Despite The Law And Evidence, Mayor Wilson Forces City Council To Confront Housing Authority Scandal

Dear Portland City Councilors:

I recently asked mayor Wilson the question on the Public Mind. When do you, Mayor Wilson of Portland, intend to dismiss the chair and all the members of the Multnomah County Housing Authority, aka Home Forward?

Wilson’s Choices: Denial Of The Law OR Denial Of The Evidence?

Below are the two possible options available to the mayor.

1. I CANNOT dismiss Housing commissioners because I don’t accept the legal advice from the city attorney, Robert L. Taylor, that ORS 456.110, Removal of Appointed Housing Commissioners, is applicable to the mayor of Portland and all the members of the Multnomah County Housing Authority.

2. I WILL NOT dismiss Housing commissioners because I do not acknowledge evidence that any or all of them rise to the level of ORS 456.110 dismissible offenses despite the fact that I have the power to define those dismissible offenses, namely, inefficiency or neglect of duty or misconduct in office. I totally disagree with the statement that there is more than enough evidence to warrant removal of all Housing Authority of Multnomah County Board members for inefficiency or neglect of duty or misconduct in office. I approve of chair Gebhardt and his board’s behavior and decisions.

If a majority of the city council disagrees with me then they are empowered to instruct me to dismiss some or all of the current Housing Authority of Multnomah County Board members. I now pass the buck on as the council’s responsibility.

Mayor Wilson offered no argument against being publicly associated with option 2.

The Public’s Perception of The Mayor’s Choice And Its Message

The public’s perception of mayor Wilson’s refusal to dismiss chair Gebhardt and his board will be seen as an abdication of his legal duty and a cowardly political act to avoid a public confrontation and examination of the growing history of Wilson’s inability as mayor to understand and effectively develop an intergovernmental strategy to control homeless camping on public property and public housing availability and equitable distribution within Portland, Multnomah County and the Metro region.

Upon mayor Wilson’s indefensible refusal to take immediate action it became the responsibility of the Portland City Council to REQUIRE the mayor to dismiss the entire Multnomah County Housing Authority Board.

The eyes of the public are now focused on you, Portland’s City Council. The challenge forced upon you by mayor Wilson’s indefensible evasion of his responsibilities under ORS. 456.110 requires your immediate attention and action. Will you demonstrate to the voters that their choice of a new charter establishing a very weak mayor and very strong council was the right decision? Those six councilors running for reelection should be especially mindful of how their arguments, behavior and votes on this matter will be perceived next November by competitors, journalists and voters.

Good luck and good health to you all.

Richard Ellmyer

Portland resident since 1975.

Oregon Voter since 1971. NAV, Non Affiliated Voter. Citizen Activist.

Campaign manager and legislative assistant to state senator Bill McCoy 1980-1981.

Campaign manager and senior staff to Multnomah county commissioner Gladys McCoy 1981-1984.

Celebrate North Portland award 2016 for Volunteer Work and Service with Political and Social Issues Impacting North Portland.

Certified Oregon Change Agent by Governor John Kitzhaber 2011.

PSU Senior Adult Learner, Spring 2021 - Public Participation GiS, 500 level class

PSU Senior Adult Learner, Spring 2024 - Planning and Housing Markets, 500 level class

Author of more stories on the politics, players and policies of Public Housing in Oregon over the last twenty-three years than all other journalists and elected officials combined.

Project Champion and Data Wrangler - Metro/Oregon Public Housing Location Maps https://www.goodgrowthnw.org/maps

GIS for Activism conference, May 23, 2022, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

Richard Ellmyer - How I, A Citizen Activist, Used GIS To Effectively Tell A Necessary Yet Unavailable Truth About Public Housing

30 minute Video https://media.pdx.edu/media/t/1_2vrzokta

Lifelong Learning at PSU by Jennifer Jordan-Wong.

LET KNOWLEDGE SERVE THE CITY [Section] “Richard used a course he audited at PSU to create a citizen activist mapping tool to benefit Oregon residents, stakeholders, and policy makers…His interest in mapping as a tool for change began when he noticed that public housing was not being distributed equitably”

https://psucollegeofed.wordpress.com/2022/09/23/lifelong-learning-at-psu/?fbclid=IwAR3S9Pff0mBGeT6Ha8dQeAqL0nAqU7QzZ-0pJC_oTQJxBWlAb2fdXzdE0w4

Author of The Ellmyer Report, a newsletter that informs, educates and influences on public policy. Its target audiences are elected officials, journalists and civically engaged citizens. Facebook, Portland Politics Plus. Contributor: Patch news.