May 02, 2003
Is Vocal Opposition to the Portland Business Alliance Growing?
Today's Portland Tribune manages to highlight opposition to the Portland Business Alliance.
In a look at Mayor Katz's economic plan and the varied reactions to it is the following:
Developer Homer Williams and a cadre of business leaders say they?re tired of Katz bashing, pointing out that no other city of this size is readying $1.5 billion in economic development as it is on the south waterfront. Williams lashed out at the Portland Business Alliance, whose executive director, Franklin "Kim" Kimbrough, has stoked the perception of the city as antibusiness.
Business alliance spokesman John Czarobski was unavailable for comment Thursday morning.
"The alliance is taking a negative approach to it," Williams said. "You have to look at the reality of it. I don't know where these guys are coming from. It's destructive. She's (the mayor) busting her tail, and so is PDC (the city's redevelopment arm, the Portland Development Commission).
"I'm tired of hearing this stuff."
Whatever one thinks of Mayor Katz, it's reassuring to see other representatives from the Portland business community challenging the Alliance's influence.
Meanwhile, in an article about the bidding war over the city's SmartPark garages:
The Portland Business Alliance is the powerful business group that has overseen the city's garages since 1982, when it was known as the Association for Portland Progress. But lately the group has drawn the ire of city officials because of verbal swipes its chief executive officer has taken at Portland's policies toward business.
Franklin "Kim" Kimbrough, the CEO, has charged that the city has an antibusiness stance that discourages development.
This despite the fact that the Alliance is tasked by Portland with the job of promoting the city as a good place to do business.
One would think, as a general concept, that when one contracts (or whatever the arrangement with the PBA happens to be) with a group for a specific job, and that group instead goes out of its way to do the precise opposite, one might want to cut off the flow of money to that group.
Especially when we're talking about public money. If it's so damnably important for Kimbrough to rail against Portland's business environment, is it too much to ask that he does so without the benefit of city -- and therefore taxpayer -- dollars?
What a rigged game Kimbrough has managed to construct for himself. He receives city funds to promote Portland. He disparages Portland instead. He pushes personal pet projects like the ice rink, which he's also tried in St. Louis, Missouri, and Jackson, Mississippi. And his organization threatens to dump something like half a million dollars into the upcoming mayoral election.
In other words: We are to do what Kimbrough wants us to do, or he'll malign Portland's reputation, and if worse comes to worse, he'll buy a mayor that meets with his personal approval. All while receiving our money.
Double-dog dare to the Portland City Council: Put Kimbrough in his place, once and for all. Or just turn the keys to City Hall over to him and be done with it. He's making fools of us all.
Comments (3)
The One True b!X on 03 May 2003
By the way, this article from an issue of the Portland Mercury earlier this year, explains the Alliance's financials this way:
Yes, that's right. It's empowered to levy taxes in addition to being the recipient of public money.
jack bog on 03 May 2003
"Whatever one thinks of Mayor Katz, it's reassuring to see other representatives from the Portland business community challenging the Alliance's influence."
I dislike Kimbrough as much as the next person, but go easy with the praise for Homer Williams. He's the real mayor of Portland. Over the years, the City Council has given more public money away to that guy than anyone else. He ought to be sticking up for Vera -- she's made him millions.
The One True b!X on 03 May 2003
Point taken, but this isn't intended to be praise for the speaker, but praise for the speech.
Any issues regarding the speaker simply need to be addressed by making distinctions. It's not necessarily a difficult proposition to capitalize on public criticisms of the Alliance without subscribing to the entire worldview of the critics in question.