Fiscal stability, new business on agenda

Lake Oswego Citizens Budget Committee Chairman Kent Studebaker has thrown his name into the race in the 2012 election for the mayor’s seat.

“This is a wonderful town which can move forward in a way that a majority of citizens can embrace,” Studebaker said in a public announcement this week. “Some fiscal sanity, a focus on local priorities and a balanced approach to attract businesses to Lake Oswego is essential. Our goal must be to build a vibrant, affordable, well-educated and stable community without leaving a burden of debt on the shoulders of our children.”

A Lake Oswego High School graduate, Studebaker is a former Marine and small-business owner. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of Oregon and a law degree from the University of Oregon’s law school. He and his wife, Kim, live in the Bryant neighborhood and have two daughters and four grandchildren.

Studebaker said the three years he has spent with the budget committee motivated him to run for an elected position.

“Looking at what was happening there, I thought ... we needed to step back and take a breath and kind of reassess our priorities,” he said. “Lake Oswego is a great place, and I’d like to make sure we maintain that quality and character of the town. I’d like to make sure people can afford to stay here and they’re not worried about what the government is doing to them.”

Studebaker said his roots in the community, civic activities, neighborhood association work and budget committee experience give him “a deep understanding and a broad perspective of the challenges ahead.”

“We’ve got to maintain our infrastructure. We’ve got to maintain the character of the town, the livability and the affordability,” he said. “While we’re doing that, there’s only so much money that comes in, and we’ve got to make sure we can afford to do the kinds of things we’re doing.”

In terms of aspiring to attract more businesses to Lake Oswego, Studebaker said, “The city is trying to have a place where you can live, work and play; at least one third of that triangle is to work here. It’d be nice if people could work in close proximity to their homes and places where the recreation is.”

Businesses also pay taxes, he added: “You want to attract that too.”

So far, the only other candidate in this November’s mayoral race is Greg Macpherson, who works as an attorney in Portland and is a former representative of Oregon House District 38.