Eric Stachon is Communications Director at 1000 Friends of Oregon, a group that promotes livable communities and natural resource protection.
by Eric Stachon
Contributing Writer
What does a fourth generation rancher in eastern Oregon have in common with a first term legislator from inner southeast Portland? How about a fifth generation hazelnut farmer from Yamhill County and an urban designer from a Portland architectural firm?
They have all been named as one of Oregon’s 35 Innovators under 35 (years of age) by 1000 Friends of Oregon. To mark our 35th anniversary, we’ve chosen to honor young Oregonians working for positive change in their communities and continuing the proud Oregon legacy of active, engaged citizens.
Our organizational beginnings are rooted in that legacy. 35 years ago, 1000 Friends of Oregon was founded by a 32-year-old lawyer named Henry Richmond. After the Oregon legislature passed Senate Bill 100, the first statewide land use planning law in the country, Richmond foresaw the need for an organization that would fight for the law in the courts and advocate a vision of livable communities and strong natural resource protection.
We’ve had many victories – and our share of setbacks – over the years. One thing that became clear in the last decade was that, as an organization, we needed to do a better job reaching out to younger Oregonians who were unfamiliar with the history of how Oregon came to be the great innovator of land us planning in the entire country.
Which brings us to 2010 and our 35th anniversary. Who are Oregon’s young, emerging leaders? We asked around and received 132 nominations from across Oregon. Frankly, we were overwhelmed. Narrowing the list to 35 was extremely difficult.
There are an amazing number of young people doing extraordinary work around this great state. Young people like Ben Unger.
Ben has a record in politics that stretches back to his days in student government at the University of Oregon. After a stint in Chicago working with the Student Public Interest Research Group, Unger found his way back to Oregon to face a battle that hit close to home – and his family’s farm in Cornelius.
“Nothing means more to me than that farm. My family has been on that land for over a hundred years now,” Unger explained. “It was absolutely absurd the number of Measure 37 claims surrounding the area. I knew I had to fight and campaign to save our farmland.”
Measure 37, a controversial measure approved by voters in 2004, property rights movement. Within two years, over 7000 Measure 37 claims were filed across the state, many for large scale developments.
Thus, Unger jumped at the chance to become field director for the Yes on Measure 49 Campaign, an effort that successfully scaled back Measure 37 by prohibiting large-scale development claims. Measure 49 provided appropriate relief to those eligible for Measure 37 claims while also protecting Oregon’s farms and forestland from claims to build massive subdivisions, shopping malls, billboards and – in one notable case – a pumice mine.
“My role was largely about spreading the word of our campaign to voters,” Unger said. “It was such a rewarding experience because the result could have resoundingly changed the conversation about what Oregon truly stands for.”
Unger didn’t rest for long after the Measure 49 victory. He went on to manage John Kroger’s successful campaign for attorney general then served as Kroger’s chief of staff at the Department of Justice. He now serves as executive director of the Oregon Senate Democratic Leadership Fund.
Life on his family’s farm follows the growing cycle. Unger’s passion for politics has him living a life now dominated by campaign cycles. And what is Unger’s plan for after this November’s election?
“I’ve come to accept that the next election will always be the most important one in our lifetime, where every single election the world is at stake,” Unger said. “If we are successful in 2010, I’ll be called in one direction, and if there is a different result, we’ll see what happens. I’m committed to not committing — but truly feel that this election will dictate Oregon for the next decade.”
Unger is not alone in his passion or his community spirit. We honored him and our other young innovators at our annual Tom McCall Legacy Dinner and Awards Gala on March 20. You can find out more about each of our 35 innovators on our web site, www.friends.org.
Kevin Pozzi contributed to this article.