Stop Portland City Council from Ignoring Neighborhood Associations

I think the Portland Neighborhood Association system is an important tool for citizens to be able to communicate directly with the city to give feedback about how city policies actually effect the habitability of city neighborhoods in real life examples. In this era of decreased local news coverage it is important to have a geographically based system that helps residents, politicians, and city employees, understand how consequences of various city policies will effect each neighborhood uniquely. The city council should be working to make the neighborhood association system stronger not weaker. Every Portland resident has a neighborhood association, all neighborhood residents are welcome. The city will be healthier and stronger if the city council works to strengthen the diversity and communication between all neighborhood residents within the neighborhood association system, rather than devaluing and minimizing the unique needs of each neighborhood.

We strongly support the petition to stop changing Code3.96. The views, comments & input from Neighborhood Associations are the only way we as individuals have a stronger voice in how Portland develops as a livable city for all.

Trying to help some by dinishing public involvement for all is a very bad idea.

Keep Neighborhood Associations strong.

Portland

Neighborhood & Business Associations help gather feedback and input from the community and should be supported and formalized and not eliminated unless the goal is actually to have less citizen involvement.

I support Portland neighborhood associations.

This is a horrible idea, being passed to bolster City Council's power at the expense of residents input.

There is absolutely nothing logical in the rationale for this proposed change. And it is a solution looking for a problem, which in itself will create a very serious problem iif allowed to pass. This change would result in the exact opposite of giving voice to diverse peoples and instead allow bureaucrats and big business to run roughshod over our neighborhoods and vulnerable members of our society. It will allow special interest organizations, with no accountability to the places where they have impact, and no democratic system behind them, to dominate the dialogue. I'd like to be given just ONE example where certain peoples, other than big money interests, have been pushing out the voices of other peoples in what happens in our neighborhoods. The reality is that neighborhood associations are begging ANYONE to get on their boards and committees. Imagine if the state legislature and governor were to declare that the county chairs, city mayors and commissioners have too much power and so the counties and cities will now have to defer to identity-associated organizations in the governance. What's the difference? It's the same thing.

As a Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) leader, I use neighborhood identity to motivate people to take action ( such as special training, equipment, and supplies) to support each other through all kinds of disaster. Without neighborhoods, the NET program would crumble.

This is a ludicrous idea that makes government LESS transparent. It LIMITS citizen involvement. It DISCRIMINATES against citizens who live in older neighborhoods. Eudaly’s comments are grossly offensive when she implies that I should have less voice in city matters simply because I am white and have an active Neighborhood Association. She needs to look at the census data ... most of her constituents ARE WHITE.

As a past President and Director of a recognized NA in Portland, OR, I know how hard the volunteers work on community issues without charge. I also know that the NAs are a powerful sounding board to the various city agencies. This open conduit provides the communication, the common work effort and accountability between City Hall, the agencies and the citizenry.

Healthy neighborhoods and their ability to provide first-person input to the City Government-have a closer proximity to Portland City Council governance than all other reporting entities...please don’t water-down this in the name of efficiency. Thank you, Bill Failing

Please keep the current structure of the neighborhood associations. They are a vital part of our community.

Yes, we do need to have a wider variety of residents participate in the neighborhood system. But don't destroy something instead of working to fix it! How can local government support residents, including renters, to get involved? How can we augment neighborhood association outreach so that they just don't rely on evening meetings? Make change yes, but don't destroy a system that requires a voice from our residents. This is part of what makes our City so great!

Neighborhood Associations are the backbone of a healthy,prosperous, informed, secure and vibrant city. We encourage the City Council members to reject the pending code change... Go Bridgeton Neighborhood Association!

Please keep the community involved via neighborhood associations. The city has moved farther and farther away from community in favor of large corporate entities. We need neighborhood associations to be the voice of the area's directly effected by city decisions. Let's please stop having knee jerk reactions and cutting vital voices. Thank you.

Portland

I am Portland born and was involved when the Neighborhood Associations were created and have participated off and on in meetings. There is nothing to prevent people from participation, but it would be good if renters were told of the information of the neighborhood association where they are renting. Perhaps making a brochure to be given to new tenants could be a project for each Association.

Keep neighborhood associations strong! Portland needs that voice!