard all of my life and yet haven’t had a vacation in more than two decades. I have a degenerative spinal disease, and I’m not able to work. I own one pair of jeans and one pair of shoes. I don’t even own a chair to sit on. My options for comfort are lying on a bed all day or sitting upright in my walker. Life for me as I approach my golden years is a daily struggle. I’m presently at risk of losing my apartment. I have no family and no safety net.
What a completely gross and unjust imbalance.
And although I applied for services with Home Forward more than two years ago, they’ve not once extended me the courtesy of a response.
Thank you for allowing me to get that off my chest.
And once again, thank you for your outstanding journalism.
Richard B. Godfrey
Southwest Portland
TRY A LAND VALUE TAX
Portland City Council’s proposal for a vacancy tax cited in “New Lease on Life” [WW, April 22] is bound to stir up controversy. Councilor Jamie Dunphy’s remarks revealed a contradiction in the tax scheme by stating that “vacancies in commercial spaces are very different from…vacant lots.” Downtown Development Group’s Greg Goodman says, “I don’t think vacant properties (in commercial spaces) are the issue at all. The lack of demand is the issue.” UO alum Jeff Swickard says, “A tax won’t help us create demand for space.” Market analyst Aaron Douglas previously said “…there’s no incentive to have a vacant unit.” These voices need to be heeded. Dunphy’s “stick” in a carrot-and-stick approach to downtown revitalization could be thwarting the city’s goals.
The ambiguity in the arguments for a vacancy tax emerges if we don’t consider the difference between vacant building space and vacant land. In the U.S., about 18% of urban land remains vacant since the pandemic. Land holding for windfall gain is the key concern here. One way to persuade owners to develop their underutilized land is to raise the cost of holding it, but the cities Dunphy cites as vacancy fee examples have experienced mixed results. Cities have done this through taxation. The land value tax (LVT) replaces the traditional property tax’s single rate with two rates, taxing land at a higher rate than buildings. This has two effects: the carrot effect of untaxing buildings and the stick approach, making it costlier to hold on to vacant land. LVT provides a unique benefit: discouraging land speculation and encouraging investment.
In the short term, a vacancy fee may not help spur commercial development without a ready market, but cities in Pennsylvania, like Harrisburg, have shown that LVT’s incentive taxation builds durable local economies long term.
Kris Nelson, MBA
Southeast Portland
Legislative Director, Common Ground OR-WA
SHE HAS A TRIDENT AND EVERYTHING
Portlandia is an iconic statue that is nationally renowned. It currently rests in obscurity surrounded by a mundane building and trees. Why not place it next to the river with her right arm reaching toward it surrounded by its own water feature [“River Relaunch,” WW, April 8]? Every nationally televised Portland event would begin with her. It would also be a welcome attraction for locals and visitors and do wonders for Portland’s image.
David Morrison
Portland
CLARIFICATION
Last week’s cover story from the Oregon Journalism Project (“Teachers Bite Back,” April 22) originally referred to members of a bargaining unit who do not pay dues as “union members.” In fact, although they enjoy the benefits and protections of the union, they are correctly called “nondues-paying employees.”
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Email: amesh@wweek.com
