Partisan politics at play

How can you tell if candidates are NONpartisan? They tell you.

We have two; here is one.

Jon Gustafson, Facebook 
September 23, 2016

(Emphasis by USC)
I've had a few people ask why I am not participating in the "debate" being hosted by the Political Action Committee called LOCAL. While they claim to be a non-partisan group, LOCAL has a history of almost exclusively supporting Republican candidates. They also have a history of misrepresenting my positions. (To be fair, they did get one point right. I supported Streetcar and Foothills) For that reason, I don't consider them an impartial organization. There are also at least four other debates or forums where you'll have the opportunity to hear me share my vision for Lake Oswego's future and I look forward to seeing you at one of those. In the meantime, I'm going to skip this debate and knock-on-doors instead. Just wish me luck, because LOCAL took the last mayoral candidate with a vision for the future and had his head severed and placed on the back of bicycle that was about to be hit by a streetcar. Yikes! 

"Severed" head?  "Hit" by a streetcar?  It was a humorous ad that put Jack Hoffman and Greg Macpherson on a bicycle - they advocated more bike paths as a primary transportation option, with a streetcar in the background, which they also wanted for Lake Oswego.  These positions represent(ed) a Metro-centric agenda, not a partisan one.  Too bad Jon can't see the difference but continues his habit of  painting the world in vivid shades of red and blue.

Is LOCAL a partisan, Republican group?  NO!  

And many of its members would be offended by this label.  
  LOCAL is a non-partisan, agenda-driven group whose purpose crosses party lines.  It's members board and come from liberal and conservative backgrounds, plus a healthy melange of mixed views and undeclared voters.  The common issues that unite LOCAL members are the preservation of Lake Oswego as a small town that does not follow Metro's Smart-Growth agenda, and a fiscally responsible budget that prioritizes core services.    

Jon should read LOCAL's website to get an idea of who they are.  Instead, he immerses himself in party politics, identifying himself as a Democrat, and perpetuates political divisions that are divisive and toxic.  Municipal elections are supposed to be non-partisan, but that's not the way he is playing the game.  

This is suburbia.  Why do people move here and then want to radically change it?  

Jon wants to re-create the glory days of the early 2000s (2000-2012)  when a single group's vision dominated the city without regard for the interests of the "silent majority".  The more active, well-organized and well-funded new-urbanists (Jon's constituency)) have been chomping at the bit to re-take the city down the high-high-density, urban, Utopian, elitist path that has already been rejected by the majority - a streetcar to Plrtland, a densely developed Foothills area, and more.

In his Facebook post, Jon confirms my previously stated opinion that his campaign is partisan and non-inclusive.  At the LOCAL forum he had the opportunity to talk to people who may not agree with his visions, and persuade them his were superior ideas.  Instead, Jon brushed off a group of CITIZENS (the forum was open to the public) because he PRE-JUDGED THEY WEREN'T WORTH HIS TIME TO BOTHER WITH.  And this he wants to be their mayor?!?   

It looks like Jon only wants to be mayor of the people who agree with him.  His Facebook page is anything but non-partisan or inclusive of other points of view.  His administration would be just as  divisive and destructive as those of Judie and Jack - people he reveres and said were his role models to follow for his term as mayor. 

I have declared in the past that 

I support LOCAL - 

an organization by and for the people of Lake Oswego. 

Blog bots and creepy things

Bots, spiders, creepy, crawly things all over me. 

The election is getting to be interesting, 

but not in a healthy way.

Ever since I posted about The PACs of Lake Oswego and Financing a Mayor last week, this blog has been receiving regular spikes (a bundle of hits) at 4-5 hour intervals, 24 hours a day.  The pattern resulting on the graph of blog activity is definitely machine generated.

Somebody is surveilling me, and it has to do with city elections.

That's fine, and in some ways good.  Someone's cage is being shaken.

It's also sad.

Sad that the elections in 2016 have become so cutthroat.  Sad that so much money and so many outsiders are becoming involved in local politics.  Sad that regular citizens are being lied to and manipulated.  If money counts, it is tragic.

Elections this year are charting the course of our city for years to come.  The forces wanting partial and gross urban transformation of the city are coming back strong, and if they succeed in gaining a majority of the council, will no doubt try to push through huge changes before the council can change again.  This was attempted in the last months of 2012 when the same people, using the same rhetoric tried to set in stone progressive policies before a new mayor and council were worn in.

