This Week in the Mercury
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
News / Politics Ted Wheeler Gives Leonard A Bloody Nose
Posted by Matt Davis on Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 1:02 PM
Update, 8:21pm: Video!
Original post, 1:02pm:
Randy Leonard may well get what he wants this afternoon when council votes on Major League soccer, but he won't have done so without having his nose bloodied by County Chair Ted Wheeler. 
WHEELER: Council tried to calm him down, but the man kept hammering at Randy Leonard for a good ten minutes...
It's fair to say that Wheeler, who is normally reserved in public, really laid into Randy Leonard this afternoon over Leonard's plan to use $15m in urban renewal money to fund the soccer deal—25% of which would come from diverted tax revenues that would otherwise fund social services and schools in Multnomah County. Wheeler is facing a $45m budget hole, plus a likely $20m in state funding gaps. The school board is facing a $14m hole in its general fund this year, too.
"You started this hearing by saying that we were picking a fight," Wheeler said to Leonard. "But I'd suggest that rather than hashing out a deal on a Monday that we hear about 20 minutes before you vote on it, that we should be deciding on these issues mutually."
Wheeler suggested that the county should have been at the table earlier in the discussions.
"I'm not sitting here with my hand out," Wheeler continued. "I'm saying we should be working on prioritization mutually. I've heard lawyers, consultants and planners all say that there's no risk associated with this deal, now, I'm new in the job but I wasn't born yesterday. I'd like to have my lawyers, my consultants, and my planners look at the deal."
"We're here at the table too late," said Wheeler. "Now we're at the table, having this discussion, but we should have been here all along."
Leonard was clearly frustrated by Wheeler's attitude. He called Wheeler's rhetoric "irresponsible" and "disingenuous," reminding Wheeler of all the times the city council has helped the county financially over the years. "We've proven ourselves to be a reliable partner to the county, we've always stood up," said Leonard.
"I've been reading in the newspaper this morning that kids aren't going to get health care because of this deal," Leonard said. "It just doesn't feel like we're having a real discussion."
"We're not," shot back Wheeler, before leaving the council chamber, with his zinger resounding around the chamber.
Leonard looked both shocked and more frustrated than this reporter has ever seen him in a city council session.
"This reminds me of one of my favorite sports metaphors, which is that I went to the fights and a hockey game broke out," said Nick Fish.
Meanwhile so far, neither Fish nor Dan Saltzman has said anything that could lead us to believe they'll vote no on the deal. Still, the TV stations are pleased: They've got their tape for the afternoon broadcast.
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One thing I don't miss about covering local shit: No one ever cares about proper process and mutual respect as long as their side is winning. "Who cares if we didn't involve our partner taxing authorities in discussing the impact of a new URA, we're getting our way! Woo!"
I actually just saw someone refer to Wheeler's legitimate indignation at the county not being involved by the city as a "tantrum". Really? Is that how MLS supproters are characterizing elected officials looking our for the financial well-being of their jurisdictions?
Nice.
"supporters" and "looking out for"
"I'm not sitting here with my hand out," Wheeler continued, with his hand out.
You missed the line of the encounter.
"I wasn't even clear what you were voting on today."
Which is funny, considering his wife has been harrassing members of the Timbers Army for informations for weeks. I guess she's more clued in than he is.
And now LWV is playing the same game as Wheeler. "WTF I didn't know anything about this completely transparent, open process which has been ongoing for 3 months. If only there were agendas, programming, livestreams, documents, opportunity for public comment, and 1,000 other procedures which would have let me have the smallest window to this deal which has frankly BLINDSIDED me."
You get the feeling even the trolls on the blogs did their homework better.
Daaaaave, I'm pretty sure what they didn't know about was the sudden commitment of funds from an Urban Renewal district which doesn't yet exist and has no public airing whatsoever.
It was quite a dust-up. I'm glad I tuned in just in time to watch it. They were still kind of going at it when Adams broke in mid-sentence with a "thanks for coming today! bye bye!"
I don't have much respect for Leonard after that display. He sounded like a gangster.
I respect Wheeler, but his argument is suspect. The typical Portland property tax bill sends 29% to Portland Schools, and 26% to Multnomah County - only 19% of that goes to the County general fund, the rest is dedicated to the library and other misc.
