Bemis responds to safety concerns

Mayor promises at luncheon to follow up soon with Tri-Met

By Ben Myers

The Gresham Outlook, Jan 8, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (5 Reader comments)

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Mayor Shane T. Bemis addressed the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon Tuesday, Jan. 8, to address public safety concerns, and to review the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Public Safety.

Bemis convened the task force last year in response to a public safety summit in which 130 citizens aired their concerns. The task force reported back to the City Council in December, recommending that the council put a five-year public safety levy on the November ballot. The levy would increase property taxes in Gresham by $1 per every $1,000 of assessed value, which would beef up Gresham’s police by 35 to 40 sworn officers.

The challenge now is to convince voters to pay for it.

“Can you talk about the status of the public safety bond measure and how you can convince us to vote for it?” asked the Rev. Cynthia O’Brien, who sits on the Government Affairs Council of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce, which organized the luncheon Tuesday.

“Any time you ask the public to pay more money, it’s a difficult proposition,” Bemis said. “However, I believe the public has brought this issue forward.”

Bemis said he believes that, despite Gresham residents’ reticence to pay for a new levy, they can be swayed when confronted with the problem.

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