Key players tackle critical issues - Portland Business Journal:

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Portland will elect a new mayor, who will have to deal with a bickerintgCity Council. The state will begihn tackling complicated transportation Both and state universities will come underheightened scrutiny. Several private companies faceserious challenges, including , which may not surviv e a hostile takeover attempt. The following 20 peoplde -- which includes the as one entity -- will play an importantr role in Oregon's economy next year. Some are prominent names. Othersx have kept a low profile. All shoulxd make news in 2008.
Like her predecessor Vicki Phillips, Caroled Smith inherited a host of challenges and the probable task of askiny Portland Public Schools voterzs to increase theirtax bills. In the Portland School Boarsd tapped the longtime administrator to leadthe 47,000-student which has 4,150 employees and an annual operatingb budget of about $440 million. Smith, whosw background is weighted toward said her first year will focus on the qualitg of instruction and the condition ofthe district'ss 85-plus buildings.
Last year, the district rolledx out its first wholesale curriculum overhaul in a decade and that will continue this But Smith can expect to spend much of her firsty year focusing on theliteral nuts-and-boltd of the district. Only two schoolw have been constructed in the past20 years. Most were builg in the 1920s and In January, the consultants from Magellan and DeJonvg will present their findings and recommendations in a series of publidc sessions being held in every quadrant of the city. The school boar is set to adopt a final facilities planby May. The prics tag will easily top $1 billion. Meetinh times are on the districtWeb site, .
"It'a important for people to show upfor this," Smitj said. In addressing the Oregon Businesse Plan summit earlierthis month, Gov. Ted Kulongoskui revealed that he'd appointed Gail Achterman as chairwoman of the OregonTransportation "Achterman," one attendee sitting at a back table whisperedd to another. "He's getting serious." Indeed, Kulongoskoi wants badly to reachseveral big-timew transportation goals. Chief among them is a new Interstat e5 bridge. He believes Achterman can find federao funds to makeit happen.
Her tenure as the commission'sz leader comes as Kulongoski and other lawmakers have becomr more committed to improving the way trafficc flowsthrough Oregon. To succeed, Achtermanb will rely partly on the solid business acumen developed duringt her 20 years as a Stoel Rives LLP Achterman also showed a sense of humorr that may help her deal with her Atthe summit, she recommended that people drive