KATU TV-2's Melica Johnson Covers Salem - Salem Business Journal

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page Salem Business Journal april 2008 The End – Never Justifies the Means! MUSINGS oF ThE orEGoN PIoNEEr I Stand Proud and watch from “Atop” the Great Dome of the Oregon State Capitol. It is my job to watch and remember. On occasion I turn my head from west to east to watch from afar the other “goings on” about Salem. On January 11, 2008, I looked east to the Kay Woolen Mill to observe the Salem City Club at lunch. Senate President Peter Courtney was speaking. An eloquent speaker to be sure! Senator Courtney is outspoken in a clear, distinctive tone and forthright manner. As one listens, one is convinced of Senator Courtney’s sincerity and passion for his opinion. In the Q and A portion of the Salem City Club lunch, a question from the audience, paraphrased: Is there any piece of Legislative business that actually has to be finished before the Special Session can Adjourn in February? Senator Courtney’s response is set forth as follows: “I want to make it clear. This is not a Special Session. This is not a Special Session. So many individuals who look at this Session do it with a Special Session mentality. This is a short General Session of the Oregon Legislature. It is a Session of the Oregon Legislature. It is not a Special Session. It is not designed to be a Special Session. It is designed to be a Session to come in and look at public The oregon Pioneer policy issues and to look at budgetary issues and see what adjustments need to be made. * * * * * Again I cannot emphasize this enough, this is not an Emergency Session, it is a General Session.” Taken from CCTV DVD, Jan 11, 2008, Salem City Club. This impassioned plea for an annual Legislative Session may have merit, or it may not have merit. There is but one obstacle. The Oregon Constitution prohibits annual sessions! Citizens of this great state are often asked to amend or change the policy of the Oregon Constitution and do so regularly. This is good, not bad. Let the people decide what policies should govern. The people have never shunned such responsibilities. On January 18, 2008, Senator Courtney and the Speaker of the House filed papers indicating there was an “Emergency.” This statement was sufficient for the Oregon Supreme Court to Declare the “Special Session” of the Oregon Legislature to be lawful. However, we can see from the quoted material Senator Courtney believes differently. If Senator Courtney and the other persons in control of the Legislature really believe annual sessions are necessary, as Senator Courtney states, then why misstate facts and the real reason for the Legislature to meet? Does the end justify the means? No, it never does. Oregon has a Constitutional process. It should be followed. Oregon has a heritage of honor and openness among members of the Legislature. It is truly unfortunate for Oregon to have diminished this tradition of openness and honesty. I Stand Proud and watch from “Atop” the Great Dome of the Oregon State Capitol. It is my job to watch and remember. Editors note: Readers wishing to comment on this column should e-mail their comments to: editor@salembusinessjournal.com or mail it to Salem Business Journal, Box 93, Salem, Or 97308. oECDD Goals: Clarity, Accountability & Viability Goals of future activities are clarity, accountability, and viability Members of the Oregon Economic and Community Development Commission today presented recommendations to Governor Ted Kulongoski about the reorganization of the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD). The Commission believes the reorganization will better position the state for continued economic success in the 21st Century. The Commission worked with policy advisors from the Governor’s Office to evaluate the diverse work of the state agency, which is tasked with addressing community infrastructure needs as well as retaining, recruiting and growing businesses. The Commission’s findings and recommendations, the result of six months of evaluation, were the subject of a meeting with the Governor in Portland Tuesday morning. In evaluating options, the Commission considered the challenges facing Oregon such as population growth, climate change, antiquated infrastructure, tepid revenue forecasts and competition from other states and nations. “Given these challenges, Oregon must reposition itself now in order for our economy to remain strong in the future,” Governor Kulongoski explained. “To accomplish this goal, I asked my staff and the Commission to identify new and existing opportunities to meet our infrastructure needs and to grow our economy, and I made it clear that they had a clean slate from which to work.” The analysis, begun last fall, found disparate expectations of OECDD. Its core structure and the scope of work demanded of the agency created a set of circumstances that hindered its ability to be successful with the Legislature as well with the many stakeholder groups around Oregon that depend on a strong state partner. The Commission found that the work of two of the agency’s three program divisions is reasonably aligned. The Business/Trade Development and Innovation/Economic Strategies divisions have integrated goals to keep, grow and attract business. The primary function of the Community Development Division, however, is to help communitie s achieve their infrastructure goals, particularly safe drinking water, water and wastewater systems, and other public works projects. It administers Community Development Block Continued on page
