Update Nov 2, 2021: Lake Oswego voters approve Measure 3-568!
Updated: Nov 2, 2021
Our citizens’ initiative petition 2020IN-1 collected over 4,800 Lake Oswego signatures (4 more signatures received September 28, 2021 — 4 months since our last mailing) and qualified Measure 3-568. Below is a timeline of activities.
November 2, 2021. Lake Oswego voters approve Measure 3-568 in the November Special Election obtaining 62% of the vote.
October 27, 2021. Measure 3-568 full-page LO Review (print edition) campaign advertisement prints with significant unauthorized edits.
October 22, 2021. Measure 3-568’s postcards sent to ~15,000 Lake Oswego residences.
October 20, 2021. Measure 3-568’s half-page LO Review (print edition) campaign advertisement was omitted from publication.
October 19 – November 2, 2021. Measure 3-568’s campaign banner runs on the LO Review website edition.
October 15 – 19, 2021. 5,000 Measure 3-568 door hangers delivered across Lake Oswego neighborhoods.
October 9-12, 2021. Volunteers prepare and mail 2,500 direct mail, first-class envelope packets to the remaining ~5,000 LO voters.
September 10-27, 2021. Volunteers prepare and mail 10,000 direct mail, first-class envelope packets to ~22,000 LO voters.
September 4, 2021. Sierra Club’s Oregon Chapter endorses Measure 3-568.
August 24, 2021. Oregon Wild endorses Measure 3-568.
August 20-23, 2021. Volunteers prepare and mail 2,750 direct mail, first-class envelope packets to ~4,800 citizen initiative 2020IN-1 petitions signers.
August 3, 2021. City Council votes to forward competing referendum to the November ballot. City Council also approve purchase of Yates property to be included into Hallinan Woods.
July 6, 2021. City Council recognizes 2020IN-1 has obtained enough signatures to qualify for the ballot passing Resolution 21-23: Receiving and Filing Initiative Measure 20201N-1 to Amend Chapter X of the Lake Oswego Charter to Enhance Protection of the City’ s Natural Areas. Council also directs City staff to prepare a competing referendum to be taken up at a special meeting on August 3rd.
June 23, 2021. City Elections Officer provides update that County Elections office confirms initiative petition meets signature threshold requirement (4,365) with 4,433 valid signatures.
June 21, 2021. Submitted an additional 124 petition signatures to make up 37 signature deficit to City Elections Officer. Total signatures submitted 4,712.
June 18, 2021. City Elections Officer provided update from County elections office on signature verification. Deficit of 37 signatures.
June 15, 2021. Martha Bennett, City Manager, updates City Council on the status of citizen initiative 2020IN-1. Ms. Bennett presents draft referendum text (prepared by Mike Buck, Nancy Grownoski, Robert Ervin, Stefanie Wagner, Doug McKean) to compete with citizen initiative 2020IN-1 for City Council to consider.
June 8, 2021. Submitted 4,588 petition signatures to City Elections Officer.
June 7, 2021. 4,588 petition signatures collected. 223 (5.1%) more than needed.
June 7, 2021. Nancy Gronowski (retired landscape architect) shared their final text provided to Lake Oswego’s City Manager, Martha Bennett.
June 4 & 6, 2021. Met with Robert Ervin, Mike Buck (Mayor’s father), Nancy Gronowski (retired landscape architect) & Doug McKean. Suggested a wholesale rewrite versus incorporating a few additions into citizen initiative petition’s charter text that had been broadly socialized in the community. Rewrite team shared eliminated substantial protections, including those protecting Springbrook for over 40 years, with many loopholes masked by nice sounding words. Informed team that a rewrite offering much less than petitioners expect wasn’t acceptable.
June 1, 2021. Met with Al Calabrai and Robert Ervin to discuss citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1. Robert Ervin suggested meeting with Mike Buck, Nancy Gronowski, and Doug McKean.
May 26, 2021. Personalized direct mail sent to ~2,500 households (~4,950 voters).
May 21, 2021. 4,411 petition signatures collected. 46 more than needed
May 1, 2021. Personalized direct mail sent to ~1,700 households (~3,200 voters).
April 21, 2021. 3,500 petition signatures collected. 865 more needed.
April 1, 2021. Personalized direct mail sent to ~1,300 households (~1,800 voters).
March 1, 2021. Personalized direct mail sent to ~1,300 households (~1,400 voters).
February 24, 2021. 3,000 petition signatures collected. 1,365 more needed.
February 1, 2021. Personalized direct mail sent to ~300 households (~600 voters).
January 22, 2021. Initiated new year fundraising campaign and launched fourth direct mail campaign reaching 5,000 households (~7,500 voters).
November 11, 2020. 2,500 petition signatures collected. 1,865 more needed.
October 1, 2020. Initiated fundraising for third direct mail campaign reaching 1,400 households (~2,400 voters).
October 1, 2020. Petition circulation efforts resume.
September 25, 2020. City Council unanimously approved a resolution to acquire the Yates property for preservation as a natural habitat.
September 2, 2020. Coordinated community awareness campaign with Coalition for Hallinan Woods Nature Park to save a wooded 2-acre private parcel adjacent to Hallinan Woods from becoming a 6 home development.
July 12, 2020. Started outreach efforts to introduce citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1 to candidates for Mayor and City Council.
March 13, 2020 – October 1, 2020. Pandemic Pause – suspended petition circulation for the safety of petitioners and the community due to Covid-19 pandemic petition.
February 29, 2020. 2,000 petition signatures collected. 2,365 more needed.
February 2, 2020. Initiated 2nd fundraising campaign and launched second-phase in the direct mail campaign targeting another 3,800 households (~6,800 registered voters).