Opportunistic politicization of our city government for whose benefit?  For all of the citizens of the city, or just the cabal that temporarily wields the power?

FOLLOW THE MONEY.

When the election is over and the dust settles, what baggage will the winners bring with him or her?  Are their contributors' goals the same as yours?

Wishing for a non-activist, non-partisan government.

To my bot friends:  Keep watching, I'm not through digging into the money, people and power that are making a play for my city.  Just don't mess with my content .. I'm watching back.  

Halloween in PERSville

Scary, but all too real. 

Borrow to pay for unfunded liabilities?  

Isn't that what Pay Day Loans are for?  

Below are Comments from a scary Oregonian article about the depth of the state's unpaid PERS liabilities that are impacting governments, school districts and agencies throughout the state.  Read the entire Oregonian article for the truly frightening stuff!

The Oregonian, October 8, 2016  by Ted Sickinger
Possible PERS fix: Borrowing money 

The idea isn't new. It's risky, and it may not be feasible given the state's debt limits, required voter approvals and reaction of Republican state leaders, who are dead set against the idea

Comments:
oregongrown
The Oregonian Dec 2015- Why PERS is Under Water Again

"Randall Pozdena, who worked for the Oregon Investment Council, who has warned PERS and legislators, repeatedly, that it was on unstable ground due to massive over-crediting.""The Oregonian reported on Dec. 1 that PERS' unfunded actuarial liability (UAL) is likely to be $20.5 billion by year's end — an amount equal to 27 percent of Oregon household income."

See that folks.  That was last Dec 2015.  The PERS UNFUNDED LIABILITY IS OVER $22 billion now.  So that is an amount equal to about 30% percent of Oregon household income. And these are the financial stewards we have in charge of OUR money.

Beyond Pathetic.

trlfan
And people think measure 97 is a good idea?  They don't need more money, we need to elect people who aren't mentally handicapped.

oregongrown
The Public Employees Retirement Board implements and administers the policy choices made by the Legislature.

As trustee of the Public Employees Retirement Fund, the PERS Board has a fiduciary responsibility to administer the system in the best interest of the members contributing to the PERS Fund.

What about the people that "contribute" as in taxpayers? We the taxpayers are forced to contribute to this but somehow we get none of that "fiduciary responsibility" administered to us.

yourmaster
Ridiculous idea....borrowing more to get out of debt has never worked...ever.

averagejoe44
PERS Funding Becomes Oregon’s Top Priority. In 1989, the Legislature made new laws to punish public employers that do not pay their PERS assessments on time. Laws already allowed the Attorney General to sue public employers to recover late PERS payments, but that was not enough. The new laws made the public employer pay interest on any delinquent PERS assessment and, after the delinquency is certified by the PERS Board, the State Treasury must withhold all money due the delinquent public employer until the deficiency is paid. The purpose of that legislation was clear: PERS assessments must be paid first. If services to the public are reduced, then so be it. To the PERS members who control the decision making process, PERS funding is more important than services to the people.

beholderzeye
yep...one thing is for sure, the answer to any PERS solution is not to cut ANY employees and/or benefits...
Don't these pathetic, greedy, little people realize that exactly how the mafia operates...get people in over their heads financially and then force them to work for them, the mafia...

Financing a Mayor

Do you know how the candidates for mayor 

and city council have funded their campaigns so far?  

It matters.   

If you check out the blog post "The PACs of Lake Oswego," you will see how patterns develop in local political contests.  In many cases, you will see the same names repeated on many PAC and candidate sites as people gravitate from one PAC to a newer one and then to candidates who are part of the same group.  The division of interests between density and smart growth vs low and slow growth, and low debt vs visionary ideas has been a thorn in the city's side for about a decade. There is an agenda that is being expressed and funded through these contests, but new trends are forming that may shake up the entrenched political scene.  We are in a tough battle for the soul of the city.

In 2016 there has been an intensity of outside interests (not residents of Lake Oswego), partisan support and involvement (Democratic Party), and special interest blocs dominating some of the campaigns.   Support by political parties should be prohibited in local campaigns as it lays waste to the spirit of our city government being unbiased and nonpartisan.

