2011 Special Election Endorsements

05/19/2011 RESULTS UPDATE: The only big election surprise to me was that the Portland Public School's $548m levy, 26-121, narrowly failed by 1%, but the $308m levy, 26-122, passed handily by 16%. Considering the economy and the usual anti-tax rhetoric, I assumed voters would either be either all or nothing. However, some voters presumably studied the issues and decided teachers were more important than buildings and/or decided passing one levy was a good compromise.

	ME ↓	WILLAMETTE WEEK ↓	THE OREGONIAN ↓	PORTLAND MERCURY ↓
CANDIDATES
MULTNOMAH EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DISTRICT: "...An ESD acts like a co-op that delivers regional educational services. Among other things, it provides speech pathologists, special education teachers and school nurses to school districts. And, oh yeah, the ESD offers local kids Outdoor School..." (WWeek.com)
Dir., Pos. 7, Zone 3 SPELLMAN ELECTED 71% (15k)	SPELLMAN	SPELLMAN
	• "...Kay Bridges, a nice woman who owns a flower delivery service, has no grasp of the issues facing..." WWeek.com • "...We see no reason to replace Kevin Spellman, ...Spellman has a strong understanding of budgetary issues and policy..." WWeek.com
Dir., Pos. 6, At Large MONTGOMERY ELECTED 51% (39k)	MONTGOMERY	MONTGOMERY
	• "...'While the April 20, 2010, Regular Board meeting was in session, [incumbent] Director Delman chose to listen through earphones to radio commentary on a basketball game and, upon both private and public admonition from the Chair, continued while the meeting proceeded.'..." WWeek.com • "...We’ll go with Montgomery, a smart and highly qualified candidate who taught public policy at Portland State University and once served as a board member for the Northwest Regional ESD." WWeek.com
PORTLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT #1JT Apparently I live in PPS Zone 1, but my ballot includes zones 1, 2, 3, 7. Do I vote for all the zones and elections sorts it out somehow? (PPS Zones map - large PDF)
Dir. Zone 1 ADKINS RE-ELECTED 74% (46k)	ADKINS	ADKINS	ADKINS
	• "Adkins first ran in May 2007 on a platform of not closing schools. She won. Three years later, in October 2010, Adkins voted to close Marshall High...we don’t fault Adkins for realizing the district needs to consolidate resources..." WWeek.com • "...Adkins, a Yale graduate who works for a housing nonprofit, is a smart and tenacious board member who thinks strategically without missing the fine print..." OregonLive.com • "...Larry Lawson, a network security manager and a photographer. ...he lacks any record of improving schools. ...He doesn’t offer a compelling reason for unseating Adkins." WWeek.com • "...Glen Livingston, a self-described community activist, is also on the ballot. His inexperience makes Adkins a clear choice." WWeek.com
Dir. Zone 2 MORTON ELECTED 52% (33k)	MORTON	MORTON	MORTON
	• "Morton is the deputy director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association. As a tribal member, he has a solid record working on issues related to poverty and the achievement gap...." OregonLive.com • "Brister-Mashia is a regular volunteer at Jefferson High and brings a grounded perspective to issues of school quality and parent involvement. This race is a close call, but Morton's experience with boards and budgets give him the edge." OregonLive.com • "Sweeney has run for almost every office available in Portland. We have yet to find one that fits his skills." WWeek.com
Dir. Zone 3 REGAN RE-ELECTED 64% 40k	REGAN	REGAN	REGAN
