Lee Moore has been elected chair of the Housing Authority of Portland's Board of Commissioners for 2010, and Brian Lessler and Amie Pico have been appointed to the nine-member citizen commission. Lessler fills one of the two Gresham seats on the board, and Pico is the new resident commissioner.
Moore, general manager of Clackamas River Water, has served on the HAP board since 2002. During his tenure, he was board liaison and led the Community Advisory Committees for the New Columbia and Humboldt Gardens HOPE VI redevelopments. Together, the projects brought more than $300 million in economic development and nearly 1,000 new affordable housing units to the community.
Moore said he is pleased to have the leadership opportunity during the period HAP will be developing a new strategic plan. He will draw on his extensive management experience in the private and public sectors.
"Poverty knows no boundaries," he said, "As we think about HAP's directions over the next several years, we need to keep in mind that poverty is a regional and statewide issue for Oregonians and make sure that our strategies and policies take that into consideration as we focus on our clients in Multnomah County."
Moore said his personal history also has shaped his view of the importance of affordable housing. "Many of the issues facing people today are the same challenges my family had when I was a child."
His parents came to Oregon to work in the Kaiser shipyards during World War II. They lived in government housing at Vanport, where Moore was born, and then University Park, as they raised their family, saved, and then bought a home in North Portland. "I know from personal experience how important it is to have affordable housing that doesn't single anyone out and integrates well into the surrounding neighborhood.
"I also saw how elated my parents were when they achieved their dream of homeownership. Now I am elated to have this opportunity to work in a leadership position with HAP staff to help folks who are striving to improve their lives," he said.