Translation: Multnomah County officials awkwardly and ineffectively try to defend their indefensible massive budget shortfallLink to original Oregonia
Oregonian headline: Officials now have a much better idea of how many homeless people live in Multnomah County. It’s a lot
Translation: Officials finally learn how to de-duplicate names in their database and realize they still have no idea how many homeless people live in
What is multnomah county and why is it so important?
Over the years, I’ve observed many different reactions when I’ve told people I was a Multnomah County Commissioner. Most often, they’ve smiled and nod
The Structure of County Government – In many Ways a Rigged Game
In my first post, I explained what Multnomah County does and why it’s the most important government you’ve never heard of when it comes to the biggest
Void of subject matter expertise in county departments Has Led to institutional dysfunction
Department function is directly tied to the background, expertise and experience of directors. Currently, too many directors do not have a background
Oregonian Headline: “County to pay marketing firm $238K to collect feedback on Preschool for All”
A reporter should investigate how many consultants Multnomah County (read as JVP) has hired over the past 2.5 years in the core work of the county – h
Oregonian Headline: Whistleblower suit alleges Multnomah County’s mental health system turned into “the wild west”
This whistleblower action should include the leaders in charge of perpetuating Multnomah County’s failed mental health system.A year and a half ago, a
WWeek headline: “Multnomah County Reaches Agreement With Ambulance Provider”
Translation: Multnomah County Chair Reaches Agreement With Ambulance Provider after unnecessarily delaying for 18 months, putting untold numbers of li
Why Things Are As Bad As They Are?
A Yiddish word, “far-potshket”, does a great job of encapsulating the problem – it refers to efforts to fix things that end up making them worse. The
What is a by-name list? why is it so crucial to ending homelessness? Does the county have one?
A By-Name List (BNL) is a comprehensive list of every person in a community experiencing homelessness, updated in real time. “Using information coll
WW Headline: “County Commissioner Brings Expert on Millionaire Migration Into Preschool Debate”
I generally appreciate attempts to bring outside experts into government conversations, because it’s generally good for politicians to have someone ar