Read original post with questions.
Mayoral candidate Charlie Hales’ answers below are in response to questions sent to candidates running for office in the City of Portland or Metro 2012 elections. To see the original request click here.
All responses from Charlie Hales are shown in there entirety:
1. Please explain your familiarity with the Willamette River Greenway Trail between the Eastbank Esplanade and the Columbia River?
I was personally involved as Commissioner-in-Charge of Transportation and Parks in the development of the Eastbank Esplanade, and I’m very proud of that. I have been briefed on the current state of your effort and I find it VERY exciting – I can’t wait to help with the next chapter!
2. What experience do you possess in working with a railroad company to procure use of or purchase of some property to place a multi-purpose trail on?
While I served as Commissioner-in-Charge of Transportation, we worked at length to secure the right to extend a waterfront trail connection across the lower level of the Steel Bridge – it required a long and difficult negotiation with the railroad, up to and including multiple trips to Omaha by then PDOT Director Vic Rhodes.
While I served as Commissioner-in-Charge of Parks, Zari Santner and I helped lead the development of the Springwater Corridor trail…this also required extensive negotiation with Bob Samuels, the owner of the short line railroadbthat operates alongside it.
I’m the only candidate running for Mayor with any local government experience and this is precisely the kind of challenge that makes in-depth local government, land use and transportation experience essential for GETTING THINGS DONE while in office!
3. ‘Taking’ is a concern for both the government entity and the private property owner when requiring the owner to construct a portion of a trail when development is proposed. Would you be willing to work to develop standards that would enable the trail to be constructed in exchange for requiring fewer parking spaces?
…or anything else we can use in the negotiation, that maintains the purpose and effect of our policies while “getting to yes” on expanding the trail network.
4. What funding proposals would you propose to construct the trail?
I plan to propose some specific local funding tools for transportation in the course of this campaign, since state and federal sources are constrained and likely to continue in that condition, or worse.
5. If a bond measure were to be submitted to the public for trails would you support the Willamette River Greenway Trail being one of the trails to be constructed? If so, would you support construction of the entire trail at one time or a portion or portions of the trail?
Yes! And as I mentioned in my Bike Portland interview (in which I mentioned your specific project as an example), we need some compelling Big Idea projects to inspire support for such a measure. I employed this same strategy in composing the first successful Parks Bond Measure in fifty years: we included several spectacular new community centers in the mix of projects…114 projects, mostly relatively modest improvements to neighborhood parks, but three Big Ones to capture the imagination.
6. How can npGreenway assist you in getting the trail constructed?
You can help by informing your members about my passion for this agenda and my eagerness to be your effective partner as the next Mayor of Portland! I can help a little as a private citizen; I can help a LOT MORE if…with your members’ involvement and support…my campaign succeeds and I win this election!
Contact information for Charlie Hales:
charliehalesformayor@gmail.com
www.charliehales.com
1220 SE Grand Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
campaign office: 503-567-9430