The May 2012 Mid-county Memo is posted online. A recap of its contents:

Last month, the top three mayoral candidates debated at David Douglas High School’s Howard Horner Performing Arts Center; the new Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative areas are approved; Parkrose School District averts a teacher’s strike; David Douglas special education teacher Annie Harrell is named Outstanding Teacher of the Year; Lee Perlman interviews City Commissioner Amanda Fritz and opponent, state Rep. Mary Nolan; the Planning and Sustainability Commission endorsed the Outer Powell Conceptual Design Plan; since 2006, east Portland neighborhood associations have been operating illegally; the Portland Housing Bureau is changing tax abatement area boundaries in east Portland … again; and, longtime Gateway hairstylist June Bauer’s obituary.

Are east Portland neighborhood associations all illegal? Technically yes, says East Portland Neighborhood Office Executive Director Richard Bixby, but it is not their fault. It is his.
A handful of the City’s 95 recognized neighborhood associations are 501(c)3 non-profit corporations, able to offer tax deductions for donations. Most of the rest fall into a different non-profit status.

Because they handle relatively small amounts of money, they do not have to make yearly reports to the IRS — or did not until the year 2006, when the law was changed.

The April 2012 Mid-county Memo is posted online. A recap of its contents follows:

Bre’Shay Barnes was named Rose Festival Princess from Parkrose; the new Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative areas struggle to meet financial goals; Parkrose School District declares impasse with teachers; PSD Superintendent Karen Fischer Gray is one of four finalists for Reynolds job; the first meeting between Metro and Glendoveer golf course lovers since a contentious open house in August; the Argay Neighborhood Association hires a lawyer to help fight infill development across the street from Argay Park and an east Portland high school winter sports roundup.

Editor’s note: The 2012 elections are a watershed moment in city politics. For the first time in decades, with the mayor declining to run for re-election, Randy Leonard retiring from his council seat and incumbent commissioner Amanda Fritz facing a serious challenge, there will be at least two, if not three new faces at City council. Veteran beat reporter Lee Perlman interviewed the major mayoral and city council candidates. The Smith interview concludes the mayoral portion of the series. Council candidate interviews follow in upcoming editions.

State Representative Jefferson Smith.

Editor’s note: The 2012 elections are a watershed moment in city politics. For the first time in decades, with the mayor declining to run for re-election, Randy Leonard retiring from his council seat, and incumbent commissioner Amanda Fritz facing a serious challenge, there will be at least two, if not three new faces at City council. Veteran beat reporter Lee Perlman interviewed the major mayoral and city council candidates. In this post, mayoral candidate Eileen Brady is interviewed.

At a Portland City Council Candidate forum — the first in a series sponsored by the Gateway Area Business Association — City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, vying for reelection, proudly told the audience how she intervened on behalf of Portland General Electric executive and David Douglas School Board chair Annette Mattson to get a small portion of a sidewalk built in outer east Portland specifically at Mattson’s request.

At a Portland City Council candidates forum, City Commissioner Amanda Fritz tells the audience how she personally intervened to get a sidewalk built for friend Annette Mattson in outer east Portland. East Portland businessman Bruce Altizer, one of Fritz's opponents in the race, looks on.

Posted online, here’s a recap of the February 2012 edition of the Mid-county Memo ….

Tom West, girls varsity basketball coach at Portland Christian for 30 years, was named Oregon’s 2010-2011 National Federation of State High School Associations Coach of the Year.

Former Portland Christian girls varsity coach Tom West, center, holding plaque, was named 2011 National Federation of State High School Associations Coach of the Year. West quit coaching after 30 years at the school. He won three state titles, including a 29-0, undefeated record in 2007.

СВЕТИ ГЕОРГИThe Parkrose Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative wrapped up its three organizational meetings last month with creation of a seven-person steering committee for the next step: a formal commitment to the Portland Development Commission and city, then formation of an “urban renewal light” district bringing physical, permanent improvements along Sandy Boulevard, from Northeast 99th to 120th avenues.

Colleen Gifford, from left, David Ableidinger and Luke Shepard at a Parkrose Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative organizational meeting held last month. Gifford, hired by the Parkrose Business Association through a grant from the City to recruit steering committee members for the Parkrose NPI, one of six areas in Portland designated by the City and Portland Development Commission.

As the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission continued their review of the draft document last month, Mid-Multnomah County had a prominent place in the draft Portland Plan.

Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission members, from left, Chris Smith, vice-chair Howard Shapiro and Mike Houck listen to testimony at the Portland Plan hearing held at Parkrose High School Community Center in November.

At their January 24 meeting, after praising Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and other bureaus’ staff work, they approved the Plan unanimously and forwarded it to City Council. Accoring to BPS staff, Council is expected to act on the Plan in April.

The second of the three meetings for the Portland Development Commission’s Parkrose Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative is tonight, at 7 p.m. in the Religious Education Building behind St. Rita Catholic Church, 10029 N.E. Prescott St.

An article in the Mid-county Memo on the formation of the six new mini urban renewal areas was published in December 2011 edition.