	• "Incumbent Bobbie Regan is running for a third term and faces token opposition from two challengers: Martha Perez, who works in customer service, and Christine Nelson, an artist specializing in pet portraits. Neither has mounted a serious campaign..." OregonLive.com • "...Critics say Regan protects the interests of wealthier parents and students with programs like 'school choice.' That lets middle-class white parents who buy homes in gentrifying neighborhoods send their kids to schools in wealthier neighborhoods where the schools have more resources. We don’t always agree with votes she casts, but Regan is a knowledgeable board member who deserves another shot." WWeek.com
Dir. Zone 7 BELISLE ELECTED 96% 45k	BELISLE	BELISLE	BELISLE
	• Greg Belisle is the only candidate to file. • "...Belisle will have two young children in school at a time when most other board members have grown kids. Also, he's a member of the no-frills nonprofit world, where benefits are decidedly non-plush. His insights will be helpful as the district tries to improve classroom quality and keep labor costs aligned with what the community can pay." OregonLive.com
	ME ↓	WILLAMETTE WEEK ↓	THE OREGONIAN ↓	PORTLAND MERCURY ↓
MEASURES
PORTLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT
26-121 REJECTED? 50.7% 51k	YES	YES	NO	YES
	$548m construction bond to rebuild nine schools and update others. Bojack.org has a handy calculator that calculates tax increase for both PPS measures. For us, the measures will increase our annual property tax $377.33 -- although probably more as assessed value increase 3% each year. • "...Ballot Measure 5, passed in 1990, and Measure 50, passed in 1997, capped local property taxes. Before Measure 5, local property taxes supplied 2/3 of Portland’s education funding; now they supply only 1/4 and state income taxes supply 3/5. As the state equalized spending per student around the state, it left Portland Public Schools with less ability to fund the operation of their schools, and facilities maintenance was deferred..." (LWVPDX.org PDF) • NEARLY A HALF BILLION DOLLARS is a lot of money even for a large school district. This construction bond isn't comprehensive meaning more bond levies are sure to follow for the schools that are left out. • What I find the most troubling is that the levy's authors seemed to choose schools based on political considerations instead of need. However, it is understandable that a comprehensive billion-plus dollar levy would be unlikely even in self-taxing Portland. Also, the political considerations are inherent since school improvements depend on neighborhood, city, and state. • This is far from a perfectly-written levy; however, its faults don't outweigh the urgent need. Only complacency stopped critics from offering an alternative levy. • I can't say that I'm overjoyed to pay nearly $400 more in taxes each year. However, I also realize that without Measure 5 and 50 from the 1990s, my property assessment and taxes would have been much higher. I agree with WWeek's reasoning, "...If taxpayers are willing to dig deep for elephants, fireboats and salmon, shouldn’t they also be willing to provide the setting for a proper education for our kids?..."
26-122 PASSED 57% 57k	YES	YES	YES	YES
	Five-year $308m levy renewal to keep 400 teaching jobs under the current levy and add 200 teaching jobs. FAVOR: • Funds remain local - not diverted to state. OPPOSE: • Why should Portland taxpayers pay more than the rest of the state? • "Urban Renewal Districts in Portland utilize property taxes that could fund the operation of schools..." (LWVPDX.org PDF) • Besides the usual anti-tax extremists, it's hard to find anyone opposed to this measure. If anti-tax nihilists think 'the gummit' is so wastefully managed, why aren't they volunteering on the school boards or remodeling schools?

