From the Editor's Desk — Brown’s visit voluntary
By Pat Caldwell
Saturday, October 31, 2009 9:02 PM PDT
Her visit was a short one, but the implications of Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown’s journey to Ontario run deep, even if those fault lines are sometimes hard to detect.
Brown visited Ontario Oct. 16, and, while she appeared to be gratified to be in town, the truth is Brown was under no obligation to see Eastern Oregon as Secretary of State.
That she made the visit anyway says a whole lot about Brown and a lot more about her political outlook at time when the eastern part of this great state feels more and more disconnected from the Willamette Valley.
“It was good. I think anytime we have state officers willing to travel to the remote part of state, it is a good thing,” State Rep. Cliff Bentz said.
Bentz hit the nail right on the head. Brown did not issue any wide-sweeping proclamations or hand out any new policy initiatives when she visited. But that wasn’t really the point of her trip.
The journey to Ontario was two-fold. For Brown, it was a chance to get out of Salem and see the rest of the state. For Ontario and Eastern Oregon, her visit to our part of the state was a low-key affirmation that, even though it might not feel like it a lot of the time, the power center in Salem is still as much a part of Oregon as Ontario or Baker City.
“What she is trying to do is go to the less populated areas of the state and make sure we out here understand we are part of Oregon,” Bentz said.
That might be a tall order; at least, it seems so at times. Often the political and cultural divide between one section of the state — the Willamette Valley — and Eastern Oregon seems so wide that no span would be big enough to bridge the gap.
Brown, though, obviously doesn’t believe there should be two or three or four Oregons.
If she did, she could easily stay in Salem and ignore areas like Eastern Oregon.
After all, it is no secret Eastern Oregon is not likely to be the key hinge in an election vote tally, and we all know it.
So for any politician, worrying about whether Eastern Oregon voters will help swing the next election isn’t really a point that resonates.
Simple fact is, there are more people, more voters in other areas of the state than all of Eastern Oregon.
Still, Brown showed that visiting the state and learning about our unique challenges was not simply more political bombast squirted out during a key point in an election.
Obviously, Brown wanted to not only see this great piece of Oregon again but also to listen and take input from residents.
We in Eastern Oregon are clearly at a political disadvantage on a number of levels, and that is why when a state politician visits — whether Republican or Democrat — it is ultimately a good thing.
The first step in bridging a political ideology gap is learning more about the issues, and Brown was able to do that when she came to Ontario several weeks ago.
We do not face the same key issues in Eastern Oregon that, say, Marion County does.
Some issues are similar, no doubt, but the critical mass problems we must overcome are unique to our area.
We need more visits from people like Brown, and we need them on a regular basis.
There isn’t any way we can force a politician or top state official to come out to Eastern Oregon.
They have to do it themselves. Still it is slightly encouraging when a top-notch politician and Oregonian like Brown takes time our of her already busy schedule and decides to drive out to our neck of the woods.
At the very least, it offers residents and merchants an opportunity to voice a concern and to hear the views of someone most of us only know through print or television reports or by a photo in the voter’s pamphlet.
Brown’s visit was a good idea, and let’s hope more top state officials take her lead and visit Eastern Oregon in the future.
Pat Caldwell is the editor of the Argus Observer. He can be contacted at PatC@argusobserver.com. The sentiments in this column do not necessarily represent the views of the Argus Observer or Wick Communications.
