Fwd: City Should Request Press Herald Correction

[George Rheault]

A reminder that as hard as the City of Portland touts its "housing production" efforts as a way to deflect from critiques from activists, the real story is how bad our local media is at telling what is really going on behind the scenes and how much failure and opportunities left on the table are being strewn about as the City bestows favors upon the AVESTA Mafia cartel further crimping the city's economic development including its ability to meet the challenges of climate change.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: George Rheault <george....@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 5:00 PM
Subject: City Should Request Press Herald Correction
To: Jessica Grondin <jgro...@portlandmaine.gov>, Kate Snyder <ksn...@portlandmaine.gov>, Jon Jennings <j...@portlandmaine.gov>
Cc: Pious Ali <pa...@portlandmaine.gov>, Nicholas Mavodones <n...@portlandmaine.gov>, jduson <jdu...@portlandmaine.gov>, Kim Cook <kc...@portlandmaine.gov>, Tae Chong <tch...@portlandmaine.gov>, Justin Costa <jco...@portlandmaine.gov>, Spencer Thibodeau <sthib...@portlandmaine.gov>, Councilor Belinda Ray <b...@portlandmaine.gov>, Randy W. Billings <rbil...@pressherald.com>, Cliff Schechtman <csche...@pressherald.com>, Gregory Kesich <gke...@pressherald.com>, Bill Nemitz <bne...@pressherald.com>, Dennis M. Hoey <dh...@pressherald.com>, Michael Kelley <mke...@theforecaster.net>, Jordan Bailey <jor...@portlandphoenix.me>, Mary Davis <m...@portlandmaine.gov>, Greg Mitchell <gmit...@portlandmaine.gov>, <cses...@porthouse.org>

Another day, another misinformation edition from the City Hall "reporting" being done by the skeleton crew over at the Press Herald.  See attached.

The City should probably be making sure the public is informed that the 3 related council orders pertaining to the Washington Gardens project (577 Washington Ave) were postponed for action (at the request of staff) until the Council's August 31st meeting.  Therefore, this project's 100 units were NOT approved in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, August 4th like the other 3 projects cited in the attached article.

I know it is confusing to tell where the City's official press office begins and where the Press Herald's fawning coverage of whatever emerges from the bowels of City Hall picks up, but blatantly wrong information should be fixed, at least for posterity's sake (so some poor researcher decades hence will not be lead astray).

Either Mr. Billings turned off his ZOOM app early and decided to file his canned cheerleading piece instead of listening to the actual proceedings OR the City's spokespeople gave out bad information (before or after the meeting) and Mr. Billings failed to verify it as a professional journalist would be required to do.  He should have had some clues here:  https://www.portlandmaine.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=5081

Mr. Billings probably should also note that the 100 units of public housing at Washington Gardens are simply being renovated through the assistance of the city's subsidies (in combination with other financing streams).  NO NEW UNITS ARE BEING CREATED as was obvious from the city's own 7-24-2020 news release cited above.  These barracks-quality units are being reclassified (effectively privatized) in order to access available financing mechanisms currently required through our byzantine federal affordable housing bureaucracy but have been occupied since the early 1970s.

FYI:  The 577 Washington Ave project actually displays an embarrassing lack of courage and innovation considering the possible expansion of housing opportunities presented by the existing conditions.   It represents both a complete capitulation to the local NIMBY/homeowner-landlord class as well as a great example of how pathetic our Council and city leadership is at creating new housing within city limits.