Future of Portland General Electric to be subject of City Club forum
On Friday, March 12, City Club of Portland welcomes Erik Sten, Portland City Commissioner, and Tom Walsh, a general partner of Oregon Electric Utility Co., LLC., to discuss the future of Portland General Electric in a program titled “Purchasing Power.”
Portland, OR (PRWEB) March 3, 2004
On Friday, March 12, City Club of Portland welcomes Erik Sten, Portland City Commissioner, and Tom Walsh, a general partner of Oregon Electric Utility Co., LLC., to discuss the future of Portland General Electric in a program titled “Purchasing Power.”
When Texas Pacific Group announced in November 2003 plans to buy Portland General Electric from bankrupt Enron Corp. for $2.35 billion, some saw light at the end of a tunnel. PGE would remain headquartered in Oregon. Local decisions would be made by familiar faces. Above all, TPG could bring stability to the alternating currents of PGE. But some folks familiar with TPG say the private investment firm—one of the country’s largest—will take over and then take off. They say the firm has a reputation for profitably selling acquisitions within five to seven years, which would leave Portlanders again searching in the dark for the City’s aims of “reasonable rates, long-term stability, and owners committed to Oregon’s health and economy.” What power is there in local utilities? And, in reality, what is the future of PGE?
This program, one of City ClubÂ’s weekly Friday Forums, that are open to the public, will be held at Multnomah Athletic Club (1849 S. W. Salmon St.). Doors open at 11:30 AM. The program runs from 12:15 to 1:15 PM. Luncheon reservations and cancellations are available online at www. pdxcityclub. org or from (503) 228-7231 (members only can call 503-241-9242) by 2 PM Wednesday, March 10. Luncheon tickets are $16 for members, $18 for nonmembers. Coffee tickets are $5 at the door. General seating is free for members and $5 for nonmembers.
About the Speakers
Tom Walsh is one of three general partners of Oregon Electric Utility Company, LLC, the holding company that will acquire PGE. He will also serve on the board of PGE. Since 1999, he has served as President of Tom Walsh & Co., a Portland builder of affordable housing. From 1991 to 1998, Walsh was General Manager of Tri-Met, a Portland regional transit agency with an annual operating budget of $168 million and 2,000 employees. In 1960, he founded Walsh Construction Co., a general contractor specializing in multi-family construction, where he held the position of Secretary through 1990. Walsh has served with many prominent Oregon civic groups, including as Chairman of the Oregon Roads Finance Committee, Vice Chairman of the Oregon Transportation Commission, and Chairman of the Glenn Jackson Scholars Program. He has been on the boards of the Oregon Historical Society and the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial. In addition, Walsh has served as Chairman of the Oregon Board of Forestry, and as a member of the Oregon Land Conservation & Development Commission. He also chaired the Oregon Convention Center Advisory Committee on Design and Construction. In 1991, he was appointed as OregonÂ’s representative to the Endangered Species Committee for the spotted owl. Walsh received a B. S. in Engineering from Stanford University in 1962.
As a Portland City Commissioner, Erik Sten is directly responsible for the day-to-day management of PortlandÂ’s Bureau of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services and the Bureau of Housing and Community Development. He also has special assignments to direct PortlandÂ’s programs on energy policy, global warming, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the Endangered Species Act. Sten previously directed the Bureau of Environmental Services, Water Bureau, Portland Energy Office (currently the Office of Sustainable Development), Bureau of Emergency Communications, and the Office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management. Sten began his career in public service as Chief of Staff for now retired Portland City Commissioner Gretchen Miller Kafoury. While in this role, he served as her liaison to the Bureau of Housing and Community Service where, because of his passion for affordable housing issues and the plight of poor people, he quickly became a community leader. Sten received a B. A. degree from Stanford University and, in June 2002, was awarded a Fannie Mae Foundation Fellowship for outstanding senior executives in state and local government who work on affordable housing issues. In 2001, he received Columbia River Inter-tribal Fish CommissionÂ’s Award for Local Government Partnership to the Portland Endangered Species Act Program and in 1999 was Oregon Sierra ClubÂ’s Elected Official of the Year.
About the City Club of Portland
City Club of Portland is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and research based civic organization dedicated to community service, public affairs and leadership development. Through weekly Friday Forums, citizen-based research reports, special programs and issue committees, City Club examines issues of importance to the Portland metropolitan region, the state and society as a whole. Membership is open to everyone.
For more information about City Club of Portland, please visit www. pdxcityclub. org or call (503) 228-7231.
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