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Founder of the Bus Project exhorts ‘coalition of the benevolently irrational'

October 29 , 2007

MIKE FERGUSON
Baker City Herald

Jefferson Smith believes in the politics of the common good — and he accomplishes that goal aboard a bus.

Smith, a Harvard-trained lawyer and founder of The Bus Project, which seeks to engage young people in the political process, finished out last week's Envision Oregon workshop in Baker City with a talk that urged the crowd of about 20 to work on problems "that are nobody's job."

"Reforming education — there's no profit in that," he said. "And whose job is energy policy, or reforming healthcare? If the air is cleaner for all, it is cleaner for me. If we all have good access to education, I have a good chance of hiring somebody qualified.

"You are the coalition of the benevolently irrational," he told the group. "Without you democracy is not possible."

Smith said he believes that through the falling cost of Web-based communication, "democracy can be democratized."

"But at the same time, the power of the one-on-one relationship is increasing," he said. "The most effective way to become engaged is for someone you know to say, ‘Hey — vote!'"

The Envision Oregon workshop that preceded Smith's talk was the final of 1000 Friends of Oregon's 12 town hall sessions, said Bob Stacey, the group's executive director.

"There's been a surprising level of agreement about what's important: natural beauty and open space, community, good government and planning, farming and forestry, jobs and the economy and other quality of life themes," Stacey said.

Those in attendance explored two issues through roundtable discussion: the composition of towns and neighborhoods and land use fairness.

During the towns and neighborhoods session, participants were asked to evaluate three tools to manage growth: urban growth boundaries, mixed-use zoning and transportation options.

Planning for growth is crucial, said Mary Kyle McCurdy, a 1000 Friends of Oregon staff attorney, because demographers predict that only Grant County will not grow between now and 2040.

"Oregon is going to have to accommodate 2 million more people and 1 million new jobs," she said. "That will have an impact on infrastructure and services."

With voters deciding Measure 49, the land use fairness issue is both timely and fundamental, Stacey said.

"It strikes a balance between the rights of property owners and the needs of the community as a whole," he said.

About 42 percent of Oregon's 7,700 Measure 37 claims — 137 from Baker County — are for small developments of 1, 2 or 3 houses. "Most Measure 37 supporters would say that's fine with them," Stacey said.

Workshop attendees then kicked land use fairness issues across the round tables, then presented their reports to the entire group.

Stacey said summaries of each of the town hall meetings will be compiled and given to the state's Big Look Task Force. The Legislature will probably reauthorize the task force during its February 2008 session, Rep. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, said in Baker City last week.

The Big Look's final report, due in 2009, will focus on three issues, all addressed during Envision Oregon sessions, Stacey said:

- The effectiveness of Oregon's land use planning program in meeting current and future needs.

- The roles and responsibilities of state and local government in land use planning.

- Land use issues specific to areas in side and outside urban growth boundaries and the interface between the two.

"We are long overdue for a statewide conversation about planning Oregon's future," Stacey said, and Envision Oregon is 1000 Friends' attempt at furthering the conversation. "This is our opportunity to engage, inform and motivate a new generation of Oregonians to take charge of their future rather than simply letting it happen to them."

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