Editors Note: I may be a Hillsboro guy, but I attended West Union Elementary in Helvetia; many of my classmates in school were kids from North Plains, Mountaindale, Pumpkin Ridge, and the hills and valleys around one of Oregon’s great small towns. I had a farm on Old Pumpkin Ridge next to Kenny Fields’ place and a home near Jessie Mays after that. I love North Plains. It is Unique and among the very best of the last small agrarian towns in America, with just the right amount of City and Country. This entire matter of who decides North Plain’s growth has become ugly.
On the one hand, some want growth and are beholding to money and corporations; their roots are not that deep once you take out the landowners in line to make tens of millions of dollars. Many of those pushing for this growth do so from board rooms, Salem, and places where profit is the thing. Many of them could not find your town without Siri or Google Maps.
On the other hand, there are local folks and farmers who want a chance not to become the next Hillsboro. People like many of you who are reading this. When I say that, I am speaking from experience. My home town is gone. Fields laid bare. Miles of asphalt where fields once provided crops and clean air. I sleep every night in my 115-year-old home under a steam and chemical cloud pushed skyward by mighty Intel. Against our will, they came, built, and took over. Thirty years ago, we were told don’t worry- it’s fine. Let me tell you, it is not fine. Not at all.
Many who know me know that I have been a real estate broker for 42 years here in Washington County. I have done a good job representing local folks, farmers, and town people alike. When I look at what has happened here, I am sickened at my Professional trade group, The Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors. The key word there is “PORTLAND”. Local Realtors like me have to be members of PMAR, or we lose access to the RMLS, which means we have no way to do business. Do those in North Plains want a power group out of Portland, sponsored by major home builders and Real Estate Firms dictating your future? If you do, then it’s already over. If you want your voices heard, turn back the UGLY money and influence being dealt by this trade group and others. A group that does not even understand the issues involved other than builders’ and land owners’ profits and all mighty real estate commissions. I called to file a complaint against PMAR, and no one there answered. Local brokers like me, who care about our communities, do not support this strong-arm tactic by PMAR. We are upset and fighting this move.
My recommendation is to Vote NO on forced Growth in North Plains, not because North Plains does not need some growth but because it does not need forced growth at this scale forced by outside interests. Bring everyone back to the table and work to find a balanced approach. Force is the method being used against you. Resist it at every turn and take a stand. We didn’t get enough people in Hillsboro in the 90s, and now it’s too late. Don’t let that happen to you!
The County CPO and the FONPSG invited your City Council to come to a meeting and forum to share ideas and find common ground. They have refused. How dare they not even come to the table. There is much more here at play than any of you, or even I, as a journalist, know. Deals have been made in high places for the future of your town, and you are not included, nor is your opinion welcome. I say fight back and meet force with the vote. I know what this town is about, and I see the people, all of you, rising and keeping their town spirit and brand alive. I hope you all will!
Now, here is a message from the Friends of North Plains Smart Growth- Please read their position and Invite to the Forum
An open letter to the Yes for North Plains campaign from Friends of North Plains Smart Growth
Dear Yes Campaign,
We are on different sides of a campaign over the future of North Plains and the farmland that surrounds it. We disagree about the best way forward, we disagree on who should have a voice in this debate, and we are advocating for different outcomes for the ballot measure in May. But, in reading your arguments in the voters pamphlet, I realize that we have common ground and some common desires. We both love the uniquely amazing farm and working land that surrounds North Plains, we both want to maintain the small-town charm of the city, and we both want a future where North Plains is an independent community that can determine its future rather than be a satellite of Hillsboro. The voters will decide this issue and it is our job, regardless of our position, to inform them and make this campaign about facts.
While the Yes campaign is new, we are very concerned over how you are going about making your arguments to the citizens. All the information for every argument in favor in the voters pamphlet is provided by one person – not a city councilor, not a resident – but Amy Ruiz, a paid public relations expert who lives in Portland. These arguments are primarily paid for and promoted by wealthy PACs, including (the only major donor to be posted at the time of this letter) the Portland Metro Association of Realtors who donated $10,000 to your campaign. It’s important not to let the money of well-heeled and narrow interests speak for us in this campaign. It is important to talk about the facts, not poll-tested talking points.
Over here on the No campaign we’re running on small donations from well over a hundred local citizens, local farmers, and groups with long histories of protecting our working lands and rural towns. Actual farmers, not public relations experts, say that a No will protect farmland. An actual city planner, not a realtors’ association, says that the plan will cost hundreds of millions, bring up to 200,000 new trips per day to the town, and change the city from a rural small town to a suburb of North Hillsboro. You can see our facts and why we oppose this expansion publicly and with full reports and supporting documentation on our website: www.friendsofnorthplains.org/
The public deserves a fair presentation from both sides. A forum is being held by the neutral CPO 8 on the UGB expansion, and yet, after 4 attempts by the CPO, the City of North Plains is declining to send a representative or even allow the forum to happen at Jessie Mays Community Center. The forum will continue as a panel and will be held on Saturday, April 20, from 3-5 at Eagle’s Nest Reserve Winery at 12995 NW Bishop Rd, Hillsboro.
I challenge you, and I challenge all of us, to do better. It is still early in April. There is still plenty of time to talk about facts and have an informed electorate make the best decisions for themselves. Let’s set aside cynicism and acrimony and work to put the facts before the voters. Let us talk to the voters. I would be happy to meet anyone from the Yes campaign in any public forum to present, discuss, or debate the facts and the best way forward. My group would be happy to help host or promote such a meeting and would come with open minds and a generous spirit. We don’t need to retreat to our corners and talk only through mailers and public relations firms. We can do better for our democracy. We can do better for North Plains.
Aaron Nichols,
Friends of North Plains Smart Growth
North Plains “growth” is not sustainable, and it is not wanted! When Banks started growing, it do so slowly. It already had a grocery store that the city helped finance to get going. Here, we have folks who somehow claim we can keep our “small town charm ” How could that be possible w huge semi conductor manufacturer that will take over our country views and farm land. So many trees have been cut down, we look like Aloha. Vote no.
Our Mayor and city council have done everything to stop us from having our day. Vote no.
My name is Linda Galas-Merten, Chair of CPO 8. In a new twist, I was informed by the County, yesterday, that we will not be allowed to sponsor the Forum on Saturday, 20 April. However, we will proceed with the Forum, unsponsored, present the best possible facts about the referendum, have expert presentations, and hold a question and answer session so you can get all your questions answered. Please join us! We look forward to seeing North Plains voters!
What was the reason? Is it because the CPO is an extension of the County??? This issue is exposing that higher powers are hell bent to shove growth, especially Industrial growth, down oir throats!!
The early results from that North Plains vote are telling.
It’s amazing how the message boards will tell you that “outsiders” (whose land they’re looking to take) are stirring things up, but it’s voters within North Plains itself who don’t want any part of what’s happened to their neighbors to the south.
All of that money, and influence peddling, was not enough to trick the good people of North Plains who still remember what it means to be a citizen and who have not lost ties to their agrarian roots! I will have my report, but it was a great night in North Plains for sure!