Interview with Bruce Warner, new executive director of Portland

In many ways, Bruce Warner, the new executive director of the Portland Development Commission, leapt straight into the line of fire. He resigned as head of the Oregon Department of Transportation to take on the role of PDC director at a time when the organization was fully engulfed in a firefighting campaign amid accusations of impropriety, favoritism and ignorance of the public's opinions.

But to Warner, that's what made the career change so exciting. ODOT had gone through similar scrutiny when he joined, and he managed to turn that agency around into a well-oiled and respected machine - and, more importantly, one that was no longer under the spotlight of public skepticism.

PDC employees hope he can do the same for them.

Warner, who just marked his one-month anniversary as PDC head, sat down recently to talk about what he considers most important for the future of the agency.

DJC: How has the transition process been going?

Warner: It's been fun because the organization is involved in so many things, and I've found that many people I've worked with over the years are involved with PDC projects, so the connections are there. I'm still learning a lot. As I tell folks, it's like I've been drinking through a fire hose for the last month. We've been going out to community events, and it's been rewarding to see what the PDC is doing throughout the city.

DJC: You came in at a time that was pretty rocky for PDC. They were under scrutiny from some of the media, the public and City Club. What made you want this job in the first place?

Warner: I've never shied away from a challenge. I know what PDC does and has done in the region, and it actually saddened me somewhat that they were going through this level of scrutiny and problems, because the things that they do are so important to the future of this region. I've always loved being involved in development projects, and this job actually gave me an opportunity to get a little more hands on than where I was with ODOT.

The things I did at the ODOT are the same things I'm going to be doing here, which is making sure that our commission, our policy body, the elected officials and business and industry are all working toward the same goals. One of the things I'm trying to do is make sure that everybody has the same expectations of the agency and that we agree on what the priorities are for the next months, years and beyond.

A major part of my job in the next few months is to work with the mayor, work with our commission, work with the city council, work with business and industry to essentially make sure we understand where we link up, what our roles and responsibilities are and then agree on what the priorities are and move forward from there.

DJC: As PDC head, you are influenced by many different voices. You've got the mayor's office, commissioners, neighborhood associations, etc., all voicing their opinions and pulling you in different directions. How do you compromise that without losing anyone's faith in the PDC?

Warner: First, it's important to understand I work for the commission and the mayor appoints our commissioners, so there's that connection.

The public and the businesses and industries are all key stakeholders and partners in moving projects forward, so I view our policymakers as setting our overall direction, but in order to actually implement those programs we have to have a relationship and partnership with the public, like the Burnside Bridgehead citizens, like the folks interested in seeing the Headquarters Hotel move forward.

We have to essentially listen to them, understand their concerns, involve them in the process so that they believe they're being heard and then ultimately make a decision.

Although I'll have to make recommendations to our commission for projects in a direction that might not be consistent with what one group or another wants, I do want to make it clear that the people who've been involved will know that I listened and that we made a decision with all those comments and issues on the table.

DJC: Have PDC employees shown any hesitancy toward having more oversight from the mayor's office?

Warner: I haven't felt that at all. I think the organization welcomes the mayor being involved in our programs and projects. The mayor wants to have a relationship with PDC, to understand and work with our commissioners. I view this as a very healthy thing, that they are engaged, and I want them engaged.

We need to build more opportunities for our commission and City Council to actually get together and talk about things. I think we used to do that in the past, and my intention is to reestablish those opportunities for joint work sessions that will allow us to move forward together.

I haven't heard anybody be fearful or concerned about it, other than when people may make comments that we ought to restructure the whole organization. That causes me some concern, but overall I haven't heard that.

DJC: The face of the PDC has changed quite a bit in the last few weeks, with two new commissioners, Sal Kadri and Mark Rosenbaum, and you all coming in at essentially the same time. Have you come across anyone saying, Are you sure you know what you're doing?

Warner: These commissioners are bright, talented people, and they're willing to give their time and effort to help the agency and Portland be better. What you're going to see is a lot of us asking each other questions, having dialogues about why we are doing certain things and whether we should realign our priorities in certain areas.

What I see is a very healthy opportunity to have a new start, to look at some of the things we've been doing and make sure we're focusing on the areas that are important. These folks are inquisitive, they're asking good questions and they're going to challenge me and the staff. That will cause some change and maybe some concern in some parts of the organization, but overall I think continuing to change and evolve is what the organization has to do.

DJC: Your background is in transportation. Is that going to influence the way you head the PDC? Do you feel that urban revitalization and housing may be weak points or areas where you might want to get people on board with you?

Warner: I've been involved in everything: housing, building, development. I'm an ex-building official. I reviewed building plans and worked with developers in Washington County, so I understand the process and I enjoy that process. I know the land use and transportation system, and I know what you have to do to move a project through from a piece of bare ground to a finished product.

I don't consider myself a transportation guy as much as I consider myself a good administrator, somebody who can help move projects forward. The need for affordable housing is clearly a priority here in the city. Redevelopment and determining our economic future is where PDC really helps set the region up for the next generation of people who live here.

DJC: Are there certain PDC projects that you feel their success is essential for the success of the PDC?

Warner: We've got projects like the Burnside Bridgehead project, which had a really rocky start. I want to rebuild a relationship with the neighborhood and the folks who were involved with that project. I'm hoping that we can shortly adopt an advisory committee that will make it clear that the neighborhood has a role in advising the commission.

We need to change the way we engage the public, and I hope they will work with me so when it's done it can be an example of how we should engage them. I'm also hoping that this project will answer some of the City Club's concerns, because we've made major efforts over the last few months to reengineer the way we work with the public and involve them in various projects.

I think you also need to watch the Headquarters Hotel project. That's been around for many years, and it's a project that will be challenging because of the mix of public and private funds to make it move forward, but it's something that we know we need to do in order to reinvigorate the Eastside area.

South Waterfront and the entire OHSU project is one that looks like a clear hit. We just want to make sure that it continues on and is ultimately very successful, producing the jobs and housing that we think it should.

And there are a number of projects in North and Northeast Portland that have been waiting a long time to get built, and one of my charges is to move those along and try to look at ways to utilize New Market Tax Credits and get those funds out the door to free up our dollars to do other things in those areas.

DJC: What's your current relationship with ODOT? Are you helping to choose the new head?

Warner: Actually, the governor hasn't asked me to be involved in that. I did volunteer, but they're a little ways away from getting down to interviews. If they ask me, I will participate.

I left ODOT not because I wanted to leave, but because this opportunity was here. They're doing some great things; they're a lot more customer-service-oriented and they're delivering projects a whole lot faster and better than they ever have in the past, and I'd like to carry the same qualities and priorities to this agency.

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