CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?
I appreciate this profile of a public servant [“Trust the Process,” WW, June 24] but am disappointed by WW’s reflexive use of language like “on the taxpayer dime,” which casts recipients (many of whom pay taxes themselves) as a burden and public assistance as an aberration to be progressively hollowed out instead of an integral component of the modern state. Thought-terminating clichés like this are inimical to informed journalism and public debate
If your aim was to push back on Portland liberalism (which is high on sentiment but often defers to economic orthodoxy), a better way to do so would be to ask why inequality arises and persists in the first place, and why the bipartisan gutting of such programs over the last decades has done little to change this
Nik J
OVERSEEING OREGON HEALTH IS NO PICNIC
It’s not surprising that Sejal Hathi is leaving [“Oregon Health Authority Director to Step Down,” wweek.com, July 2]. I presumed that she would not be coming back after her maternity leave. It’s really hard for someone without strong Oregon roots to run OHA. And it’s even less fun in the Trump era. This cannot have been what she thought she was signing up for
A little history: There used to be a single agency that included what we now know as OHA and the Department of Human Services. Bruce Goldberg was its director. (John Kitzhaber was governor at the time.) The agency was split in two; my perception was that Bruce wanted to get the underfunded child abuse program off his desk
OHA leadership requires two very different skill sets: technical and political. Lillian Shirley ran the state public health division with both skill sets, including working closely with [state Rep.] Mitch Greenlick to try (unsuccessfully) to increase local public health funding from the state. Otherwise Kitzhaber, who had both skill sets, micromanaged whoever ran OHA. Since Kitzhaber was forced to resign, there has not been anyone who had both technical skill and a strong Oregon network to help navigate the relationship with the Legislature.
Keep up the great work!
Ken Rosenberg, MD, MPH
OHA epidemiologist, retired
AN AFFORDABLE FEAST
If WW is going to list Fuller’s [“Cheap Eats,” June 24], then it must include the Daily Feast at Southwest Taylor and 11th
The breakfast sandwich is under $8, and they actually allow me to substitute gluten-free bread for no extra cost!
Thanks for the article
John Cornyn
Southwest Portland
WHAT HAPPENS IN COOS BAY COULD SLOW PORTLAND TRAFFIC
Coos Bay? Who cares? What happens in Coos Bay stays in Coos Bay…or so I thought. But if the governor and congressional delegation have their way, the Port of Coos Bay will contribute to additional rail and traffic congestion from Eugene to Portland by building the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port (PCIP)
“Railed” [WW, May 20] described the rail congestion problems north of Brooklyn Yard. The Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger will increase Portland rail traffic by 22%. The increase from PCIP containers does not appear to be included in this estimate, but its local impact should be on Portland’s radar
The PCIP is a $2.3 billion proposal to move containers from Coos Bay to Eugene on double-stacked 1.7-mile-long trains—six round trips per day. While PCIP planners have not specified how these trains would move from Eugene to Portland, rail experts say UP is the most likely carrier. That means additional construction, train crossings, traffic congestion and Amtrak delays in Eugene, Salem, Woodburn and Portland
The title of Nigel Jaquiss’ article says it all: “Oregon’s Leading Politicians Want to Bet Billions of Dollars on a New Shipping Terminal. Critics Say it’s a Costly Mistake” [Oregon Journalism Project, Dec. 17, 2025]. Proponents include both U.S. senators, Rep. Val Hoyle and Gov. Kotek. Whether Coos County residents actually support the project appears to be irrelevant. It’s critical that Portland and other cities pressure our representatives for investments that make our communities healthier, not one that will bring unnecessary congestion through our regions.
S. Porter
Coos County
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