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Saturday, September 4, 2021
East Oregonian
A5
The next 10 years of elections will be decided by you
MORE INFORMATION
BOBBY
LEVY
OTHER VIEWS
T
he process of redistricting is well
underway this year, and by the time
it’s done some of our state legisla-
tive districts could look completely differ-
ent. We’re also guaranteed to have a brand
new congressional district somewhere in
Oregon.
Required by the constitution once
every 10 years, redistricting ensures that
political boundaries reflect population
changes. The major development this
year is the new, sixth congressional seat,
which will increase Oregon’s representa-
To learn more about the redistricting pro-
cess and sign up to testify, visit oregonleg-
islature.gov/redistricting.
tion in Washington, D.C.
We don’t know what these new legisla-
tive districts will look like yet, but we know
one thing for sure: Your involvement can
change everything.
For residents in Congressional District
2, you have a chance to voice your concerns
during virtual public meetings that will be
Wednesday, Sept. 8 starting at 1 p.m. and
Friday, Sept. 10 starting at 8 a.m.
If you miss these times, anyone can
sign up to testify on Monday, Sept. 13,
1-4 p.m. and 5:30-8:30 p.m.
It’s important for Oregonians to partici-
pate in the process of redistricting because
of the impact it has on a variety of issues,
including where to put Oregon’s sixth
congressional seat and possible changes to
who your elected officials can be.
That’s why you’re encouraged to take
part in these virtual public meetings. You
can influence how maps are drawn, and
without your voice it will be harder to draw
district lines that reflect your interests.
Oregon is at a high risk of gerrymander-
ing this year according to reporting from
sites such as Axios. This would favor one
political party over another. Strong public
participation can greatly reduce this risk.
You will get to weigh in during these
public meetings, and you can even draw
your own maps using the tool at the state’s
redistricting website: www.oregonlegisla-
ture.gov/redistricting.
As you consider what is important to
you regarding redistricting, a collection of
different criteria used across the country
can be found at this link.
I look forward to hearing about the
strong public participation from our
community on this extremely important
issue. For this or any other topic, feel free
to reach out to my office for questions or
concerns.
———
Rep. Bobby Levy represents House
District 58, which includes all of Union and
Wallowa counties and a portion of Umatilla
County, in the Oregon Legislature.
With gratitude, as a new BMCC chapter begins
CONNIE
GREEN
OTHER VIEWS
B
lue Mountain Community College
will reach an important milestone on
Sept. 7, when we will welcome our
new president, Mark Browning, to our East-
ern Oregon community.
Having had the opportunity to connect
with Mark since the BMCC Board of
Education approved his hiring in July, I am
excited for the community to meet him and
for the future of BMCC. Mark has bound-
less energy, vision, a passion for education,
and the unique ability to create, cultivate
and enhance meaningful relationships. I
believe the BMCC Board has made a smart
and wonderful selection in Mark to lead the
college into its next chapter.
But before I hand over the reins to Mark,
I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon
my time as interim president at Blue Moun-
tain for the past six months.
As many know, this is my second stint
as interim president at BMCC in the past
three years. I have come to love the college,
appreciate and value its faculty and staff,
and am grateful to the students who choose
to come to BMCC and to the community
members who have given so much support
to us over the years.
BMCC has definitely been through
its share of challenges over the past few
years, but I am humbled by the resiliency
of the college’s faculty and staff through it
all. To me, their dedication to the college
shows this community just how much
they value BMCC and the work they do to
support students. It is not always easy, to
be sure, but it is certainly rewarding work
when we see our students and communi-
ties succeed.
Our classified employees deserve a thank
you for being the voice of care for BMCC.
They take time to listen to our students
and to their colleagues. Thank you to our
faculty, who assist all students to learn,
achieve and grow in confidence. Their
passion for their content areas empowers
students every day to become passionate for
their own new careers. A huge amount of
gratitude is extended to our exempt techni-
cal employees who asked for more inclu-
sion, who supported all other staff during
times of change, and who continued to find
ways to keep their areas functioning.
Thank you to our leadership team, who
assisted me and all our employees, and
believe in our right size, right direction
and right growth of the college. You are all
superheroes in my book.
