December
2009 Newsletter
Top
Stories
1. From the chair: Kicker reform needed
2. Oregon
economists oppose 2009 Legislature's permanent tax increases
3. Alliance
members help Marysville Elementary School
4. Oregon
economist, Tim Duy, to present at Westside Economic event
5.
Leadership Portland application available
now!
Public
Policy
6.
Land use and economic growth: Two coalitions
are in development
7.
lliance Urban Renewal Task Force recommends
new downtown URA
Downtown
8.
Pop-up shops successful for artists and downtown
9. New Resource Access Center breaks ground
in Old Town
10.
Downtown Holiday Activities
Membership
11.
Members kick off holiday season at Alliance
Open House
12.
December Forum addresses the 2010 economy
13.
Membership survey coming in January
Member
News
14. United Streetcar president participates
in President Obama's Jobs Summit
15. Portland Community College announces
second year of scholarship matching
16.
American Red Cross launches new holiday
giving campaign
17. ESCO Engineered Products Group establishes
presence in Australia
18. Regence Foundation awards Pacific
University diabetes clinic $94,000
19. The Regional Arts and Cultural Council
to help artists in 2010
20.
American Red Cross can help answer questions
about the new AED law
21.
Upcoming meetings
FROM
THE CHAIR
1. Kicker
reform needed
 By
Charles Wilhoite, Chair,
Alliance Board of Directors
Recently,
Debbie Kitchen, the chair of the Alliance's Small Business
Council wrote an opinion piece agreeing with a position taken
by The Oregonian's editorial board on the need for reforming
the state's kicker. Her piece was published in The Oregonian,
and I would like to share it with you as this month's column.
Oregon's
kicker law: The Legislature got it wrong again
The Oregonian's editorial last week (Kicking
and screaming, California here we come - November 13,
2009) about the need to reform Oregon's uniquely peculiar
kicker law couldn't have been more right. And it underscored,
yet again, why the Legislature couldn't have been more wrong
when it balanced the state's budget on the back of Oregon's
taxpayers in this last session.
The sorry
truth is that the state's major business organizations have
long asked the Legislature to reform our antiquated kicker
law. In 2007, businesses voluntarily agreed to give up more
than $300 million in corporate kicker money in order to create
Oregon's first ever general "Rainy Day" savings account. And
in 2009, they begged the Legislature to permanently fund that
savings account by restructuring both the corporate and personal
kickers and investing in the Rainy Day Fund.
The Legislature
ignored not only the pleas of business for kicker reform,
but also recommendations from a nonpartisan panel, created
in 2007 by the legislature and appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski.
After studying Oregon's revenue system carefully, that panel
found that our dependence on income taxes makes Oregon uniquely
vulnerable to swings in the national economy.
Most impacted
when state revenue swings occur, the panel found, are Oregon's
public schools, which depend on the state for two-thirds of
their funding. The panel urged the Governor and Legislature
to fix this problem in part by putting a portion of the state's
ending budget balances - money subject to the kicker - in
a savings account so that our schools and other vital state
programs can be held harmless when the economy turns south.
I am an
economist by training, but it doesn't take a degree in economics
to figure out that if your primary revenue source - income
taxes - is inherently volatile, you need to be saving in the
good times so that you can cover for revenue shortfalls in
the bad times. When the Governor's Task Force on Comprehensive
Revenue Restructuring recommended reforming the kicker to
create a savings account last year, I thought it more than
made sense. It was about time we did it.
What did
our Legislature do? They ignored the advice of the nonpartisan
experts on the Governor's committee and the pleas of the business
community. Instead of taking the steps to add more stability
to the state's revenue system, they made it more volatile
by passing almost $1 billion in new personal and corporate
taxes to balance a state budget that grows bigger and bigger.
It is
hard to understand. My husband and I own a small general contracting
business and, like many people, we have had to tighten our
belt this last year. Business owners, like us, have worked
hard to protect jobs, and that's why so many were taken aback
when the Legislature chose to impose new, permanent taxes
on Oregon companies - taxes that are sure to cost more Oregonians
their jobs.
