The Oregon Rural-Urban Project is bringing town halls to Medford and Grants Pass as part of a statewide effort to turn disagreements between rural and urban residents into policy recommendations.
The Oregon Braver Angels initiative gathers residents’ concerns, then brings people from different communities together for “common ground discussions.” Organizers plan to present their recommendations to the governor and Legislature.
The project’s co-chairs cross both geographic and political lines. Steve Radcliff, a liberal-leaning Quaker, lives in southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley. Elizabeth Christensen, a conservative, lives in Portland.
“We need to come together, not silo out into our different thought patterns,” Christensen said.
Both say state policy needs to account for differences in how rural and urban residents experience daily life.
Christensen pointed to public safety and gun ownership as an example. She said long law enforcement response times in rural areas can shape residents’ views of firearms.
“In an urban space, not having a gun is protection," she said. "In a rural space, having a gun is protection — and there’s the disparity."
Radcliff said rural residents can resent state mandates they see as imposed by urban political centers.
“Country people don’t take orders,” he said. “This does not go down well here where I live.”
Organizers say they plan to hold 36 town halls statewide and have completed 14 so far. They will use participants’ feedback to inform subsequent discussions and a final report recommending policies that address rural and urban concerns.
Radcliff said his Quaker background helps guide his approach to those conversations.
“Everyone has part of the truth, nobody has it all,” he said. “To get the best decision, we have to hear from everybody.”
Christensen said the goal is to develop policies that account for both communities.
“It’s not either-or, rural or urban,” she said. “It is how do we meet the needs of both.
Residents interested in attending a town hall, participating in common ground discussions or volunteering can find information on the Oregon Rural-Urban Project’s website.
Salem Red co-chair Satya Chandragiri (far left), Oregon Representative Ed Diehl (R) standing left of Christensen, and Oregon Representative Tom Andersen (D) standing right of Christensen.
Guests
- Steve Radcliff, blue co-chair, Oregon Rural-Urban Project
- Elizabeth Christensen, red co-chair, Oregon Rural-Urban Project
