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.

This issue – the urban-rural divide –is alive and well in Oregon. 

It was back when I worked in state government in the late 1980s.  It is today.

There are at least two aspects of this divide.  One is that it is real.  Urban issues are different than rural issues.  Rural issues are different than urban issues.

The second is that the divide is often perceived as a political issue.  It is assumed that those who represent urban areas don’t understand rural realities.  The reverse also is true.

The nexus of the issue often rests in the Oregon Legislature.  To the consternation of those from rural areas in the state, leaders of the Legislature in Salem almost always hail from urban Oregon.

And, often, they don’t understand rural issues and, on occasion, also give the appearance of not caring.

Given the make-up of the Legislature – heavily weighted toward urban areas – those who represent rural areas often have difficulty rising to positions of leadership.

One of the best examples of the urban-rural divide occurred in the gubernatorial election back in2010.  Republican political newcomer, Chris Dudley, then having just retired from a stint in professional basketball with the Portland Trailblazers, took on Democrat veteran John Kitzhaber.

The result?

Kitzhaber won with 51 per cent of the vote.

But, Dudley won 29 of Oregon’s 36 counties, most of them rural.  Kitzhaber prevailed when late Multnomah and Lane County votes, the vast majority of them Democrat votes, pushed him over the top.

For my part, I often encountered the urban-rural divide when I served as deputy director of the Oregon Economic Development Department, now called Business Oregon.

This reality persisted:  It was easier to help businesses locate or expand in urban Oregon than in rural Oregon.  That is a harsh reality of the split, not a testament to political differences of the sort that marked the Kitzhaber-Dudley gubernatorial race.

So, what to do about the divide?

Well, it turns out one man is on a quest to conquer it, or at least understand more about it.

That man is Les Zaitz, a veteran Oregon journalist who runs rural newspapers and a digital news service. 

According to a blog on my old company’s website (CFM Advocates), Zaitz is on a mission to find out what Oregonians think about the urban-rural divide and what they want from their next governor.  He teamed up with Rural Development Initiatives and the Agora Journalism Center in Portland to conduct four hour-long virtual listening sessions with participants from all corners of the state.  The Pamplin group of newspapers and Jefferson Public Radio in Southern Oregon also assisted.

Zaitz has been an award-winning journalist in Oregon for 45 years, much of it covering state affairs.  He now lives on a ranch located in a national forest in Northeast Oregon and runs rural newspapers and the digital news service, Oregon Capital Chronicle, which, among other things, publishes Salem Reporter.

As an investigative reporter, Zaitz covered stories about Mexican drug cartels, corrupt legislators, a major bank failure, and phony charities.

Among his findings so far:

• Oregon voters are hungry for someone who can look past party affiliation to unite the state. That’s the view of 41 per cent of non-affiliated Oregon voters, who now make up the largest percentage of the state’s electorate as registration for both Democrats and Republicans has declined.
• “These citizens are worn out by the focus on party over performance,” Zaitz writes. “They recognize the impact – in Oregon and across the United States – of Republicans and Democrats treating each other like the enemy. For these voters, those party affiliations seem to be more about who has power, not who is doing best for Oregon.”
• Zaitz’ story includes a handful of quotes from listening session participants:

“Bipartisanship is hugely important, especially considering how much rural communities, low-income communities and communities of color have in common,” Angela Uherbelau said in an email after one session. “A governor who brings Democrats and Republicans together to solve our literacy and math crisis in Oregon would transform the state for years to come.”

“It’s important for the next governor to act in an apolitical, inclusive and constructive manner,” wrote Daniel Bachhuber. “These days, it seems like there is very little working across the aisle. Instead, it’s mostly attacks across the aisle.”

Ginger Savage wrote, “The last two years have shown us that no one party has the right answers to everything. Through the process of discussion and compromise, Oregonians’ lives will be better. The governor must rebuild so much trust, communication, compromise.”

“My hope for a bipartisan leader is that they will emphasize entertaining solutions and ideas representing all sides and viewpoints,” said Claire Conklin, noting that “our state and our country continue to move further apart.”

“We are at a pivotal time in our state, when we can either continue to see further division or begin to realize some unity,” Charlie Mitchell wrote. “This is a deep and wide divide and will not be resolved quickly or easily … I have little faith in the major parties as they are currently structured. I don’t believe the two major parties are serving us well at the state or national level.”

These, the blog went on, are the kinds of persons who think the next governor would learn a thing or two in far corners of Oregon that could be shared elsewhere – even in the cities.

More from my old company’s blog:

Listening sessions confirmed Oregonians in rural area believe the urban-rural divide is real and impacts their daily lives.  “This wasn’t some political talking point from rural politicians,” Zaitz observed.  “This wasn’t some rabid table-pounding demand to be cut loose to shift to Idaho. They live the divide every day in their communities.”

The divide manifests itself, according to listening session participants, in a lack of opportunity and short shrift on state funding.

“They see their communities as capable of solving their own problems,” Zaitz wrote.  “No one wanted the next governor to ride into town with saddle bags stuffed with solutions.  They want a governor to understand the real distinctions of rural life ­– why it is attractive for many, how its cadence differs from urban areas.”

“Several speakers remarked that rural communities are particularly skilled at addressing community needs” Zaitz said.  “’Resilient’ was one description applied several times.  By that, they seemed to mean that they were willing to do the work needed to fix whatever needed fixing.  They just needed a few more of the tools that urban areas get to do so.  They want the next governor to deliver.”

No one wanted the next governor to ride into town with saddle bags stuffed with solutions.  They want a governor to understand the real distinctions of rural life ­– why it is attractive for many, how its cadence differs from urban areas.

Their hope is Oregon’s next governor will “listen to them”, including getting out of Salem to meet with them on their home rural turf.  “They want genuine engagement, not just a whistle-stop tour through a Rotary Club luncheon or a contrived community meeting,” Zaitz said.

For my part, I wish Zaitz and his allies success in understanding the urban-rural divide.  It won’t go away, but it can be better understood.

I have worked with Zaitz over the years, especially when I represented state agencies in dealing the media, including Zaitz.  He always was fair, open and honest, critical qualities for his new venture – understanding the urban-rural divide.

I am rooting for success in his new quest, for success will benefit all of Oregon.