The Metro Council has appointed residents with expertise in economic development, environmental justice and transit- oriented development to an influential transportation committee.
The council on Thursday, Nov. 17, appointed three community representatives to the Transportation Policy Alternatives Committee, a 21-member panel that advises regional policymakers on transportation projects and plans across the Portland metropolitan area.
"Most people in the region don’t realize how hard people who are on our advisory committees work," Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette said at the meeting. "Thank you for joining us and for being one of our ears in the community."
The three new members, whose two-year terms start in January, are:
- Carla Danley, a nurse who lives in North Portland, who has extensive experience advising on local boards regarding the needs of the disabled and communities of color.
- David Eatwell, the economic development director for the West Columbia Gorge Consortium. Eatwell lives in Fairview and has extensive experience in economic development and the effects of public transit infrastructure on communities and business districts.
- Carol Gossett, a retired developer and planner who lives in Northeast Portland and is a veteran of the retail real estate development industry, with expertise in transit-oriented development and land use effects of transportation.
The committee is comprised of 15 professional transportation staff appointed by area cities, counties and government agencies, and six at-large community representative members.
The Metro Council president nominates three community representatives each fall. In looking to have the committee reflect the diverse needs of the region, Metro this year sought three areas of expertise: the transportation needs of low income and minority communities, the ways transportation infrastructure can help promote economic development or the movement of freight and the transportation needs of the elderly and disabled.
In October, Metro received 21 applications for the three openings. An important responsibility of the Transportation Policy Alternatives Committee is to advise the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, or JPACT, a panel of elected officials and transportation agency executives that, along with the council, controls federal transportation spending in the Portland area.
The Transportation Policy Alternatives Committee also advises the Metro Council, which reviews and must approve all major JPACT actions.