Old friends once in high places
Do elected officials speak for the people who elected them, or for the people who helped them get elected? How does loyalty to friends and allies intrude upon their higher purpose?
It may be hard to separate conflicting loyalties, but former Portland City Council members Earl Blumenauer and Charlie Hales have invited suspicion with their surprising support for Portland General Electric’s proposed power line through Forest Park, a project that may lead to ripping out a 20-acre swath of trees in the treasured urban forest.
The pair signed a letter for PGE’s application for Phase III of the project, which will be heard by the city Hearings Officer on Jan. 29. Their signatures were sought because they were members of the council that adopted the 1995 Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan, a plan that made preservation of the flora, fauna and natural resources of the park its first goal.
Twenty-nine years later, Blumenauer and Hales seem to have a different notion of why they adopted the plan.
“In our view, the two most pressing issues were then, and remain now, invasive species, such as English ivy, and the risk of forest fires,” their letter read. “Portland would be well served to consider any plan that brings new resources to the large-scale removal of ivy and ladder fuels throughout the park.”
Those extra resources could come in the form of measures PGE would be required to underwrite to mitigate the harm caused by clearing a perhaps 100-foot-wide strip through the forest.
Blumenauer and Hales agreed that their original intent was not to hinder power transmission. That may be true, but that doesn’t say much. Every topic left out of the plan should not now be regarded as central simply due to that omission.
We asked Hales why he signed the letter. He said a former aide, who now works for PGE, asked him to. Hales was unaware of central controversies around the power line extension and seems to have dusted off no papers to help him recall why the management plan was adopted in 1995. Although fire danger is critical now, it gained little attention at the time. Overuse of the park, however, was of much higher concern then.
Hales said he didn’t talk to Blumenauer before signing his name. We don’t know what Blumenauer was thinking because he did not return messages. His congressional website described him as a “climate champion and a vocal defender of important environmental laws and policies.” One would think that the Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan is the kind of law he would uphold.
Old lawmakers cannot rewrite laws based on their faded memories or favors to old friends. The management plan was clear in its purpose and priorities. Should ambiguities be found or circumstances change later, this or any other ordinance could be amended through a public process.
The Blumenauer-Hales letter could nevertheless gain traction if the city’s 10 rookie council members (and two who were re-elected) take it seriously. This assumes that the hearings officer’s ruling will be appealed by whichever side loses.
The progressive-leaning council might be expected to side with nature and against a corporate monopoly, but PGE executives will not be the ones who approach the new council members. Old friends and members of their affinity groups will be enlisted to make it personal, to befriend, flatter and find their soft spots.
Will that be enough to turn them around? Who knows, but it seemed to work on a couple of political veterans who should have known better.