26 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER January 2021
Charbonneau
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“ Charbonneau is a good-size voting block with monolithic turnout ,” West said , adding that Charbonneau often drives policy in Wilsonville . “ That was my biggest fear ( in the November election ).”
Land use a major concern
Lehan , who was born in Wilsonville and has served on the council for most of the last 25 years , described Charbonneau residents as “ Tom McCall Republicans .” McCall ’ s governments in the late 1960s and early 1970s helped establish Oregon ’ s land use laws , which were designed in part to protect agricultural land from urban encroachment .
Charbonneau , which sits at the edge of the urban growth boundary , has faced a few major land use battles in the last 20 years , particularly plans to add the French Prairie area into the urban growth boundary and for Langdon Farms owners to urbanize land there . More recently , Charbonneau residents , who frequently hear planes flying above their community , have voiced concerns about plans to extend an Aurora Airport runway and further industrial development around the airport . West , Budiao and Postma have both sided with airport interests in these disputes .
“ They ( Charbonneau residents ) don ’ t care what your party affiliation is . They want to know what your position is on urban growth boundary issues , protecting farmland issues , things like that ,” Lehan said .
Meanwhile , at every turn , the Wilsonville City Council has responded to these concerns by continuously combatting Oregon Department of Aviation plans — including a recent appeal to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals questioning the validity of the most recent airport master plan , which calls for a runway extension . The council contends that land use laws weren ’ t followed in the establishment of the plan .
“ It is about quality of life and property values and safety . Those three things really matter ,” Charbonneau resident Wayne Richards said . “ That influences the vote out here a lot .”
Other factors at play ?
Others feel that , outside of a vocal minority , the airport issue isn ’ t as important to Charbonneau residents as it may seem .
And Postma noticed that land use issues were hardly brought up when he knocked on doors during his 2012 run .
“ That ’ s what made it a little mysterious . While I think it may be a significant factor in voting in Charbonneau , while speaking with voters didn ’ t come up frequently at all ,” he said .
However , he said he was not invited to Charbonneau ’ s election forum that year , which may have made a big difference . All council candidates were invited and attended this year ’ s forum , Richards said .
“ While some of the individual voters in Charbonneau , the airport may not be the biggest issue in their mind , if some candidates get more discussion and more
“ They ( Charbonneau residents ) don ’ t care what your party affiliation is . They want to know what your position is on urban growth boundary issues , protecting farmland issues , things like that .”
— Charlotte Lehan , Wilsonville city councilor
opportunity to meet with Charbonneau voters at events , the machine can just put those candidates in front of Charbonneau voters more efficiently even if airport isn ’ t their biggest issue ,” Postma said .
Steve Switzer , Charbonneau ’ s civic affairs chair , said the Charbonneau Country Club homeowners association and its board of directors do not try to influence how the community
votes in elections . However , there is a tight-knit circle of Charbonneau residents , including Richards , who pay close attention to the issue and organize around it , providing input at meetings hosted by the Oregon Aviation Board or the Positive Aurora Airport Management group and tracking airport flight patterns . There are also regular columns in the Charbonneau Villager ( which is published by Pamplin Media Group and owned by Charbonneau Country Club ) highlighting the airport issue .
In a recent column in the Villager , Switzer wrote that this election was “ a referendum on the city ’ s position on the Aurora Airport and a rejection of discontinuing the support of the LUBA appeal of the airport ’ s master plan .”
In an interview , though , Switzer downplayed the importance of the airport on voting patterns . He instead highlighted the incumbency advantage as well as Linville ’ s presence in the community and allegiance with Fitzgerald and Council President Kristin Akervall , who finished first in the council race .
“ There was a movement to join with Joann . There were several advertising things in the Villager and so forth , endorsements of people that it was clear Fitzgerald , Linville and Akervall were a ticket ,” he said .
Linville added that Charbonneau ’ s intention to have at least one member on the council can lead to high vote totals for Charbonneau residents .
“ I don ’ t know whether that is that they feel comfortable within the community , understand the community , or if Charbonneau feels they are significantly different from the rest of the community inside Wilsonville ,” Linville said .
Linville said that , though there isn ’ t an organizing structure in the community telling people who to vote for , the fact that Charbonneau is so close-knit could be a factor .
“ I think there are a lot of people who know each other . They travel in different circles whether they are engaged in art , exercise , golf , tennis , cards ,” she said .
While Charbonneau ’ s voter turnout was an impressive 94 % in this past election , interest in city politics might not be driving that percentage . Linville said she has tried to start a video series recapping City Council meetings but has attracted minimal viewership .
“ That tells me that ’ s just not a top priority for them ,” she said .
For some residents , Charbonneau both feels like a part of Wilsonville and its own distinct community .
“ It ’ s important to remind Charbonneau people we are Wilsonville , and a part of a larger community . We live in paradise out here ,” Richards said .
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