201 Elected Officials Cannot Find Metro Vetted REGIONAL Housing Policy

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You are no doubt aware that two recent polls* have confirmed what you already knew, that overwhelmingly majorities of Oregonians have observed that both local and state leaders have failed to successfully address the homeless and housing crisis. To that end I draw your attention to our Metro Regional Government**, a major player in this public drama and debate.

Metro voters have given a billion dollars and counting to bonds and taxes aimed at improving our region’s housing dilemma. In recognition that the Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington county governments had failed to successfully improve the regional housing crisis despite having similar bonding and taxing authority as Metro, voters decided that Metro should be given the opportunity to fulfill its self-proclamation of REGIONAL authority and competence to provide a Publicly Vetted REGIONAL Housing Policy and Plan.

All 201 elected city councilors and county commissioners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties were asked: Can you produce any evidence that Metro has a Publicly Vetted REGIONAL Housing Policy and Plan?

All 201 elected city councilors and county commissioners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties indicated: NO, I CANNOT.

There is NO surprise here. Why? Because Metro does NOT have a Publicly Vetted REGIONAL Housing Policy and Plan.

The results of this poll are very troubling. It means that All 201 elected city councilors and county commissioners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties have been doing the peoples’ business with Metro either IGNORANT of or IGNORING the fact that Metro does NOT have a Publicly Vetted REGIONAL Housing Policy and Plan. This disturbing exposure speaks volumes about the quality of our elected leadership in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.

Will this new revelation of massive individual incompetence substantially decrease voter confidence in these officials and local government in general? It will and it should.

Is there anything that these 201 elected city councilors and county commissioners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties can do to redeem themselves in the eyes of their constituents? Perhaps.

Let’s start here with two obvious actions which focus on Simplicity and Personal Accountability.

1. ALL 201 elected city councilors and county commissioners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties must contact all Metro councilors and:

A) Tell them to Immediately begin the process of establishing a REGIONAL Publicly Vetted Housing Policy and Plan for which METRO is accountable for executing.

B) Send them their ideas, in writing, for REGIONAL Publicly Vetted Homeless and Housing Policies and Plans.

C) SHOW UP TO TESTIFY when the issue is put before the public for comment.

Anyone that does NOT show up to testify must resign explaining to their colleagues and constituents that it was too much work and too much trouble to be accountable to the voters that put them in office to address those voters’ top political priorities, homelessness and housing.

Here is a plan to immediately deal with only the homelessness crisis part of the larger housing policy issue. It begins by acknowledging the primary goal of Oregonians everywhere:

#1 Getting all those illegally camping on public property removed from those properties.

#2 Providing immediate temporary shelter followed eventually by permanent Public Housing for the homeless as resources and the public mood and values will allow.

This goal can be achieved at NO COST to any of the public jurisdictions under Metro’s authoritative umbrella. It also works in perpetuity regardless of how much the homeless population increases.

The “first dollar” of any and all Metro housing spending MUST be directed toward achieving these priorities. Failure to achieve these goals as soon as possible will meaningfully reduce the public’s confidence in all the governments and elected officials involved. As it should.

Metro must immediately declare Equitable Distribution of Public Housing among the three counties within its regional jurisdiction as its overriding and guiding housing policy. Equitable Distribution of Public Housing will be achieved when Clackamas county (3%) and Washington county (5%) achieve Public Housing unit parity with Multnomah County (11%).

Metro must immediately exercise its regional authority, through additional intergovernmental agreements and/or state legislation, if necessary, to remove all illegal camping on public property in Multnomah County and transfer those involved to sanctioned Public Housing sites or detention centers in Clackamas County. Each individual transfer shall be counted as an additional Public Housing unit for purposes of parity evaluation.

Metro must immediately agree to pay for all police and other services required to move homeless persons from public property in Multnomah county to temporary tent/pod/other sanctioned Public Housing in Clackamas County. These sanctioned Public Housing sites must include all necessary services also paid for by Metro.

All Metro housing bonds, tax funds and staff resources shall be refocused on this effort.

