Election 2017 - A Crucial Vote For Laurelhurst!
On May 30 at 7 pm, our neighborhood goes to the polls to elect the new LNA board.
Yes, we know, in years past the LNA elections have been tepid affairs. Some of us have never voted or noticed that there was a vote.
This year is different.
Our neighborhood faces major challenges, and this election will determine how we handle them.
One challenge is demolitions and destructive redevelopment of our historic neighborhood. We have a chance to do something about that. If you are a regular visitor to this website, you're already familiar with this. A successful historic district effort will require leadership and financial backing from the LNA.
Another challenge is camping and crime in the neighborhood, at Laurelhurst Park and in the northern parts of the neighborhood. We know these are city-wide issues that require action from city hall and city bureaus. Portland’s neighborhoods must work in an organized, unified manner to press for that action. The LNA’s Safety Committee has been working with city bureaus, is setting up a public neighborhood meeting this summer (July 12) with the mayor’s office, and preparing a proposed ordinance to prohibit camping near parks, schools, and playgrounds. A neighborhood watch program is being organized. This effort, too, will be most effective with leadership from the LNA.
The Historic Laurelhurst effort is supporting a slate of candidates who have the passion, experience, and commitment to address both of these challenges.
The slate is led by Scott Pratt, who is running for LNA President. Scott has a long history of service to Laurelhurst, Portland, and Oregon. A thirty three-year Laurelhurst resident, he was President of the LNA for two years in the 1990s and co-founded the Nathan McMurry Thomas Fund. When you walk by the soccer field, basketball courts, and playground in Laurelhurst Park, you are seeing some of the Fund’s work in memoriam. He also led the Oregon League of Conservation Voters for many years. Scott has long worked on homeless issues through JOIN - read more about that organization here. Scott’s partner T.J. Browning has also dedicated herself to Portland and our neighborhood. Her work includes the McMurry Thomas Fund, the Independent Police Review commission, and most recently the LNA’s Safety Committee. You can see the whole slate and read their statements here.
Scott would also like to say a few words. His Open Letter to the neighborhood is here and he's recorded a short video.
Please make time to vote on May 30. You can vote at any time between 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the large meeting room of All Saints Church on NE Glisan.
Every adult resident of Laurelhurst, both owning and renting, and every property owner and every business and non-profit organization in the neighborhood, is a member of the LNA and has a vote. Votes must be cast in person. There is no absentee, mail, or proxy voting. Polls close at 8:30 p.m. There will be an LNA meeting and remarks by the candidates, but it time is pressing, you do not need to stay - you may simply arrive, mark a ballot, and leave.
This is a very important election. It will determine the future of the Historic District effort. Thank you.
Scott Pratt, our candidate for LNA President
