This week, we’re asking the candidates about mental health funding:

Multnomah County is facing an $18 million budget shortfall, which will make it exceedingly difficult to provide adequate mental health, drug treatment and addiction services. Though social services aren’t under the city’s jurisdiction, the issue impacts our city. How would you, as a city commissioner, find creative ways to fill the gap?

Randy Leonard, as always, answered first.

Randy Leonard
Position sought: Commissioner #4
Website: randyforportland.com
Public financing status: Not participating in program

While tradition may hold that the county provide senior, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, most citizens couldn’t care less which government body provides those essential services, as long as those services are adequately funded.

I agree and am proud to say that I have worked hard to establish both direct and indirect subsidies that enable Multnomah County to provide more basic human services than what they were able to fund on their own.

For example, I initiated “Project 57,” a program which provides $1.8 million to Multnomah County to fund 57 Portland jail beds and addiction treatment services to those arrested who are dependent on alcohol and/or drugs. Before “Project 57,” it was unprecedented for a city in Oregon to give its governing county money to fund jail beds and substance abuse treatment. However, those dollars provide much needed resources to Multnomah County, allowing them to deliver essential services that simultaneously help keep Portlanders safer and provide a light at the end of the tunnel for those caught up in the hell that is addiction.

I have also initiated a joint city/county study to transfer animal control services from Multnomah County to the City of Portland. The purpose of that analysis is to provide a basis for the city to assume the expense of providing animal control services to Portlanders…. a service the county must currently fund at the expense of providing basic human services to senior, addicted and mentally handicapped Portlanders. It is my belief that if the city takes over animal control services from the county, we can provide a higher level of service for pets and pet owners while simultaneously freeing up millions of dollars for the county to spend on providing services to senior, disabled and addicted Portlanders.

I will continue to work to persuade the rest of the city council to help the county wherever possible to fund programs that help our city’s most vulnerable residents.

Martha Perez
Position sought: Commissioner #4
Website: none (contact: moperez73@aol.com)
Public financing status: Less than 100 signatures & contributions

First, perhaps it's time for the city to re-evaluate whether or not we want to start addressing these issues at the local level. No one agency is capable of dealing with this crisis; although, I DO consider it to be a local urgent concern.

Right now, there are various individuals, committees, legislators, non-profit organizations, grassroots agencies and governmental departments, that are working on these issues at the grassroots, local, city, county, state, federal and international levels. It would be effective, if we could bring them all to one huge table and glean out those solutions which would help to bring about a resolve to the budget shortfall.

Based on my decade-experience working in government, I always believe that "the money's there; it's the people that don't always come. However, at some point, the people will be there and then have mercy on the money". "However, with the war in Iraq spreading into Iran and more than 60% of our federal budget now going towards war, rather than healthcare, it generally requires a great political will, to re-prioritize domestic needs as most important, if we are to solve problems in this country".

Second, we've got to deal with some underlying issues that I am aware of (there also may be other aspects I'm not familiar with, but am open to learning about):

State of Oregon/DHS: We're going to lose federal dollars, if we don't get our act together and better organize the state mental hospital (scandalous, but true). It's more complicated than this, but I'm trying to get to the heart of the matter.

OHSU: Due to a recent Oregon Supreme Court decision, no cap has been placed on the amount that can be sued for, in medical malpractice legal cases. As a result, we may possibly lose our free/low-income dental/health clinics (example: the Richmond Clinic, which serves indigent clients).

Oregon Health Plan: John Kitzhaber started this program, and I pledge to foster and nurture it, to the best of my ability. OHP also includes mental health/drug addiction/health/dental/other supportive services for clients, but it could be improved upon. Many residents of the City of Portland don't know about OHP benefits or have applied, but were turned away; we were able to lower hunger rates in Oregon, when we empowered citizens to apply for and receive food stamps/WIC, etc. Let's do the same for healthcare, too.

Other thoughts: What if we incorporated prioritizing healthcare into existing frameworks, such as the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness (with adequate input from healthcare/homeless advocates, however). In the city of San Francisco, they wanted to have every citizen receive healthcare and I believe they also figured out a way to pay for it. We already know that it's going to have to include larger employers and their workers (employers would pay a tax or fee, etc.) but not at the expense of small businesses, who cannot afford to shoulder this responsibility. I think that private industry, while not always regulated by public laws, need to be included, every step along the way and I have ideas for that, too.

If we don't need to recreate the wheel, that's one thing; however, if some of the spokes in the wheel need to be replaced, then we should do that. NOT having healthcare in Portland/Multnomah County IS a public safety issue, because our collective health is threatened, when our social safety nets are gone. The nets shall be restored, under my leadership. Change happens fastest from the bottom-up/grassroots; it is slowest from top-down.

Nevertheless, I maintain that it is a moral imperative that all levels of government, play it's crucial role, to ensure that a basic human right, such as healthcare, is done correctly. We cannot fail on this, because there are countries poorer than the US, who have already figured this one out. We need to get our act together NOW!

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to listen to my ideas for how to answer the above-stated question. Best regards.

Sincerely,
Martha Perez
General Political Activist
Candidate, City Commissioner, Position No. 4 - Public Safety

Ed Kill
Position sought: Commissioner #4
Website: none
Public financing status: Not participating in program

The county if facing a fiscal shortfall and the question is what can the city do about it, well the truth is we can’t do everything for everybody. The city is not designed to do the county’s work for it. If the county fails in it’s duties then the city will take up what slack it can, but we can’t do it all on our current city budget. As for myself, when I’m elected I will take my commissioners paycheck and rent a house or an apartment and provide a home for at least one homeless family for as long as I’m a city commissioner.

I know it ain’t much but, it‘s a start.

Money is always the biggest issue in an election year. Most of the time there is to little money and people argue and argue about ‘spending’ and ‘the deficit’. On rare occasions there is a surplus of money and still people will argue and argue about how to spend it as fast as possible.

The simple fact is that taxes and services are directly related, if you want more services the taxes must go up and if you want lower taxes, then you get fewer services. That’s the way it is in life “learn to accept it !”

The only alternative is to find the programs that are not effective or are wasting tax dollars, and eliminate them. The IPRD and the CRC are perfect examples. We spend tax dollars on these programs but get nothing in return. Not only do they fail in their missions, the IPRD has become the biggest obstacle in actually providing any police oversight. Quite frankly the IPRD and CRC are nothing but a dog and pony show, and in this economy we can’t afford to throw away more tax dollars on this farce.

Emily S. Ryan
Position sought: Commissioner #4
Website: emilysryan.com
Public financing status: Less than 100 signatures & contributions

Did not respond by deadline.