OFF PAGE ONE/NATION
Saturday, April 21, 2018
East Oregonian
Page 11A
ECONOMY: Pendleton’s economic
development structure is unique in county
Continued from 1A
With the downtown area
being a big part of Pendle-
ton’s tourism efforts, new
positions followed.
In 2015, the city hired
Charles Denight to be the
first associate director of
the Pendleton Develop-
ment Commission, creating
a part-time position to
administer
the
urban
renewal district’s grant and
loan programs.
The city started funding
the Pendleton Downtown
Association and its director,
Molly Turner, in 2016 and
made the arrangement
permanent at a Tuesday
council meeting, although
the city’s contribution
will eventually shrink
from $55,000 annually to
$25,000.
DIFFERENT
APPROACHES
The five leaders of these
various departments —
Chrisman, Beard, Denight,
Turner and Travel Pend-
leton coordinator Kristen
Dollarhide — all say they
meet with each other often
and insist on the necessity
of each economic develop-
ment entity.
Denight, Beard, and
the chamber each wrote a
letter of support when the
downtown association was
seeking funding from the
city, and Chrisman spoke
in favor of the association
at a meeting in January.
The group presents a
picture of a cooperative
ecosystem where each
entity fills a niche that the
others can’t, while also
collaborating in areas
where their duties overlap.
“I see us all as partners
in Pendleton,” Beard said.
But Beard, and the rest
of his peers, were also quick
to define their specialty.
Beard said the conven-
tion center provides an
event space that attracts
thousands of people. In his
first 100 days on the job,
Beard reported bringing
3,600 people through the
convention center lobby.
Denight said the urban
renewal district is one
of the few entities that
generates its own revenue,
drawing from a taxing
district that spans most of
the flats between North Hill
and South Hill.
With the Pendleton
Development Commission
The Five Leaders
STEVE CHRISMAN
Title: Economic development director and airport
manager
History: Hired in 2013, position established in 2007
Duties: Managing day-to-day operations of the air-
port; developing industrial land and the Pendleton
Unmanned Aerial Systems Range
Annual salary: $94,860
CHARLES DENIGHT
Title: Associate director of the Pendleton Develop-
ment Commission
History: Hired in 2015, position established in 2014
Duties: Helping to manage and administer the com-
mission’s grant and loan programs that are meant
to revitalize the downtown area through building
restoration and support for new businesses.
Annual salary: $31,400 (27 hours per week)
PAT BEARD
Title: Pendleton Convention Center manager
History: Hired in 2017, re-established as a full-time
position same year
Duties: Managing convention center operations;
recruit new events that will utilize the facility
Annual salary: $72,000
TRAVEL PENDLETON
(PENDLETON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)
Leader: Kristen Dollarhide
History: Hired in 2017
Duties: Promote Pendleton as a tourism destination
2016-2017 contribution from city: $126,225 for
Travel Pendleton; an additional $135,030 to chamber
to operate welcome center and further promotion
PENDLETON DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION
Leader: Molly Turner
History: Hired in 2016, promoted to executive direc-
tor in 2017
Duties: Promote downtown Pendleton; organize
downtown events; access grants through Oregon
Main Street
Current Contribution from city: $55,000 per year
already investing millions
of dollars in façades and
public projects, Denight has
led an effort to renovate the
underused second stories of
downtown buildings.
Although he estimated
he dedicates 10 percent of
his time to non-industrial
economic
development,
Chrisman said he spends
another 40 percent of his
time on the UAS range.
Following years of slow
business, the UAS range
has recently attracted big
name clients like Airbus,
generating a small amount
of local jobs and a more
consistent stream of drone
industry workers staying in
town and patronizing local
businesses.
Turner has touted the
events
the
downtown
association has led, like the
Pendleton Holiday Stroll,
and the $100,000 grant the
nonprofit helped secure
for the Rivoli Theater
restoration project — a
grant only an Oregon Main
Street program can access.
And Dollarhide pointed
to Travel Pendleton as a
conduit to a larger tourist
base, as it promotes
Pendleton to a statewide
audience and even interna-
tionally.
OTHER
DEVELOPMENT
Pendleton’s economic
development structure is
unique in Umatilla County.
Hermiston
has
no
economic
development
department,
instead
assigning lead duties to
assistant city manager
Mark Morgan.
The city uses a portion
of its tourism promotion
assessment
charge
to
market the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center,
and the city pays for a
private company to manage
the facility.
Hermiston allocates 3
percent of its transient room
tax to help the Hermiston
Chamber of Commerce
run its visitor center, and
the urban renewal district
is operated by other city
employees.
Umatilla
County
Commissioner
Bill
Elfering acts as the coun-
ty’s economic development
director, and Gail Nelson
was recently hired as the
economic development and
tourism director.
