Oregon House District 47: Challenges and Successes
Carla Axtman
A few weeks ago on a storm cloud Saturday, I toured Oregon House District 47 with the district's Representative Jefferson Smith. Smith is a guy who likes to name things, and so it goes with his house district: "No hills, no water (except the Columbia River). but we have lots of bedrock. So I call it the Bedrock District".
Insert your favorite Flintstone reference here.
Smith is serving his freshman term in the House and characterized his stint so far as an "absurd privilege". When pressed for clarification, Smith said the experience of serving is a unique privilege. But there are elements of our system that are absurd.
An example of that absurd for Smith is the deadline to have the "maximum chance" to have a hearing on a bill. The pre-session filing deadline for bills is the end of October. Given than none of the State Representatives are actually elected (or reelected) until November, including the Speaker, "absurd" does seem to fit. But Smith says he understands the necessity of the deadline. "The first principle in Salem is not change, but stability. There are advantages to the absurdities."
The first district challenge that Smith articulated is the problem around the MAX line. "MAX is a net positive. But the confidence for the service in my district is not what it should be," Smith said. According to Smith, crime is down everywhere on the MAX line except east of 82nd. And when talking with voters at the door, he was told by many that they won't ride or won't allow their family to ride.
Rep. Smith said that there are a number of challenges to policing MAX. He believes there are 3 options to deal with the problems:
1. Installing a turnstyle system. This option is expensive and nearly impossible at some of the stops because of the layout.
2. Having a larger police presence. Also expensive. Each additional police officer costs about $130,000 (salary + benefits).
3. Have a visible ticketing program. Riders would purchase their fare and receive a sticker that they can wear. If they buy a monthly pass, a lanyard would be used. A transit officer would be able to see the sticker or lanyard to verify the purchased fare. In addition, Smith says there ought to be "transit greeters", individuals who ride the train and walk the platform as information agents, who could also be a presence to deter crime.
Smith said that smart public safety isn't necessarily about government fear in the form of police or punitive measures. "The safest places aren't the most policed. They are those that have watchful neighbors." The ratio of 'do-gooders' to 'bad-doers" tilts heavily to the good guys, in other words.
Another challenge for District 47 is what Smith calls "high accident intersections". Smith recalled a recent meeting where Portland city maps highlighted these sorts of intersections with stickers. Smith said 2/3 of them littered the map on 82nd and parts east, most of which lie in District 47.
In fact, Smith said that 122nd is "the most dangerous street in Oregon" for all the accidents. The roads and streets in the district are wider than many other places as well. "The biggest indicator of traffic deaths are traffic speed," said Smith. The width and quality of pavement on the roads contribute to a much higher speed, even in areas where there are lots of pedestrians. Smith said that the area was once full of rural farms that turned into suburban housing. "Our roads are like mini-highways
Many of the homes in the district are early post-WW2 ramblers in unplanned neighborhoods. There are lots of areas with no sidewalks. "Things just sprung up", said Smith. "It was a response to the housing needs after the war."
Large lots with smaller and inexpensive houses also abound in the area, according to Smith. Many of the larger homes have been turned into adult foster homes. "They're relatively cheap to do here and the zoning laws are more lax." Smith says that there are three on the street where he lives. "They're all over the place."
Smith said, "This is a very high density area that was almost all unplanned. This kind of high density, high poverty area can create a Cabrini Green type of situation. It's a testament to the lack of planning."
This area also has it share of potholes both on side streets and a few of the main arterials. It's a little like whack-a-mole trying to safely navigate by the parked cars and the holes in the streets.
This district was annexed into Portland from Multnomah County during the 80s and 90s. Area residents have often complained about feeling ignored. In exchange for annexation, the area was promised parks and green spaces, which haven't come to pass. Smith credits local activist and "gem of the city" (Smith's phrase) Linda Robinson with turning some of that around. Portland recently set aside $500,000 and developed an action plan to deal with some of the district's needs.
One of the bright spots in House District 47 is the beautiful public library. Smith calls it "one of the nicer things in the district."
The recently opened East Portland Community Center is also a district jewel. There is a nice community pool and other sports-related activities in the building. It also contains a number of rooms that appear to be appropriate for local events and meetings.