It is important to know who is influencing our elections.  Seeing where candidates' funding is coming from is one way to guage who might be influencing which candidate.

How citizens vote in November will tell the future candidates and supporters how much influence they can expect to gain in Lake Oswego.  Will their money and organizations buy them the results they want?m can we ever get the outsiders, the money, political parties and business interests out of our elections again?  Can we be whole?

Here are the Mayoral candidates' campaign supporters from the Orestar website.  To search for a candidate or committee, go HERE and type in the search information.
Note:  
* All information is YTD, however online reporting lags actual financial activity by about a week.
*  There are still several weeks before the election so check candidates' finance activity frequently
     for current information.
*  On Campaign Activity pages, click on "Export to Excel Format" for details on contributors, etc.

Dave Berg    
Campaign Activity for Friends of Dave Berg:  
Key Facts:  
Contributions YTD:  $4,362        Expenditires YTD:  $1,234        Balance:  $3,128
Contributors are from Lake Oswego except for one couple who lived in LO recently and plan to move back.  There are no PACs or special interest groups evident; Berg indicated he will not be accepting money from these groups.  Contributions are mainly small, <$100.  This is an intentionally local citizen and frugal campaign that conforms to Berg's fiscal and governing policies.  
Key Contributors:
Tana Haynes,  Mary Elizabeth Magrath,  Dave Barra,  Chris L Foster,  Rick Parfrey,  Teri McCulloh,  Mike McCulloh,  David Luck


Jon Gustafson
Campaign Activity for Friends of Jon Gustafson
Key Facts: 
Contributions YTD:  $17,904     Expenditures YTD:  $11,358*     Balance:  $7,409
* Expenses include a $5,000 contribution to a new PAC, Friends of Lake Oswego.  Estimate of campaign expenses to date: $6,358
Jon's supporters have multiple crossover affiliations with PACs listed in prior blog post and similar campaigns/activities.  There are 4 PACs represented among Jon's contributors:  2 unions and 2 political PACs.  Of 31 individuals contributing over $100, 24 (75%) are from Lake Oswego, and 7 (25%) are from other cities or states.  The Friends of Jon Gustafson's PAC's first expense was to the Democratic Party of Oregon.  The assumption is that he purchased data on Lake Oswego Democrats for his campaign.  There is a heavy partisan lean to this campaign - one dominated by groups and PACs with similar names and agendas.  This appears to be a highly insular and partisan campaign.  Should Gustafson be elected, it will mean a return to the dominance of the liberal crowd who ran the city in the recent past.  

Key Contributors:   
Linda Gusfafson,  Eliot Metzger,  Colleen Schrotzberger,  United Food and Commercial Workers Union,  Friends of Ann Lininger,  The Coalition for Lake Oswego,  Local #1159 Fire PAC,  Norma Prichard,  Greg Taylor,  Erin O'Rourke Meadors,  Heather Chrisman,  Craig Prosser,  Tracey Elliott,  Eliott Spindel,  Mary Ratcliff,  Heidi Fox,  Melvyn Greenburg,  John Gustafson,  Lisa Adatto,  Allan Solares,  Robert Lawrence,  Bill Dickwy,  Jonathan Hayes,  Stephanie Wagner,  Ann Marie Fallow Haselwood,  Sally Moncrieff,   Denise Frisbee,  Gunilla Persson,  Craig Briggs,  Bruce Brown,  Donna Jordan,  Janice Castle,  Monicah McGee,  Laurie Cremona Wagner,  Michael Buck 

Kent Studebaker 
Campaign Activity for Studebaker for Mayor
Key Facts:
Contributions YTD:  $19,116      Expenditures YTD:  $8,350     Balance:  $11,367
Contributors can be broken into 4 groups, but there are crossovers among the groups;  one contributor can belong to 1, 2 or 3 groups.  The strongest associations are among those involved in the development/real estate industry, and people who live on the lake:  33 contributors >$100? Includes 1 PAC and 32 individuals.  Of the individual donors:
24. (75%) are residents of Lake Oswego;  8 (25%) live outside the city or state. 
Of the 24 residents, 16 (75%) of residents and 50% of all donors) live on the lake.  
9 of 32  (about belong to the real estate, development, and real estate financing industries)  
The dominance of these groups shows an insular campaign that is relying on wealthy people (mostly males) and people with personal and business interests that may have an interest in influencing the mayor or electing someone more amenable to their interests.  

