CUB honors Hammond's service

Jim Newton, Chair of the Canby Utility Board, honored Jack Hammond for his years of service to the Board with an operating electric meter from the 1920s. Jack has provided the benefit of his legal expertise in the area of utility law to the Board for 28 years.

Jack Hammond transitions to new role

Jack Hammond, a partner with BEH since 2004, will be transitioning to a new role effective July 1, 2008.  As “of counsel” to the firm, Jack will be reducing his hours, but will still be available to contribute his considerable expertise to his clients and the staff. 

Specializing in municipal utilities law, municipal water utilities, municipal electric utilities and school law, Jack has assisted numerous clients with myriad issues since he started practice in 1973 after serving five years as a U.S. Army Judge Advocate.  Additionally, he has drafted a significant amount of enacted of water rights legislation which have protected municipal water rights.  He was extremely active in eight years of litigation involving the Washington Public Power Supply System as well as continuous administrative proceedings and associated litigation involving the interface of municipal electric utilities, the Bonneville Power Administration, investor-owned utilities, and direct service industries.  He has advised public agencies in the planning and construction of many significant projects including drinking water and public sanitary water treatment facilities, public utilities and transportation improvements.

Jack is sought after as a public speaker on water related issues and has addressed organizations such as Oregon City Attorney’s Association, League of Oregon Cities, Association of Oregon Water Utilities, American Water Works Association, Oregon Special Districts Association and the Oregon State Bar.  He has also served as chair of Clackamas Heritage Partners and the Clackamas Community College Foundation, in addition to his other charitable work in his home community of Clackamas County.  He is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Although Jack will remain active in the firm’s practice offering the substantial benefit of his years of experience, he and his wife Sue hope that his reduced hours will provide them more time to pursue their favorite leisure activities, including fly fishing, sailing, gardening and yoga. Their latest “leisure” project is a one acre vegetable garden.  The harvest will go the Oregon Food Bank and the St. James Apartments.

Jefferson County prevails in Measure 37 lawsuit

The BEH team has obtained another favorable result in its defense of Jefferson County against lawsuits brought under Measure 37. On May 7, 2008, Judge Tiktin in Deschutes County Circuit Court issued a decision in Patterson v. Jefferson County. The case is one of ten lawsuits brought against the County under Measure 37. The Court agreed with the County that the subsequent passage of Measure 49 repealed the Plaintiff’s cause of action under Measure 37 and, therefore, ruled that the case was moot and should be dismissed.

Of the ten lawsuits filed against the County, BEH has obtained a favorable judgments in three and three others have been voluntarily withdrawn. BEH is optimistic that favorable judgments will be reached in the remaining four cases as well.

Heather Martin captures prestigious Brownlow Award

BEH’s newest associate, Heather Martin, was one of the recipients of the Brownlow Award, presented by the American Society of Public Administration.  The award has been presented annually since 1961 recognizing the best Public Administration Review article written by a practitioner. 

The award winning article, “Documenting Disparity in Minority Contracting:  Legal Requirements and Recommendations for Policy Makers” developed from Heather’s research studies on minority contracting while pursuing her Master of Public Administration at UNC-Chapel Hill MPA Program.  Her work was done in collaboration with School of Government faculty members Maureeen Berner and Frayda Bluestein.  Highlighting data collection on a local level, the article provides guiding principles municipalities can use to satisfy legal requirements and meet the policy goals of minority contracting programs.

New Client: Washington County

BEH is proud to announce our selection as Hearings Officer for Washington County.  In this capacity we will conduct hearings on applications for permits or contested cases regarding land use matters for the County. 

Nationally recognized as one of the nation’s most livable areas, Washington County is the second largest and fastest growing urban county in the state.  The County encompasses approximately 727 square miles and includes portions of Portland along with eleven other cities.  Although it has experienced tremendous growth in the past decade, Washington County has managed to retain more than 75% of its agricultural and forestlands through utilization of urban growth bourdaries.

Dayton launches new website

The historic City of Dayton has launched a new official website at http://www.ci.dayton.or.us/.  The user friendly site provides a bounty of information about the community along with access to municipal code, ordinances and resolutions.  Dayton has been a client of BEH for almost ten years and we congratulate them on their impressive presentation on the world-wide-web. 

Doughman appointed to Bar Press Broadcasters Council

David Doughman was appointed to the Bar Press Broadcasters Council which provides a means of communication among the OSB, the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association and the Oregon Association of Broadcasters.  One of the primary functions of the Council is to foster communication and understanding between the media and the Bar.  David is one of twelve members selected by the Bar to serve on the Council for a term of three years.

Hillsboro and North Plains approve new City Charters

At the November election, voters in the Cities of Hillsboro and North Plains approved new city charters.  They are based upon the 2004 League of Oregon Cities Model Charter drafted by Tom Sponsler.  Tom acted as legal advisor to the two cities. As a recognized expert in the area of charter law, Tom assisted them in creating charters that meet the specific needs of each community.

Portland Monthly Names Portland's Best Lawyers

The June 2007 issue of Portland Monthly includes a guide to the best lawyers in the Portland metropolitan area, as chosen by their peers. We are proud to announce that Pamela Beery, Paul Elsner and Thomas Sponsler were all named as among Portland's best municipal lawyers.