Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday,May5,2021
15
ELECTION
HOOD RIVER COUNTY TRANSPORTATION BOARD
Greg Pack
Megan Ramey
1) Why did you decide
to run for a position on
the Hood River County
Transportation District
board?
I am running for
Transportation District
Board for 3 reasons;
Resiliency, equity, and (if
I’m being honest) for selfish
reasons. First, a strong transit
network is the backbone of
“comprehensive transpor-
tation resilience”, a phrase
coined by Dr. Judith Wang,
professor of civil engineering
at the Institute for Transport
Studies. Resiliency to me
is adaptiveness to climate
change and extreme events,
imperviousness to fluctuat-
ing gas prices, transportation
rich households (versus car
poor), community con-
nectedness and the gross
domestic health of a city.
Second, equity. Recent
reports show the average
cost of car ownership (car
payments, gas, insurance,
maintenance) at a whopping
$1000 per month. Affordable
housing holistically in-
cludes the cost of housing
and transportation costs,
because where you live
determines your commute
to work. Considering how
unaffordable housing is near
our jobs, the Gorge needs
viable first-class alternatives
to vehicle ownership so all
residents and income levels
can reduce their cost of living
and time spent getting to
work, school or errands. To
me, an equitable community
is one where a single mother
working 2 jobs can sleep at
night without worrying how
she’s going to fill up her gas
tank in the morning or how
her kids will get to school,
because she can take the bus
for $30 per year, spend less
than 1 hour commuting, and
her kids can walk, bike or bus
to school.
Third are my selfish
reasons. I want a first-class
transit system in the Gorge
because my family is car-
light, and public transit plays
a major role in how we travel.
Having the option to put
our bikes on the CAT bus to
go to Portland, The Dalles
or Parkdale; or, take the bus
to Trimet where we hitch a
short light rail ride to the air-
port is a huge quality of life
improvement. The journey is
part of the family adventure.
We love talking to the bus
driver or fellow passengers,
reading, or looking at photos
of our trip. I want more
people to be able to have that
experience.
2) What is your back-
ground/profession, and
where do you live?
I live in The Heights
of Hood River where my
husband, daughter and I
get around by foot, bike,
and transit. I am a serial
S
c gn
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Historic
GRANADA
T H E A T R E
Dinner, Trivia, Entertainment
at the Historic Granada Theatre.
Upcoming events include:
5/7,8 and Sunday 5/9, Mothers Day
Matinee Movie and Brunch!
Show Boat the Musical.
12:00p Brunch w/movie! Movie and
dinner, kids eat free. RSVP.
5/14-15 Forbidden Planet, movie
5/21
Geoff Tate Concert $45-$55
5/22
Some Like It Hot, movie
5/28-29 Monkey Business, movie
granadatheatrethedalles.com
entrepreneur who currently
loves manual labor, learning
skilled trades and house
remodeling, but in for-
mer lives, I coordinated a
sustainability roundtable for
Boston’s major employers
and building owners, started
an organic convenience
store, and founded Bikabout.
com, a travel site inspiring
2-wheeled tourism in North
America’s best biking cities,
towns and trails.
Living in different trans-
portation universes like the
paper mill capital Wisconsin
Rapids, bike paradise
Madison, car-dependent
Atlanta and transit rich
Boston and London, have
each profoundly shaped how
I envision cities taking care of
their residents. I earned my
mobility advocacy chops in
Boston, serving on the board
of LivableStreets, Boston
Bikes Advisory Group and
Cambridge Bike Committee.
After moving to Hood River
in 2016, I co-organized
Streets Alive open streets
event and became the token
transportation nerd on the
City Planning Commission.
I also proudly represent the
4 counties of Hood River,
Multnomah, Washington
and Clackamas as the Active
Transportation Rep-at
large for ODOT Region
cross any scary streets or
intersections? Was there a
place to lock your bike at
the stop or station, or did
3) What will your top
priorities be if voters select the bus have racks to bring
you to serve on the board? your bike? Did the stop have
My 3 priorities will be 1)
shelter from the sun, rain
bus shelters, 2) safe crossings and snow and a place to sit
to bus stops and 3) making
with an updated bus route
transit and multimodal
map and schedule? These
mobility a forethought in the amenities like bus shelters
mind’s of city, county and
require partnerships with
state leaders.
street managers like the City
and County of Hood River
4) What changes do you
and Oregon Department of
think the district needs to
Transportation. Community
make?
engagement around the best
The district has made
use of public right of way is
incredible progress in just 2
also invaluable to getting
years and I’m blown away
support for bus shelters and
by how well developed the
stops. To steal a quote from
Gorge network and bus
Enrique Penalosa, the former
riding experience is. They
Mayor of Bogota, Colombia,
are temperature controlled
“20 people riding a bus
and comfortable, with free
should earn 20 times the
wifi. CAT has real-time bus
street space.” Put a differ-
tracking information to let
ent way, which is a more
you know if you just missed
economical, efficient, and
a bus or it’s only a few
fair use of a curbside space
moments away, to ease the
(parking spot): a vehicle
anxiety. Everything about
transporting 20 people, or a
the experience that they
vehicle transporting 1 person
could internally control has
per hour? In other words,
happened, and happened
people riding the bus are no
quickly.
less deserving of that public
However, the first and last space than single-occupant
mile is a critical determinant car drivers. So having a safe,
of a bus rider’s experience in comfortable place to wait
an equitable transit model.
for the bus should be a right,
How far was the walk to the
and is the measure of an
stop, and did you have to
equitable city.
1 Area Commission on
Transportation.
1) Why did you decide to run for a
position on the Hood River County
Transportation District board?
I believe accessible transportation is key
to a healthy community. Would love to be
part of a team that makes solid decisions
on our community’s needs. I am currently a
member of the board and wish to continue
our work.
Greg Pack
2) What is your background/profession, and where do
you live?
I have headed up multiple resort companies with their
own transportation systems. Able to work with others on
developing a vision to support the organizations mission.
Active stakeholder for Vision Around the Mountain plan and
live in Odell
3) What will your top priorities be if voters select you to
serve on the board?
Improve service for all members of our community and
ensure we use the resources wisely.
4) What changes do you think the district needs to
make?
Expanded Service to outlying areas .
Darrell Roberts
Darrell Roberts did not respond to the questionnaire.
According to his election filing, Roberts is a resident of
Parkdale. He is a retired business owner and manager. His
educational background includes and Bachelor of Arts
in Psychology and Business from Western Washington
University.
As we celebrate special
recognition weeks for nurses
and other health care workers,
Providence is immensely
proud of the outstanding
ways our caregivers rise above
challenging times. At every
turn, you step up and excel.
Despite enormous pressures,
you never waver from offering
compassionate support.
In recognition of
National Nurses Week and
National Hospital and
Health Care Week,
THANK YOU.