———
Connie Green, Ph.D., is the interim pres-
ident of Blue Mountain Community College.
Improving Pendleton starts
with Urban Renewal District
through a partnership with two nonprofit
agencies, CAPECO and GEODC, for
folks interested in improvements to their
KEVIN
homes or rentals.
MARTIN
The Jump Start Program provides free
OTHER VIEWS
business consulting and low-cost loans.
This program is available to assist a busi-
he city of Pendleton is eager and
ness in a successful startup or expan-
interested in assisting our businesses sion. Examples include: OMG Burgers
and property owners be successful
& Brew, Oregon Grain Growers Brand
and thrive. Our Urban Renewal District
Distillery, Mac’s Bar & Grill, Joe’s Fiesta
programs provide financial and consult-
and Bela Bakery.
ing support if you’re interested in starting
Our façade restoration grants are
a business, expanding a business or want-
available to those interested in restor-
ing to get a property ready for a business.
ing or upgrading the exterior of a build-
Let’s start with a little history. The
ing. Projects can be as simple as a paint
Pendleton Urban Renewal District was
developed in 2003 to promote the cultural job or complex as a complete renovation.
Examples include Sister’s Cafe, the Asso-
and tourism heart
ciation Building,
of Pendleton. It
the Rainbow Cafe,
was developed with
“PENDLETON’S
the Brown Build-
the guidance of an
ing, Hamley & Co,
URBAN
RENEWAL
Advisory Commit-
and the St. George
tee, which was made
DISTRICT
...
IS
Hotel.
up of Pendleton resi-
Our second
dents, business, and
WORKING TO MAKE story
and elevator
property owners.
programs
are avail-
AMAZING CHANGES
The URD is the
able
to
those
who
result of the collab-
THAT IS MAKING
own a building but
oration between
can’t fully utilize
citizens, business
OUR CITY MORE
the upper floors.
leaders, city and
Grants are available
regional govern-
LIVABLE, BUSINESS
that could be used
ments.
FRIENDLY AND THE for commercial
Pendleton’s URD
space or additional
generally includes a
PLACE TO BE IN
downtown housing.
wide swath running
south along the
include
EASTERN OREGON.” Examples
Umatilla River and
the Bowman
north of the railroad
Professional Build-
tracks and from Westgate to Highway 11.
ing, Matlock Brownsfield Building and
The Urban Renewal Agency imple-
the Murphy Building.
ments the plans for the district and is a
Finally, you may be able to be reim-
separate governmental entity of the city of
bursed for the cost of permits needed to
Pendleton. The city council members serve remodel or redevelop a property. Be sure
as directors of the agency and are known
to ask if city permit fees may be reim-
collectively as the Pendleton Development bursed when your project is completed.
Commission. The city manager serves
Do you have a building that not restorable
as the executive director. Public involve-
or that you want to demolish and rebuild?
ment is encouraged and has been key to the Using the demolition program there may
success of the program. The PDC contin-
be some financial assistance as well. Your
ues to partner with citizens and businesses businesses might be able to use multiple
to ensure that ideas and projects initiated
programs to get maximum support for a
are considered and then managed by citi-
project.
zen volunteers.
In addition to these programs, Pend-
The URD provides for improvements
leton is exploring ways to invest in our
to tourist and cultural facilities, river-
public infrastructure. There are multi-
front access and development, downtown ple streets that need to be reconstructed,
parking, street and utility improvements,
improving recreation infrastructure, and
as well as to promote housing. It assists
public spaces are all opportunities to
property owners in the rehabilitation,
improve the URD. Examples include the
development or redevelopment of their
properties. There is a focus on increasing Til Taylor Park Renovation, Riverfront
Plaza and the following streets: Southeast
the vitality of Pendleton’s downtown by
strengthening the downtown’s role as the Seventh (Emigrant to Frazer), Southeast
Sixth (Emigrant to Court), Southwest
cultural heart of Pendleton.
