The Better Communities Podcast

Why Is Oregon Facing An Economic Crossroads?

By now, you've probably seen the data and pie charts [https://portlandmetrochamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/State-of-the-Economy-WEB-1.pdf] showing the standard economic indicators in Oregon are all moving in the wrong direction – be it jobs, revenue, population, and business retention. Despite these warning signs, Oregon's political class seems intent on litigating the same policy fights that have bogged us down for decades. And this is especially true when looking at the responsible land use planning decisions we must make to turn things around. In a way, Oregon feels trapped in a false choice pitting farmland conservation against economic growth. It's a false narrative that feels tired and meaningless after years of infighting about Oregon's widely lauded planning and development rules established in 1973. Right now, the choice facing Oregonians is not about farmer versus developer. It's about whether we are willing to let the legacy of 1973 set the rules for how we solve problems in 2026. In this episode, we take a deeper look at Oregon's ongoing land use fights. We follow the ongoing debate over Oregon's Senate Bill 1586 [https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Measures/Overview/SB1586] — also called the Oregon JOBS Act. Listen as we explore the questions at the center of what will govern the future of Oregon's unique sense of place with the policy and business leaders on the frontlines of Oregon's economic crossroads, including Oregon State Senator Janeen Sollman [https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman] (SD-15), land use advisor Keith Leavitt [https://www.confluencestrategies.net/] of Confluence Strategies, Damon Runberg [https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-runberg/], Senior Economist at Business Oregon, and Elizabeth Mazzara Myers [https://westsidealliance.org/about-us/staff/], Executive Director of the Westside Economic Alliance. If you work inside the evolving politics of land use in Oregon, this episode sheds light on how economic growth and land conservation can co-exist – and what's at stake if we fail to meet this unique moment for our economy.

The Politics of Stadiums

While the final decision remains in the hands of Major League Baseball, there is notable political momentum building signaling Portland is serious about securing a baseball team. If baseball returns to Portland, it will be to the credit of a small group of political and business leaders who stuck to their vision – and a belief this will fundamentally transform downtown, the waterfront district, and our regional sports economy. Building a new stadium is enormously complicated for any major metro region. It's certainly more complicated in a hyper-inclusive political ecosystem like Portland. The process of siting, designing, approving, and building stadiums is arduous. It involves input and buy-in from a chaotic network of public and private decisionmakers. In this episode, we unpack how Portland has navigated these roadblocks. And how the city is sending a clear signal to stakeholders that we are ready to play ball to make it happen. Listen as we talk with the political and business leaders working to promote Portland as a sports destination, site and build a new stadium, and sell a bold new vision of the South Waterfront district to voters and community groups. Featured throughout are conversations with Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Andrew Hoan, President and CEO, Portland Metro Chamber [https://portlandmetrochamber.com/], Jim Etzel, CEO, Sport Oregon [https://www.sportoregon.org/], Monique Claiborne, President and CEO, Greater Portland, Inc [https://www.greaterportlandinc.com/]., and Demi Lawrence, Sports Business Reporter, Portland Business Journal [https://www.bizjournals.com/portland].

The War on Renewable Energy

The Pacific Northwest is in the middle of a renewable energy boom. State legislatures, policy leaders, and voters have aggressively set carbon reduction targets over the last decade – paving the way for a new wave of federal dollars to drive the development and construction of wind, solar, and battery storage facilities across the region. New developments have always generated an element of local resistance. But none have proven to be as divisive as renewable energy. And despite the anti-woke, post-truth messaging from one unusually loud climate denier (see here [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-12/trump-vows-day-one-executive-order-targeting-offshore-wind]), these divisions don't necessarily follow predictable ideological fault lines. Increasingly, fossil fuel interests and die-hard environmentalists have found a convenient allyship in this war against renewable development. Together, they are injecting a new kind of collective opposition that has created a strange new coalition that is part land-use watch dog, part liberal NIMBYist, and part climate change skeptic. The challenge to developers, energy leaders, and policymakers isn't just local opposition to change. It's that many of these communities are now drowning in a sea of misinformation about questionable claims about renewable energy's impact on everything from water quality to public safety to their reliability. In the latest episode of the Better Communities Podcast, our team explores the misinformation war on renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest. Listen in as we talk about the social, economic, and environmental consequences of this misinformation war with Ruchi Sadhir from the Oregon Department of Energy [https://www.oregon.gov/energy/energy-oregon/Pages/Renewable-Energy.aspx], Jillian Farmer of New Project Media [https://newprojectmedia.com/], Nicole Hughes from Renewable Northwest [https://renewablenw.org/], Jake Melder from Clenera [https://www.clenera.com/], Commissioner Derrick DeGroot of Klamath County [https://www.klamathcounty.org/151/Board-of-Commissioners], and labor and construction trade advocate Willy Myers.

Do Downtowns Still Matter?

America's downtowns are at a crossroads. Many urban economic centers are struggling to get back to pre-pandemic norms. In addition to an increasingly hybrid workforce, many downtowns are confronting a lack of affordable housing, rising crime, and recent policy reforms that have made it difficult to combat a deepening drug crisis on their streets. Seattle is not alone in this struggle. But it has a history of overcoming the odds of previous boom-and-bust economic cycles. But how are we measuring success with downtown Seattle's recovery? What does the future of downtown look like? And what solutions are business and policy leaders focused on as Seattle wrestles with the role of downtown in our daily lives? Listen in as the Seattle team at Hubbell [https://www.thinkhubbell.com/] explores the evolution of downtown Seattle's economic, social and cultural recovery. In this episode, we talk with some of Seattle's most influential business and policy leaders about the road ahead, including Jon Scholes [https://downtownseattle.org/about/our-team/all-staff/#4-jon-scholes], President & CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, Pat Callahan [https://www.urbanrengroup.com/bios/pat-callahan/], CEO of Urban Renaissance Group, Richard Florida [https://creativeclass.com/richard_florida/], urban studies expert and author of The New Urban Crisis, City Councilor Sara Nelson [https://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council/sara-nelson], and Markham McIntyre [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcintyremt/], Director of Economic Development at the City of Seattle. Join us as we dive into the challenges reshaping the economic trajectory of Seattle – and the potential for yet another comeback.

Bridging the Divide

It often feels like the Portland-Vancouver metro region has become bogged down in a culture of political stagnation. We have big ideas. We seek to solve big problems like climate change and social justice. But we have lost our ability to work across our divisions to make big things happen. The I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington was built more than a century ago. Today, it stands as a symbol of our inability to bridge our own political disagreements to get something done that is vital to the regional economy. After failing to garner support in 2013, there is a new team of community and political leaders working to try again. And it's possible this time it will actually happen. In this episode, we talk with: * DEMI LAWRENCE, reporter, Portland Business Journal * LYNN PETERSON, president, Metro * GREG JOHNSON, program administrator, Interstate Bridge Replacement Program * Vancouver Mayor ANNE MCENERY-OGLE * JOHNELL BELL, principal equity officer, Interstate Bridge Replacement Program Listen to learn what failed in previous attempts, how they are rethinking the steps needed to get back to fixing big problems, and how they hope to deliver the kind of progress our regional economy needs to keep working for everyone.