Occasional Portland Transport contributor and state-wide transportation advocate (Rob is the organizer of the Otran e-mail list) Rob Zako has applied for one of the two open positions on the Oregon Transportation Commission.

I will be writing to Governor Kulongoski to recommend Rob, and I would urge other Portland Transport readers to do the same. Here’s the contact point:

Executive Appointments
Office of the Governor
900 Court Street NE, Room 160
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Fax: (503) 378-6827

For more information about executive appointments, contact:

Assistant: Pamela Estes
Phone: (503) 378-3123
Email: pamela.j.estes@state.or.us

Main Person: Nancy Goss-Duran
Phone: (503) 378-8471
Email: nancy.goss-duran@das.state.or.us

Web: http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/boards.shtml

Some of the points I will be making in my letter and that you may wish to reinforce:

• Rob understands the connection between transportation and land use
• Rob is committed to addressing climate change
• Rob has a state-wide point of view (he is based out of Eugene)

Here is some additional info from Rob:

I suggest you do two related things:

1) Communicate NOW with Governor Kulongoski that you expect his efforts around transportation package to be integrated with efforts around land use and especialliy climate change, and that we need The New Direction for Oregon.

2) Indicate what candidate(s) for the OTC understand these issues and their interconnections and can help guide Oregon into a changing and uncertain future.

Thanks,
Rob

P.S. Someone else suggested the following descriptions could be helpful:
•Good listener
•Critical thinker
•Excellent strategist
•Commitment to consensus
•Awareness of pressing problems
•Understands the linkages between issues
•Ability to bridge traditional political boundaries
•Excellent at identifying creative solutions to vexing problems