Walmart in NW Portland?

103,000 square feet with reduced parking. Groceries, drug store, furniture, kitchen and other home products.

Nope - it is a Fred Meyer expansion. [NW Examiner March 11, 2011].

Walmart in NW Portland?

103,000 square feet with reduced parking. Groceries, drug store, furniture, kitchen and other home products.

Nope - it is a Fred Meyer expansion. [NW Examiner March 11, 2011].

Portlanders aren't ready for democracy - City Hall cover-up - Hayden Island

Kudos to Jack Bog's Blog for picking up on the Portland city hall cover-up in the Tribune's story on Hayden Island. I read the Tribune everyday but passed over their story. Because I am not a native Portlander - Hayden Island stories don't seem to get my attention when it should. Hayden Island is a great example of what is wrong in Portland - it is the "leadership" and those that aspire to that leadership.

Both stories are worthy of the read - but I want to focus on the content of Bojack's post - the all too apparent willingness by public officials and political appointees to circumvent the public's right to know and the public records law a vehicle designed to facilitate the public's right to be informed.

Portland leadership at city hall is for the most part about hypocrisy and the lack of ethics and good old fashion -so it seems - honesty. What is it about politics or even working for the city that converts so easily people who are ordinarily decent people into the 'us against them' cadre of political hacks and wannabes?

I find it even more surprising that Amy Ruiz - a former reporter for the Mercury - who instead of remaining true to her reporter training and instincts - has chosen to forgo that. A change from protecting the public's right to know to manipulating the public's ability to find out. Why - because it is her job to protect the insiders from the outsiders? 

But isn't it the job of Ruiz and the others to represent in good faith the public's interest? Aren't they being paid by tax payer's dollars? Credibility and ethics appears to mean nothing to these city hall  people.

Accountability and transparency - instead of being attributes of public service - they are viewed by these  public servants as tenets of an anti-government manifesto to be avoided at all costs.

The public be damned. They aren't ready for democracy.

Portlanders aren't ready for democracy - City Hall cover-up - Hayden Island

Kudos to Jack Bog's Blog for picking up on the Portland city hall cover-up in the Tribune's story on Hayden Island. I read the Tribune everyday but passed over their story. Because I am not a native Portlander - Hayden Island stories don't seem to get my attention when it should. Hayden Island is a great example of what is wrong in Portland - it is the "leadership" and those that aspire to that leadership.

Both stories are worthy of the read - but I want to focus on the content of Bojack's post - the all too apparent willingness by public officials and political appointees to circumvent the public's right to know and the public records law a vehicle designed to facilitate the public's right to be informed.

Portland leadership at city hall is for the most part about hypocrisy and the lack of ethics and good old fashion -so it seems - honesty. What is it about politics or even working for the city that converts so easily people who are ordinarily decent people into the 'us against them' cadre of political hacks and wannabes?

I find it even more surprising that Amy Ruiz - a former reporter for the Mercury - who instead of remaining true to her reporter training and instincts - has chosen to forgo that. A change from protecting the public's right to know to manipulating the public's ability to find out. Why - because it is her job to protect the insiders from the outsiders? 

But isn't it the job of Ruiz and the others to represent in good faith the public's interest? Aren't they being paid by tax payer's dollars? Credibility and ethics appears to mean nothing to these city hall  people.

Accountability and transparency - instead of being attributes of public service - they are viewed by these  public servants as tenets of an anti-government manifesto to be avoided at all costs.

The public be damned. They aren't ready for democracy.