January 09, 2003
Kitzhaber, Government, Community, and Portland
As he makes his way out of the life of governing, John Kitzhaber had some interesting things to say about government and community involvement:
"After serving 22 years in public office in Oregon -- eight as president of the Senate and the last eight as governor -- I am increasingly convinced that successfully addressing issues like education, or public safety, or environmental stewardship or at-risk youth requires far more than just action by the Legislature or by the governor," Kitzhaber said. "It requires engaging citizens in a way that builds community and interdependence rather than conflict and separateness."
Meanwhile here in Portland, even on what might be considered lesser issues -- say, the Mt. Tabor reservoirs and the Pioneer Courthouse Square ice rink -- we've been getting doubletalk, closed-door decisions, and privately-funded propaganda. We've been getting processes intended for public input and comment that tend to look more like carefully-structured opportunities for government (and commercial) officials to refine their sales pitches to Portland residents.
Even if we give City Hall and commercial developers the benefit of the doubt (bear with me, it's just for the moment) they that are acting in good faith, surely someone must realize that if the people of Portland themselves do not feel as if their concerns and their interests are being fairly taken into consideration, then that in and of itself is cause to step back and rethink the process.
Or, I suppose they could continue to just behave arrogantly.