Tom Potter may be on the verge of an “all mouth, no trousers” funding decision, effectively snubbing 8 months’ work on racial profiling: His office is likely to ask for a measly $30,000 in the fall budget “bump” to fund the racial profiling commission, unless the authors of a report on the subject can change the mayor’s mind by Wednesday.

The figure is according to the Fall Bump Analysis document posted on Jack Bog’s Blog this morning—and falls $170k short than the $200k asked for by the authors of the report following a City Council hearing on the subject on October 19.

Oregon Action Director Jo Ann Bowman, one of the co-authors of the report, says she met with Maria Rubio in the mayor’s office last Wednesday, November 22, and that “our view of what we’re asking for and hers is significantly different.” It’s Bowman’s understanding that the mayor’s office wants to employ a consultant to facilitate the commission’s work, but Bowman is concerned that such an approach might lead to the racial profiling commission becoming “the mayor’s project”, rather than something owned by the community.

“The bulk of the work for this person will be done in between meetings, the person staffing the commission will really need to be comfortable researching in and communicating with the community—we see that person as more of an organizer than a t-crosser or an i-dotter,” Bowman told the Mercury this afternoon.

Bowman is due to meet again with Rubio—who was unavailable for comment at blog-time—tomorrow, and with room for maneuver still in the budget, is hoping the Mayor may change his mind and stump up more cash. It is possible, too, that the Mayor may have plans for fuller funding in the 2007-08 budget due out next Spring.