Dan Saltzman
Encyclopedia
Dan Saltzman is an elected commissioner serving in the City Council of Portland
in Portland, Oregon
.
's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and an M.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. His political career has included a staff position with US Senator Ron Wyden
, five years as a Multnomah County
Commissioner (1993–1998), and his current third term as a City of Portland Commissioner.
Saltzman was first elected to Portland’s City Council in November 1998, defeating former Multnomah County Commission colleague Tanya Collier. He won on a platform that included domestic violence
and child abuse
, issues that were generally in the purview of the Multnomah County Commission. According to The Oregonian, he did not offer many specifics about his approach to these issues during his campaign. Saltzman, previously an environmental engineering
consultant, was initially assigned the following bureaus by then-Mayor Vera Katz
: the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), and the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES).
Saltzman has established two bureaus during his service with the City of Portland: the Office of Sustainable Development in 2000 http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/04/portland_commissioner_dan_salt.html and the Children’s Investment Fund in 2002.http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/10/the_childrens_levy_has_us_at_h.html. The Children's Investment Fund was renamed the Portland Children's Levy in 2009.http://www.childrensinvestmentfund.org/communications/news
As assigned to him by Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Saltzman now oversees the following City of Portland bureaus, funds and systems: the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), the Portland Children's Levy, the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence, and the Fire & Police Disability & Retirement (FPDR) system.http://www.portlandonline.com/saltzman/index.cfm?c=49701
From January 2009 until recently, Commissioner Saltzman oversaw the Portland Police Bureau as well, until a high-profile dispute with the Mayor's office over proposed cuts to the police budget. On May 12, 2010, a week before Portland voters would decide whether or not to reelect Commissioner Saltzman for a fourth term, Adams reassigned the Police Bureau back to the Mayor's office and simultaneously fired Chief Rosie Sizer, installing East Precinct Commander Mike Reese as the new Chief of Police.http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/05/sam_adams_calls_noon_news_conf.html
Despite multiple challengers in his primary on May 18, 2010, Saltzman received over 50% of the vote and was reelected for a fourth term as City Commissioner.http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/05/final_multnomah_county_primary.html
Saltzman's work on the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) in 2011 caused severe public outcry in what has been deemed the "flushing the poor" sewage upgrade in which hundreds of houses, largely the oldest and poorest homes, were served letters demanding sudden payments to the BES for "sewer upgrades" costing on average $7000. Several community action committees have mobilized against this move by Saltzman, but with budgetary constraints caused largely by Saltzman's outlandish Rose Festival upgrades over the previous 2 years, any change in policy is unlikely. http://brooklyn-neighborhood.org/2011/07/28/portland-commissioner-dan-saltzman-apologized-to-southeast-portland-residents/ http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=131361741767086400
Government of Portland, Oregon
The Government of Portland, Oregon, a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include a Mayor, a City Council, and a City Auditor. The mayor and commissioners are responsible legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Background
Saltzman is a Portland native who attended schools in the Portland area and on the east coast before entering a career in environmental engineering. He graduated from Beaverton High School , received a B.S. from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and an M.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. His political career has included a staff position with US Senator Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
, five years as a Multnomah County
Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
Commissioner (1993–1998), and his current third term as a City of Portland Commissioner.
Saltzman was first elected to Portland’s City Council in November 1998, defeating former Multnomah County Commission colleague Tanya Collier. He won on a platform that included domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
and child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, issues that were generally in the purview of the Multnomah County Commission. According to The Oregonian, he did not offer many specifics about his approach to these issues during his campaign. Saltzman, previously an environmental engineering
Environmental engineering
Environmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment , to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites...
consultant, was initially assigned the following bureaus by then-Mayor Vera Katz
Vera Katz
Vera Katz is a Democratic politician in the state of Oregon. She was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and was the 45th mayor of Portland, Oregon's most populous city. Growing up in New York City, she moved to Portland in 1962 and was elected to the Oregon...
: the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), and the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES).
Saltzman has established two bureaus during his service with the City of Portland: the Office of Sustainable Development in 2000 http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/04/portland_commissioner_dan_salt.html and the Children’s Investment Fund in 2002.http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/10/the_childrens_levy_has_us_at_h.html. The Children's Investment Fund was renamed the Portland Children's Levy in 2009.http://www.childrensinvestmentfund.org/communications/news
As assigned to him by Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Saltzman now oversees the following City of Portland bureaus, funds and systems: the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), the Portland Children's Levy, the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence, and the Fire & Police Disability & Retirement (FPDR) system.http://www.portlandonline.com/saltzman/index.cfm?c=49701
From January 2009 until recently, Commissioner Saltzman oversaw the Portland Police Bureau as well, until a high-profile dispute with the Mayor's office over proposed cuts to the police budget. On May 12, 2010, a week before Portland voters would decide whether or not to reelect Commissioner Saltzman for a fourth term, Adams reassigned the Police Bureau back to the Mayor's office and simultaneously fired Chief Rosie Sizer, installing East Precinct Commander Mike Reese as the new Chief of Police.http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/05/sam_adams_calls_noon_news_conf.html
Despite multiple challengers in his primary on May 18, 2010, Saltzman received over 50% of the vote and was reelected for a fourth term as City Commissioner.http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/05/final_multnomah_county_primary.html
Saltzman's work on the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) in 2011 caused severe public outcry in what has been deemed the "flushing the poor" sewage upgrade in which hundreds of houses, largely the oldest and poorest homes, were served letters demanding sudden payments to the BES for "sewer upgrades" costing on average $7000. Several community action committees have mobilized against this move by Saltzman, but with budgetary constraints caused largely by Saltzman's outlandish Rose Festival upgrades over the previous 2 years, any change in policy is unlikely. http://brooklyn-neighborhood.org/2011/07/28/portland-commissioner-dan-saltzman-apologized-to-southeast-portland-residents/ http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=131361741767086400