The campaign does not appear to include (many?) regular citizens, causing me to ask, who is Kent running for?   Development interests are easy to peg, while the Lake Corp and City are still involved in a lawsuit to open the lake to the public. (I agree that the lake should remain private.)   Studebaker also has a waterfront home.  Most of the money (about $14k) was collected in February at a $250/head fundraising party organized by Elaine Franklin and hosted by Rick and Erika Miller.  Including all those who donated less than $100, the average contribution to Kent's campaign has been $546.  

Key Contributors:  
Michael J Stevenson,  Edward H Frankel,  RAF Investments (Rob Fallows),  Jay Hamachek, Philip Robinson,  James Kronnberg,  Geoffrey Brown,  James Mendenhall,  Oregon First, Patrick Radecki,  Mike Kehoe,  Mardan Afrasiabi,  Erika Miller,  Mark Birge,  Andrew Gianopoulos,  Darrell Brett MD PC,  David Ellis, Mary Jo Avery,   RJ Barman,  Jay Hamachek,  Elaine Franklin,  Edward Hutson,  Patrick Kessi,  William Korach,  Lawrence Lopardo, Bob Packwood,  Greg Specht, Jon Stirek,  John Wendland,  Robert Zink,  Justin Harnish,  Jeffrey Parker,  Jonathan Harmosh,  Kent Studebaker.  

The PACs of Lake Oswego

An introduction to the Political Action Committees (PACs) in Lake Oswego 

With a brand new PAC on the scene, it's time to review the history of PACs in LO, and ponder the formation of a new one, since the contributors seem to be the same as those in groups that have come before.  Curious.  This is one to watch.

The split in the political landscape started during the debate over the purchase of the Safeco (WEB) building which was done by the city council hurriedly, using an expensive bank loan, and buying the property at a premium price.  This was when the public started to become aware of the city council's other visionary plans for the city (streetcar, density in downtown, Foothills and Lake Grove, an expensive over-capacity water project, more urban renewal projects, and more debt.

Politics is about power and money - who will have the power to control the future of the city.  Sometimes ideology is involved (sustainability, smart growth) - with land use and development as the underlying money driver.  Trace the names in these groups and see what other groups, committees, commissions, etc. they are or have been involved in.  If all city committees and NGOs associated with city governance were included, the list would easily be 10x as long, and the same names would keep popping up. The repetitive appearance of the same names is not a coincidence.

LOCAL was established as a counter to the established power bloc.  It supports a low-growth policy that is created through local input, not Metro planning or other ideological theories.

Except for LOCAL, which is non-partisan, the PACs skew heavily toward a Democratic base.  These groups are not representative of Lake Oswego as a whole, but their influence since 2000 has been overwhelming.  In November will we see a return to dominance by a particular group?
______________________________________________________________________________
Name                                                                                           Start Date           
Friends of Lake Oswego                                                           6/8/2016 
Purpose
"Supporting candidates and measures in Lake Oswego"
Key Contributors
Greg McPherson,  Joseph Buck,  Friends of Ann Lininger,  Lynn Peterson,  Friends of Jon Gustafson, Friends of Theresa Kohlhoff,  David Yaden,  Theresa Nute,  Stephanie Wagner,  Ron Wagner,  Andrea Salinas,  Friends of Brent Barton,  Oregon AFSCME Cpuncil 75
Key Recipients / Causes Issues 
None as yet.
_________________________________________________________________________
Name                                                                                           Start Date
The Coalition for Lake Oswego                                                5/23/2013                            
Began as a counter to the success of LOCAL's efforts in the 2012 campaign. 
Purpose
"Support and organize Lake Oswegans who promote thoughtful investment in Lake Oswego schools, parks, businesses, arts and culture, recreational programs and natural resources."
Key Contributors 
Friends of Greg Macpherson,  Christina Schetky,  Sally Moncrieff,  Robert LeChevallier,  Joan Moore,  Lisa Adatto,  William Tierney,  Sarah Howell
Key Recipients / Issues
Friends of Jon Gustafson, Friends of Joseph Buck
_________________________________________________________________________
Name                                                                                           Start Date
Keep Lake Oswego Great (KLOG)                                            8/8/2008
KLOG is the successor to Our City Our Future (see below).  
Purpose

"Support local candidates and measures which will maintain the quality of life of the Lake Oswego community."