Elfering said the coun-
ty’s $350,000 economic
development budget comes
from its share of Oregon
Lottery revenue. That
money pays for 25 to 30
percent of Elfering’s salary,
a full-time economic devel-
opment and tourism coor-
dinator, as well as contracts
with Karie Walchli and
Eastern Oregon Business
Source for further tourism
and economic development
services.
Beyond staffing and
consultants, the budget
also covers the county’s
economic
development
grant program, which gives
small grants to local busi-
nesses and organizations.
Back in Pendleton,
Corbett defended the city’s
approach to economic
development.
Although the city is now
sending money to two orga-
nizations where they don’t
have direct control over
personnel or budgetary
decisions, Corbett said
he isn’t worried about a
falling out between the city
and downtown association
or the chamber.
Corbett said the city
has
representation
on
the various boards and
committees that govern the
chamber and association
and vice versa, and if
there’s any rough patch,
it would be in the best
interest of everyone if they
worked it out.
Although some coun-
cilors have suggested the
downtown
association
consolidate with another
entity like the chamber,
Corbett said he would take
a wait-and-see approach
about the potential for
redundancy: “It’s like a
marriage: Once you start
living together, you start to
learn how to figure things
out.”
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., con-
fers with his communications aide Matt House as he
speaks to reporters following a closed-door strategy
session on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday.
Pot politics: Schumer
joins with politicians
rethinking marijuana
WA S H I N G T O N
(AP) — The top Senate
Democrat is using mari-
juana’s informal holiday to
announce a change of heart
about the drug, another
sign of the growing polit-
ical acceptance of pot.
Senate Minority Leader
Chuck Schumer of New
York said Friday he’ll
introduce a bill taking mari-
juana off the federal list of
controlled substances — in
effect decriminalizing its
use.
His bill would let
states decide how to treat
marijuana
possession.
Under the measure, the
federal government would
still enforce laws against
moving pot into states
where it’s illegal and would
still regulate advertising so
it isn’t aimed at children.
Schumer said he also wants
to ensure that minorities
and women have a fair
shot at getting involved
in the growing marijuana
industry and that the
federal government invests
in research to better under-
stand the drug’s health
effects.
“My thinking, as well
as the general population’s
views, on the issue has
evolved,” Schumer said.
Schumer is only the
latest mainstream politician
to endorse what once was
viewed as a pet cause of
stoners and ex-hippies. But
as more and more states
legalize some marijuana
use and an industry is
beginning to boom around
its sale, powerful politicians
in both parties are shifting
their stances and seeing the
political benefits.
Schumer unveiled his
new position on HBO’s
“Vice News Tonight”
where he was asked
whether he had smoked pot
before. “No,” he replied.
Would he like to try?
“Well, as you pointed out
maybe I’m a little old. But,
who knows? Who knows?”
said Schumer, age 67.
Schumer timed his
announcement to April 20,
or 4/20. That’s the numer-
ical code for marijuana’s
high holiday, an homage
to pot’s enduring appeal
and universal slang for
smoking.
PARENTS,
STAY POSITIVE!
Free Triple P parenting help
in Umatilla County
Raising happy and healthy children comes with big and
small everyday challenges. Triple P gives you tips and
ideas to help make your family life calmer. Find the help
that suits you best!
Find out where Triple P Seminars and Discussion
Groups are offered near you:
What:
Triple P Seminar –
The Power of Positive Parenting
When:
Monday, 04/23/2018, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: BMCC Hermiston Room 133, 975 SE Columbia
Drive Hermiston, Oregon 97838
Register: Call or email Shayne Arndt: 541-278-5965,
sarndt@bluecc.edu
What:
DRAWINGS FOR PRIZES
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Online registration & race information at
WWW.BUTTECHALLENGE.COM
REGISTER ONLINE BY APRIL 28TH TO ORDER
A CUSTOM TECHNICAL RACE T-SHIRT
All proceeds benefit THE HERMISTON CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM
Thank you for your support!
Triple P Discussion Groups –
Hassle-free shopping with children
When:
Tuesday, 04/24/2018, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Where: St. Anthony Hospital, 2801 St Anthony Way,
Pendleton, OR, USA
Register: Call or email Chelsea Maranville: 541-969-4061,
cmaranville@gobhi.net
What:
Triple P Seminar –
Raising Confi dent, Competent Children
When:
Friday, 04/27/2018, 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM
Where: Pendleton Public Library, 502 SW Dorion Ave,
Pendleton, OR, USA
Register: Call or email Chelsea Maranville: 541-969-4061,
cmaranville@gobhi.net
www.triplep-parenting.com/umatillacounty