91ÊÓƵ

Former Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts last week was sworn in as Metro councilor to fill the District 6 seat vacated by Robert Liberty earlier this year.

Roberts has been in politics for more than 35 years, starting when she filled a vacated seat on the Multnomah County Commission in 1974. She has since served as Oregon Secretary of State, and later as governor from 1990 to 1994.

Her term for District 6, which covers most of southern Multnomah County, will last through 2012. Roberts has already stated that she won’t seek re-election.

The 91ÊÓƵ recently spoke with Roberts about her experience and her new role.

91ÊÓƵ: I know you’ve only been in the seat for a few days, but describe the experience so far.

Barbara Roberts: Obviously the process of me entering the appointment race was very swift. It all happened on the deadline day for the appointment process. We think of that as a short campaign. What I find myself doing now is dealing with new issues, new assignments, a new office and trying to learn the names of all the people I’m working with across the board here at Metro. Oh, and answering a lot of very nice congratulations letters, like this one sitting on my desk from David Bragdon.

Those are the types of things keeping me busy as we try to put the new assignments out for each of the councilors and work me into that agenda. I’m also taking the map of my district and making sure I understand the boundaries so I know every portion of the district I represent. It’s keeping me quite busy right now.

91ÊÓƵ: You aren’t coming on board too long after the recent elections. Has that been nice?

Roberts: (Metro) President (Tom) Hughes and (Councilor) Shirley Craddick are new on the council, so in a sense there are three of us that are quite new. They were already working on issues like liaison assignments, so they held off on making some of those additions until the appointment was made so they could look at it in the framework of who was here and where people wanted to work. Those assignments will give each of us the authority range in terms of issues. I have already been given the assignment for the Lake Oswego-to-Portland streetcar.

91ÊÓƵ: What has your involvement with Metro been like in the past through the various other positions you’ve held?

Roberts: Well I was just looking at this letter from David Bragdon that I mentioned, and he reminds the council in this letter that back in 2000 I played a role for Metro by chairing a number of public hearings on the new charter for Metro and the redesign of how the positions between the president and the councilors were filled. I took on that job because I believed the design of Metro could be improved, and it was. But I also took it on because I believe in Metro.

I’ve been an observer of Metro for a long, long time. My late husband (Frank Roberts) was involved when they started talking about regional governments. He and other legislators were very interested in the metropolitan area and finding some way to do the work of the region regionally. So I was watching it from that position.

But the other things I think of when I think of Metro is their work with land use, with transportation, their increased role with economic development – all things I’ve worked on as a Multnomah County commissioner way back in 1978. I was there when we made the decision about the urban growth boundary in Multnomah County and also when we made the decision to build the original light-rail line between Portland and Gresham. I was one of the votes, and debated all over the region from the pro side of the argument.

Then in terms of land use while I was governor we literally redid a number of the land issues in terms of trying to see if we could make it easier to define those lands. My team and I worked specifically on that. And then when the Legislature was working on Measure 49, Gov. Kulongoski assigned several of us to a little committee that was working behind the scenes to deal with amendments and meeting with Oregonians in Action to try and find some resolutions to the conflicts. I had my hands in that complex issue in land use and became an advocate when the measure reached the ballot. And finally in the last two years I served on the Columbia Gorge Commission, which does a great deal of land-use work.

Land use is not an area I am uninformed about or uncomfortable about. And transportation is the same way to me. Like I said, I was a part of the first vote on light rail, but when I was governor we were focused on the west-side rail. We worked on getting the funding for it, making the land-use decisions and the transportation issues that were going to allow that to happen.

It’s interesting how many times I’ve found myself in the right place at the right time to assist mass transit and light rail in the region, and I’m getting it again with the Lake Oswego-to-Portland line.

91ÊÓƵ: So, you were Metro before Metro?

Roberts: Yep. When we voted the first time for the line between Portland and Gresham, it took the majority vote of Multnomah County, the city of Gresham, the city of Portland and the TriMet board. I think a lot of these issues, especially mass transit, are cross-jurisdictional. I smile when I tell people about the term cross-jurisdictional because on the Columbia Gorge Commission we literally are a bi-state compact with two states, the federal government, six counties, 13 cities and four tribes. If you want to talk about jurisdictional, that’s a complex one. But that’s the only way to look at the region, and I strongly believe that extends into Clark County.

91ÊÓƵ: What are you going to bring to the council? What unique perspective do you have that will serve you well?

Roberts: Though I will represent District 6 and will try to be better informed about the boundaries and neighborhoods, I have a very broad base – not just regionally but across the whole state, perspective on the economy, transportation and land use. All of the things we are dealing with regionally I’ve dealt with on the state level.

I’m also a strong decision maker. I’m not afraid to make decisions and I’m not afraid to take the heat for decisions. I know what it feels like to be lobbied. I’ve been lobbied for years and I am comfortable with it. I know the difference between people’s perspectives and my own views.

The other interesting new issue that has been brought to the table of the council is the selection of a new (chief operating officer) here. I will be meeting this afternoon with Tom Hughes and several other people on how to start that process to fill it long term. That’s something I know how to do. I’ve done a lot of hiring of important executives and I know a great deal about how that’s done and how you come out with the best person. If the process is well designed, your chances of getting a great person are multiplied. I bring that to the table.

The last thing is my comfort with dealing with the press, media and public. After doing it for years and years I am comfortable being out there and talking about the work we are doing and the decisions that we must make.

91ÊÓƵ: What is going to be your biggest challenge to this position?

Roberts: Well, when you don’t go through an election process and have an interim to prepare yourself to step into office as most office holders have time to do, you pretty much have to hit the ground running. Now my job is to make sure I understand all the technical things that are a part of Metro’s responsibility. I will be constantly sitting down with planning experts in this building and people who know about all of the operations like recycling and the zoo. These are all going to be new to me, but I’m a quick study and I will need to be.

91ÊÓƵ: Knowing that you will only be holding the position for about two years, what is one thing that you would really like to accomplish?

Roberts: Though it’s not as big of a decision in some peoples’ mind, I think looking at the facilities that Metro operates – the zoo, the convention center and the rest – and how they are functioning is important. The management of them, the contracts for them, if I can leave here knowing that every one of those is in place and working as well as it can work. If that could be accomplished, in my mind, it would be a great thing.

The other one is my strong interest in small regional airports. The Port of Portland has Hillsboro and Troutdale, but there are other small airports like Aurora in this region that I believe play a huge role in economic development and job creation. I think we need to take a really good look at that. For me it’s the economic thing that I talk about that no one else does. Look at Redmond. When their airport improved and their facilities improved, there was economic development. It’s a good connection for this region as we are talking about other types of job creation and economic development.

91ÊÓƵ: Why did you come out so early and announce that you wouldn’t seek re-election when the term ends in December 2012?

Roberts: I didn’t originally seek the position. I was basically encouraged to participate. I don’t need a new political career; I’ve had one. And I have other responsibilities, like a new book I have coming out in the fall. I have marketing work I will need to do over the coming years. So, if I put in these 22 months and do a good job, the best job I can do for the citizens of this community, I will feel very good about that.

Secondly, I think it’s really good for me in making the decisions I need to make without any consideration of re-election. I did that in my last year as governor knowing I wouldn’t be running again and it frees you up in some ways to look at things from a different perspective. I think right now with some of the decisions we have to make on land use and transportation that it will serve me well to not have to think about it. I won’t be raising money for a campaign but rather just doing my job.