Perspectives as County Commissioner

December 18, 2002

This being the final regular county commission session of my term of office, I would like to offer the following thoughts related to my service to the county in this capacity.

First of all, my thanks go to the people of Baker County who elected me to this position four years ago. It has been an honor to serve the people of the county.

I have, and will continue to, believe that this is a job of both management and leadership: management of the people and systems of government, and leadership of the direction for the county.

Management

The structure of county government is not something found in 21st century management books. The structure of county government, in my opinion, is set up for failure.

No management theory would suggest that an organization be comprised of managers and leaders that do not report within a hierarchical structure. But county government calls for elected officials that report to the electorate, not to themselves. The result is a system that really is not a system. It is a group of disparate functions under one budget.

I have an instinct to create order out of chaos. It certain respects, the county government system was in chaos prior to 1999. This is not an indictment of my predecessors; it is simply an observation about county government in Oregon, and perhaps throughout the nation.

Early on, I had an innate sense that despite the dysfunction of the system, Baker County government was comprised of people with expertise greater than mine.

Discovering Our Values and Mission. I was shocked to find that our department head and elected official retreat in March of 2000 was unprecedented for any employee for over 25 years. Indeed, the meeting represented the first time in a quarter century (perhaps much longer) that county government employees had gathered to set a course for their work into the future.

We established a mission statement for our service to the county, and we identified five values that would define our work:

*Ethical Behavior
*Professionalism
*Teamwork and Partnerships
*An Abundance Mentality with Fiscal Responsibility
*Inspiring Individual Initiative

Today, county government employees truly display professionalism and ethical behavior in a setting of internal teams and external partnerships. We have systems—budgeting and union negotiations, for example—that do call for individual initiative.

Finally, we “get it” when it comes to having an “abundance mentality” while always keeping an eye on our budget. This means that all employees are challenged to find new and better ways of getting the job done by first focusing on the possibilities. Once the ideal is defined, employees are challenged to find the resources to accomplish the vision. This is a huge departure from a “we have always done it that way” or “we don’t have the money” mentality. It is why we have better facilities across the board and better services throughout the system while maintaining record fund balances throughout the budget.

A New Budget Process. My second attempt to make the system work better was to delegate some authority as Budget Officer to the Budget Committee. I did this in 1999 and 2000, but failed to delegate far enough. The Budget Committee members, while well intentioned, did not have the detailed knowledge of how best to efficiently and effectively deploy financial resources to optimize public dollars.

The budget process of 2000 exposed the inadequacy of this shift. We had a perceived budget shortfall, and the false debate over anticipated scarce resources created ill will within the system that disrupted employee morale and initiated a recall process. When further analysis revealed no revenue shortfall, the anger and self-destruction of the system dissipated.

I knew that I had not found the right roles for the respective budget players: budget officer, budget committee, employees, and the general public.

In 2001, I found the right formula. It still recognized that I was to play a facilitative (rather than directive) role, but it put the power of the budget process into the hands of the very people that knew the most about county government: the employees themselves.

My role as budget officer would be twofold: to craft a system that optimized the deployment of public resources, and to ensure the capacity to accurately project and manage the budget.

The role of the budget committee shifted significantly from tactical to strategic. No longer would county volunteers be expected to know the specific needs of each and every line item in the budget. They too would respect the knowledge and abilities of the employees. The role of the committee would be to ensure that the budget adequately reflects the direction of the county in a larger sense.

The role of the general public remained a constant through the change. The public will always receive complete information as to the expenditures and revenues of the county.

A New Union Negotiations Process. Union negotiations have historically been done in the traditional sense: management portrayed limited resources, while employees demanded better pay, benefits, and conditions. The result: hard feelings and diminished trust between management and staff.

My gut instinct told me that there had to be a better way. I could not see spending dozens of hours haggling with employees only to come to a frustrating conclusion, and then look forward to the whole mess over again in three years (if we were all lucky!).

I saw the process as a wonderful opportunity for everybody to truly listen. Management could listen to the real needs of the employees. Employees could better understand the direction of the county, and the condition of the budget.

It worked.

We have had three union negotiation processes, all employing a variation of interest-based-bargaining. We talk about our interests, not our positions. We have found that we all really have the same interest: happy and productive employees in a financially sound system. That is exactly what we have today.