Paul: C

Wow, I haven't updated this blog in a long time. I can't even remember the last movie we went to. I think the Oscar-nominated animated shorts last month was the last time we went to a movie theater.

I dragged Scott to see Paul the other weekend. I think this is Simon Pegg's and Nick Frost's third movie pairing. I wanted to like Paul as I really liked Shaun of the Dead, but I tried to restrain my expectations. Their prior movie, Hot Fuzz was cute, but not really comparable to Shaun.

It seems Paul was intended to be about middle-aged sci-fi geeks growing-up with the title character making witty Americana references. Unfortunately, Seth Rogen's voice as the alien just didn't work for me. Rogen's voice is just too distinctive that they might as well have filmed Seth Rogen with alien make-up. Paul's alien Paul reminded me of American Dad's alien Roger with the equally absurd Paul Lynde-like voice. The difference is that alien Roger is more entertaining.

Overall, it was a cute movie and it was nice seeing the Pegg and Frost team, but I would rate Paul better paced than Hot Fuzz but far short of Shaun.

True Grit: B

True Grit, originally uploaded by Matt Needle.

A few weekends ago, Ma, Scott, and I saw True Grit. Good movie. There isn't much to say about it. It probably isn't the Coen Bros. best or most ground-breaking movie, but it was a well done. My favorite line: "Keep your seat, trash!".

The King's Speech: B

THE KING'S SPEECH poster - Polish style, originally uploaded by Sam's Myth.

Scott (in protest), Sheena, Ma, and I saw The King's Speech last weekend after Christmas Day. This movie had all the typical attractions -- British accents, royalty, period setting, WWII, all-star cast -- for the white-haired art house film crowd (although, Judi Dench was somehow not cast). I've become a bit of an Anglophile after watching so much BBC America, so I'm probably rating this movie better than it deserves. It wasn't a ground-breaking movie, but it was enjoyable and the performances were good. The nearly sold-out showing we went even applauded the movie.

"friendliest cat ever" or "blood thirsty killer"?

How can such a sweet kitty, be so proud of killing so many squirrels?

rant: deceptive packaging

What the heck?!? Food prices are going up and corporations are screwing-over their customers, but really? Shame on you Ernest and Gallo Winery.

Winnebago Man: B

Okay, I didn't actually leave the house to see Winnebago Man last weekend. I lazily watched it On Demand. Like DVDs, it feels like cheating watching movies at home - especially since it was recently at Cinema 21.

I've seen the Winnebago Man YouTube video, but I wouldn't consider it a top viral video. In the Michael-Moore style documentary, the filmmaker, Ben Steinbauer, is frank about his decision to make a documentary about this particular viral video. He acknowledges the problems the subjects of other viral videos have had such as the Star Wars kid. Profiling corporate video spokesman is probably less problematic than exploiting the possible mental issues of those secretly filmed. It was interesting to learn that the Winnebago Man video was viral years before YouTube in bootleg VHS tapes.

When Steinbauer does track down the "Winnebago Man" Jack Rebney, he finds a well-spoken, crotchety old hermit living in a remote cabin. The documentary becomes Steinbauer trying to reach-out and understand the reclusive Rebney. It is entertaining to watch the young-old conflict that isn't exploitive.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: C

We joined the masses and saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 on Friday night. I admit that I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan. I've never read the books and have only reluctantly seen the prior movies (out of sequence). I can see their appeal and have enjoyed some of the movies, but haven't really followed the overall character arcs or story. Besides a vaguely recollection that the headmaster wizard died, I don't remember any specifics of the prior Potter movie.

Deathly Hallows is definitely not a stand alone movie. It reminded me of a TV series grand finale the way it brought back characters from prior movies. For a seventh movie, it's unfair to consider a movie outside of its franchise. But even within the franchise, Deathly Hallows is one of the weaker Potter movies. It's only been two days since seeing it, but I can't recall anything that stands out as particularly interesting -- which is sad impression for a fantasy movie to have.

What I mainly recall was how the magic premise didn't make sense to me and sounded more like Star Trek techno-babble. The magic in this movie is much less awe-inspiring. For example, the magic wands became mere handguns leading to mundane action movie shootouts. I guess for the first part of the finale, they really didn't need to introduce the magic, but it seems this movie was far less magical and more about wrapping-up loose ends and building-up to the series' end.

train disaster move weekend

I ended up watching two train disaster movies this weekend:

I was sick on the couch watching bad daytime weekend television (which is somehow worse than daytime weekday television) and ended-up watching the 1979 TV movie Disaster on the Coastliner. The steady, predictable pacing of a 1970s disaster movie was all I could handle with my head cold. Then today, since I felt better, we went to Unstoppable. Oddly enough, both movies feature former Capt. Kirks heroically saving the day.

Red: B

RED, originally uploaded by dodobear1020.

Last weekend, Scott, ma, and I saw Red. We all left the theater with the same review, "That was cute." It was an enjoyable movie: simple story, good pace, with funny moments and a large all-star cast.