Mayoral Report—2006

Big Issues Ahead

Recently, my youngest son turned 12–years old. That challenge alone rivals the many issues I wrestle with as your Mayor! My service as Mayor began only 13 months before he was born. We’ve seen many changes both physically and emotionally in him since his birth. These are certainly among the broadest and most significant of changes for him that he’ll experience during his lifetime.

During roughly the same time period of my youngest son’s life, our City has grown by nearly 30,000 citizens. Much like a child’s quick march to adolescence, we have witnessed much community change in a relatively short period of time. We are Oregon’s fifth largest city and the third largest in the Portland–region. While the overall region is expected to grow roughly another 1 million people in the next twenty years (that includes Clark County in the state of Washington), our county is anticipated to accommodate about 400,000 people of that total. It is a fact that is somewhat sobering and will require a great deal of thought, planning and preparation. I have always held our citizens in high regard for our ability to deal with challenges and help maintain the high quality of life that we enjoy. It will take our collective good will, focus and genuine efforts to effectively meet the challenges. No one else can do it for us and we’ll need to look directly into the mirror for answers. Legally, I can’t advocate for specific funding measures utilizing public resources. However, I can inform you of what lies ahead and give general comment about what it may mean to us.

In addition to the choices of specific funding measures that will provide financing for services and provide monies for physical improvements, we’ll need to be certain that the officials we elect into office are up to the challenge and can provide the necessary and principled leadership that we expect. The right people will need to choose to run for office. Citizens will need to make informed decisions at the ballot box.

There will be some major funding choices for voter decision this year. They will include the County’s two major packages of the Public Safety Levy (including funding for the Sheriff’s Office, County Jail, Community Corrections, Courts and homeless shelters) and the Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) Levy that provides additional funding for local libraries. In addition, the Beaverton School District is asking voters to approve a $195 million package for new schools, existing school upgrades and the purchase of property for new school expansion. Our parks and fire service providers are considering their own measures. Metro, our regional government, will be asking voters to approve funding for the acquisition of open space and natural habitat lands for preservation throughout the region.

Much like the care and nurturing it takes to help bring our children into adolescence and adulthood, a community requires the same TLC. It won’t happen by chance and can’t be left to others. The decisions that need to be made aren’t for the faint–hearted. I hope that you choose to invest your interest and time in our future—help shape and control what we want our community to become. Thank you for caring about Beaverton and our community.

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