Embarrassing Connections Trap Goose Hollow Leaders
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JANUARY 10 VOLUME 24, ISSUE 5 Serving Portland’s Northwest Neighborhoods since 1986 FREE Boiling Point Water Bureau targets familiar foe, and it isn’t water-borne bacteria By allan Classen Portland Utility Review Board for eight years until 2008, Shaff here are people who believe the dispensed with details “boil water” alert in November and launched immedi- was unnecessary. ately into a slanderous Westsiders were supposedly diatribe unbecoming of a exposed to E. coli contamination for two public official. Tdays before the alert went out, and the “He doesn’t know diddly— water they were told to not drink was he’s not a chemist,” said Shaff, never a health hazard. who had earlier admitted that he Some activists question the Portland himself was unable to explain the Water Bureau’s motivations and consider chlorination process at Reservoir 3 in its conclusion that the culprit may have Washington Park because he likewise been a bird, perhaps a seagull, more a mat- was no chemist. ter of public manipulation than science. “Scott’s not a water-quality expert,” (See sidebar, page 5.) Shaff continued. “Nobody would recog- Behind it all is the suspicion that the nize Scott as an expert on anything.” bureau is using every circumstance to sell Asked about Fernandez’s degree in the city on the idea that Portland’s open microbiology, Shaff said, reservoirs must be covered, at great expense “I’m sure he does have a and to the great benefit of the global degree in microbiology— infrastructure firm Montgomery Watson so what? I’m a lawyer.” Harza, which has been the bureau’s main Shaff said that a degree with- source of knowledge for years. Continued on page 5 The Water Bureau is doing everything it can to silence this kind of talk. When this reporter asked bureau Administrator David Shaff to comment Boiling water turned out to be unnecessary, but it on critical statements by Scott Fernan- did drive home the point to many that our reservoirs dez, a microbiologist who served on the must be covered. mike ryErson inside Embarrassing connections trap Goose Hollow leaders By allan Classen version of PGE Park for Major League Soccer. He was paid $100,000 for his services in 2009, and if the stadium deal is he general manager of the Multnomah Athletic Club approved, Beard said he is promised an even larger contract to recently made an unusual request of the Examiner. At facilitate actual construction. the end of a November meeting of the Goose Hollow It matters a great deal to Beard the businessman whether this Foothills League board, of which he is a treasurer, he $31 million project goes forward. As the representative of the asked that the evening’s hottest topic not be reported because “it people of Goose Hollow, coincidentally, he seems to have arrived Twould be embarrassing.” at the same position. If Norm Rich was naïve in the basic tenets of journalism, his “It’s pretty exciting,” Beard told his board last March, referring Kenny & Zuke’s sense of the consequences of shining a light on the neighborhood to the possibility of a major league soccer team playing here in No frills, just good sandwiches association’s inner workings was well placed. The organization is 2011. foundering on the shoals of conflict of interest, compromising its PagE 12 And lest any neighbor wonder how they were to feel about the role as the voice of the neighborhood as it glosses over the private plans backed by his benefactor, he added, “Our support of major interests of its leaders, and the blame is spread broadly. Street work starts league soccer is really important to Merritt and the city.” The GHFL board is led by individuals serving more than one 23rd Avenue construction ends in June Beard had at other times mentioned his contract with the city, master, and most are content to assume all is well. PagE 24 but at the March meeting in which his boosterism was showing, Alan Beard, president of the board, has simultaneously been representing the city regarding Merritt Paulson’s proposed con- Continued on page 23 The Zinc SW Marconi SW 48th SE Andover NW Albemarle NW 24th – 14 units sold NW 24th NW Aspen NW Irving NW Johnson NW Raleigh if You GoT neW neiGhbors in 2009, chances are NW Thurman DAN VOLKMER NW 22nd SOLD THE PROPERTY! The Valencia NW Upshur NW Northrup – 4 units sold NW Pettygrove NW Overton NW Irving NW Raleigh SE Rex NW Verde Vista NW Wilson NW Savier NW Gold Canyon SW Fairview lot The Dan Volkmer Team Dan Volkmer PrinciPal broker burDean barTlem, kishra oTT & anne Yoo, brokers WalTer anD TeD, Too. For your real estate needs in the Northwest neighborhood. Call us to find out your property’s top market value. 