COMMISSIONER RANDY LEONARD'S BLOG

Randy In the News 5.17.11

Oregonian story about rising sewer and water rates.

Randy In the News 5.12.11

Portland Mercury story about upcoming Portland Loo funding and planning.

Portland Firefighters Respond to a Fallen Climber on Rocky Butte

At Approx. 2:00 pm today Portland Firefighters were called to Rocky Butte on reports that a climber had fallen. On arrival emergency personnel found an adult male at the bottom of a sheer rock face on the East side of the Butte. When responders were able to make access to the man it was determined that he was deceased.

The Medical Examiner was called to the scene to investigate as is standard in these cases. The victim is believed to have fallen Approx. 50'. Members of Portland Fire & Rescue's Technical Rescue Team assisted the M.E. with his investigation as some of the climbers gear was still on the cliff face. The cause of death and the victims name will be released by the M.E.

Reports are that the victim was in a party of four and three of the party were climbers. The victim and his climbing partner are visiting from Austria. The deceased and his climbing partner are reportedly very experienced climbers and avid outdoorsman.

Rocky Butte is a popular location with local climbers and hikers. Portland Fire & Rescue responds to 1-2 fall related incidents per year of varying severity.　

Contact Info: Lt. Damon Simmons, Media Pager (503)940-6003

Honoring Kara and her family

Commissioner Leonard and his family have been touched by the tremendous outpouring of support from all over our community.  The Leonard family has requested that in lieu of flowers or other tributes, that Kara's life be honored via donations to Central City Concern, one of Portland's most well-known and effective addiction treatment organizations.  Donations can be directed to:

Carole Romm

Central City Concern

232 NW 6^th Avenue

Portland, OR 97209

503.294.1681

www.centralcityconcern.org

Kara Marie Leonard

The tragic death of Kara Leonard: When even love is overmatched

Published: Monday, May 09, 2011, 6:54 PM     Updated: Monday, May 09, 2011, 7:53 PM

By Steve Duin, The Oregonian

 

   Kara Leonard

On Sunday afternoon, my daughter, Lauren, boarded a plane in Washington, D.C., and flew home from her junior year of college .¤.¤.

Randy Leonard's daughter, Kara, walked a gun into a field near Larch Mountain in rural Clark County.

Over the Mother’s Day weekend, my 20-year-old wrote on her Facebook page, “Haven’t missed the rain .¤.¤. but glad to be home.”

Leonard’s 31-year-old wrote on hers, “No matter what happens to me I must stay strong, no matter what. No matter where I end up.”

Alas, she - and her father - ended up in the grip of loneliness I can’t imagine.

And if you and your daughter are among the lucky ones who don’t know that pain or that divide, I hope one of you is reaching for the phone.

Kara M. Leonard died Sunday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, just off an old logging road in northeast Clark County. She died still working her way through addiction issues - including heroin - that haunted her, and everyone who loved her, since she was a teenager.

More

Story: "Kara Leonard, daughter of Portland city Commissioner Randy Leonard, remembered as a bright light"

“Addiction is a powerful thing,” said Ty Kovatch, chief of staff for Portland’s city commissioner. “The Kara who was in recovery was remarkably intelligent and charming and beautiful. Her family and her friends found a million different ways to get her into treatment. She, herself, would really work hard at it. (But) the addiction was such a powerful force in her life she couldn’t stay on a path that would keep her away from that world.

“She has a 12-year-old son who has to figure out how to process that.”

She has a 58-year-old father who has known too well the weight of that cross.

“Randy didn’t talk about his daughter too much to me,” said Commissioner Nick Fish, “but he has spent much of his public life addressing the issues she grappled with.

“I can’t remember a time on council when he invoked her name, but her spirit and experience was in the room. The source of Randy’s passion and commitment to groups like Central City Concern was never lost on me. It grew out of his personal experience as a father, struggling with an adult daughter’s addiction.

“There are limits to what we can do as parents. That’s one of the humbling takeaways for me.”

You graze those limits when you trace the edge of Kara Leonard’s Facebook page. You can feel her desperate attempts to stay balanced (“We will think pure and beautiful thoughts, say pure and beautiful words, and do pure and beautiful deeds.”)

I’m sure the drugs convinced her they were essential to the quest.

“You can’t believe how powerful” that addiction is, Kovatch said. “It’s been an ongoing effort by her parents and her family and her friends to do what they could. It just became more powerful than whatever love they had to offer. Or all the love they had to offer .¤.¤.