Key Contributors  
Our City Our Future, Friends of Greg Macpherson, Oregon First,  Charles O'Leary,  Terry Sanderson,  Erin O Meadors,  Linda E Brown,  George L Benson,  Susan L Gibsonsteir,  Mary Solares,  Allen Solares,  Robert LeChevallier,  Heather Chrisman,  Merrill A McPeak,  Linda Aolard,  Deborah Lopardo,  Janice T Castle,  Judith Hammerstad,  Christine Schetky,  Linda E Kerl,  Karen Jacobsen,  John Hanan,  Charles G Oldham,  Jan Coulton,  Karen A Stewart,  Lisa Adatto,  Andrea Salinas
Key Recipients / Issues
Advertising to support issues.    
_________________________________________________________________________
Name                                                                                            Start Date
Lake Oswego Citizens' Action League (LOCAL)                     1/31/2012
PAC was formed during the 2012 election to support candidates who eschewed a Metro-focused growth plans in favor of local citizen planning. The PAC was formed as a grass-roots campaign to counter a well-funded and organized effort to bring a streetcar and urban development to LO.   locitizens.com
Purpose 
"Issue education and candidate support"
Key Contributors 
Ellen Pullen,  Lauren Hughes,  Dr. Tana M Haynes,  James Mendenhall,  Richard A Sorenson,  Michael A Roach,  Gerald L Good,  GeorgeL Page,  Ron Smith,  W R Tagmyer,  Stephen L Shepard,  Richard A Kerman,  Howard G Franklin,  Tracy Marx,  Pamela S Roach,  Rodney Grimm,  John Wendland,  Timothy Keenan,  Jerry Marlow,  Johnson Road Investors,  Charles V Hoff,  Eric P Eselius,  Ted Halton,  Doug Pope,  Sheela Paranipe,  Steve Holwerda,  David Ludwig,  RPBK LLC, Edward Hostmann,  Hans Sohlstrom,  Robert Federspiel,  Michelle M Dorman,  Suzann P Kitch,  Brian L Dunkey,  Eric Torkelson,  Cheryl M Smith,  Charles Collins,  Brynda Petrie,  Andrew Ferguson,  Jerry A Parsons,  Karen M Richardson,  Thomas J Braden,  David L Ellis,  Johnathan Harnish,  Frank J Von Deventer,  Dr. Darrell Brett,  Peter B Sweet,  LO Stewards PAC,  Dennis Haggeman
Key Recipients / Issues 
Media and event expenses only.
_________________________________________________________________________
Name                                                                                          Start Date
Oregon First                                                                              11/16/2010       
A PAC organized and funded by attorney, Peter Glazer. This PAC does not limit itself to Lake Oswego politics. 
Purpose
"Favors Victims' Rights in Civil and Criminal Justice System; and Other Purposes Benefitting People of Lake Oswego, Clackamas Cty and/Or State of OR" 
Key Contributors 
Glazer and Associates, PC
Key Recipients / Issues
Friends of Richard Devlin
Bob Stacy for Metro President
Re-Elect Judge Suzanne Upton
Bob Stacy
Also:  Keep Lake Oswego Great, Kent Studabaker for Mayor and Charles Collins for Lake Oswego City Council show as recipients on each of their PAC pages.
______________________________________________________________________
Name                                                                                          Start Date
Our City Our Future (Discontinued)                                        9/5/2007
When Our City Our Future was discontinued, the remaining funds were donated to KLOG.                   
Purpose

2007 November Election Opposes Measure  #3-269		City of Lake Oswego: Requires elections for city real property purchases exceeding $2 million.
2007 November Election Supports Measure  #3-273 2008 November Election   Supports Measure  #3-295		City of Lake Oswego: Vote On Retaining City Ownership of the Former Safeco Property   Lake Oswego Bond Issue For West End Building Refinancing