503-497-5158 www.danvolkmer.com Anne, Burdean, Kishra, Dan, Walter & Ted 2 Northwest Examiner, JANUARY 2010 Letters can be sent to By Allan Classen [email protected] or 2825 NW Upshur St., Ste. C, Portland, OR 97210. Editor’sEditor & Publisher Turn readerLetters should be 300 words or fewer; include areply name and a street of residence. Deadline third Saturday of the month. Kinder Morgan responds There were numerous inaccuracies in Mr. Koberstein’s article [“Operator of Linnton tank farm fails to report emissions to feds,” Northwest Examiner, Novem- ber 2009]. There are various things that trouble me about this inaccurate/biased reporting, but what troubles me most is my office was never called to have an oppor- tunity to provide our side to the story. What happened to Inaccuracy: Operator of Linnton tank farm fails to report emissions to the Toxic Release Inventory. Fact: Kinder Morgan’s Linnton tank facility is not required to report to the Toxic chain of command? Chemical Release Inventory because the facility does not meet all of the agency’s reporting criteria. Specifically, the facility does not combust coal and/or oil for the How did the Portland police get so out one in the force, implying that they too purpose of generating electricity for distribution in commerce nor does it manufac- of control? How can they beat a defense- can challenge orders successfully if they ture processes, or use any EPCRA Section 313 chemical in quantities greater than less man to death, fire a less-lethal round have enough political leverage. the established threshold in the course of a calendar year. at an unarmed 12-year-old girl and then The chain of command is violated even protest over moderate discipline, forcing Inaccuracy: Kinder Morgan is a spinoff of Enron. more hideously by the line officers, who the commissioner in charge to back down? are in open rebellion against Sizer. Read Fact: Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP) was formed in February The police union wouldn’t even tolerate their union newsletter, The Rap Sheet, to of 1997 when a group of investors led by Chairman and CEO Richard D. Kinder their chief describing the bean-bag inci- see through their childish motives. They and former Vice Chairman William V. Morgan acquired the general partner of a dent as “troubling.” want the chief to defend them auto- small, publicly traded pipeline limited partnership. The Portland Police Bureau has utterly matically and immediately when they’re Kinder Morgan operates approximately 37,000 miles of pipelines and 170 termi- violated a fundamental principle pertain- suspected of misconduct. Without a hint nals, so like all energy companies, we have had some isolated incidents. However, ing to democratic governance and police of irony, they consider anything less as our overall safety record is very good. No industrial process is flawless. The majority powers: It’s called chain of command. playing politics. They take internal votes of incidents, particularly the ones you noted, are caused by outside forces, usually When it becomes necessary to autho- of no confidence to wield against the chief someone hitting an underground line. rize the use of arms—either by armies and commissioner, and they use sagging Kinder Morgan has an Operational Excellence initiative within the company, and or law officers—ultimate authority must morale among the troops as a cause justi- we post our EH&S performance on our website, www.kindermorgan.com. This data reside with civilian officials. We know fying the tail wagging the dog. is updated monthly and currently results show Kinder Morgan has outperformed enough about countries run by generals So the police chief defies the elected the industry averages in virtually all safety and release categories. and military juntas to understand that officials and the police patrol officers defy Kinder Morgan is committed to operating our assets safely and protecting the such a model offends every thread of our the chief. The thuggish or trigger-happy public, contractors, employees and the environment. Our pipelines are regulated, Constitution and national tradition. Only cop is a law unto himself. Attempts at and we are committed to meeting or exceeding federal, state and local rules and by retaining civilian control can those internal police discipline are routinely regulations. authorized to wield guns be restrained overturned, and the prosecutors use the from making their own law and ruling for grand jury system to play softball and Emily Mir Thompson their own purposes. fail to return indictments. The only hint Manager, PR & Corporate Communications Chain of command also refers to every of justice is the civil law system, which Kinder Morgan individual in any army or police force. frequently awards judgments for police Houston, Texas Each reports directly to a higher-ranking misconduct that goes otherwise goes officer, who in turn reports to the next unpunished.