Portland, Oregon has long been held as the example by which other American cities hope to achieve when it comes regional transportation and transportation oriented developments. However just recently, Lake Oswego, a Portland suburb 7 miles south of downtown Portland, withdrew its support for a proposed new transit line, questioning costs to build and sustain it and putting Portland's efforts to expand its transit system to a screeching halt. According to a recent article in Governing, the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District, Portland’s Regional Transit Agency faces a budget shortfall of $17 million in the next fiscal year. In fact transit systems nationally are facing similar budget short falls.
For ten years, business and political leaders have failed to reach a consensus on regional transit. In fact, according to MIRS, there have been 23 attempts in the last 35 years to create a regional transit authority. (In full disclosure, on behalf of the Detroit Regional Chamber, I helped lead efforts to secure federal funding for DARTA). This changed a few years ago when a group of business leaders stepped up and in to offer private funding.
However, the future of a regional transportation system still remains in doubt. There are currently three regional transit bills before the Senate Transportation Committee. However, committee action on the bills ended before the bills could move forward with no word from the committee when it will be back on the agenda, as the region still lacks consensus as to what a regional transportation authority will look like.
As one of the final remaining cities in America without a coordinated transit system, now seems like a great opportunity to focus on sound public policy, rather than politics. Today, public policy disputes, similar to the one over regional transit, have the potential of polarizing communities with the affect of delaying important decisions on vital issues of public policy, often resulting in diluted policies or no action at all. Facilitation or mediation helps in resolving some of the high-profile policy disputes and find resolution through controversy and clarity amidst chaos. To assist governments in resolving disputes by and between each other, the disputants need a trusted third party neutral, who is knowledgeable about the issues and the process, while being sensitive to the politics of the day. Perhaps the President of a university, former Speaker of the state house, or others could be asked to step in and help resolve the issue.
Decisions that are reached collaboratively can result in high-quality outcomes that are easier to implement, receive fewer legal challenges, make better use of available resources, and better serve the public. After 35 years, it is time to bring the issue of regional transportation to a close. It is time, we bring in a neutral to help resolve this public policy dispute and help find consensus through controversy.