NOTE: Thanks to the determined opposition of the Oregon Progressive Party, this measure was defeated on May 20, 2014, by a vote of 71-29%.

This is the Voters' Pamphlet statement of the Oregon Progressive Party on Portland Measure 26-256.

For 27 years, I have been in the forefront of creating new electric and water cooperatives and public districts in Oregon.  I oppose this measure.

This measure is a corporate takeover of the City’s water and sewer systems, under a misleading cloak of populist rhetoric.

This measure would graft onto the Portland water and sewer systems a 7-person board of directors, elected with unlimited campaign contributions and expenditures.  I would expect the big commercial and industrial water users to select their candidates and overwhelm the voters with political ads.

So far their effort has been funded 99.4% by big corporate water users and water polluters and their lawyers.  See http://tinyurl.com/waterdistbackers.

The measure would prohibit nearly anyone with Portland water or sewer experience from serving on the board, clearing the field for the big money candidates.

The resulting corporate-dominated board would have less concern for the environment and residential ratepayers.  Portland's overall progressive voters ensure that the Portland City Council, which now controls the system, has a generally pro-environment, pro-consumer outlook.

But a board elected from gerrymandered districts, solely on the basis of  water and sewer issues and without limits on political spending, would likely:

1. gut expenditures necessary for environmental protection, and
    
2. increase rates for residential customers in order to decrease rates for the largest customers.

The attorney for the measure backers is John DiLorenzo, who for decades has led the charge in challenging campaign finance reform laws.

There are some policy statements in the measure, like very vague (and unenforceable) prohibitions on "regionalization" (not defined) and on regulations allowing greater harm to Bull Run Watershed.  But the measure leaves out protecting the environmental regulations governing all other parts of the water and sewer system.

Dan Meek

progparty.org          info@progparty.org