13 Comments
User's avatar
Kathryn S.'s avatar

Let's put Jamey Evenstar in her place and vote NO!

Bob Weinstein's avatar

Don’t rank Jamey!

ERVIN SIVERSON's avatar

Don’t rank very rank Jamey

Paul Douglas's avatar

This is exactly the kind of arrogant, evangelical Social Justice Warrior™, DSA apparatchik who should be resoundingly rebuked at the ballot box. I propose that she should consider getting a real job rather than parasitically sucking at the taxpayers' teat in order to disenfranchise the rest of us.

JW's avatar

Hard no to this person, she needs to be exiled from Portland politics. I’ll be voting Eric Zimmerman, Olivia Clark, and Eli Arnold - hope my fellow District 4 residents will join me in attempting to restore a functional city council.

JM Johnson's avatar

She was the city employee who served as the coordinator for the Independent Salary Commission that set salaries for the new council members. In that capacity, she had significant influence on the agenda, communications, and information provided to the volunteer committee. Her ability to elevate some voices and interests was undeniable.

Bob Weinstein's avatar

With her as staffer, the Salary Commisdion initially decided that city council members- and only city council members- should have a “thriving salary”-of $147,000. Rather than basing it on market. I objected, saying all the union and non represented employees would ask for a thriving salary as well, and I wouldn’t blame them.

Final salary was set at $133,000, I think, up from the previous $127,000.

JM Johnson's avatar

I was a member of the Salary Commission. Previous council members salaries were $116,000. It’s a bigger story than I can share via comments here.

Bob Weinstein's avatar

Sometime I’d like to hear the story.

JM Johnson's avatar

Happy to discuss. I’ll be in touch.

Richard Cheverton's avatar

Well, let's stipulate that Ms. Evenstar is a home-grown, mini-machine socialista hack, gunning for 25-percent of the vote and a 6-figure paycheck, Nuthin' new; file it under "Portland gets what it deserves."

The vaunted neighborhood associations are another matter. Here, I speak with direct experience that the people who are often drawn to run for these essentially powerless offices can be as petty and power-mad as anyone on council. I recently rose to ask a question in my neighborhood association and was cut off after around five words and summarily ruled out of order.

Before I actuually got to the question.

Which was directed at a person eager to build an "affordable" four-story apartment block in the midst of a crowded siingle-family neighborhood. My preface was, Given issues with problems at some other affordable--bleep!

I checked the association's charter and could find no evidence that its president was empowered to decide who gets to speak and who gets cut off, but no matter.

Petty pols love petty power.

Bob Weinstein's avatar

The NWDA works better than that, as well as many others whose meetings I have attended.

Scott Spencer's avatar

Her association with Eudaly and Avalos may be too much to overcome. In an ideal world, Portland voters would focus on increasing the professionalism of City Council members, not adding more chaos and dysfunction to City Hall.