January 29, 2020. Scott Handley met with Stephanie Wagner to discuss citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1. Stephanie acknowledged Springbrook has benefited from charter protection and that other natural parks should as well. They reviewed the charter text together with Stephanie only minor clarifications and no real concerns. Stephanie agreed to discuss bringing Mike Buck, Paul Lyons and others together to see if there could be a path forward.
January 27, 2020. 1,000 petition signatures collected. 3,365 more needed.
January 20, 2020. Reviewed opposition’s misleading statements published in LO Review with attorney. Advised statements were ill-informed and not reflective of the amendments intent as specified in the full-text.
January 14, 2020. Phone call with Mike Buck. Mike unwilling to consider the need for a charter amendment.
January 9, 2020. Shared citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1 at the Hallinan Neighborhood Association meeting.
January 7, 2020. Launched a fundraiser for direct mail campaign targeting 5,000 Lake Oswego households (~12,500 registered voters) to drive awareness and support for citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1.
January 6, 2020. Consulted Clackamas County Elections about a direct mail campaign to Lake Oswego registered voters. Received confirmation on approach that included sending initiative petition’s full-text. Ordered Lake Oswego voter roll to prepare for direct mail campaign.
December 28, 2019. Scott Handley met with Mike Buck and Charles Fisher to discuss citizen initiative 2020IN-1. Mike and Charles implored to abandon these efforts and that steward groups have great working relationship with City. Scott acknowledged the great work done by stewards but expressed those are not sufficient to legally protect our natural parks from development. This was the concern expressed by hundreds of residents.
December 27, 2019. City Councilor Theresa Kohlhoff acknowledges the merits of citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1, referring to protections granted Springbrook Park, and sends her signed petition.
December 18, 2019. Provided the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Advisory Board a status update on prospective initiative 2020IN-1.
December 17, 2019. Introduced citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1 to City Council during Citizen Comment and invited Councilors to participate in the conversation and embrace the initiative petition’s sensible development limitations.
December 12, 2019. Launched citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1 campaign. Notified email subscribers to download the single-signer petition, print it, sign it, and mail it back. Also started volunteer petition circulation efforts within neighborhoods and at public locations.
December 12, 2019. Lake Oswego City Recorder certifies Petition Cover Sheet, Petition Sheet, and Electronic Petition Sheet (e-sheet).
December 7, 2019. Attended Lake Oswego Neighborhood Action Coalition (LONAC) and presented citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1. Members receptive and discussion was positive.
December 2-12, 2019. Public notice period for ballot title per Oregon statue.
December 2, 2019. Lake Oswego City Attorney assigned our citizen initiative petition’s ballot title and published on the City’s website. State statute requires City Attorney to assign local initiative ballot titles.
November 22, 2019. Reviewed citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1’s text with the Lake Oswego’s City Attorney and Director of Parks and Recreation at City Hall.
November 21, 2019. Lake Oswego City Recorder confirms (via email and certified mail) that Petition for Ballot Initiative meets Oregon’s constitutional requirements.
November 20, 2019. Attended Lake Oswego’s Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Advisory Board’s monthly meeting and presented proposed park development limitation initiative. Board was receptive and discussion was positive.
November 14, 2019. Submitted Petition for Ballot Initiative to revise Chapter X – Park Development Limitation with Lake Oswego’s City Recorder (Anne-Marie Simpson). Petition ID 2020IN-1 assigned.
November 6, 2019. Met with Lake Oswego’s Director of Parks and Recreation, to review the community-led proposal for a City Charter amendment to protect natural area parks. He seemed comfortable with the language. He suggested:
– clarifying types of prohibited hardscape surfaces (eg. asphalt & concrete) since decomposed granite is a suitable alternative surface used across the country in natural areas to meet ADA compliance.
– allowing implementation of adopted park master plans
– including 5 additional natural areas to the chapter’s protections:
— Cornell Natural Area
— Glenmorrie Greenway
— Kerr Open Space
— Steven’s Homestead (added to Stevens Meadow definition)
— Waluga Park -West.
These were reasonable requests and incorporated into the amendment text.
November 5, 2019. Unveiled the park development limitation initiative at or Protect LO Natural Parks public event at the Lake Theater. Solicited feedback from over 200 attendees. Launched the LoveLOParks website for communicating the prospective initiative throughout the community.
November 1, 2019. Met with co-chairs, Bill Gordon and Heidi Schrimsher, of the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Advisory Board to review the charter amendment text and incorporated feedback.
October 26, 2019. Mailed all Neighborhood Association Chairs informing them of the Protect LO Natural Parks prospective charter amendment and asked for feedback on the list of natural areas and development limitations. Woodmont Nature Park & Cornell Natural Area recommended.
October 19 – October 27, 2019. Conducted a NextDoor poll “Shall the Lake Oswego Charter be amended to preserve all current and future natural parks as natural areas for the enjoyment of all residents and visitors to Lake Oswego — free from any facility that would otherwise impair their natural state?”
– Out of 291 respondents, 89% in favor / 11% opposed
October 1 – 31, 2019. Drafted and reviewed the City Charter Amendment to Chapter X – Park Development Limitation with interested parties in the community.
– Reviewed City’s website, park master plans, available deeds, Open Space Plan (2001), Parks Plan 2025 (2013), and the Lake Oswego Code
– Included 9 natural areas in addition to Springbrook Park (10 total)
– Included additional development limitations in natural areas
– Included expectation on maintenance improvements for providing healthy habitats
– Improved methods to include additional natural areas in the future
– Reviewed preliminary text with land-use attorney.
September 2019. Conversation with Uplands couple about Springbrook Park and how citizens in the 70’s enacted a Charter amendment to protect the natural park from high-density housing and a major athletic facility.