President’s Message
With the general election only weeks away, the question of when, if ever, a neighborhood association can or should involve itself in politics is front and center on BWNA’s agenda. Prime example: Hardly a week goes by that I don’t receive a phone call or e-mail from a candidate’s campaign manager or a ballot measure proponent requesting an opportunity to speak at the upcoming October BWNA general meeting. Not to mention solicitations for a personal endorsement of a particular candidate or ballot measure. So what to do?
The Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI = pronounced OHnee) is a good place to start for guidance. ONI is the city bureau that oversees funding and administers policy for Portland’s neighborhood associations, including guidelines governing bylaws. The rules regarding neighborhood associations’ involvement in politics are two-fold:
1.) Neighborhood associations may not promote or endorse candidates or ballot measures;
2.) Neighborhood associations may not discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of political affiliation in any of its policies, recommendations, or actions.
Sound familiar? For me it’s reminiscent of the much debated “Establishment Clause” in the First Amendment to the U.S Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Thus, while BWNA is forbidden to take sides politically, it also is required to be equally accommodative to all sides— a bit of a Catch-22, if you will.
Practical application of this policy can be problematical, indeed. For example, if a particular candidate or ballot measure advocate is invited to speak at a neighborhood association meeting, then out of fairness their opponents need to be invited as well— which, in the case of this year’s mayoral primary election in Portland, could have resulted in a dozen or so candidates vying for speaking time, leaving little or no room for anything else on the meeting agenda. One obvious solution is to not invite any candidates or ballot measure advocates to speak at meetings, which is the policy that BWNA and many other neighborhood associations have adopted. But there’s another way: In our local area, Rose City Park and Concordia neighborhood associations have opted to organize special community meetings dedicated exclusively to providing a platform for candidates and ballot measure spokespeople from which to air their views and field questions from the public. So why political forums in some neighborhoods and not in others? Short answer: If there are enough residents willing to share in the responsibility, the forum will happen.
Politics aside, the essential ingredient for a responsive and vibrant neighborhood association is indeed volunteerism, and no Beaumont-Wilshire resident has been more dedicated to that calling than Board member Gwen MacPherson. Regretfully, Gwen passed away last month after an agonizing battle with cancer. Her passing came suddenly, just a few days after mustering up the strength and courage with the help of her children to make an appearance at the National Night Out Picnic in Wilshire Park. (Days before, even as she struggled from the effects of chemotherapy, Gwen was on the phone to merchants, confirming donated cakes and ice cream for the Picnic.) She served as BWNA Treasurer, as my BWNA partner on the Central Northeast Neighbors Board, and often greeted neighbors at general meetings with a smile and an agenda. Reflecting on Gwen’s legacy, a colleague wrote: “We could all use more people like her—people making a difference.”