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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories UPDATED: I-5 back open for southbound traffic near truck crash Emergency Services District board says it won't levy maximum tax rate after all Since You Asked: No traffic signal slated at Main and Highland A test of mettle: GED tests are more rigorous Crime, Courts and Emergency Services UPDATED: I-5 back open for southbound traffic near truck crash Emergency Services All evacuation advisories lifted for Rogue River Drive fire Emergency Services Fire levels historic Phoenix house Politics and Elections Commissioner Skundrick plans final four town hall meetings Medford eyes electronic sign visual pollution Medford council veterans plan exit Medical marijuana patients run for council seat Former colleagues laud Atiyeh's 'practical' leadership Education A test of mettle: GED tests are more rigorous Middle schoolers get a taste of college living Abraham Lincoln Elementary parents raise money for new playground State treasurer stumps for educational endowment measure Free meals program expands in Grants Pass Environment Stressed but off life support Rogue watershed councils plan to merge West Nile Virus found in mosquitoes collected near Central Point State news Nation - World Obituaries Clarence "C.A" A. 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Blog: AmericanWest owners seeking ways to cash out Real Estate News Median residential housing prices rise 10.7 percent, but may begin to level out People In Business People in business Transportation Medford airport has second-best June ever Agriculture Hail has local pear growers checking for damage Del Rio plans to add 50% more plants Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Aug. 15 Parent-teacher conferences can wait a year Michael Gerson: The paradox of American diversity Letters to the Editor, Aug. 14 Our View: Cheers and Jeers Editorials Parent-teacher conferences can wait a year Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our View: Police body cams provide a valuable tool Other Views: Curbing campus assaults Our View: Dark money flows into Oregon Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Aug. 15 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 14 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 13 Letters to the Editor Tuesday, Aug. 12 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 11 Guest Opinions Who I am and why I want to serve on the City Council City council members should be paid Lifestyle Latest stories Band of Doves Second annual King of the Rogue races Saturday Fishing Report: Friday, Aug. 15 Denman parking scofflaws get reprieve Get Out: Friday, Aug. 15 Food Community blog: Spur quicker consumption with quick pickling Dutch ovens are a versatile way to cook outdoors Matt’s Favorite Pie Crust Peach Pie Southwestern Baked Chicken Home and Garden Lawn talk Tips for keeping backyard birds cool this summer Bath time for the birds: You can help them stay cool and clean Learn to pick produce at the peak of ripeness Support the mycorrhizae! 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Patient numbers double at local clinics Shaking that plumb-tuckered feeling Community blog:Maybe the Movies Will Lead the Way Asante plans to open big outpatient clinic in Grants Pass Faith Community Blog: Is Peace Possible in the Middle East - Part three of four Religion briefs Community Blog: Is Peace Possible in the Middle East part 2 Religion briefs Community Blog: Peace: The inward passage - by Bonnie Greenwell Milestones and Achievements Century Club New Arrivals Wedding: Schulman-Nadolny Stuss-Bones Births Tempo Latest stories 5 Things to Do This Weekend Third Fridays art walk in Medford Film festival kicks off annual 'Daedalus Project' Review: The joy of 'Godspell' is infectious Delta Halos and The Lures at Club 66 Theater Film festival kicks off annual 'Daedalus Project' Review: The joy of 'Godspell' is infectious Randall Theatre opens 'Godspell' Entertainment 'on the bricks' at OSF 'Shrek' comes to the stage as a musical Music Review: Béla Fleck pairs his banjo with Britt orchestra Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra at Pear Blossom Park Duke Street: 'On the Fly' Fleck to perform banjo concerto Sweet Ghosts at Oberon's Community Events 5 Things to Do This Weekend Dining Basil & Berries India Palace Taco Riendo Uber Herbal Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Other Views: Vic Atiyeh, truth-teller Oregon's last Republican governor was a leader in the truest sense of the word A few years before his death this week, Vic Atiyeh reflected upon his success in making painful budget cuts and tax hikes in helping Oregon withstand the ravages of early-1980's recession, the darkest economic time in Oregon since the Great Depression. The former governor told The Oregonian's Jeff Mapes that it had helped him... By The Oregonian MailTribune.com By The Oregonian Posted Aug. 2, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Aug 2, 2014 at 2:20 AM By The Oregonian Posted Aug. 2, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Aug 2, 2014 at 2:20 AM » Social News A few years before his death this week, Vic Atiyeh reflected upon his success in making painful budget cuts and tax hikes in helping Oregon withstand the ravages of early-1980's recession, the darkest economic time in Oregon since the Great Depression. The former governor told The Oregonian's Jeff Mapes that it had helped him to ignore political consequence. Specifically, it was useful, in the face of nasty but necessary choices, to avoid thinking at all about career preservation. Even though he would be re-elected in 1982, he said his attitude needed to be: "I'm not going to run next time." The lifelong Republican made it tougher to get welfare at a time when Oregonians needed it the most. He persuaded Democratic legislative leaders to raise an income tax surcharge and boost taxes on cigarettes while cutting back on business tax deductions. In a hurry, he got the job done, pulling Oregon out of a free fall and seeding what would become a more stable economy that looked beyond timber and to foreign shores for investment — a feat that earned him the nickname "Trader Vic." Politically, however, Atiyeh did it not by being clever or leveraged so much as being brave. He set an example. He was in that sense a leader: above political party, though he loved being Republican, and above personal interest, though his rug business found the tending it needed to flourish. With the threat of political backlash muted, Atiyeh was free to lead: to do the right thing on behalf of all Oregonians while withstanding political challenges within the statehouse. And it may, in truth, have been more possible in a more trusting Oregon of 30 years ago. Vic Atiyeh might simply have been the right man at the right time. In that sense it would be myopic and nostalgic to wish for another of him. Vic Atiyeh would not be able to deliver Congress from its current dysfunction or rid local politics of corrosive polarization, some of it fed by social media and the cynical view that public office is about greed and self-interest. But it is difficult to imagine a failure on the scale of the Columbia River Crossing in Vic Atiyeh's time. It is as inspiring to remember Atiyeh's frequent admonishment to his staff, as reported by Mapes: "It's amazing how much you can get done if you don't care who takes credit for it." (Atiyeh never did take enough credit for calling the White House to help dissuade President Ronald Reagan from vetoing federal protections for the Columbia Gorge.) Vic Atiyeh's most enduring gift to Oregon may not be in his economic rescue plan or his commitment to land management at all but instead the example he set: of a truth-telling leader whose goals were realized and achievements are lasting because he put his own skin in the game and never asked anything back for it. Though he did "run again," he coached himself along the way to take decisive action as if he had no intention of doing so. Atiyeh stepped up as an adviser on public issues following his governorship. More tellingly, though, he persisted in the little unseen acts of selflessness that helped define him as a man. In 2005 at age 82 and on his way to the hospital for heart treatment, he stopped to fill his wife's car with fuel. Why? "Well," he would recall thinking, "Dolores is going to need the car." We all need a Vic Atiyeh from time to time. Oregon was lucky enough to have him for a full, consequential run. By The Oregonian MailTribune.com By The Oregonian Posted Aug. 2, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Aug 2, 2014 at 2:20 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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