Yesterday was a little nutty, what with a federal court making history in Oregon. Apologies for the delay, but here are the mayoral candidates, answering this week’s question:

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 mayor, find creative ways to fill the gap?

I promise you, however, that it was worth the wait—this week, Sho Dozono’s joining the party. This might be the first time you can compare Dozono and Sam Adams side by side on an issue, as Dozono—up until this point—has been focusing on soliciting public financing contributions, not his platform.

(As always, catch up on past questions and other races at portlandmercury.com/2008. And email me with questions!)

James Lee was first to respond.

Jim Lee
Position sought: Mayor
Website: blogmayor.com
Public financing status: Not participating

Commissioner Lonnie Roberts told me that Multnomah County needs to find $100 million to replace the Sellwood Bridge. (Sounds high to me, but let’s go with it.) So I spoke with staff people for the bridge project and asked if Sam’s $460 million streets and roads program provided any money for a new Sellwood bridge.

Answer: No.

Multnomah County has primary responsibility for our Willamette River bridges, even though they are a great regional asset. This huge financial load greatly impacts the County’s ability to provide vital social services, including mental health and treatment of addictions.

I strongly disagree with Sam’s approach in matters like this. In a lifetime of doing physical science I have learned that the VAST PROJECTS SYNDROME is exactly the wrong way to solve problems. Science advances by tackling specific anomalies, current problems, the most pressing one first. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Obviously the City of Portland could and should help Multnomah County greatly with financing the new Sellwood Bridge. Even 10% of Sam’s $460 million over a decade or so for a new Sellwood Bridge would mean that the County could redirect substantial money toward seriously underfunded social services.

Sometimes an indirect approach to a problem is the best approach. My approach in this situation addresses two serious problems effectively. Sam’s approach addresses neither.

We all benefit from physical infrastructure, like bridges. But we all benefit from good social services too.

Jeff Taylor
Position sought: Mayor
Website: portland123.com
Public financing status: Participating, has not submitted any contributions

Here we go again! More shortfalls, higher taxes, no accountability, no results for taxpayers.

When I ran for Mayor in 2004 and came in 5th with nearly 3,200 votes, I advocated we first had to cut waste. Multnomah County is at 3/4 Portland so this impacts Portland greatly.

I would work with Multnomah County to allow my "Grey Berets", my senior citizens to find the waste to pay for these programs without increasing any more taxes.

I also advocated using the waterways like the Willamette and Columbia Rivers like we did 150 years ago with several ferries that could be turned into evening entertainment on the water, possible casinos, with monitoring. This would give us a PERMANENT source of funding for schools and such social projects. The ferries and water taxis could be used in the day to reduce traffic congestion.

Taxpayers and Business Owners in Portland and Multnomah County are being taxed to death. We are not on parity with other Oregon counties and cities.

Now the City and County want to saddle us with higher water and sewer bills. It never ends. It should now.

Most taxpayers in Multnomah don't even realize they pay each year in their property taxes to run Wapato Jail, but the county uses the money for other things not what the voters voted on.

Why have so many citizens and business left Portland and Multnomah County? For the above reasons!

Had Enuff? Volunteer and VOTE JEFF
Jeff Taylor
portland123.com

Sam Adams
Position sought: Mayor
Website: samforpdx.com
Public financing status: Not participating, capping contributions

In theory, Multnomah County and the City of Portland provide distinct services. The County provides social services while the City builds and maintains infrastructure. Substance abuse treatment? See the County. Sewers? Contact the City.

In practice, the missions interrelate and frequently overlap. For instance, a person suffering from mental illness would be directed to the County for assistance. However, when the County lacks resources to provide that assistance, that person may end up – tragically – with the City’s police force.

It stands to reason, then, that the County and City need to better collaborate on budget development where there is overlap. An example: during my tenure as the former mayor’s chief of staff, it became apparent that the County and City were duplicating Willamette and Columbia River-related public safety services, e.g. patrols and rescues.

When Portlanders elected me to serve on their city council, I asked Mayor Potter to tackle this issue. We’ve worked in a collaborative manner for more than a year and I’m pleased to report we’ve streamlined the response effort. Both jurisdictions now have a clearer sense of when each is to respond and how. The end result: better, more timely response at reduced cost to taxpayers. It’s a win-win outcome.

More broadly, the County and City need to partner to tackle challenges of mutual consequence. By example, Multnomah County owns and operates Sellwood Bridge over the Willamette River. The bridge, as you likely know, has outlived its intended life, and must be replaced. On a bridge safety scale where 100 rates perfect and 0 represents system failure, the bridge scores 2.

In theory, replacing the bridge is the County’s burden. In practice, however, the City owns the roads that lead to the bridge, and neither the roads nor the bridge can serve the public’s needs without the other. The City’s residents and businesses on both sides of the river, quite simply, need safe passage.

That’s why County Chair Ted Wheeler supports my efforts to improve the safety and maintenance of Portland’s major streets, and I support his efforts to seek contributions to bridge replacement from around the region. Much of the bridge’s traffic begins in and/or heads for nearby Clackamas County.

Collaborative budgeting and collective leadership are examples of creative solutions where the City can help the County meets its mission, and - just as importantly - vice versa.

Sho Dozono
Position sought: Mayor
Website: shoformayor.com
Public financing status: Turned in 4,010 contributions and request for certification on 1/31

Editor's note: Dozono's response came in past deadline, but was submitted before this post went up.

Mental health, drug treatment, and addiction services have been hurt by poor government management and our leaders choosing the wrong budget priorities. The fact is that Portland and Multnomah County taxpayers send more resources to the state than any other region and we don’t get our fair share back. My first priority as Portland’s Mayor would be to put Portland’s fiscal house in order. Simply put, city government has wasted precious resources on pet projects and lost money through mismanaging projects like PGE Park and the Tram.

Mayoral leadership begins first and foremost with locating budgetary waste, and ensuring that our tax dollars are spent wisely. We need to restore fiscal discipline in this city, end the back-room dealing and change the way this city does its business.

Second we have to recognize that the city and counties’ legislative agenda in Salem are disjointed, and as a result they are not bringing our fair share back to this region which serves as the primary engine of economic growth in the state. The city and county should team-up in Salem. Last legislative session, Washington County secured a “share-back” of the economic benefits that had generated through business recruitment or business expansion. We need to get the same break for our taxpayers.

These issues need a creative problem solver, a bold decision-maker, and a forward-thinking leader with the expertise to advocate for the least advantaged among us.

Kyle Burris
Position sought: Mayor
Website: site not up yet
Public financing status: Not participating

Kyle reports that he's ill this week, and can't participate.

Craig Gier
Position sought: Mayor
Website: myspace.com/craiggierformayor
Public financing status: Not participating

Did not respond.

Vladislav Davidzon
Position sought: Mayor
Website: ourportland.org
Public financing status: Not participating

Did not respond.

Beryl McNair
Position sought: Mayor
Website: none
Public financing status: Participating, did not submit any contributions

Did not respond.