I find
it hard to comprehend that they also refused to address the
antiquated kicker law and fund a more robust savings account
so that the future will be better for Oregonians. There has
to be a better way.
Back
to the top
2.
Oregon economists oppose 2009 Legislature's
permanent tax increases
In
January 2010, Oregonians will vote on two ballot
measures. Measure 66 permanently increases personal
income taxes. Measure 67 permanently increases
corporate income taxes. Economists from across
the state studied the measures and argue that
the measures would further damage Oregon's economy.
Here
is a list of economists that oppose the permanent
tax measures.
-
Ralph
Shaw
Shaw Management Company*
Former Chair, Governor's Council of Economic Advisors
J.D.- New York University School of Law
-
Phillip
Romero
University of Oregon (currently on leave)*
Former dean of the Lundquist College of Business
Ph.D.- Rand Graduate School
-
Randall
Pozdena
Managing Director, ECONorthwest* Former Vice President
of Research for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Ph.D.-University of California, Berkeley
Author of The Modern Economics of Housing
-
John
Mitchell
M&H Economic Consultants*
Former Chair, Oregon Council of Economic Advisors
Former Chief Economist of U.S. Bancorp
Ph.D.-University of Oregon
-
Gerard
Mildner
Portland State University*
Ph.D.- New York University
-
Anthony
Rufolo
Portland State University*
Former Senior Economist with the Federal Reserve Bank
of Philadelphia
Ph.D. - University of California at Los Angeles
-
Bill
Conerly
Conerly Consulting LLC*
Author of Businomics
Ph.D. - Duke University
-
Eric
Fruits
Economics International Corp.*
Ph.D.-Claremont Graduate University
-
Kevin
Kelly
CEO and Owner of First Call Heating and Cooling*
Former President and CEO of U.S. Bancorp
Former Chief Economist of U.S. Bancorp
Ph.D.-Lewis and Clark College
-
Zenon
X. Zygmont
Western Oregon University*
Ph.D.-George Mason University
Author of The Economics of Intercollegiate Sports
*Academic
and business affiliations are for identification purposes
only and do not reflect the position of university, academic
department or business.
More
information about the measures and their impact on Oregon's
economy can be found at: www.stopjobkillingtaxes.com.
3.
Alliance members help Marysville Elementary School
The
Portland Business Alliance board of directors
raised $29,000 for Portland's Marysville Elementary
School, which was devastated by a fire last month.
The school, which reopened at Rose City Park,
is in need of many basic supplies.
Member
companies like Nike and Powell's Books quickly
led the charge to help Marysville recover. Nike
donated backpacks and coats for every student,
duffel bags and classroom supplies for teachers,
sports equipment, welcome banners and food for
staff. Powell's Books donated more than 1,000
books to the school. Hasson Company Realtors recently
donated used office furniture.
The
Alliance board encourages businesses and individuals
to help Maryville Elementary by:
-
Contributing
to Schoolhouse Supplies, a local nonprofit that is accepting
cash and product donations for Marysville and other schools
in need. To donate, go to Schoolhouse Supplies or call
503.249.9933.
-
4.
Oregon economist, Tim Duy, to present at Westside
Economic event
University
of Oregon economist, Tim Duy, completed a study
with the Port of Portland last month, showing
that industrial employment is vital for Oregon's
economic recovery, and that manufacturing jobs
contribute greatly to the economic health and
prosperity of the region.
Duy
will speak about his work and present his findings
at the Westside Economic Alliance's monthly
Breakfast Forum on December 18 from 7:30 - 9:00
a.m. Go online for details, www.westside-alliance.org.
5.
Leadership Portland application available now!
 Do
something great for yourself and your community!
Leadership Portland provides education, strategic
relationship building opportunities, and the chance
to strengthen your leadership skills. Interest in
this unique program is growing, and enrollment is
increasing so apply today! Applications for class
of 2011 are now available and are due April 2010.
