ELGL News and Notes

• Newest member: Bill Jarocki, President, Voltaic Solutions, LLC

• Survey says…give your input on the 1st annual ELGL Symposium

• Join ELGL: Students (free), individuals ($20), and organizations ($250)

• Upcoming Forums:

  • January 15: Bill Wyatt, Port of Portland Executive Director

  • January 17: City of Eugene, Triple Bottom Line Decision Making

The High Five

1. Castillo looks forward after leaving Hillboro council behind – Mike Castillo moved to Oregon in 1996. The director of design and manufacturing  with Intel is a father of three young boys, and still found time to serve on the Hillsboro City Council. Castillo served twice: from Jan. 2003-Aug. 2006. He resigned because the Castillos moved, then served again from 2009 to present.

2. Public Funding for Stadiums Jumps the Shark in Miami – Let’s hope outrage over the Marlins deal never fades away.

3. More layoffs mean fewer city services, unions say – Mayor Dave Bing’s plan to cut work force will lower costs, but still hurt taxpayers, they say

4. Reforming PERS tops list of Oregon’s fiscal challenges (guest column) - As I reflect on my time in Salem, I’m proud to have been part of a legislature that made history. With an Oregon House evenly divided by Republicans and Democrats, citizen-legislators showed the rest of the nation what happens when leaders set aside partisanship for the common good.

5. Out of the Hole and Over the Cliff? State and Local Budgets in 2012 and Beyond - 2012 was the year states and localities finally emerged from massive revenue hole created by the Great Recession… Or was it?

 

The Fiscal Cliff

• Sunnyside utility tax triples to help with city’s troubled finances

• Commissioners to hire private firm for budget talks with judges

• Debt ceiling is the next fiscal cliff

• Fiscal cliff already having impact on economy

• Merkley backs fiscal cliff deal despite concerns

 

Inside Portlandia

• Amanda Fritz plans ‘re-affirming ceremony’ for second term

• Hillsboro council to welcome new members, vote on Michael Brown’s new contract

• Portland Mayor-elect Charlie Hales names additional staffers

• Hales Forces PBOT Director Tom Miller to Resign

• New Portland bureau directors will get automatic severance if fired without cause: Portland City Hall roundup

• Mayor-elect Hales ready to take reins

• Elephants, hotels, natural areas and a barge – Metro’s 2012 stories of the year

• What to expect from Portland’s new City Council, which takes office Tuesday

Outside Portlandia

• Nehalem hires new city manager

• 2013 brings new Oregon laws, higher fees

• State Audit: Union Gap court mishandling $350k & breaking state laws

• Union Gap will buy city hall modular unit; demo old building

• What purpose does a community library fill?

• City Council seeks to fill vacancy left after Mark Mullet’s resignation

 

The Career Center

Why your paycheck is getting smaller no matter what - Come 2013, most of the country’s 160 million workers will pay from $700 to $2,200 a year more if the payroll tax cuts expire.

The Employee-Motivation Checklist - Great leaders make all the difference. In business, we see the impact of great leaders such as Tony Hsieh, who took the helm of online shoe retailer Zappos.com.

7 Reasons Your Hiring Process Repels Candidates - The hiring process is tough on everyone, especially the job seeker.

How to Achieve a Healthy Work-Life Balance - Does a healthy work-life balance seem beyond reach?

 

The World Wide Web

Five Tips for Improving Your Online Presence - Learn the benefits in creating and maintaining your online presence.

We recommend:

• ELGL Facebook: Travel Portland

• ELGL Google+: Washington Restaurant Association

• ELGL Pinterest: US Green Chamber

• ELGL Twitter: City of Longview, WA 

Do Something

Public invited to review recommended Work Program for Clackamas Regional Center improvements - The Clackamas Regional Center Working Group, a committee of community and business representatives established by Clackamas County, has developed a list of recommended improvements for the Clackamas Regional Center area.

Snohomish County is seeking to fill an opening on its Civil Service Commission. This appointment will be for two years to fill an unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2014. Full term appointments are for six years.