Port of Cascade Locks, Position #2 - Brad Lorang

My wife Debora, and I moved to Cascade Locks in 2004. We fell in love with our picturesque small community, so we opened a local business, and we got involved with the community.

After a while I realized that to create lasting change in our community, I needed to be involved in helping to create more new businesses both in our downtown core, and in our Eastside industrial area. Being on the port commission seemed to be the most efficacious way to make that happen. I believe over the past eight years of my tenure on the port commission we have been able to help facilitate that process quite well. We are still far from finished, there is a great deal left to do, that is what drives me and why I am running for my third term on the port commission of Cascade Locks.

2. What do you hope to bring to the Port of Cascade Locks?

What I believe I bring to The Port of Cascade Locks is experience, that was gained in 45 plus years in the working world, and over 25 years as a self-employed small business owner. My wife and I have made our living as artists most of our adult life, an enterprise where most fail. We consider ourselves business-minded pragmatic visionaries, We have developed a simple philosophy, that has served us well, spend less than you make, and know the depth of your own pocket. I believe that this overall mindset is vitally important for the financial success of the port,

 I am keenly aware that as commissioners we are elected only as stewards of the communities resources.

3. With the recent resignation of your executive director, what do you see as the future for the Port of Cascade Locks?

The resignation of our port manager was unfortunate and regrettable, in my mind. The port needs to put policies in place to ensure that a hostile work environment will never again drive away another valued employee. Moving forward I believe the commission should hire an outside human resources firm to handle all these types of services. The port values all of their employees and we need to do better by them. Jeremiah Blue, the port’s operations manager, is well versed in all facets of the operation of our port and has taken the helm as our interim port manager, and I believe he will do a fine job.

4. What are your feelings about the Roundhouse data center project?

When it comes to The Roundhouse Data Center proposal I was the only commissioner who voted against signing the Memorandum Of Understanding as I didn’t believe we had sufficient information on a number of  critical points. Given the concerns of our community it was all the more critical that we addressed those concerns before moving forward. With the subsequent article about Stephen King by Nathan Giles from Columbia Insight magazine it  appears to prove that my reservations were well founded. I don’t know the eventual fate of The Roundhouse Data Center proposal, I am only one vote and with the new information I am not certain where the rest of our commission stands on it.