Another great spot: the community garden next to the East Portland Neighborhood Office:
The garden is a large, fenced and well-kept. It's a wonderful facility for locals to grow their own food and flowers.
I asked Smith to choose a place for me to take his photo that's representative of the district. He chose the water tower that sits just above the Office of Neighborhood Development:
Smith deliberately took me to these places because he considers them the foundation for success in the area. "The library, community garden, parks, schools, the neighborhood involvement office. What's the common denominator here? Government, " said Smith.
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connect with blueoregon
May 1, '09
This is terrific -- maybe my most favorite thing ever on Blue Oregon. Doing other district profiles like this would be a great idea (don't do 'em all at once, space them out a bit). It would help a lot to understand more of the political, economic and environmental variety in Oregon and give us all more depth of understanding of this place we love.
And help elect politicians and make them accountable to keeping it that way.
4:03 p.m.
May 1, '09
Hey Fred:
I'm really glad you enjoyed this..and I like your idea so much of doing more of them..that I already have! :)
House District 30 House District 21
May 1, '09
Good to see a legislator thinking about the district as closely as Jefferson.
May 1, '09
Great article. I definitely agree about the lack of planning in outer Southeast Portland and I hope Representative Smith can help make some tangible improvements!
4:36 p.m.
May 1, '09
That shows a lot of effort and commitment from Jefferson, which I think deserves our respect and thanks. And thanks to Carla, for the profile.
May 1, '09
I can say (based on much first-hand experience) that Jefferson sure knows how to foster community with the long-term benefits in mind. So glad to see that he's applying that holistic approach to his district as well.
Great write-up, Carla. I love it when the internet conversation actually teaches and gives a sense of context, rather than merely serving as a boxing ring. Viva good reporting!
May 1, '09
Great story. Obviously, District 47 has a great rep in Jefferson. He has put a tremendous amount of effort in contacting and connecting with the residents of the district.
The feeling of being ignored by the city of Portland is justified; many of the neighborhood roads are unimproved and the improved ones are full of pot holes. But it does make for fun bike riding!
May 1, '09
I think a lot of suburban areas suffer from poor/lack of planning.
In the early part of this millennium I lived in Beaverton near Aloha, and would sometimes ride my bike to work.
The problem was, there were bike lanes that just stopped in the middle of a block, with no good alternative picking up. I just have to wonder about the thought process involved.
May 1, '09
Jefferson Smith- just another politician bought and paid for by those fatcats at the Bus Project.
7:46 p.m.
May 1, '09
LOL... fatcats at the Bus Project. I'd better not laugh too hard... just finished a Route 44 Cherry Limeade.
As a long-time Bus Project volunteer - as far back as 2002 when I was making calls from home while I was pregnant and stuck at home - that line makes me laugh. Most of us who volunteer, run, work for, etc. the Bus Project are far from being "fatcats." So either someone is joking or is grossly misinformed.
Thanks for doing this, Carla. I knew Jefferson would be a great state representative, which is why I even canvassed for him in the snow once. I'm very excited to see what he's doing for HD 47. The districts in Multnomah County east of 82nd often get the short end of the stick, and it's great to have some state legislators who get that and are working to fix it.
May 1, '09
Potholes, libraries, police protection, parks, transit, zoning... Are we to infer that Jefferson is running for city council? Or did you just forget to ask him about any state issues?
8:21 p.m.
May 1, '09
Actually, many of these issues touch on state issues as well.
For starters, there's the fact that local jurisdictions get a lot of funding from the state. If there is a cut in that funding, that means less money for roads, parks, etc.
Those that run TriMet are selected by the governor. It also covers more than one city - it even covers more than one county. It's definitely not something that can be just solved at the city council level.
And even if as a state legislator you don't have direct impact on a specific issue, that doesn't mean it isn't one of the top issues for your constituents. This column is about the district and its problems and gems - no one ever said that those had to be things that are directly under the state's jurisdiction.
When it comes to some of these local problems, it may mean you have to find a way for the state to get funding locally to help solve the problem, work with the local elected officials to fix the problem, etc.
