If you have been to a forum anytime in 2023, you’ve heard me ask panelists to, “Use ONE WORD to describe the Westside.”

Why one word?

I started asking this question at our Legislative Reception back in January. I wanted to get a sense of how legislators were approaching the session and knew I would ask them the same question when session was over to see how their view had changed.

Asking someone to use a single word to encompass a region – or a state when I ask about Oregon – is more than just a rhetorical device. It is an effort to capture something more – something bigger. Are people feeling hopeful or frustrated? Are they feeling heard or ignored? Are we headed in the right direction or the wrong direction?

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