Perspective from the 19^th Hole 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 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.

The title of this blog crossed my mind this week as I contemplated the fact that a company where I was a partner for 25 years is now celebrating its 35^th anniversary.  Without me, of course, because I am retired.

Still, it was good to look back at reflections about the start of a company that bore the partners’ names – Gary Conkling, Pat McCormick, and mine – Dave Fiskum, as in Conkling, Fiskum and McCormick, or CFM Strategic Communications.

We came to be known simply as CFM.  And, today, those who have followed us as partners have kept the initials, now CFM Advocates.  They have expanded substantially on our initial start, which is a credit to them, not us.

But, back to the headline on this blog.

When we spun out from our employer, Tektronix, then Oregon’s largest private employer, we got great help from the vice president for whom we worked there as Tek lobbyists, Chuck Frost.

His commitment to ethical behavior and his ability to lead us toward it set a high bar for us.  Without ego, I say we met the challenge over my 25 years due in some substantial part to Chuck’s tutelage.

After we had spun out, we kept Chuck involved as the “conscience” of our new company and he helped us in ways too numerous to count.  Unfortunately, our mentor died in 2016.

All of this came to mind, too, as I read a book about Oregon’s last Republican governor, Victor Atiyeh, who also valued high ethics.

It was my privilege to work for Atiyeh in Salem, Oregon, before I ventured over to the private sector.

One section of the book — it was written by retired Pacific University professor, Jim Moore — highlighted the operating principles enunciated by Atiyeh when he was governor.  They are worth noting today, even as people like me wish they would be as true today as they were with Atiyeh more than 40 years ago here in Oregon.

The principles:

• The best government is one that is less involved in people’s lives

• The government that is closest to the people is best

• Democracy is not efficient, and that is a good thing

• People may want a public life and a private life

• “We the people” means that we get the kind of government to which we are entitled

• There should be objective government policies for dealing with taxes and funding

• Government should create incentives to change people’s behavior, not solely punishments

• Never trade votes for something that violates closely held principles

• Is a policy proposal good for Oregon (partisanship should be irrelevant)

• Always govern without regard to re-election

In addition to these principles, one other fact about Atiyeh stood out for me as I worked for him.  I noticed it repeatedly. 

If something good happened in Oregon when he was governor, Atiyeh did not set out to take credit for himself as many politicians would.  He dispensed credit to others.

Again, it is a principle I wish was the case today.

So, for me, two models of ethical behavior.  Chuck Frost.  Victor Atiyeh.