For too long we've had elected officials who only want to look at their tiny little set of responsibilities and what they can directly affect. As such, we have governmental entities and elected officials in the tri-county area who don't know how to work with each other. Major regional issues like bridges, roads, TriMet, etc. that need to be solved at a higher level and it isn't getting done.
May 1, '09
Don't limit me. I'm perfectly capable of both joking and being grossly misinformed at the same time.
May 1, '09
You forgot to remark on his dashing good looks.
10:05 p.m.
May 1, '09
Cafe Today - No kidding! Carla, thanks for focusing on our district. Nice to get some attention. A city is only as strong as its poorest citizens.
May 2, '09
I live in House District 47 and know Jefferson I have seen him in action He is a brilliant character who has only just started what I hope will be a bright career serving Oregonians.
District 47 needs a lot of help. We are one of the poorest communities in the state. I find it refreshing to hear somebody acknowledge these problems and actively trying to fix them.
1:41 a.m.
May 2, '09
What always made ME laugh were the stray but visible commenters here and elsewhere who tried to make Jefferson into a self-serving, pushy advocate for himself with his organization as a figleaf for his ego.
Did anyone expect anything different from a Rep. Smith? He's not going to have that low a title in government for very long, I'd say.
Very nice job, Carla. I agree that this is very much a highlight of what Blue Oregon produces.
May 2, '09
Will someone tell that nitwit that speed DOES NOT equate to safety. If it did, our freeways would not be the safest roads that we have. They also draw traffic off of neighborhood streets, reduce people’s commute times and generally improve our standard of living by making society more efficient. That Portland’s planning and political class ignore this just shows that their priorities are not people’s well being (or they are totally incompetent).
The solution to the MAX safety problem is ths same that it has been from before MAX was even built: DON'T WASTE MONEY on toy trains, instead improve the bus system. You get much more service for the money. People are thusly better off. But the well being of people never seems to be a top priority around Portland when Neil, Sam & Vera can spend BILLIONS on wasteful crackpot schemes like MAX, baseball and high density neighborhoods.
8:43 a.m.
May 2, '09
We've learned long ago that he's a master organizer and I never doubted that he'd be good a networking in the district.
This tri-met play though, is one of the first chances that we've gotten to see his legislative mind at work and I'm tickled. This greeter thing ain't a sideshow. It's an indicator of deploying cold eyed pragmatism to accomplish warm and fuzzy goals inexpensively and effectively.
Another danged behaviorist, who would fit in well with Obama's "propeller heads".
Nice start Jefferson!
May 2, '09
Good on ya, Carla. I'm not a daily reader here so I missed the previous ones.
5:35 p.m.
May 2, '09
Speed can indeed equate to safety when you are talking about local roads - roads where there are driveways constantly along the route, people turning on and off the road, etc.
On freeways you only have entrances/exits every so often. Heck, on I-84 you go 60 blocks east between exits (122nd to 181st) and when going west, the only "exits" after 181st until you get to 43rd is the interchange with I-205.
When you add speed with a lot of vehicles crossing the road, turning on/off the road, pedestrians, and bicyclists, then things start becoming less and less safe.
And the bus system has almost as many problems as the MAX. You still have problems at bus stops, have riders harassing and assaulting fellow riders, get on without paying (often times by going through the rear door), etc. There are bus lines in Portland that I won't step food on because of such problems. Some of the biggest problems are at transit centers, which you'd still have whether or not we had buses. Not to mention how much longer trips would be for people. I cut a large chunk out of my commute by taking the MAX into Portland instead of riding the #20 the whole way.
5:59 a.m.
May 3, '09
I actually had a chance to meet Representative Smith yesterday when he spoke to us at the Emerge Oregon program. I found him to be humorous, one of those guys you could just sit and have a beer with, and full of common sense ideas.
Just wanted to say thank you for stopping by and chatting. I am impressed.
May 3, '09
Jenni Simonis Speed can indeed equate to safety when you are talking about local roads JK: It is not primarily the road, it is primarily the design.
As to local roads, modern planners are doing a number of things that get people hurt: One way streets have a long proven record of being safer than two way. Now planners are converting many back to two way.
Wide streets are safer than narrow ones because potential hazards can be seen with more time to react. Planners are narrowing streets.
