Oregon Public Broadcasting

Rural Oregonians believe Portland and the Willamette Valley ignore the rest of the state. Last week’s elections just reinforced that pessimism.

But a conference in Salem held Friday tried to bridge the divide, as central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports.

Coos County Commissioner Nikki Whitty was at the conference. She says the state’s electoral scales skew towards Portland.

Evidence Democrat Jeff Merkley’s senate victory over incumbent Gordon Smith.

Nikki Whitty: “The Merkley-Smith race, that was a topic of discussion. Rural Oregon voted for Gordon, and Gordon was a really good voice for rural Oregon, and I’m hoping Senator Merkley becomes the same.”

The Toward One Oregon conference isn’t the first time rural and urban Oregon policymakers have met face-to-face this year.

Lawmakers from across Oregon met in Cascade Locks at the Rural Oregon Congress in August.

Whitty and Coos County will play host to the next Rural Congress, in December. She says the more meetings like this are held, the better rural Oregon is positioned to be a factor in state policy.