Key Contributors
Willamette Women Democrats PAC, Friends of Judie Hammerstad,  Judith T Hammerstad,  Steve Larsson,  Sue Larson,  Robert J Barman,  O'Neill International,  Mercantile Village Investors,  Ramzan Magomedov,  Erin O Meadors,  Skip O'Neill,  Donna Jordan,  Charles O'Leary,  Michael J Buck,  Jay W Minor,  Scott Bullard,  Robert Zink,  Drew Prell,  Barry A Cain,  McLellan Minor Family Trust,  Emogene Waggoner,  Merrill A McPeak,  Elynor F McPeak,  Frank A Groznik,  Portland General Electric Co.,  Denise F Frisbee,  Lynn Hennagin,  Patrick J Kearney,  Janet Buck,  Friends of Lake Oswego Library Board,  Georgr Benson,  555 2nd St Inc,  Eric E Meyer,  Jack Hoffman,  Dennis Elliott,  Stephanie H Wagner,  Linda E Kerl,  Liane Cabot,  Greater Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce,  David Craig,  Debbie Craig
Key Recipients / Issues
Advertising and media supporting and opposing the measures stated above.  
_______________________________________________________________________

TONIGHT: Attend one, record the others

MAYORAL DEBATE TONIGHT

One of two mayoral candidate debates is scheduled for tonight.  Unfortunately, the Clinton/Trump debate will air at the same time.  For those interested in both debates, record the national debate on TV, and attend the mayoral debate at the Lakewood Center.

Football games are another story.  They can also be taped, but not very exciting to watch after the fact.

The unfortunate timing blows my ideal schedule, but I have to prioritize, so the choice is easy (just not made without a lot of grumbling!).

For those who are looking for the easy way out, the Lake Oswego Review has promised that videos of the debates will be available on their websites.  I would hate to see the debates (for mayor and city council) be held in an empty room while citizens waited for the video online.  What happens in person make a difference with the energy and course of live performances, so attendance by a wide portion of the population is important.

See you tonight!

MONDAY, SEPT. 26: A forum for candidates running for Mayor (Budget Committee Chairman Dave Berg, City Councilor Jon Gustafson and incumbent Mayor Kent Studebaker).

The forum will take place in the Community Meeting Room at the Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State St., scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m., and will be recorded and available for viewing later at lakeoswegoreview.com.

Note:  the Lake Oswego Review is sponsoring a debate for City Council candidates on October 3 at the same time and place as above.  

And on October 2nd!

The Lake Oswego Citizens Action League - LOCAL - has scheduled a debate for City Council and mayoral candidates at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Lake Oswego High School (2501 Country Club Road). All but Gustafson are expected to attend. The format will feature a moderator and three community members who will ask questions; attendees will also be able to submit questions at the event.

And another...  

The Chamber of Commerce, a special interest group, is holding its own mayoral debate at a breakfast meeting in September.  They are opening the meeting to the public at a cost of $35 per person.

USC is fine with any group doing whatever it wants, allowing any guests it wants, and charging any fees it wants.  And while this may be considered doing a public service in a loose sense of the term, it caters to only those who can afford its fees and is still a private organization with self-interests that do not prioritize the general welfare of the public.  Consider the purpose of the Chamber of Commerce members (to maximize their businesses) and how their objectives might jive with yours.  

This group differs from LOCAL which is a non-partisan group of local citizens who are interested in preserving a high quality of life in Lake Oswego.  Membership is free and open to anyone, donations are welcome, and the forum is free and open to all.  See the LOCAL website for more information:  locitizens.com.   

Keep LO Safe

Be vigilant and proactive

Maybe homelessness and vagrancy, drug use and harassment isn't happening in your neighborhood - yet - but let's make sure this problem doesn't happen anywhere in Lake Oswego.

Municipal Codes and policies on dealing with the homeless and criminal behavior need to be up to date and enforced.  LO should not become another magnet for vagrants spilling over from our very lax big-city neighbor to the north.  Prevention is better than a cure.

Lake Oswego Review, September 22, 2016
Police Log

9/12/16 2:30 p.m. A building owner said people are sleeping behind his property and leaving food and needles behind. 

9/13/16 3:54 p.m. Two homeless women were holding up signs asking for help at the Safeway on Avenue A.

9/14/16 4:03 p.m. Neighbors asked police to remove a man who was attempting to live on a stairwell.

Pretend Everything's Really Swell

PERS

But Oh My, Beware!