april 2008 Salem Business Journal page Protecting the Local Economy We are all watching the national economy carefully to prepare for whatever challenges it may give us here in Salem. It reminds me of 2003 when I first took office as Salem’s Mayor. Our local unemployment rate was 9% and it is currently 5%. The downtown vacancy rate was 24% - now down to 7%. No wonder it seems like time flies by so quickly - it has been a busy five years turning these statistics around to the positive. Salem and the local area may not be impacted as badly as other areas nationwide or statewide. We have a large public sector employment base and a true diversity of private businesses. One of our industries is construction where thousands have found work that pays family wages, plus the supporting vendors who make cabinets, sell carpeting, furniture, and appliances. There has been some major slowing in residential new construction, but remodeling and home sales have stayed fairly healthy. One sector that has stayed strong is the commercial and industrial construction, including Salem Hospital, the Meridian at Mission and Commercial, the upcoming Kroc Center, the Senior Center, Church and OECDD...Continued from page Grants and the state Special Public Works Fund among other responsibilities. “In spite of these very disparate responsibilities, all divisions have been asked to work toward one broad mission – ‘To Advance Oregon’s Economy’ – and success agency-wide is measured by one metric: job creation,” explained Commission Chair E. Walter VanValkenburg. “The result has been an inability for the divisions to focus on the highest and best use of human and fiscal resources. All have suffered by being conjoined in the eyes of the Legislature and our many partners statewide.” The Commission’s report concluded that while community-based infrastructure functions and business development activities remain equally important, their objectives, deliverables and customers are different. “After months of talking to stakeholders and partners, legislators around the state and staff within the agency, we developed a series of recommendations that we presented to the Governor today,” said Chair VanValkenburg. “In short, we recommended that the activities of the agency be separated to give clarity, accountability and viability to the two distinct kinds of work the agency currently pursues.” The reorganization recommended by the Commission would charter a dedicated department to conduct business development. Community development functions would be separated from business development. The new business development focus would leverage innovation and strategic partnerships that promote Oregon’s competitive advantages in the global economy. It will be a catalyst of sustainable, environmentally sensitive economic growth The Mayor’s view Trade Streets, and the projects at Broadway and Market Streets. These were projects that began negotiations from 2004 through 2006 that are now ready for implementation into mixed-use and community services. These will employ those electricians, plumbers, masons, and others who make up a crucial part of our employment base. We have also seen our crime rates go down nearly across the board, but harder times may threaten those figures. Often people who find themselves out of work turn to inappropriate behavior, including crimes, to support themselves. Family tensions often boil over into child abuse and the breakup of marriages. It makes it even more important that we financially support the social services that provide the safety net for those who need help to get through the challenges that may lie ahead. But maybe the best thing we can do as elected officials and community members is to continue strong support for economic and provide consultation services in relevant specialties like lean manufacturing and sustainable business practices. Additionally, business development staff will work with both traded-sector and community-based businesses directly or through enhanced partnerships with regional economic development agencies. Community Development activities will be more adequately characterized as “Public Works.” These functions will be refocused to ensure a sustainable relationship between the natural and built environments. An asset management model will provide the framework for much of Public Works’ efforts. This new system will inventory and manage the long-term life cycle of community infrastructure systems, and create objective criteria from which the Legislature can make its long-term budget decisions. The Commission also proposed rewarding those communities that pursue public works projects that are environmentally progressive. The outcome will be better health and safety of communities, abili ty to help solve the state’s long-term water issues and incentives for communities to seek more holistic, sustainable water and wastewater models. “We believe that by separating the structure to better accommodate the distinct work of the different divisions, we have established an essential framework that positions both for future success,” said Chair VanValkenburg. “This shift will help offer clarity of purpose for the staff, our partners around the state and for the Legislature, who is tasked with making difficult budget decisions each session.” The Governor is going to take the recommendations of the Commission under advisement and will give final direction to agency leadership later next month. Janet Taylor development, education, and safe communities. These are the factors that help us to be able to retain and attract the varied job opportunities, which in turn reduces social service needs and helps us create affordable housing choices. The economic development leader in the area is the Strategic Economic Development Corporation – SEDCOR- who, led by Ray Burstedt, is making major commitments to retain existing jobs and attract new businesses. The City has been working closely with Ray along with the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department and Portland General Electric to foster an atmosphere of partnerships and cooperation that companies need to succeed. When you add in the assistance of Chemeketa Community College with Market your best features. LandAmerica’s exclusive design and direct mail program provides management of your marketing campaigns, 100% freedom of design of postcards, flyers and emails. LandAmerica Lawyers Title, helping you market your best features from design to delivery. Contact your LandAmerica Lawyers Title Sales Representative for more information. Robin Addicott Sr. Sales Representative James Diarmit Sales Representative Teri Burstedt Sales Representative 925 Commercial Street SE, Suite 100 · Salem, Oregon 97302 · 503-361-1211 LandAmerica - A Fortune Magazine 2007 Most Admired Company. recruitment and training for employees, we have a winning combination that is hard to resist. With the Mill Creek Corporate Center on the cutting edge of wetland mitigation and site certification, we expect to have some outstanding success this year in providing those options for employment. You can feel assured that we have our focus on maintaining a good quality of life here in our part of the world by continuing to work with our partners in government and the private sector.
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KATU TV-2's Melica Johnson Covers Salem - Salem Business Journal

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