Success on Four Fronts. Ultimately, I evaluate our management performance on four fronts:

*The quality of our facilities and equipment
*The morale of our employees
*The soundness of our budget
*The performance of our products and services

The system-wide improvement of our facilities and equipment is astounding. A “before and after” tour of virtually every office and asset shows investments and remodels that will serve the people of the county well for a generation or better. Frankly, our progress on this front is far better than I every imagined. The completion of the fairgrounds, construction of the armory/conference center/community college, and the juvenile detention center will round out our investment plan. Benefits from our participation in the dam relicensing process should also show major benefit.

I have come to appreciate the critical nature of employee morale. It was moderate when I started, plummeted during the budget discussions of 2000, and has climbed to very high levels since. I love coming to work, and I will miss my fellow employees more than anything I will give up at the end of this month.

Much has been written and understood about the budget process. Less is understood about the fiscal soundness of the budget itself. Simply stated, Baker County’s budget is in far superior shape to anything it has seen in at least a quarter century—maybe ever. When Commissioner Britton started his service in 1995, the county was unable to fill vacant positions because there was no employee leave fund. Not only does that fund exist, but we have also had the luxury of making significant investments in facilities and technology over the past four years. The general fund has a record balance, as do many of the other funds. There are significant challenges in the near future (state budget cuts, the PERS crisis, and flat property tax projections), but then again there have always been challenges of one nature or another in the past.

Ultimately, county government management should be evaluated on the performance of the products and services themselves. This is where Baker County really shines. Services are performed with professionalism and a high standard of customer service. I would maintain that the Baker County Road Department might be a national model in terms of stretching public resources as far as they can go.

Indeed, I take some pride in leading Baker County government operations into a new era. We have a new attitude. We operate in teams. We value the success of our fellow employees and departments. Most of all, we serve you.

Leadership

If management is “doing things right”, then leadership is “doing the right things”.

Baker County enjoyed a good reputation across the state long before I took office in 1999. Our reputation has been that of a county that can accomplish virtually anything it puts its mind to.

The reputation began with the success of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, and grew with great successes such as the Sumpter Dredge State Heritage Area, the Baker City Historic District revitalization, Powder River Correctional Facility, Elkhorn View Industrial Park, three National Scenic Byways, and literally dozens of other projects.

Oddly, while Baker County had the great reputation, it was largely gained by the fine work of the community sector—not county government itself.

I believe in an activist government, perhaps more than any of my predecessors. I believe that local government is uniquely positioned to proactively secure the future of its citizenry.

It has been said that those who fail to plan plan to fail. Baker County is in the unique position of being in its 15th consecutive year of implementing a strategic plan that is relevant to its people. Again, though, has been a plan that has been developed largely without the county itself driving the process. Until lately.

I see a responsibility for county government beyond simply budgeting, managing, and delivering traditional resources. I see a need for county government leaders to understand the issues of their day, and to mobilize the citizenry to effectively act.

Mobilizing Through Task Forces. This mobilization has largely been accomplished through Task Forces. The tasks and accomplishments have been enormous.

The National Guard Armory Siting Task Force has met monthly for six years. Not only did the committee propose a location that was widely accepted by Baker City and Baker County, but it has championed the funding to build and expand the facility for community college use. Opportunities to further expand the facility for additional training is present.

The Fairgrounds Sizing and Siting Task Force made recommendations that are being implemented today in terms of the scale and location of new facilities. This effort, being led by the Fair Board, represents an unprecedented investment in public fairgrounds facilities in Baker County.

The Telecommunications Task Force made recommendations and ushered in new investments that bring Baker County into the 21st century with respect to the infrastructure necessary to facilitate new and existing business investment. We are now on the “information superhighway”.

The Power Generation Task Force has preserved opportunities for county power generation at Mason Dam, encouraged wind power investments, supported biomass-based power generation, and solicited large scale investment in gas fired power production. New forecasts of power shortages by 2005 underscore the need for this committee to continue their work.

The County Empowerment Committee has defined Baker County’s “custom and culture”, supported codifying the definition in a county ordinance, notified state and federal agencies for the need for proactive notification of projects and regulations that would impact the custom and culture, and begun work toward a countywide natural resource strategy.