2. ALL housing funding grants/bills/legislation must fall into one or more of these three categories:

#1) 0-80% MFI (Median Family Income)

Private developers will not build in this category because there is no profit to be made, unless there are government subsidies. This category is known as Public Housing*** because, realistically, building units in this category only happens with government financial support. Oregonians can discover which public jurisdictions are overloaded or underserved with Public Housing units by viewing the Metro/Oregon Public Housing Location Maps https://www.goodgrowthnw.org/m...

#2) 81-120% MFI

There is a need for rental and for sale housing in this category. To make these units affordable*** governments must incentivize developers with financial, regulation and other inducements. These are market rate developments.

#3) >121% MFI

This is private developers main focus because it provides the highest return on investment. There is no shortage of housing in this category. Governments need not and should not expend resources here.

Ordinary voters can easily understand this. So we begin our journey to Simplicity by gathering housing category funding data from all city, county, Metro, state and federal sources. Only then can we begin to have a meaningful conversation about which housing categories and public jurisdictions are getting the money. This should lead us to discovering what funding adjustments are required to move toward a more equitable, useful and justifiable distribution of housing funds and then on to the next level of publicly acknowledged success.

ALL 201 elected city councilors and county commissioners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties can help with this by getting Metro to undertake this task then sharing the results with everyone.

Let’s show the voters that elected city councilors and county commissioners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties can do a better job at governing than their elected brethren in the Congress and the White House. We wish them all good luck and good health.

Richard Ellmyer

Portland resident since 1975.

Oregon Voter since 1971. NAV, Non Affiliated Voter. Citizen Activist.

Campaign manager and legislative assistant to state senator Bill McCoy 1980-1981.

Campaign manager and senior staff to Multnomah county commissioner Gladys McCoy 1981-1984.

Celebrate North Portland award 2016 for Volunteer Work and Service with Political and Social Issues Impacting North Portland.

Certified Oregon Change Agent by Governor John Kitzhaber 2011.

PSU Senior Adult Learner, Spring 2021 - Public Participation GiS, 500 level class

PSU Senior Adult Learner, Spring 2024 - Planning and Housing Markets, 500 level class

Author of more stories on the politics, players and policies of Public Housing in Oregon over the last twenty-three years than all other journalists and elected officials combined.

Project Champion and Data Wrangler - Metro/Oregon Public Housing Location Maps https://www.goodgrowthnw.org/m...

GIS for Activism conference, May 23, 2022, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

Richard Ellmyer - How I, A Citizen Activist, Used GIS To Effectively Tell A Necessary Yet Unavailable Truth About Public Housing

30 minute Video https://media.pdx.edu/media/t/...

Lifelong Learning at PSU by Jennifer Jordan-Wong.

LET KNOWLEDGE SERVE THE CITY [Section] “Richard used a course he audited at PSU to create a citizen activist mapping tool to benefit Oregon residents, stakeholders, and policy makers…His interest in mapping as a tool for change began when he noticed that public housing was not being distributed equitably”

https://psucollegeofed.wordpress.com/2022/09/23/lifelong-learning-at-psu/?fbclid=IwAR3S9Pff0mBGeT6Ha8dQeAqL0nAqU7QzZ-0pJC_oTQJxBWlAb2fdXzdE0w4

Author of The Ellmyer Report, a newsletter that informs, educates and influences on public policy. Its target audiences are elected officials, journalists and civically engaged citizens. Facebook, Portland Politics Plus. Contributor: Patch news.

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https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/03/portland-voters-want-money-spent-on-homelessness-to-deliver-better-results-theres-a-surprising-reason-why-its-not.html

https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/18/oregon-homeless-camping-laws-encampment-sweep-regulations-restriction-poll-portland-house/

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Public Housing, Means Test (<=80% MFI) + Government Subsidy (any government, kind, amount) + Rental Agreement.

Affordable Housing, A mathematical calculation, i.e. Mortgage/Rent + Taxes + Insurance + Utilities <= 30% of household income.