Community Advisory Committee Applications Report March 10, 2020 In the interest of transparency, this report includes verbatim application responses from Community Advisory Committee applicants received by the February 18, 2020 application deadline. 1 | March 10, 2020 Community Advisory Committee Applications Report Aaron Brown Interest: I am applying to represent an organizational interest Affiliation (if any): No More Freeways Organization represented (if any): Neighborhood interest: Primary interest: Urban design Secondary interest: Modes of transportation: Automobile Please tell us why you are interested in participating on this Community Advisory Committee. I am applying to sit on this Community Advisory Committee because, frankly, I'm morbidly curious to find out just how seriously ODOT is committed to public engagement, transparency, and community collaboration as the agency seeks to move forward on this billion dollar megaproject. I have spent approximately ten hours a week (and often times much, much more) for the past three and a half years tracking this proposed freeway expansion and supplementing ODOT's outreach to make sure local neighbors, climate justice advocates, parents and educational leaders, air quality and public health experts, and transportation activists were made aware of the exact discrepancies between the agency's flashy PR about the project and the decades of academic and empirical research. As one of the rabblerousers of No More Freeways, our organization has answered the calling to make sure that actual, independent community voices concerned about climate change, air pollution, traffic congestion, traffic safety, and bicycle/pedestrian/transit infrastructural improvements actually had a chance to proactively shape this mammoth infrastructure project that current and future generations of Oregonians will live with for the rest of their lives. I genuinely want to see progress on addressing the traffic congestion along the corridor (as a person who lives in North Portland and owns an automobile, I drive through the Rose Quarter quite frequently), investments that address air pollution, improve street connectivity, and address climate change. Considering that our tiny operation has managed to overwhelmingly shift the conversation about what sorts of massive investments are needed in this neighborhood to solve these problems, and considering my position as an undeniable community leader who is as responsible as anyone for a significant majority of the public comments ODOT received last spring, I'm applying to once again test whether ODOT can credibly claim to want public feedback on this proposal. Please list your experience trying to solve challenging issues in a group or committee process. Experience can be from your involvement in school, work, community organizations, faith based organizations, your neighborhood, etc. I bring to this committee a wellspring of experience sitting on boards, advisory committees, and occupying in positions in service to the community. I served as the Board President of Oregon Walks, the state's pedestrian advocacy organization for nearly four years. My tutelage included receipt of over $300,000 in new revenue through grants and membership gains, appointment of nine new Board Members and hiring of three staff, and spearheading the grassroots Portland campaign for Vision Zero to eliminate traffic fatalities. I'm especially proud of Oregon Walks' role 2 | March 10, 2020 Community Advisory Committee Applications Report in encouraging the Portland Bureau of Transportation to put in specific language opposing increased traffic enforcement; Portland was the first city in America to apply this particular equity analysis to their municipal Vision Zero initiative, and our organization uplifted the voices of numerous East Portland community partners we had cultivated relationships with to provide the political support to make it happen. I am fundamentally committed to collaborative, engaging work to explore how to make our transportation investments more equitable, more sustainable, and more collaborative, and more justice. I know that, if appointed, there will be many individuals on this committee with different opinions than mine about the efficacy and wisdom of many aspects of this proposal. I cherish the opportunity to meet community members face to face and discuss our shared dreams, desires, and outcomes for this project and find opportunities for collaboration. I have served on a litany of other advisory committees on transportation, including: 1000 Friends of Oregon: Land Use Leadership Initiative - Mentor, 2015-2016 Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability: Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee - Networks, 2013 Boise Neighborhood Association Communications Chair, 2011 - 2013 Portland Parks and Recreation: North Portland Greenway Project Advisory Committee - Member, 2012 Oregon Metro: Regional Active Transportation Plan - Youth Representative, 2012-2014 Please describe your community knowledge and expertise (if any) that you believe will help the committee with the substance of its work. As one of the chief organizers and rabblerousers of the No More Freeways Coalition, I helped spearhead an initiative that brought in approximately 85% of the 2000+ comments received by ODOT during the public comment period last spring. I worked with our traffic engineers and public records lawyers to uncover the full data sets originally missing from the 2019 Environmental Assessment, and I have years of experience of navigating existing ODOT's materials about this project and bringing them to the relevant community partners who are most likely to be impacted by ODOT's proposals. I probably know the ins and outs of the schematics, technical policies, nearby affected organizations and institutions, and wishes of the surrounding neighborhood as well as anyone not currently working on the project in a professional capacity. Whether or not ODOT is thrilled to admit it, the perspective and concerns that No More Freeways brings to this freeway expansion proposal has been validated by the numerous elected officials and variety of community organizations who have echoed our calls for further transparency and accountability with this project. It will be difficult for you to truthfully claim that this committee is representative of the concerns of the community if you do not include a single voice from the organization that has spearheaded over 80% of the comments received during the Environmental Assessment 45-day period last spring. No More Freeways has submitted countless letters to the Oregon Transportation Commission, ODOT, ODOT's Value Pricing Committee, Portland City Council, Metro, and others - many of these letters signed by hundreds of other community members throughout the city and region. If ODOT is sincerely interested in a good faith effort to address community concerns about this proposal, the agency simply must invite its loudest critics to participate on this committee. Aaron Levi Interest: I am applying to represent my own personal interest 3 | March 10, 2020 Community Advisory Committee Applications Report Affiliation (if any): Organization represented (if any): Neighborhood interest: Primary interest: Neighborhood connectivity Secondary interest: Black and African American communities and businesses Please tell us why you are interested in participating on this Community Advisory Committee. I have lived in the neighborhood for about 20 years and in my time here I have seen growth and economic development impede the connection this neighborhood has with itself; I have also witnessed longtime residents leave in droves due to affordability concerns and loss of this community feel. I am interested in participating to A) drive discussion in the interest of keeping and recommitting to this connection B) to drive the project in the direction to encourage longtime residents to stay and invest in the place as they had done for many years. I see this neighborhood as now having a very transitory population. What can we do to make this neighborhood a long-term residence for families, singles, alternatives, etc? What can this project do to encourage that? Please list your experience trying to solve challenging issues in a group or committee process. Experience can be from your involvement in school, work, community organizations, faith based organizations, your neighborhood, etc. I have been involved in many projects over the years that require collaboration from numerous stakeholder groups to ensure success. My experience is primarily in the complex and ever- changing landscape of commercial airline operations. The main lessons from this work from over a more than 20 year career, is the interaction of many systems/groups that can impact the final result. In my experience, a group that communicates freely, is led with some clear stated goals, and is willing to tackle serious issues in an open and respectful forum, is the most likely to succeed. I would bring this experience (albeit corporate) to this project. Please describe your community knowledge and expertise (if any) that you believe will help the committee with the substance of its work. My community knowledge and expertise is limited from a process standpoint, however I know my neighbors, I am familiar with the major issues in Boise-Elliott, and I have a desire to reside here and raise my children here. Adam Richard Kimbrough Interest: I am applying to represent my own personal interest Affiliation (if any): CBRE Organization