“How they must be feeling after all that effort I can’t even fathom. My heart aches for all of them.”

There will be a time to talk about counseling and recovery for those who haven’t made the slow, bitter turn toward Larch Mountain.

But not yet. For now, I only hope your heart breaks for the daughter they lost. And beats for the daughter you haven’t.

-- Steve Duin

© 2011 OregonLive.com. All rights reserved.

Kara Leonard, daughter of Portland city Commissioner Randy Leonard, remembered as a bright light

Published: Monday, May 09, 2011, 7:35 PM     Updated: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 6:09 AM

By Brad Schmidt, The Oregonian 

Kara Leonard

They met 7 1/2 years ago at a barbecue in Vancouver, agreeing on the spot that together they would help change Kara Marie Leonard's life.
 
Leonard wanted guidance to steer her to sobriety. She was ready to work the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and she asked Paula Colby for help.
 
"Kara had an amazing light about her," Colby said. "We were kind of drawn to each other. We started to talk. She asked me if I would sponsor her, and I said, 'I'd be honored.'
 
"...I came to love her," Colby said Monday. "She was a big part of my life."
 
Leonard -- one of three adult children of Portland city Commissioner Randy Leonard -- died Sunday, turning a gun on herself near Larch Mountain in rural Clark County, an area often used for recreational shooting. Friends say the 31-year-old struggled with addiction throughout her adult years and seemed to be going through a bout of depression.
 
She leaves behind a 12-year-old son, who has been living with Randy Leonard's first wife. The family was unavailable for comment Monday.

More

The Oregonian's Steve Duin: "The tragic death of Kara Leonard: When even love is overmatched"

"When she was in recovery, she was as beautiful and charming as they come," said Ty Kovatch, Randy Leonard's chief of staff. "Her story is a tragic one that hopefully others can learn from and avoid the vicious cycle that is addiction."

Kara Leonard's struggle was included in the 2007 film "Finding Normal," a local documentary about heroin and crack addiction. Her life came into the public spotlight again in 2008, when she was arrested for theft and failed to make a court appearance. Her father accused the Portland Police Bureau of leaking information on the Internet.

About 2 1/2 years ago, Leonard -- who described herself on Twitter as recovering from a heroin addiction -- entered an inpatient treatment center, said friend Stephanie Bainard.

Bainard was recovering from alcohol addiction and stayed three months; Leonard stayed six months for drug addiction, she said. They grew close, and Leonard was even a housemate from time to time. "I was very blessed to have her in my life," Bainard said.

Kate McManus said she met Leonard more than a year ago in the Clark County Jail. McManus said they talked about their addictions and attended outpatient treatment together.

"She had such a great sense of humor. And she's so beautiful," McManus said. "And I remember her telling me, 'Me and you, we're not the people that belong in jail. We're not supposed to be here. We can't be doing this.'"

Leonard went to jail twice this year for nearly a month, although details of her arrests were not immediately available. Even so, her battle with addiction seemed to be on an upswing, said Kovatch, the chief of staff.

Dr. George Keepers, who chairs the psychiatric department at OHSU Hospital, said the peak of addiction is generally in one's late teens and early 20s. Those suffering with addiction have a higher rate of suicide, he said, noting warning signs of depression, disturbed sleep, altered appetite and loss of energy or enthusiasm.

"Just being addicted increases your risk of suicide," he said.

The day before her death, Leonard posted several social media messages revealing a frightened woman.

"Full of fear, so full of fear. God walk with me.god must have a plan,"   she wrote on her Twitter account under the name "@learnin2bsober."

The same day, she wrote on Facebook: "No matter what happends (sic) to me I must stay strong, no matter what.No matter where I end up."   

Then Leonard wrote that she loved her son.

On Sunday, she and her boyfriend, Ty Takaezu, drove to northeast Clark County. At some point while target shooting, she shot herself, according to authorities at the Clark County Sheriff's Office. Alcohol does not appear to have been a factor.

"I think that most people have bouts of depression," said Colby, who went to the movies Saturday night with Leonard and others. "I think that some people have better tools to handle that than others. And I just think that Kara was struggling."

This summer, Leonard hoped to attend community college and pursue a career in drug and alcohol counseling.

-- Brad Schmidt
Twitter @cityhallwatch

© 2011 OregonLive.com. All rights reserved.

