New Year’s resolution time again, and it’s anyone’s guess how successfully we’ll fulfill our 2019 aspirations—be they eating more healthily, exercising more consistently, attending to projects more dutifully, or perhaps even participating in BWNA more regularly(!). Given my own erratic track record on resolutions over the years, I’m especially heartened that one of my top unfulfilled priorities as editor has finally come to fruition: the addition of four pages to this newsletter. That might not seem like such a big deal (and of course it isn’t in the larger scheme of things), but having to postpone publishing articles in issue after issue this past year due to lack of space has been both a frustration for our team and a disappointment for article-submitters who have had to wait two months for their stories to see the light of day. The turning point came last November when the board was persuaded, in part due to the prospect of new advertisers on the horizon, to “give expansion a chance,” and we resolve to make good on this opportunity.
Like the commitment just made, most resolutions aspire to effect change, but not all. Commonplace as well is resolving to stay the course, especially on matters of principle, such as our team’s journalistic fidelity to factual accuracy in reporting. While style and tone vary from writer-to-writer and topic-to-topic, factual content is (or at least should be) consistently grounded in verifiable evidence and/or firsthand experience. That said, to err is human, and if/when we err on facts, expect a correction and apology in the next issue. (No “fake news” here!)
Another of our stay-the-course resolutions is a renewed commitment to give-and-take discourse with readers, whether their feedback is positive, negative, or anywhere in between. In that context, I respond to this issue’s thoughtful “Letter to the Board” submitted by B-W resident Doug Trotter, who gently takes me to task regarding the lead article I penned titled, “Portland’s ‘Plant or else!’ ordinance.” If you haven’t had a chance to read it, the article can be accessed conveniently via the BWNA website (http://www.bwna.us/newsletter/2018/Nov-Dec18.pdf), where all past issues of the newsletter are archived. My report is a case study about a “retired B-W couple” (truth be told, my wife and me—our not-so-hidden identity surmised early on by neighbors and BWNA colleagues) who embark on an indoor remodel, only to discover that a new city ordinance targeted solely on homeowners doing remodels, indoor or outdoor, will require them to plant multiple trees on their property despite the vulnerable sprinkler system along the planting area, the extensive foliage already in the yard, and the cost or income level (because the city and even Friends of Trees are prohibited from easing any of the financial burden). While Doug sympathizes with the couple’s incredulity and dismay over the ordinance, he primarily makes the case for planting the trees (a fait accompli for my wife and me). The city should incentivize residents to plant trees, not force them to do so. (Do I hear a resolution?!)
A happy new year to you all, and a very warm welcome to three new advertisers: Beaumont Dental Arts, Union Bank, and our wonderful newsletter printer Kamal Grover at The UPS Store on Sandy Blvd.