In January, 2009, when Jim saw the effects of the current economic crisis reducing the ability of
government to meet the increased needs of the multitude who are suffering most,
it became clear that the City Council needed to make it a goal to engage
Molalla's social service stakeholders in a collaborative strategy session - a
Community Summit. Thursday, May 28, 2009, over 40 social
service providers, a representative
from Congressman Kurt Schrader's office, city of Molalla, and local
faith-based, 501c(3), volunteer, and service groups met for approximately three
hours to discuss needs in the local area and ways to network the services
available. The summit was organized by the city of Molalla, Foothills Community
Church and Molalla Weed and Seed. There were four areas identified as primary
needs: Housing, Healthcare, Employment, and Family Skills. The
discussion which followed was directed toward indicating how each of the
participating organizations addressed those needs and what kinds of obstacles
these organizations encountered in providing their services. Another very
important outcome of this meeting was the development of the Molalla Area Social
Services Directory.
Molalla received statewide recognition by the League of Oregon Cities for this
innovative approach to community-based collaboration,
communication, and coordination of resources. The
concept has caught on Molalla TEAM (Team for Economic Action in Molalla) has
sponsored two "Business Summit" meetings, and the community
enhancement volunteers of the Molalla Main Street program are
sponsoring a much more comprehensive Community Summit to engage
stakeholders from Business, Social Service, Education, and Government at a
meeting planned for January 28, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.. The meeting will be held at
the Molalla Adults Center located at 315 Kennel Street, Molalla, Oregon.
Jim's most recently acquired government position is as Chairman of
the Clackamas County Community Action Board, which advises Clackamas County
Commissioners and the County Social Services Department in matters relating to
causes and conditions of poverty. Within a year of becoming a member of this
board in 2007 he was elected Vice-Chair and appointed as an Advocacy Team member. The
Advocacy Team works with Legislators and staff to develop and promote policies
and funding for various social service activities. Membership on the Molalla
City Council since October of 2006 has allowed him to promote and implement funding for homelessness,
making Molalla the first city in Clackamas County to establish this type of
program and participate in funding the County Homelessness Coordinator.
He was
elected Chairperson of the Molalla Budget Committee in 2007, 2008, and again
in 2009.
Another unprecedented project the City of Molalla participates in is the Molalla
River Alliance, a coalition of many environmental and other organizations to
promote, protect and enhance the Molalla River Recreation Area, where Jim served as a member of the Outreach and Public Relations Committee. He was a
member of the Molalla Urban Renewal District advisory board and serves as a
member of the Urban Renewal Agency. The Urban Renewal District was a
critical component of the city's plans for developing new revenue sources to
fund road maintenance and development of blighted areas.
(next)