BOMB

The City has a time bomb ticking.  Public Employee Retirement System costs are growing.  According to The Oregonian, disaster isn't in the future, it is now.

Which candidates for mayor and city council are willing to face this issue head on instead of hiding from reality with feel-good propaganda, or concerned but not too worried reassurances.  Why doesn't the City Manager educate the Council about the impending costs and what they will do to the budget?

Does Employee Unions' support have anything to do with it?  I'm open to other suggestions here.

The Oregonian, September 21, 2016. By Ted Sickinger 
'This is becoming a moral issue':  Officials face truth behind Oregon's soaring pension costs

The numbers are bleak. Oregon's pension system owes billions of dollars more to retirees than it has, and the last major attempt to fix the problem was shot down in courts.

This month, cities, school districts and others will find out how much more they'll pay to help prop up the system. Higher pension costs could come at the expense of funding for other needs, including social services, infrastructure investments and education programs.

Experts openly acknowledged they're understating the magnitude of Oregon's problem. They're relying on optimistic assumptions about investment returns. And they're holding down required pension payments below what's needed to keep pace with the debt, to avoid eviscerating school and government budgets across Oregon.

"We're beyond crisis," Katy Durant, chair of the Oregon Investment Council, said in an interview after last week's meeting. "We should have been addressing this 20 years ago and it's just been building. It's a little bit like a Ponzi scheme. Sooner or later it's going to catch up with you."

"This problem is not going away," said John Thomas, a Eugene benefits consultant who chairs the pension system's board. "It is what it is. The math is the math...It's getting to a point now that it's difficult for people to accept what these numbers are."   

As it stands, pension payments cost government agencies and school districts across the state about $2 billion every two years, and they're panicking about the $885 million, or 44 percent jump, in required payments over the next two years.

That's just next biennium," PERS Director Steve Rodeman, said at the meeting. "There's going to be one just like that in the next biennium and very similar to that, under almost any scenario, in the one after that." 

The power behind the power: Political influence at work in Lake Oswego

Note:  This post is based on both fact and conjecture.  Except for one "Hello," during the Wizer Block controversy (she was employed by developer Patrick Kessi at the time), I have never met or spoken to Elaine Franklin.  Opinions expressed here are based on research (see links) and information from local sources.  

Links below reference articles in the Oregonian, Los Angeles Times, Philladelphia Inquirer, New York Times, City of Lake Oswego website, and St. John's Review.  Research includes other government and media websites.  

"She's been called the Human Bulldozer"

-- Mary Otto, The Philidelphia Inquirer 

From what I've heard, she doesn't like to be talked about.  Photos of her are difficult to find.  She is a background kind of person, doing her work out of the public eye.

Dunthorp resident, Elaine Franklin, is a political strategist with experience working in the tough political environment of Washington DC. She worked for former Republican Senator Bob Packwood during his last year in office when he was mired in a scandal that ended his political career.  Franklin marrried Packwood following his 1995 exit from office.  A look at Packwood's personal diaries from that period tells about her time working with him.

During the decades following their DC tenure, Franklin has turned her political acumen to more local   campaigns, including in Lake Oswego.  She worked for Patrick Kessi as his spokesperson for the large development proposed (now under construction) for the Wizer block, and has continued to work for Kessi on his other projects.  Franklin is now assisting Kent Studebaker in his run for mayor, and possibly other candidates for city council.  Why?  Personal interest?  Financial gain?  Power and influence with top people from government and industry?  All three, or something else?

Why am I writing a post about Elaine Franklin?  Clearly she is and has been a part of local political campaigns and involved in issues directly related to Lake Oswego's growth and development.  Her background as a Washington DC political insider becomes relevant with regards to her power and influence and operating methods.  And because political operatives generally do their work out of the limelight, it is important for Lake Oswegans to know about the activities and motivations of people influencing the city.

This election will determine the future development and operations of the city; Much is at stake.  In 2012 and 2014, Franklin was involved in LO campaigns for mayor and 3 city councilors.  If rumors are true (we will not know about her in-kind assistance for some campaigns until near the end of the campaigns or until after the election), she will have potentially assisted in the election of 5 of 7 council members!  This my friends, is a lot of power placed in one individual.  Add to that her involvement with developers, and we are possibly looking at a coordinated effort to influence more than ordinary city governance.

