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East Portland gets new agency's attention

LEE PERMAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO

Parkrose School District Superintendent Dr. Karen Fischer Gray, standing third from the right, one of the new members sworn in last month to the renamed and reconstituted Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission.
COURTESY EDEN DABBS
East Portland may have only one member on the new Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission, but the area clearly has the group's attention.

The new body, combining the old Planning Commission with one member from the former Sustainability Commission and several new additions, had an all-day orientation session at the Pearl District's Eco-Trust Building last month.

One of the new additions is Dr. Karen Fischer Gray, Parkrose School District Superintendent. When asked in her turn to give introductory remarks she said, “Before coming here I'd never engaged in anything except small town city hall politics.” The East Portland Action Plan process, which she joined in 2007, “was really eye-opening. It opened my eyes to how much one person can do.” She now chairs the process's Communications Committee.

“We have marvelous diversity in east Portland,” she added. “In the Parkrose School District, 30 languages are spoken. Just 40 percent of the student body is white, and that includes Slavic immigrants. It's a great opportunity, although not everyone sees it that way.”

The area figured in other members' statements. Don Hanson, who was later re-elected as chair, said, “The downtown and all the inner city neighborhoods work. What doesn't work is the edges. My wife has 32 kids in her class at David Douglas. We have to take the urban core and grow it out to the edges.”

East Portland came up in other conversations as well. In discussing the “20 minute neighborhood,” which has become a favored planning goal, Planner Joe Zehnder said, “East Portland and the disabled community are cool to this concept because it isn't real for them.” The phrase refers to a neighborhood where one can walk to essential amenities and services in 20 minutes and is frequently seen by city planners as a vital element of what makes a neighborhood healthy.

Commission Member Irma Valdez said, “If we can't get east Portland to buy into 20 minute neighborhoods, it's not going to work.”

Gray responded, “East Portland is very committed to 20 minute neighborhoods; there's no problem convincing us. What we need is a safe way to access them. Sidewalks would be nice.”

The group was later visited by Mayor Sam Adams, who had conceived the idea of the combined commission. Possibly reflecting his interest in, and sometimes conflict with, other jurisdictions, Adams said, “Some say, 'The city is not supposed to interfere with education or public health,' and I absolutely disagree.” The function of the commission is “not just to have goals, but to test those goals. Challenge us!”

Perhaps thinking of some recent and abrupt changes at city hall by this mayor, Consultant Joe Hertzberg asked, “What kind of advocacy is appropriate, or inappropriate?”

“My advice to you is this city council is moved by the quality of arguments,” Adams said. “We know how special interest groups can get large volumes of people out, but we respond to good arguments, and you've made very good arguments. People do get sensitive when we don't agree with them and say, 'But we went through all this process.' Well, we're part of the process. You have a lot of power and influence, and I hope you'll use it fully.”
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