APPLY
NOW >>
6.
Land
use and economic growth: Two coalitions are in development
Many
new policies that address land use and economic
growth in the Portland region are currently in different
stages of development. The Alliance is participating
in a number of ways, and primary concerns are: maintaining
land supply that will support job retention and
growth, and ensuring land is well served by infrastructure.
In November, the Portland Business Alliance weighed
in on two issues relating to job growth and land
supply by formally supporting the work of two coalitions.
The first one focuses on land use decisions, called
the Coalition for a Prosperous Region, and the second
called the Working Waterfront Coalition, focuses
on the city's River Plan.
Coalition
for a Prosperous Region
Projections
for the growth of our region show a dramatic increase
in population in the coming decades. Therefore,
it is vital that the region has available land and
the necessary infrastructure to provide family-wage
jobs and affordable housing for the region's current
and future residents.
Currently,
Metro, in coordination with Washington, Multnomah
and Clackamas counties, is determining what land
can be set aside for possible development in the
next 50 years to accommodate the projected growth.
These portions of land are called Urban and Rural
Reserves.
Local
governments must evaluate land by a set of specific
criteria and designate a 40 - 50 year land supply
of Urban and Rural Reserves, which will determine
what portions of land are protected from urbanization
and what portions are eligible for urban growth
boundary expansions.
Part
of that designation process includes Metro's Reserves
Steering Committee (RSC), which consists of city
officials, and representatives from business sectors,
environmental conservation groups, and social and
economic equity organizations. The RSC's task is
to give direction to the study of prospective urban
and rural reserves and advise the Metro Council
and county commissions on the land being designated
as urban or rural reserves.
To
ensure future employment and housing was kept top
of mind, the Alliance has been working with a coalition
of businesses to advise the RSC's business members.
The coalition recently branded itself as the Coalition
for a Prosperous Region (CPR) and expanded its membership
to include both business and labor organizations,
including more than 20,000 union members of the
Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council.
In
addition to providing recommendations to the steering
committee members, CPR will be working to communicate
the need for suitable and flexible employment land
options and infrastructure as well as affordable
housing for future employees and their families.
More information about CPR's efforts will be in
future newsletters.
Working
Waterfront Coalition
The
Portland Business Alliance is supporting the Working
Waterfront Coalition's current concerns about the
city's River Plan. The Alliance will collaborate
with the coalition on policies relating to transportation
and freight mobility, harbor related employment
land supply and regulatory framework that impacts
the harbor economically.
The
Alliance's concerns about the River Plan are:
-
The
15 percent landscape restoration requirement, which could
result in the loss of jobs and economic activity in the
city by removing productive harbor land.
-
It
conflicts with current policy such as the city's Economic
Development Plan and its goal of adding jobs in industrial
areas such as the harbor.
7.
Alliance Urban Renewal Task Force recommends new downtown
URA
Discussions
within the City of Portland are currently underway about the
creation of a new Urban Renewal Area (URA), and what areas
a new URA would include. Because health of the central city
is important to the Alliance, an Urban Renewal Task Force
was formed to study and recommend a new downtown urban renewal
district. The board approved this new URA recommendation last
month.
To
help aid the Alliance's decision, the task force established
a framework to guide decisions on whether, where and how urban
renewal should be used. The framework's purpose is to promote
economic development in the selected URA and includes six
main points:
- Criteria
should precede the URA designation.
- Property
included in the URA should have specific characteristics.
- URA-funded
projects should result in specific public benefits.
- URA
expenditures should be tied to specific performance metrics.
- Firm
sunset dates should be established and observed.
- Overlapping
taxing jurisdictions should be at the table when urban renewal
areas are created and when performance metrics are established.
It
is the URA Task Force's goal that future recommendations for
any URA would be subject to the same framework. If you are
interested in learning more about the URA process and criteria,
please contact Carly Riter at criter@portlandalliance.com.
