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Welcome
Dear Portlander,
Welcome to the Re-elect Commissioner Amanda 2012 web site! Thank you for visiting, and thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Primary Election on May 15. Current results show I won about 1,300 votes more than my closest competitor, but not enough to get 50%. So, there is a runoff election on November 6.
The Oregonian's 4/5/12 endorsement starts:
"Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz isn't anti-establishment. She simply doesn't belong to any part of the Portland power structure, which makes her a refreshingly unreliable vote and an uncommonly independent politician. The Portland City Council needs someone like Fritz. The commissioner deserves a second term."
And on 4/12/12 The Skanner's endorsement said, "Fritz has shown her commitment to bread-and-butter issues such as improving operations at the 9-1-1 call center – which just got its first computer upgrade in more than 15 years and will now be better able to instruct and fully inform first responders in such a way that more police shootings may be avoided."
I ask for your support and assistance winning re-election to the Portland City Council on November 6, so that I can continue to be a forceful and effective advocate for spending taxpayers' money more wisely. I am proud of the achievements and results I've accomplished as your City Commissioner since January 2009, despite the challenges of the recession. With the active help of the community, in just three years I have made a real difference for Portland taxpayers and ratepayers.
In 2009, I saved ratepayers a projected total of $500 million by persuading the Council to pursue a less expensive compliance mechanism if the City is required to treat Bull Run drinking water. I partnered with neighborhood and business advocates to get this done. The result was a unanimous vote reversing the Water Bureau's previous plan. That vote decreased the rate increase in 2010 by over 6%, saving ratepayers $6 million in 2010-11, and by 6% again in 2011-12 compared with the Water Bureau's previous plan. (See Politifact article and discussion, here). Water rate increases are still too high. I recently secured another 5-0 Council vote to avoid paying any costs in this year's budget related to covered storage for Bull Run water, saving ratepayers more money in the 2012-13 rates. If re-elected, I will continue to be the ratepayers' champion on the Council.
I work hard for people in every part of Portland. In my first three years, I attended 971 community events, and read and responded personally to over 20,000 emails. Since embarking on the path of public service, I have volunteered in hands-on projects in 90 of Portland's 95 neighborhoods.
I listen to neighbors and business leaders, and collaborate with all to solve problems and empower citizens.
And together, Portlanders and I have achieved results.
I was the leader in replacing Portland's out-of-date 9-1-1 computer system, whose limitations would soon have put public safety at risk. Working with Commissioner Randy Leonard, multiple city and county agencies, police and fire services, and the public, my excellent staff in the Bureau of Emergency Communications made necessary initial adjustments, and now the system works better than ever. The old computer died two months after the switch. We got the job done on time, on budget, and it works. Sheriff Dan Staton's endorsement of my re-election is a testament to that success.
The effects of the recession have been deep and long lasting. As a city, state, and nation, we are still struggling together to revive a vibrant economy. In these hard times, instead of improving services in 2009 and 2010, we had to cut the City budget significantly. I supported deep spending cuts in both years, and the City of Portland's budget in 2011 was much more robust than the State's. In part because of actions by your City Council, the number of jobs in Multnomah County grew by 6,800 in 2011, despite public sector job cuts of 1,700. And still I know we must do more, because so many Portlanders are still suffering unemployment and underemployment, and this recession affects everyone. We are not out of it yet, and we face more cuts to City services in 2012-13. I will continue to work to attract and retain jobs in both small businesses and large corporations, support schools, and maintain basic services, as I have throughout my first term.
I push the Council and City processes to operate more efficiently, and I pursue equity and justice in every decision. I ask the questions Portlanders want answered: "What is the true cost of this project? Who is going to pay for it, who benefits, and is that fair?". I watch over the details to save taxpayers' money. And I ask if it's a truly important priority now, relative to the other urgent competing needs we must also consider. Whenever feasible, I have done so in a way that fosters partnerships and public participation, and helps further the understanding that we are all in this community together. I coordinated the Council's consensus and 5-0 votes on the Tree Protection policy, the West Hayden Island resolution setting a process to decide whether to develop a Port facility there, and funding the right budget for inclusive community involvement all three years. I secured funding for projects at Roosevelt and Parkrose High Schools, and I was East Portland's Gateway Area Business Association Citizen of the Year in 2011, selected by the Superintendents of Parkrose, David Douglas, and Portland Adventist schools.
The most important priorities for Portland haven't changed since you elected me three years ago. You and I still want taxpayers money to be spent wisely paying for basic services; well-paying jobs for more Portlanders; great schools; and citizens' voices heard and respected.
In my second term, I will:
* Reduce Water Bureau rate increases
* Achieve results in improved opportunities and outcomes for people of color and people with disabilities, through the actions of the Office of Equity and Human Rights
* Improve outcomes for people experiencing mental illnesses,by funding and coordination of crisis care and reducing interactions between police and people in mental health crisis. With my 26 years' experience in mental health nursing, followed with four years in charge of 9-1-1, I am uniquely qualified to continue and complete this crucial work.
* Work on cell towers, air quality, zoning codes and maps, and engaging Portlanders in making Superfund choices.
* Press the Legislature to provide adequate school fundng, a problem legislators have failed to solve over the past 10+ years
* Keep using common sense and exercising fiscal responsibility.
My positions and history on many current issues are posted on the About Amanda page of this web site. For those who vote based on a candidate's flexibility and versatility, see this video of my performance with Portland megastar Storm Large at Candidates Gone Wild.
Please volunteer to participate in the campaign to re-elect me, to continue this work. If you are able to give money, I will be grateful if you can contribute a donation of up to $50 per person per year. Even $5 helps. I am not taking larger contributions than $50 ($100 per couple), and I am not accepting any donations from corporations, groups, or other entities that aren't individual people. I want Portlanders to continue to know that I act and vote based on values, facts, and the needs of the people of Portland, rather than influence by affluent campaign donors.
Significant changes often take time and principled, collaborative partnerships to accomplish. Let's continue to work together to deal with the problems that affect citizens' everyday lives.
Sincerely,
Amanda
