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Dear Friends, On Feb. 1, I had the honor of delivering my 2013 State of the County address at the City Club of Portland to a room filled with family, friends, colleagues and fellow county residents. Giving this speech was especially important to me, because this time around I decided to do something different.
Armed only with a few note cards of highlights I wanted to touch on and a passion for the work we do at Multnomah County, I gave an unscripted talk. My reason for doing this was a simple one. I wanted to walk my talk and echo the theme of my speech: taking measured risks and encouraging others to do the same. Now that the speech is behind me, I can say with certainty that while taking measured risks carries a risk of possible failure, the benefit can be substantial. Taking that risk at the City Club of Portland gave me the opportunity to speak from the heart and communicate to county residents exactly who I am as Multnomah County Chair. It also gave me the chance to share my stance on tough issues like tobacco taxes, mortgage fraud, gun laws and mental health in our region, as well as the path I believe we should take in addressing them. If you would like to hear first-hand what my stances are, in addition to the innovations and accomplishments we've made at the county as a result of taking measured risks, I invite you to click here and view the 2013 State of the County address.
Thanks,
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Last month, county contractors successfully moved the 3,400-ton, 1,100-foot truss span of the Sellwood Bridge north for conversion into a detour bridge. The engineering feat took place over the course of about 14 hours, but you can watch the entire process in just 38 seconds by viewing the time-lapse video below.
The detour bridge, which was completed six days after the move, will remain in use until the permanent bridge is completed in summer 2015. Experts believe the Sellwood truss span was one of the longest, oldest bridge sections ever moved in one piece.
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 Is your neighborhood association or community group working on a project that you'd like the county to assist with? Are there issues in your community that you'd like Chair Cogen to know about? Is your neighborhood or organization hosting an event that you'd like Chair Cogen or someone from our office to attend? Confused about who to contact? As Public Advocate, I am here to connect our community to Chair Cogen's office and to the county as a whole. I'd like to know what's going on in your community, because the more we know, the better we can serve. I'm happy to attend meetings or events when possible. Contact me at 503-988-5882 or grace.neal@multco.us.
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In order to improve the user experience for residents, the Multnomah County Library unveiled a new look for its website earlier this month. Upgrades made to the site include better search capabilities, intuitive menus, mobile-friendly browsing and the ability to explore materials based on past reading history, staff reviews, bestsellers and more. Take the site for a test drive and let the library know what you think.
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Whether you want to affect change in our community, get access to county services or are curious to find out what district you live in, be sure to check out our new Multnomah County 101 guide.
This handy resource is an easy way to find out exactly what Multnomah County does for you, who your elected officials are and how you can get involved.
Please feel free to share this link or download, print and distribute the guide with your neighbors, community groups, classes or anyone interested in learning more about Multnomah County government.
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On Thursday, Feb. 21 during our weekly meeting, the Board of Commissioners will proclaim February 2013 as Black History Month in Multnomah County. Please join us as we celebrate the history and contributions of African-American residents of our county, state and nation.
The proclamation will take place starting at 9:30 a.m. in the board room of the Multnomah Building located at 501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland.
You can also visit the Multnomah County Office of Diversity and Equity's webpage for a list of Black History Month events happening throughout our community.
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Multnomah Youth Commissioner Jose Lopez-Delgado speaks at the 2012 summit.
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On Saturday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Multnomah Youth Commission will hold its 2013 Rob Ingram Youth Summit Against Violence at the Ambridge Event Center, 1333 N.E. MLK Jr. Blvd., Portland.
The purpose of the summit, which is open to county residents 21 and younger, is to create a space for young people in Multnomah County to address violence against young men and women among peers, as well as to address local leaders and policy makers.
Goals of this year's summit include:
- Providing resources for young people to deal with violence they experienced and/or currently experience in their lives
- Informing policymakers of the experiences young people face regarding violence and strengthen our youth-adult partnerships to implement policy recommendations and actions
- Bringing diverse young people from across the region together to share ideas and experiences regarding violence and build a youth movement for social change
The summit, now in its second year, is named after youth advocate and community fixture Rob Ingram who passed away in 2011.
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On Wednesday, March 6, join me and the county's Office of Citizen Involvement for a forum on upcoming changes to early childhood programs and the healthcare system.
The forum will first provide an overview of proposed state changes to early childhood programs and Multnomah County's role in this process. The second half of the forum will focus on how Oregon's new healthcare delivery system is changing things for residents on the Oregon Health Plan, as well as the two new coordinated care organizations in place.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and give input about these new initiatives at the forum from 6 to 8 p.m. March 6 at the Multnomah Building, 501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland. Click here for more information.
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Multnomah County is Oregon's most populous county with about 748,000 residents. Multnomah County is governed by a Board of four elected Commissioners and one Chair. Multnomah County employees provide citizens a wide range of health and human services, public safety services and other government services.
Multnomah County values the privacy of personal information and will not sell or otherwise disclose your email address, except as provided under Chapter 192 of the Oregon Revised Statues pertaining to Records; Public Reports and Meetings.
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