There are good safety reasons to limit speed on many streets, but to make a blanket statement such as:
“The biggest indicator of traffic deaths are traffic speed," Is simply a ranting of the ignorant.
Thanks JK
May 3, '09
Speed is the most common contributing factor in all crashes. It's also the most common contributing factor in fatal and serious injury crashes.
All research indicates that when speed limits or operating speed increase, so do injuries and fatalities.
In Portland, there has been a lot of community energy focused on traffic safety. The core element of those efforts is reducing illegal speeding and reducing operating speeds where crashes occur.
The result is a 22 year downward trend in traffic fatalities. Portland's traffic fatalities are going down 3 times faster than the state as a whole and 6 times faster than the nation.
A big difference that is driving this trend relates to traffic calming measures. Safety belts, trauma response, airbags help. But, they are universal factors. Portland is able to better leverage these survivability factors because of crash prevention strategies like reducing speed.
The differences in our safety performance relate to a comprehensive traffic safety program based on engineering, education, and enforcement.
You can see a bunch of fatal trend data here: ftp://ftp.trans.ci.portland.or.us/raisman/Fatal%20Trends/Fatal%20Overview%20April%2016%202009.pdf
Thanks. Greg Raisman
May 3, '09
1) Transportation challenges: Thanks Greg for the posting. I certainly am no expert on traffic flows, but it's nice to have one. The traffic speed point was meant neither as a rant nor as the end of the story, merely one element of the transportation challenges facing the district. If I had to choose to alleviate that one challenge (and I wouldn't have asserted if no data supported -- see Raisman's post) vs. the lack of sidewalks vs. safety on the Max vs. better bus routes vs. local walkable business districts vs. bike-able areas vs. better north-south connectivity within the neighborhoods...well that'd be no easy choice (and frankly I might choose the sidewalks).
2) Other challenges: It would also be a tough chore to rank the transportation challenges vs. the zoning challenges vs. the greater proportion of property taxes paid east of 82nd (thanks to M5/50) vs. accommodation of the many languages spoken in the high schools vs. better planned affordable housing vs. building a new school and community center with pearl urban renewal dollars vs. greater civic engagement in the area vs. some high wage green jobs (or otherwise) in the area vs. more police on the beat vs. support for improving technical education vs. summer programs for kids (when most of the acheivement gap results) vs. early education...well, also a hard choice.
3) Applying energy generally: More important than ranking the various challenges is applying more energy to them generally. Of course, much of that attention needs to be spent by City (plus County and Metro), and in the absence of by-district city elections, the occupiers of the nearby legislative seats (and anyone else with a baby bully pulpit) need to spend some energy to raise awareness about those challenges even as most of my during session gig oughtta be focused on the State generally.
4) Big chance: What's happening in Mid-County/East County/East Portland/Gateway/Bedrock might present the biggest chance for failure in the region at the turn of this century. For those reading here who care about social justice and public entrepreneurship, Mid-County also offers the greatest chance to make a positive difference. Thanks Carla for posting and encouraging the recruitment of more leaders and advocates.
Cheers.
May 3, '09
I don't think I agree with Ted when he says District 47 is one of the poorest communities in the state. Maybe in the Portland area, but at least 47 has businesses and an economy. There are towns that are almost completely dead because of the timber industry going away.
As a resident of District 47, I thank you Carla. I was a bit dismayed yesterday when at my place of business (inner Southeast Portland, near Reed College) I overheard some young men talking about Jefferson Smith's district on BlueOregon and they didn't have many nice things to say. I want to say to those men that we cannot all afford to live in areas close to New Seasons Markets and Trader Joe's with a pub around every corner to gather with friends and chill. But please don't criticize those people like me who work hard and live within my means. That includes a small residency on the outer east side where houses in relatively good neighborhoods are priced around $170,000 right now. I believe a house the same size would definitely be more in the inner southeast part of town.
<h2>This world has changed a lot in the last 100 years where we seem to be moving places not for economics (if that were so there would not be so many people still moving to the Portland area from out of the NW) but moving because of the social climate around us. I hope to see the day when people are just content with all the good things they already have around them.</h2>