There is a desire to connect downtown Seventh (Dorion to Court), Southwest
Eighth (Frazer to Emigrant), Southwest
to the Umatilla Riverfront by looking
Seventh (Frazer to Emigrant) and South-
to increase opportunities to access and
west Fourth (Emigrant to Court).
enjoy the river, and that can take advan-
Pendleton’s Urban Renewal District,
tage of our unique and underutilized
with citizen participation, coupled with
riverfront. We are exploring additional
opportunities to improve and promote the business and city investments is working
to make amazing changes that is making
entire district as a convention and tour-
our city more livable, business friendly
ism destination.
and the place to be in eastern Oregon.
As most residents know and studies
If you have questions, please contact
confirm, housing is a concern in Pend-
us at www.pendletonurbanrenewal.com
leton, all types of housing. A focus of
or by phone: 541-966-0233.
the URD is to explore ways to develop a
———
broad range of housing opportunities to
Kevin Martin is retired from the U.S.
assist in addressing this need. The “Love
Forest Service and represents Ward 1 on
Your Home” program assists in address-
ing this need by providing support
the Pendleton City Council.
T
Collaboration, not litigation,
will build a sustainable future
KURT MILLER
ROBERT ECHENRODE
OTHER VIEWS
G
ov. Kate Brown, in a recent op-ed,
made the case for urgent action
to help salmon and steelhead in
defense of her decision to have Oregon
litigate over the future of salmon and
hydropower and the breaching of the four
lower Snake River dams. Her urgency is
admirable, but she follows a misguided
solution that represents a major step back-
ward in the progress the region has made
to date.
It will hurt Oregon’s communities.
Roughly 1 million Oregonians are
served by public power utilities, including
UEC, that get power from BPA’s hydro-
electric and transmission assets, so her
actions will be deeply felt.
Oregon’s litigation threatens to greatly
diminish the collaborative goals of the
communities impacted the most, expos-
ing the region to energy shortfalls and
resulting in possible blackouts. Dams
can support the regional power grid from
blackouts during periods of life-threat-
ening temperatures while supporting the
energy transition championed by many
Oregonians.
How can energy transition and salmon
recovery, expected to have huge impli-
cations for the environment, economy
and relationships around the region, be
accomplished?
The region must all work collabora-
tively, pulling together for a balanced
solution for all stakeholders. We can await
technological advances, public sentiment
and social awareness or by government
regulations and policy. Yet to have our
future driven by the courts through litiga-
tion on complex issues can have devastat-
ing impacts. We must find another path to
success.
Oregon’s litigious path is also
misguided in another way. Oregon, as
co-convenor of the newly formed Colum-
bia Basin Collaborative, undermines the
one existing forum that could possibly
bring the region together to help address
the plight of salmon and move all the
region forward. Instead, with Oregon as
a litigant, trust in the process has been
damaged and confuses Oregon’s real
agenda.
Instead of litigation, we urge inno-
vation and collaboration, the only path
forward Columbia Basin communities
have known from which we have built a
vibrant but fragile economy.
The region’s farmers and food proces-
sors rely on a sustainable supply of water
and stable energy prices — threatened by
Oregon’s litigation. When we say the lack
of either will devastate this rural econ-
omy. it’s not without precedent. In the
1980s, when energy prices spiked, crop
prices plummeted and water pulled from
the basalt aquifers dried up, farmers faced
going broke. The same farmers who feed
millions of Oregonians and the world.
Only innovation and collaboration
spared our farmers — rapid development
of precision irrigation techniques saved
25% of water and energy needs to grow
the same crops, technology that Columbia
Basin irrigators now help spread around
the world.
If the dams are removed through litiga-
tion, and rolling blackouts occur and our
farmers no longer have adequate supplies
of water, it undermines the collabora-
tion we’ve demonstrated over the years.
When we raise concerns about litigation
or ineffective decisions made in the name
of salmon recovery, we truly fear for the
region’s way of life.
Gov. Brown, the citizens of the Colum-
bia Basin welcome your offer to sit down
and share these proven ways of building a
sustainable future for all. The same inno-
vation and collaboration are what we have
to offer Oregon and the region to work
through the opportunities before us for a
successful energy transition and salmon
recovery. We just ask: Can we sit down at
the same table together?
———
Robert Echenrode is chief executive offi-
cer and general manager of Umatilla Elec-
tric and Kurt Miller is executive director of
Northwest RiverPartners.