May 11, 2000

Nonetheless, as any civic activist can tell you, making even the most elementary reforms can sometimes be extremely difficult. Legislators run up against partisan politics, public employees face bureaucratic roadblocks, and we the people are often simply unable to gain an audience for our creative solutions.

That’s why the Cascade Policy Institute offers an alternative vehicle for promoting ideas. In 1994 the first Oregon Better Government Competition invited Oregonians to submit ideas to improve our state and local government. Call it a citizen suggestion box.

That first year brought in roughly 200 entries. The independent panel of judges selected ten winners who each developed their ideas into formal proposals. Eight of the ten winning proposals were written up in legislation during the following year’s legislative session.

Six years later the Competition has an impressive cache of innovative, groundbreaking ideas. Previous winners include proposals to privatize Oregon’s DMV, remove barriers to home-based enterprise, allow K-12th grade tuition tax credits, and reform the building permit process.

In 1996, Jacksonville organic farmer Ann Brentmar was recognized for her proposal, Preserve farmland through prosperity: Reform Oregon’s land use laws. Before Brentmar’s report only dairy farmers and wineries were allowed to build processing facilities to produce finished, marketable products on their farmland. Brentmar helped extend these opportunities to all farmers, allowing them to increase and stabilize their income throughout the year.

Dr. Jeanne Etter of Eugene received legislative support for her 1994 report, Mediation: An alternative to contested termination of parental rights. She showed how mediation could be used instead of the adversarial legal system to allow faster placement of foster children in permanent homes—at a substantial savings to taxpayers.

Beaverton resident Robert W. Behnke’s winning idea was another success. In Athena: An advanced public transportation / information system for residents of urban, suburban and rural communities, Behnke proposed using wireless technology to connect existing public and private transportation resources with consumers. A system based on his idea is now being designed for several Oregon cities and counties, to the benefit of riders, taxpayers and transit providers.

Winning ideas of the Better Government Competition vary a great deal from topic to topic. They carry a common theme, however. They are all geared toward improving services, reducing the cost of state and local government, and increasing opportunity and choice for Oregonians.

All proposals may not be immediately politically viable, but they gain momentum through the Competition. After much research and careful development, the formal proposals reach an audience that includes Oregon’s media, elected officials, public employees, community leaders and citizens, as well as policy experts across the country.

Public officials throughout the state—and beyond—increasingly turn to Better Government Competition winners for ideas and solutions. The Competition acts as a resource bank for those who seek positive change; it contains a wealth of information in the form of well-developed, practical proposals, ready for implementation.

The 2000 Oregon Better Government Competition is now underway, with $40,000 available for the winning ideas. This year’s theme is “Technology, Innovation, and Competition: 21st Century Solutions for Oregon.” All ideas for improving government are welcome—especially proposals that utilize technology or will make Oregon more hospitable to technology-related enterprise.

Oregonians should take advantage of this opportunity to contribute to the public debate and help make Oregon an even better place to live.