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Oregon’s experiment with trying to give rural Oregon a voice in state government died quietly during the Legislature’s special session in February. The Office of Rural Policy simply has faded away.
The ORP was an opportunity for state government to give more than lip service when it comes to considering the views and the needs of those of us who live in rural areas of Oregon. From the get-go of the executive order that created ORP in 2004, the office was underfunded, understaffed and underutilized. So, naturally, when the 2007 Legislature considered the ORP’s future, it noted that little had been accomplished.
The Legislature then proceeded to fund the office through February 2008 so that it could be considered in the special session. Its fate, though, was clearly determined in the regular session.
Laura Pryor of Gilliam County, one of the driving forces of ORP, noted in a letter to members of the Eastern Oregon Rural Alliance that ORP’s demise was a “pitiful conclusion to a wonderful opportunity.’’
The office, Pryor said, was a first step. “No one ever thought it could be done in three years,’’ she said. With one staff person and little money, the ORP’s opportunity to do much was limited. But it did manage to produce a significant report (its first and last), one that the Legislature ought to pay attention to.
We second Pryor’s opinion that the Legislature’s decision not to give ORP funding is an example of the “Legislature’s commitment to all of Oregon.’’
Oregon’s rural areas are the state’s ugly stepchild. We don’t matter much because we’re too few in number to carry much weight at the polls or in the Legislature. But the fact remains that a Legislature needs to keep the entire state in mind when it considers legislation. It needs to keep in mind that not all areas of Oregon share the economic booms of the metro areas. Things are different out here.
The Office of Rural Policy was an opportunity to begin to develop a voice; a reminder that those of us on the east side, on the coast and in southern Oregon matter too. It was a fledgling effort, no doubt, but it was a start.
That the Legislature didn’t see fit to give ORP a chance did absolutely nothing to bridge the divide that so many west-side politicians seem to only give lip-service to.
Actions do speak louder than words.
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Opinion 