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DOWNTOWN
SERVICES
8.
Pop-up shops successful for artists and downtown
 Four
pop-up shops opened in November, as a result of Mayor Sam
Adams' Downtown Retail Strategy. The pop-ups support local
artists and designers and activate vacant retail spaces
for enhanced downtown holiday shopping. All of the shops
have active elements with artists designing and creating
right in the space.
The
pop-up shops are free to the artists, thanks to a public-private
partnership that includes the Portland Business Alliance,
City of Portland, Portland Development Commission, Downtown
Retail Advocate, Downtown Marketing Initiative, Downtown
Development Company, Tad Savinar and Vizwerks. The partners
came together to enhance the signature retail district along
Yamhill and Morrison for the holiday season by providing
unique, local gift items. So far the pop-ups have been successful
and received a lot of positive attention from the press
and the community.
Find
some unique gifts for friends and families at:
Workroom
719
-
Showcasing
artwork, clothing, jewelry and accessories from six artists.
-
Watch
the artists design and create their merchandise.
-
Located
at 719 SW Morrison St. (formerly See's Candies space)
-
-
Showcasing
jewelry and clothing for men and women from multiple designers.
-
Presented
by Portland Fashion Synergy
-
Located
at 401 SW Morrison St. (formerly Shoe Pavilion space)
-
Showcasing
handcrafted letterpress greeting cards.
-
Active
elements include Letter Writing Happy Hours, screen printing,
and printing press demonstrations
-
Located
at 625 SW 4th Avenue.
-
-
Showcasing
clothing, jewelry and photography from more than
15 Portland artists and designers.
-
Located
at 902 SW Morrison.
Back
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9.
New Resource Access Center breaks ground in Old Town
 Groundbreaking
for the new Resource Access Center (RAC) took place on Friday,
November 20 on the corner of NW Broadway and NW Hoyt St.
Once finished, the RAC will provide a multitude of services
for homeless people and people transitioning out of homelessness.
The
RAC is a result of years of planning by the City of Portland,
the Portland Development Commission (PDC), the Housing Authority
of Portland, and Transition Projects. Scott Andrews, former
Portland Business Alliance Chair and current PDC Chair,
has been instrumental in securing funding for the project.
The
Portland Business Alliance was also a partner in helping
to site and fund the project. Additionally, the Alliance
helped in the designing process to ensure the new RAC provides
as many services and housing options as possible.
The
RAC will include these elements:
-
90,000-square
feet of ground floor space for assistance services, meeting
and classrooms and other necessities such as showers,
restrooms, lockers and laundry facilities.
-
Internet
access for job and housing searches, and an address people
can give to prospective employers.
-
An
internal waiting area, off the street and out of the elements.
-
A
men's transition shelter with 90 beds for temporary use,
including space for sleeping, eating and other services.
-
Approximately
130 units of affordable rental housing.
-
Street-level
retail space.
-
Transition
Projects Inc.'s administrative offices.
The
RAC is scheduled to be finished in February 2011. For more
on the Groundbreaking, click
here. For more info on the RAC, click
here.
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10.
Downtown Holiday Activities
Throughout
December, holiday festivities will abound downtown. Each
day will be bright and cheery, with enhanced tree lighting
and additional trees lining Yamhill and Morrison. Buskers
(street performers) will surprise and delight with music
and performing arts such as juggling and stilt walking.
The buskers will be located along Yamhill and Morrison at
Fifth, Sixth and Broadway avenues, Thursday through Saturday
for the afternoon hours. Here is a list of downtown holiday
festivities you won't want to miss!
MEMBERSHIP
SERVICES
11.
Members kick off holiday season at Alliance Open House
The Alliance's
Annual Open House took place on Friday, December 4. More than
180 people checked out the new office, met Alliance board
members and networked with each other. Bastas Trattoria provided
delicious appetizers enjoyed by all. Thank you, Bastas!
Back
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12.