Unattended Cooking Leads to Kitchen Fire in NE Portland Home

At 5:48 pm, Portland firefighters were dispatched to reports of a residential fire at 4484 NE 28th Avenue.  Upon arrival firefighters from NE Portland's Station 14 encountered a fire in the kitchen.  Reports indicate that an occupant was cooking with grease, which was left unattended, and a fire broke out.  The fire spread to the surrounding cabinets and the kitchen began to burn.  First arriving firefighters were able to quickly pull a hose line into the kitchen and applied water to knock down the blaze.
 
The fire was brought under control at 6:00 pm.  Portland Fire & Rescue reminds citizens that cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S.  When cooking, stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on the stove.  If a cooking fire starts, smother it with a pot lid and never throw water on a grease fire.  Most importantly, if a fire breaks out in your home, get out and call 9-1-1.

Contact Info: PIO Lt. James Ziegler 503-940-6003

Randy In the News 5.5.11

Portland Tribune story about the City's purchase of a new Park by the Bureau of Environmental Services.

Portland Mercury story about the Mayor's proposed Budget.

Portland Mercury about the City's re-involvement with the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Portland Tribune story about the City's terms for rejoining the JTTF.

Portland Tribune column mentioning how the new agreement was forged for the city to rejoin the JTTF.

 

Randy In the News 5.4.11

Oregonian story about the Mayor's proposed budget, and Randy's proposal for an Office of Awesomeness.

Portland Fire & Rescue is Responding to 2-Alarm train derailment / fire on Hwy 30 north od Cornelius Pass Rd.

 

 UPDATE @ 1622hrs: (see 2 added photos) Portland Fire is reporting that the fire is out. Residents will be allowed back into the area in approx 1 hour, Hwy 30 will be closed for several more hours.

The DEQ, EPA and Coast Guard are now onscene assesing the impact on the environment due to runoff from the firefighting efforts.

Portland Fire & Rescue was assisted by mutual aid responses from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Scappoose Fire.

PF&R Division Chief of Emergency Operations Scott Fisher stated "Crews from St. Johns Station 22 were the first to arrive, and had it not been for their decisive actions and quick deployment of turrets and aerial streams to cool down the tankers before having to withdraw because of imminent danger, this incident could have ended quite differently."

*********************************************************

UPDATE @ 1512hrs: Portland Fire & Rescue is currently deploying a HazMat Team into the area to recon and formulate a plan to contain the fire and protect all cars forward of the involved tanker.

The train was 20 cars long, 12 of which were tankers carrying denatured alcohol. EACH tanker is carrying 28,000 gallons of alcohol. Currently only (1) tanker is on fire with (1) additional tanker being directly exposed to the fire.

River traffic on the Multnomah Channel within 1 mile of the incident is being restricted and monitored by PF&R Fireboats.

UPDATE: @ 1432hrs Public Information Officer is moving media staging closer to the incident.

 

Unmanned "ground turrets" and "aerial streams" are delivering water for the purpose of cooling the adjacent uninvolved tankers to prevent an explosion. Additional resources are being assembled to prevent the spread of the fire and additional harm to property and the environment.

 Photos courtesy KGW8

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

Firefighters are currently responding to a Rail Tanker on fire at about milepost 13 on Hwy 30 north of Cornelius Pass Rd.

2 tankers (out of 13 total) containing Ethanol are on fire. Because of the potential for explosion caused by catastrophic failure of the uninvolved tankers that are being directly impinged by fire, fire crews have withdrawn and are evacuating the area with a 1/2 mile perimeter until it is safe to return to the area.

All travelers should expect long delays.

PIO Paul Corah is onscene.

Media Pager (503)940-6003

Portland Firefighters Knock Down Fire at North Portland Scrap Yard

 

 Portland Firefighters were dispatched at 12:31 pm to reports of a shredder on fire at the Rivergate Scrap Yard, located at 9645 North Columbia Blvd. Arriving firefighters encountered a column of black smoke and flames 50' off the ground coming from one of the facility's shredders. The facility processes junk cars and grinds them into scrap metal for reuse.

Firefighters from North Portland's Station 22 pulled multiple hose lines and determined that two conveyor belts attached to a giant shredder were on fire. Fire spread to three different locations in the shredder. Workers were able to assist with shutting off power to the machinery as firefighters knocked down the flames.

No one was injured in this fire and firefighters brought the blaze under control at 12:54 pm.　

Contact Info: PIO Paul Corah 503-940-6003