The Armory/Conference Center Task Force made recommendations related to the potential use of the expanded armory as a conference facility, and facilitated a process for the merger of the Chamber of Commerce and the Visitor and Convention Bureau. The result has been an increase in focus and resources for tourism promotion. The new organization, Baker County Unlimited, also employs the countywide economic development director. The process has given a more formal voice to Baker County’s smaller communities.

The Hells Canyon Complex Committee has recently been active in giving all the cities in Baker County a voice in the outcome of the dam relicensing effort. Baker County has been the most active of the counties in the three state region, proactively defining outcomes expected from involvement in this large undertaking.

Other county committees and boards have played a vital role in setting the course for the county. The Baker County Parks Board has been active, as has been the Planning Commission.

Outreach to All Citizens. I would hope that one hallmark of my administration is the extent that citizen involvement is encouraged. No longer are just a select few advising county government operations and charting the future for the county. Hundreds of citizens have played a key role.

New processes of outreach include the Mayor’s Council whereby leaders from all of Baker County’s incorporated cities engage in key discussions on a bimonthly basis, the Annual Town Halls where the Commissioners and their team travel to every city every year to address the local answer to the question of “what are your top priorities for your town in the next four years”, the Needs and Issues Process where the whole county prioritizes top development projects and issues, and the Forum which draws about 300 people every three years to ignite the civic potential of the county.

It was a random encounter with a local governing body that changed the direction of my life in 1985. I attended the Kelso, Washington City Council meeting for no other reason than to learn the business of the city for an evening. I discovered that people really can affect the destiny of their community.

Communities do not just happen, but they can drift without vision, leadership, and action. My appreciation for this sets the foundation for my respect for citizen participation. It is for this reason that I work to respect every person and every idea offered in commission sessions.

Leading By Example. This job has been tough. I have found that I am constantly confronted with a decision between the easy choice and the right choice. The easy choice typically has little cost and little benefit. The right choice typically comes at a higher price, and the benefits may be well down the road. I sit before you today with the satisfaction of knowing I never sacrificed the right choice for the short-term gain of the easy choice.

I have now gone down the road long enough to see some of the long-term benefits of making the right choice. A Planning Commission that serves with energy and humility. A County Clerk that epitomizes the service ethic I aspire to. A team of employees that have helped me discover the leader within myself. Hundreds of county citizens that hold me in their thoughts and prayers.

My heroes in public service cannot be defined by their political philosophy. They cannot be easily identified based upon their beliefs. My heroes are the leaders that stand for a cause—and have the ability to lead that cause.

For 15 years, my cause has been Baker County. For one-third of that time, I shared that cause with other counties as I served the state. It was my desire to focus any God-given time, talent, and passion to Baker County that caused me to run for office in 1998 and stand for re-election in 2002.

Indeed, this job has been tough. But it has been worth it.

Pursuing the Premier Rural Living Experience. For over a decade now, citizens throughout Baker County have worked to live up to the ideal of residing in the “premier rural living experience”. Up to very recently, that ideal for me was represented by our pursuits in three arenas: excellent facilities and an improved economy (the built environment), a better way of deploying human services to meet the needs of society (the human environment), and natural resource strategies that balance utilization with conservation (the natural environment).

My personal test as an elected official has led me to add a forth factor to that pursuit of being “premier”: our own personal conduct (the environment within us).

I reject the growing acceptance that people must denigrate one another in order to achieve their own personal and political objectives. However old-fashioned it may be, I will always maintain that political campaigns are about defining one’s vision for the future and the capacity to achieve that vision. This great nation was not built based upon a competition about the virtuosity of the founding fathers themselves. It was based upon the virtuosity of the ideals articulated by outstanding common men. The only way that I can contribute to reversing the trend toward negative political attacks is by not participating in them. I have not and will not.

Yet, through this whole experience, I am left with a great deal of optimism. Perhaps it is my nature. Perhaps it is my faith—faith that holds that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.

I thought that the plan was for me to serve in this capacity for three terms. Now I rejoice in knowing that virtually all of the management objectives and a majority of the leadership goals have been accomplished in one term. It is like being given an additional eight years to find other ways to contribute to this county and state that I love.

I am not left wanting to retreat, but rather to grow. I cannot think of a better experience from which to base my future upon.

Let it be said that Baker County did not waiver when we confronted challenges to making county government work. Let it be said that we did not shrink from the tasks necessary to pursue being that premier rural living experience.

I have but three words about the future: bring it on.