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WORK TOGETHER TO PROTECT SCHOOLS
My kindergartner experienced a minor traumatic injury to his head recently. It was in the pediatric ICU at Randall’s, watching various multidisciplinary provider teams coordinate his care so effectively, that we learned the news his neighborhood Title I school was on the list of closures in both “rightsizing” scenarios.
This is one year after the governor threatened to preempt Multnomah County’s ability to operate Preschool for All by cutting out the legs from its local taxing authority.
It is past time our elected officials, regardless of state, county, school district, or city jurisdiction, work together, not unlike the ER and ICU care teams did for my son, to save public education and plan for its long-term well-being. When we prioritize children and families, our communities become accessible and welcoming to anyone.
This is what I hope the School Board and other elected officials who need the votes of parents, educators and caregivers across this community consider—what do families need (ask us! engage us meaningfully!), and how can we build and sustain it together right here in Portland? Rather than close the buildings and displace the communities that care for them, it’s time we adults meaningfully invest in children.
Haley Pickus
North Portland
LET THE PEOPLE BUDGET
Mayor Keith Wilson is urging Portlanders to vote no on Measure 26-267 [Murmurs, WW, Sept. 2], but his case rests on claims the measure’s own ballot title contradicts.
The mayor says it pulls $16 million from the fund that pays for shelter beds and parks. In fact, the ballot title lets council find the money anywhere in the city budget. He says the process is undefined. The ballot title spells it out: an oversight committee drawn from every council district, resident proposals refined by city staff and delegates, and a binding citywide vote, running by July 2027. More than 100 U.S. cities, including New York, Boston and Seattle, already use participatory budgeting.
Opponents also warn that city workers will lose their jobs. Yet the mayor’s own budget proposal this spring slated more than 100 city jobs for elimination. Portlanders are not the threat to city services. And labor is hardly united against the measure: AFT-Oregon and PSU-AAUP have endorsed it.
What the opposition really fears is losing control. Portlanders submitted 78,743 signatures to put this on the ballot, the most ever for a city initiative. This year, after hours of council debate, the final budget looked much like the mayor’s first draft. Two cents on the dollar is not a power grab. It is the least a democracy owes the people who fund it.
Vote yes on 26-267.
Gene Johnson
Northeast Portland
BEING A STATE REPRESENTATIVE IS NOT AN ENTRY-LEVEL JOB
I spent 20 years in the Oregon Legislature as a Democrat, and I learned something that doesn’t fit on a yard sign: The job is harder than it looks, and Salem is no place for an amateur.
A legislator walks into a building where the budget runs into the billions, the bills run into the thousands, and the lobbyists already know exactly what they want. A new member without real experience gets steamrolled by the agencies, by the special interests and by their own party leadership. The voters back home pay for that education.
That’s why I’m supporting Scott Hege for House District 52.
Scott isn’t asking for a job he hasn’t prepared for [“House District 52 Candidates Offer Sharp Contrast on Data Centers,” wweek.com, Oct. 1]. He’s an engineer. He ran the Port of The Dalles, where projects either get built on time and on budget or they don’t. He has served on the Wasco County Commission, where you can’t hide behind a press release when the road isn’t fixed or the budget doesn’t balance. He has sat across the table from state agencies and knows how they work, and how they don’t.
Oregonians are tired of paying more every year for power, insurance, gas and groceries while Salem asks for more. They need a representative who can read a budget, ask the hard questions, and work with anyone, regardless of party, to get results.
I’ve never cared much about party labels. I care about competence. Scott Hege has it.
Ballots arrive this week. Please vote for Scott Hege.
Betsy Johnson
Former State Senator (D-Scappoose)
CORRECTION
Due to an editor’s error, last week’s cover story (“Risky Business,” WW, Oct. 7) incorrectly stated that state Rep. Jeff Helfrich is Oregon House minority leader. In fact, he served in that leadership role from September 2023 to November 2024. WW regrets the error.
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to:
P.O. Box 10770
Portland, OR 97296
Email: amesh@wweek.com
