This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Well, the headline on this blog is not exactly accurate.

This blog is about a public policy process I witnessed on-line yesterday and, in one way, my name was involved.  But, as I write below, my interest was in the policy, not the personal.

The occasion was a meeting of the Oregon Senate Rules and Executive Appointments Committee.  It was considering a raft of nominations to serve on State Boards and Commissions.

Many such appointments by the governor are subject to Senate confirmation, thus the meeting.

My name happened to be on the list because Governor Kate Brown has nominated me for another four-year term on the Oregon Government Ethics Commission.  However, as a “re-appointee,” I did not have to appear on-line.

Still, I watched the entire two-hour proceeding and came up with the following conclusions.

• I was fascinated by the wide range of individuals who volunteered to let their name stand for Senate confirmation.

• It turned out to be a way to restore at least part of my faith in government.

• About one-third of the nominees were immigrants, or at least they appeared to be by their faces, their names, and their accents.  Again, this testifies to the viability of Oregon state government.

• Each of those who appeared was limited to 90-second summaries of who they were and why they wanted to serve.  The vast majority found a way to remain within the time limits, which were imposed because of the long list of nominees.

• I suppose someone could say all of this represents too much government, but I beg to differ.  What this really represents is a form of representative government where citizens volunteer for the good of the state without pay.

And, this relates to service on more than 200 State of Oregon Boards and Commissions.  Some of them are involved in high-profile political issues such as those dealing with environment or, as was the case yesterday, with service on a task force trying to come up with proposals for “universal health care.”

Those two others are always fraught with political controversy, if or when they reach the Legislature.

Others are regulatory in character such as the Oregon Medical Board or the Board of Electricians.

And, then there is the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, on which I am privileged to serve.  It consists of nine members who oversee a staff of 12 state employees.

It – or should I say “we” – educate public officials about ethics laws and rules, as well enforce “ethics” pursuant to specific state laws in such areas as conflicts of interest, public officials’ gift limits, prohibitions of nepotism, prohibitions against using public office for private gain, and regulations covering using “executive session” provisions in local and state government.

So, for me, it is service on what I call a “purposeful” commission, which has won national recognition for the breadth, scope, and tenor of statutory ethics laws. All the nominees passed “en bloc” yesterday, which means there was no controversy.  In fact, the bill outlining the nominations passed unanimously among the five Senate committee members.  In two or three days, the full list will go to the Senate chamber floor where passage is nearly assured.