December Forum addresses the 2010 economy
December
9
7:30 am to 8:45 am
Governor Hotel, 614 SW 11th Avenue
 Leading
economist, John Mitchell, will speak about managing the economic
crisis in the coming year. He will discuss prospects, risks
and opportunities and provide his outlook on the 2010 economy.
Back
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13. Membership survey coming in January
The Alliance's
will conduct the annual member survey in January. The member
feedback the Alliance receives through this survey is critical
to making improvements in its events programming, communications
content and advocacy efforts. Alliance members have contributed
greatly to making the survey shorter and better so watch for
it in January!
Back
to the top
MEMBER
NEWS
14.
United Streetcar president participates in President Obama's
Jobs Summit
Chandra
Brown, president of United Streetcar, received an invitation
from the White House to attend President Obama's Job Summit
in Washington, D.C. on December 3. Congressman Blumenauer
recommended to the White House that Brown attend the summit
because United Streetcar will build the cars for the Portland
streetcar loop project, which is estimated to create 1,500
jobs. Additionally, United Streetcar is credited for building
the first American made Streetcar in 58 years. For more on
United Streetcar, click
here.
Back
to the top
15.
Portland Community College announces second year of scholarship
matching
Last
year, PCC raised $320,000 for scholarships and The Miller
Foundation matched that amount. This year the program will
be continued. PCC enrollment is up this year, and applications
for financial aid are up 35 percent, as people go back to
school to gain new skills and knowledge. Help PCC get this
scholarship funding again this year! If you would like to
participate in the match, you can give online at www.pcc.edu/give,
or call 503.977.4382.
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16.
American Red Cross launches new holiday giving campaign
In a recent
national survey, the American Red Cross found that although
many people have been hit hard by economic difficulties, 67
percent say that because of the economy, it is more important
than ever to give something to charity this year. 'Gifts that
Save the Day' is a new holiday giving campaign that inspires
people to give a gift that can save the day for those in need.
View
the online catalog here.
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17.
ESCO Engineered Products Group establishes presence in Australia
On November
9, ESCO launched its first Australian entity, ESCO Holdings
PTY Ltd. Johan Nienaber will be the company's first official
employee in Australia. The move supports ESCO's global growth
initiatives, with an emphasis on customer service and meeting
the needs of the region. For more info, click
here.
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18.
Regence Foundation awards Pacific University diabetes clinic
$94,000
 The
new clinic will serve anyone with diabetes, with a focus on
breaking down barriers to health care in Latino and other
underserved communities. The grant was announced during a
check presentation ceremony at Regence BlueCross BlueShield
of Oregon's Portland branch on November 30. The clinic is
scheduled to open in Hillsboro next spring. For more on the
grant and Pacific University, click
here.
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19.
The Regional Arts and Cultural Council to help artists in
2010
Professional
development workshops for artists will be offered by the Regional
Arts and Cultural Council (RACC) from January to June of next
year. Qualified specialists and RACC staff will lead workshops
in marketing, grant writing, legal issues, public art and
new media formatting. Workshops are designed to provide inexpensive
learning opportunities for artists to become more successful.
For more info, and to register, visit www.racc.org/workshops.
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20.
American Red Cross can help answer questions about the new
AED law
Buildings
in Oregon that are larger than 50,000 square feet and have
more than 25 visitors per day must have at least one Automated
External Defibrillator (AED) on premises starting January
1, 2010. The American Red Cross Oregon Chapter can help answer
questions about the new law. Additionally, the Red Cross sells
AEDs and provides training and maintenance for the machines.
For more information, visit www.oregonredcross.org/AED
or call 503.528.5629.
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21.
Upcoming Meetings
December
9, Sustainability Committee, 7:30 a.m.
December 11, President's Council, noon
December 15, Central City Standing Committee, noon
December
16, Small Business Council, 4 p.m.
January 27, Government Relations Committee, 4 p.m.
January 12, Communications Committee, 9:30 a.m.
January 12, Transportation Committee, noon
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