Why is this (or any) outsider so interested in Lake Oswego that she donates her valuable time and skills to see that certain people are elected?  What does she get out of it?  Are we looking at another political cabal/machine trying to take over OUR TOWN?  It sure feels like it.

*

The Philidelphia Inquirer, October 10, 1995. By Mary Otto

Elaine's idea was you impeach whoever you can impeach. Create the impression they are all spurned women, femi-nazis, sluts."

The New York Times, September 8, 1995
From the Packwood's Diaries:
He finished, [ deleted by Ethics Committee ] and I and Elaine and [ Senator X ] and the guy traveling with [ Senator X ] met for just 10 or 15 minutes. [ Senator X ] again promised $100,000 for party-building activities.

And what was said in the room would be enough to convict us all of something. He says, now, of course you know there can't be any legal connection between this money and Senator Packwood, but we know that it will be used for his benefit. [ deleted by Ethics Committee ] said, oh, yes.


God, there's Elaine and I sitting there. I think that's a felony, I'm not sure. This is an area of law I don't want to know. . . . March 27, 1993

Oregonian, January 10, 2014. By Jeff Mapes
Franklin, eight years younger, also remains active and continues to work on political campaigns.  Two years ago, she headed a citizens group that helped stop the proposed Portland-to-Lake-Oswego streetcar line that would have run through their neighborhood.

Portland Monthly, September 13, 2010. By Zach Dundas
It’s easy to understand Dunthorpeans’ alarm. The tracks run close to homes, sometimes splitting 
front walkways in two. Franklin—who boasts of her schoolgirl streetcar commute in her native England—argues the whole plan is misguided. “The project’s ridership and financing models rely on wishful thinking.” 

Those keeping score like to point out the director of LO’s economic and capital development department, Brant Williams, and the principals of Williams/Dame & White (no relation) all worked on Portland’s South Waterfront. “The circus is just moving south,” Bergstein chimes. Or as Franklin puts it, “If you wanted to be Machiavellian about it, why does cute little upper-middle-class Lake Oswego get a cute little streetcar while other parts of the metro area don’t get their basic transit needs met?”

Lake Oswego Redevelopment Agency, Block 137 Development (Wizer Block) Contacts:
General comments and concerns.     Elaine Franklin.      (503) 819-2647.    elainefranklin@aol.com
Questions from media.                      Elaine Franklin.      (503) 819-2647.    elainefranklin@aol.com

Homeless in Lake Oswego

Really?  Homeless people in Lake Oswego?  You have to be kidding!

Urban problems have crept into Lake Oswego.  The question is, do we have the tools to fight homeless camping, drug use, harassment, loitering and more?  Is there a humane way to treat mentally ill people?  We can't hide from these problems - they are upon us.  To the streetcar fans out there - HCT will only exacerbate the problem, mostly in the East End.

We moved to Lake Oswego in 1974 knowing there is a population here that wanted a peaceful, safe and quiet life and would support a police forc that could achieve this goal.  I respect the work of our men and women in blue whose work is getting harder. Safety is a fundamental part of the quality of life in Lake Oswego, and we must be vigilant and pro-active to preserve it.

Tip:  Drive by a park, secluded business or apartment/condo parking lot or wide spot on a quiet roadway at night and look for cars or vans that people may be sleeping in.  From personal experience, I can tell you that while this is not common, it does happen.  Locals can cite where people camp at the edges of town, and within city limits.

What do the candidates for mayor and city council think about the problem?  

From the Lake Oswego Review, August 25, 2016

Prior weeks have similar postings. 

Police Log:

8/15/16 6:34 a.m. People exercising at Foothills Park were bothered by a man who was standing nearby and staring at them.

8/17/16 9:08 a.m. Two men who appeared to be homeless sat down in the street after knocking on the door of a home on Northshore Road.

8/19/16 9:22 a.m. A beat-up school bus with mattresses inside was reportedly parked on Overlook Drive.

8/19/16 3:01 p.m. A transient was found sleeping on City property. He was advised to sleep somewhere else.

8/21/16 10:01 p.m. An odd couple showed up at a park bench. The man disappeared, but the woman he left behind looked skinny, strung out and ill.