Members' 25-Year Reminiscences

Bill Grile, AICP

Springfield, Oregon

I think I joined APA in 1977, but tested for AICP just in time to qualify as a Charter Member. My career has been a great ride, including the privilege of being on the ground floor of Oregon's renowned statewide planning program while working for the City of Coos Bay (1977-1979) and Coos County (1979-1995).

I left the planning trenches for eight years to serve as Coos Bay City Manager (1995-2003), when I joked about being legitimately "in recovery" from the traumas caused by an overindulgence of Oregon planning administrative rules and a tops-down approach leading many to conclude that Oregon has, today, lost much of its planning constituency. The passage of a statewide "takings" initiative confirms this, but thankfully, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled the measure constitutionally flawed.

My period of being a planner "in remission" (as a city manager) ended in October 2003, when I accepted a position as Director of the Development Services Department for the City of Springfield (Oregon). As such, I find myself back in those familiar planning trenches and enjoying the challenges of working in a rapid growth community.

Along the way, I've served on the Board of Directors of the Oregon Chapter of APA and the Oregon City/County Management Association. I was a founding member of APA's Small Town and Rural Planning Division, and was its first Treasurer. I was a member of the Coos Bay City Council from 1986-1994 and gained the perspective that elected officials have about their legislative and quasi-judicial planning responsibilities. I've never regretted maintaining my membership in APA and AICP. I also hold a Credentialed Manager certificate with ICMA.

I never made it out of Oregon, but this 2003 photo is the real thing and did give me pause to pose for a moment inside the White House. Unfortunately, no one asked my opinion while at the Press Secretary's podium. Can you imagine?