Friday Forum Archive

Environmentalists have historically used preservation and regulation as their two primary tools for solving environmental problems. More recently, the use of markets – which often reduce costs and stimulate innovation – have been added to their tool kit.

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FF Audio 2010-02-19 Green Markets.mp3

During the first year of his four-year term, Mayor Sam Adams was subject to scandal and a failed recall effort. Supporters, however, point to the creation of programs that have benefited public school students, small businesses, bicyclists, and the arts, as well as the Mayor’s active involvement in community sessions for the Portland Plan and the advancement of a five-year economic development strategy for the city.

With the City of Portland’s persistently high unemployment rate and a subsequent recall effort underway, what does the future hold for Mayor Adams — and for the city he oversees?

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FF Audio 2010-02-05 State of the City w.Sam Adams.mp3

Portland prides itself on its status as one of America's most sustainable cities - but the benefits of living in a sustainable city are not distributed equally among its residents. When compared with its white population, Portland's minorities tend to live in areas with poorer air quality and higher asthma rates. Minorities are also more likely to live in neighborhoods where the land is contaminated by past use and where it is harder to access natural areas.

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FF Audio 2010-01-22 Sustain and Environ Justice.mp3

In 2009 the Oregon Legislature passed two bills as part of an effort to address the state’s fiscal crisis: one raising taxes on high income earners; the other increasing the state’s corporate minimum tax and levying new taxes on corporate revenue. In response, critics of the legislation gathered a sufficient number of petitions to qualify two referenda – Measures 66 and 67 – for a January 26, 2010 special election allowing the electorate to decide the fate of these tax increases.

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CITY CLUB_01 08 10.mp3

Three years ago, pollster Adam Davis described public opinion in Oregon as a “perfect storm,” in which an uninformed and disconnected public was unable to hold politicians accountable in any meaningful way for campaign promises. Today, with a weakened economy and government budget problems, has anything changed?

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2009.12.11 What Really Matters to ORians.mp3

Since 2004, the Skidmore Prizes have honored exceptional leaders under 35 who work in nonprofits and make under $35,000 a year. On November 20, City Club will host the 2009 Skidmore Prizes, which will be presented by City Commissioner Nick Fish.

This year's winners are Fowzia Abdulle of Bradley Angle House's Healing Roots Center, which provides emergency shelter and healing options for African and African-American women and children escaping domestic violence; lawyer Jennifer Gilmore of Child Centered Solutions, which gives a voice to children in divorce and custody cases; the Pixie Project's Executive Director Amy Sacks, whose organization provides animal adoption and affordable spay and neutering services; and Brandi Tuck, Executive Director of Goose Hollow Family Shelter, a winter emergency shelter that allows homeless families to stay together.

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2009-11-20 City Club edit.mp3

Portland’s population is expected to experience extraordinary growth in the coming years. Planning for this unprecedented growth is a fine balancing act: can the region’s planners preserve the urban growth boundary to protect farmland, forestland and outdoor recreation opportunities while ensuring that there will be enough land to accommodate new residents and businesses?

On November 6, City Club welcomes Michael Jordan, chief operating officer at Metro, and Mayor Jerry Willey of Hillsboro who will appraise the strengths and restrictions of Portland’s urban growth boundary. They will discuss the delicate balance the region is working to achieve as Portland’s urban planners move toward decisions about the next 50 years of land needs. They will also offer alternative perspectives on the best way to manage the region’s projected population growth while maintaining its quality of life.

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2009.11.06 A Fine Line Regions Growth Boundary.mp3

In 2004, Governor Kulongoski wanted to create an innovative and entrepreneurial system of administration that would stabilize income and costs for Oregon’s public universities. To accomplish this, he appointed a number of prominent businesspeople to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. In 2008, three of these appointees completed their terms and have since claimed that outdated organizational structures prevented their ability to make the fundamental changes necessary to achieve the Governor’s higher education goals.

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2009.10.23 Private Business Public University.mp3

This fall, just as children were settling back into the school routine, USDA announced a new national initiative to teach children where their food comes from and create opportunities for local farmers to provide their harvest to schools. Similar efforts, known as “farm to school” initiatives, have been underway in Oregon for several years. In fact, Oregon is the only state in the nation with two full time positions dedicated to advancing farm to school programs within its Departments of Agriculture and Education.

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2009.10.09 Healthy Eating.mp3