The City council only recently got control of the PDC. Now the county wants control. By that argument, the school board and PCC should have a control, how about Metro and the Soil and Water board?
Theoretically Multnomah county could set up its own MDC for tax increment financing and do projects it likes.
99%+ of the PDC money is going to old projects. Canceling a stadium project is not going to have any impact. Letting districts expire when their time is up will. Ironically there is probably not a huge TIF development upside around the Civic Stadium, unless the couplet is built or Lincoln redeveloped...
listen, city council. i don't give a f if you say yes or no to this soccer team. i do think, however, you need to change the name from the boring "timbers" to the "1996 Chicago Bulls, the professional soccer team"
Yes, but was there a fart machine?
Let's be clear:
- The task force meetings were transparent, numerous, and open to the public. Wheeler was more than welcome to attend these meetings to have an earlier seat at the table.
- The county will be involved in any discussions regarding creation of the new URA, with the currently established processes. None of that is changing.
The idea that this is "last minute" and "non-transparent" to the county is laughable. Wheeler had his eye off the ball and got wind of this late, and WAS throwing a political tantrum at the last minute to make cover his a$$ with opposition without looking at the full picture for the county.
"Daaaaave, I'm pretty sure what they didn't know about was the sudden commitment of funds from an Urban Renewal district which doesn't yet exist and has no public airing whatsoever."
They didn't know? Isn't this what we've been arguing over for weeks? I was at City Hall when Mazz made his first financial projections which included a downtown/westside URD, which was...November? December?
fishnets, your analysis is totally wrong.
Besides, the task force report states that the city will like have to borrow money FROM THE GENERAL FUND to start building, and pay back once the UR district is in place. (That is from the task force report.)
The minute that a dime is spent that has to be paid back from the UR, then the UR is a done deal, regardless of if there has been any public process on it all. They'll go through the show of public process, but the decision will be made the second the first dollar is spent.
This isn't really about soccer, in case you haven't noticed. It's about urban renewal, and the city is right now running into their own record of abusing urban renewal for demonstrably foolish projects. Chickens are coming to roost.
My analysis is wrong? Please tell me which task force meeting Chair Wheeler attended where he let his concerns be known.
Bueller? Bueller??
There was an opportunity to discuss this before today, and he did not take it. To quote a favorite office cubicle wall cross-stitch sampler maxim: "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
I'd give his arguments more weight if he was opposed to urban renewal funding as a whole, but he's not. Because he KNOWS it has other benefits for the county. He just doesn't like *this* plan because someone else came up with it.
Tantrum.
Ted Wheeler is Chair of the County. He doesn't spend his weeknights at the City's little task force meetings.
He gets involved when the Mayor has the class and decorum to call him and give him a personal briefing on the process. He doesn't sip juice with blue hairs at city task force meetings.
It was in no way a tantrum. It was one of the few refreshing bursts of common sense I've ever heard in that echo-chamber. Besides, he only really got upset after Leonard was an asshole to him. I guess that's how we treat guests in our City Hall.
Ted Wheeler is Chair of the County. He should get involved when he feels the need to represent the interests of the county. This does not require an engraved invitation from the mayor.
By his actions, we can assume that until today he didn't find this issue important enough to fit into his schedule.
I don't assume that of him at all.
I do assume that you're a soccer fan and see this entire issue through the lens of your affinity for soccer. I don't want my city to spend $65 million (preliminary budget) because you really really like soccer.
I think that is completely fucking stupid. I don't give a shit what your personal hobbies and passtimes are. I don't want to spend a single fucking dime on them.
You can assume what you like about me. I do not support ideas that I think are bad for the city. I am in support of this project because I truly believe it will have long term, far reaching benefits for the city of Portland.
You don't have to agree with me on that.
Unfortunately for you, the City Council just did.
3-2 FOR MLS!
Blabby-
"I think that is completely fucking stupid. I don't give a shit what your personal hobbies and passtimes are. I don't want to spend a single fucking dime on them."
yeah, who do those assholes at the city think they are spending my money.
Hey remember when blabby cracked? I miss Blabby.
Davis-
You totally left out the best part!! You should re-cut the video to include "I might be new on the job, but I wasn't born yesterday". I thought Wheeler was going to walk ten paces and aim his revolver at Randy.
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