This is a large field of candidates, but it is nice when one stands out as well as Tom does. He has lived in this particular County district for nearly his entire life, and his public service background is well suited for the County. It can be hard to find qualified commissioners for the County because of the diverse array of services provided by counties (mental health, transportation, public health, patrol, corrections, and the economy) as evidenced by the group that was in there before Ted Wheeler was elected. Tom is one of the few people in Portland who has experience working in nearly every service area. His experience will be a huge boost to Multnomah County, and his relationships in the district will make him an excellent liaison to the community.

I have known Tom Markgraf for almost a decade, and he is absolutely the best of the best out there. His passion for public service, progressive Portland values, strong background in mental health and transportation, and deep connections to the community will make him a tremendous commissioner. Tom is the type of candidate that still gets me excited!

I was born and raised in Portland, attending Fernwood Elementary (now Beverly Cleary School) and Central Catholic High School

Do you currently attend and donate money to a Catholic Church? If not - great!

However, if you do, how do you justify continued financial support for an organization whose leaders ought to be arrested for crimes (and for covering up crimes, and for aiding and abetting new crimes) against children?

How do you justify continued support for an organization that works to limit healthcare options for women, erase civil rights for gays and lesbians, dumb down science curricula in the public schools, etc..?

I do realize that most Catholics like to absolve themselves of all personal responsibility for the abhorrent, and often criminal behavior that their continued participation, and collection plate contributions, directly support...

But I think someone's failure to address their own complicity in maintaining an "objectively disordered" organization like the Catholic Church is relevant to the approach they might take in confronting issues as a commissioner...

“ I understand the complexities involved in both the local side and the federal side of garnering funding for vital transportation projects.”

Like the financially unself-sustainable Portland Streetcar that only creates more congestion on city streets, sucks transportation dollars away from maintaining roads, and where the riders do not even pay for the costs of operation, thereby adding to an ongoing public debt; and where the public is still being deceived into thinking the streetcar stimulates development when in fact it is other taxpayer funded subsidies handed out directly to developers along the route that actually provides the incentives – all so that the government can control the type and density of the development that occurs.

“I know what it will take to get the Federal funds needed to rebuild the Sellwood Bridge.”

Like directly charging the bicyclists for their overly-generous share of the proposed new bridge and infrastructure instead of just expecting local vehicle owners and water service ratepayers to subsidize the parasite bicyclist community.

So, "just saying" has been Terry Parker. "Parasite"? Talk about the lamprey calling the leach a sucker!

I'm glad someone is raising some of these unpleasant issues.

Posted by: Pat Ryan | Mar 29, 2010 6:59:03 PM

Are you now or have you ever been......?

Oh, read what he actually wrote.

Do you currently attend and donate money to a Catholic Church? If not - great!

ATTEND...DONATE...are behaviors! ARE you now or have you ever BEEN is about identity. "If not - great"...read "don't care about your identity, just behavior".

Now let me guess that Oregon Bill is a Dem. I have claimed for 5 years that Dems look the other way and condone anything the Catholic Church does, because they are a large part of the Dem base, and that totally undercuts their ability to take the moral high ground on ANY issue. You have a well-behaved, regular contributor mention it in PURELY BEHAVOURAL TERMS, and he is immediately ridiculed by Dem realpolitik and political correctness.

I suppose we're not supposed to notice how many of those in the immediate line of Presidential seccession, at the moment, are practicing Catholics. And don't tell me it doesn't affect how you do your job. Still spitting over a major HCR vote being held up while Nelson waited on the Council of Catholic Bishops to approve wording in his ammendment.

This is also germaine to the local contests, and a certain BO contributor's candidacy. Perhaps she would like to lay out the "practicing Catholic but not guilty of participating in their numerous heinous promotions" position. At the very least, your allowing Dems to distance themselves from the Church, while practicing, is the hight of hypocrisy, given that you identify friends of friends of friends of TEA protestors as being "teabaggers". Fine. By that logic, "Dems hang out with paedophiles". "Dems are intimately connected with a group that preaches that GLBT lifestyles will be the end of human life on the planet".

You recently had your one trick pony prancing about because a guy that attented a TEA protest didn't edit what unaffiliated associates put on his blog. It was no different than if a right winger posted an article about "what the hell are those Dems thinking", and only used qutoes from the Pope and Curia cardinals. Which way is it? Are you responsible for the company you keep, or not?

Tom, that's a nice piece. But your current work is pushing the CRC Megabridge - something that will harm the health of people in District 2, by causing increased pollution (congestion caught at the I-5 I-84 interchange, and pollution from construction).

Why didn't you talk about that? Are you proud of that work, or hiding it from potential voters who are progressive and know the CRC is a step back on climate change and sustainable communities?

Is this the same Tom Markgraf who's consulting firm has received over $900,000 (in tax payer money, no less) to lobby in favor of the 12-lane Columbia River Crossing?

Hopefully not, because that alone ought to be enough to disqualify someone for holding the District Two seat, if not in ethics laws, at least in the eyes of the electorate.

Don't use the second person singular on me

It was plural. Can't you tell? Seriously, English can suck at times.

As for whether Markgraf or Kollymore (or whoever) are Catholics and should be means tested base on donations, I think the whole argument is a lot overwrought.

A poster on Gawker.com says it best (but is hardly the only one asking this question)... How could anyone donate anything at all to an organization like this...?

"What I don't understand is how anyone could still consider themselves Catholics in the face of this.

One or two incidences in a vast, moneyed, unwieldy organization means bad apples. $2 billion dollars paid out in the U.S. alone to abused victims (most of whom were CHILDREN) of these "men of God" with hundreds (and countless thousands in the past) more emerging around the world means something is seriously fucked in the midget state of Vatican.

The CEO, an ex-Nazi in Prada boots, is complicit in allowing a man who abused 200 DEAF CHILDREN for decades to live out "the dignity of his days" — unmolested, by, you know, law enforcement. Because he had "repented" — whatever that means when you are morally bankrupt — and his health was failing in a way it should have long ago had there actually been a benevolent God.

It's just mind-boggling to me. These are supposed to be the most sacred people — the most holy — the most trustworthy — the most good. They are your direct line to the Lord. And they are fucking the small children.

How could one believe in any earthly manifestation of "religion" after that? How? I genuinely want to know."

http://gawker.com/5506759/comment-of-the-day-how-are-you-still-catholic

It's not like the Catholic Church doesn't get itself daily involved in local politics. Oh, look. Here they are, messing with local gov, fighting for the right to commit health care fraud!

It's not like the Catholic Church doesn't get itself daily involved in local politics.

Exactly. And the Archdiocese of Portland, which draws its money from parishioners at Holy Redeemer, St. Andrews, and other "liberal" parishes favored by "progressive Dems," was also among the top financial contributors to Measure 36...

** Isn't it legitimate to ask whether Mr. Markgraf or Ms. Collymore STILL give any money - any money at all - to the Catholic Church?

If they do, their money is used by the Archdiocese to fund efforts to deny basic civil rights to gay and lesbian Oregonians, undermine women's health care options, and pay out massive legal penalties for utterly indefensible, appalling abuse..

Not exactly "liberal" or "progressive"

<h2>So how is it that continued financial support of the Catholic Church, knowing today what we know about its activities, gets a pass from so many Blue Oregon Democrats..?</h2>