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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 Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Medford should strive to be more like Bend Comment By Todd McDonald MailTribune.com By Todd McDonald Posted Jul. 12, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Todd McDonald Posted Jul. 12, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News I’ve been coming across more and more members of our community who have had the recent pleasure of experiencing what one of the best towns in Oregon — Bend — has to offer . Sadly, it’s left them asking the same question as many of us: Why isn’t Medford more like Bend? This question hits at root, cyclical issues we’ve been stuck with for years. As someone who was fortunate enough to live and work in Bend at a digital marketing agency between 2010 and 2013, and as a person who maintains ties to the community, I believe I can offer some unique insight into this question. I believe I can also speak to a few things that need to change here before we can see the health that Bend has achieved take root here. Make no mistake, Bend isn’t perfect, but it has certainly developed a strong community with a lot of energy over the past couple of decades. First, let’s take a brief look at history. Bend was a logging town just like Medford. For many decades Bend had less to offer than Medford did in terms of shopping, lifestyle and general career opportunity. In 1993, Bend was estimated to be half the population size of Medford. As timber dried up, it left a relatively blank slate that the city wisely decided to fill with tourism. The city of Bend, private businesses, and organizations such as EDCO went full throttle in that direction realizing they could capitalize on their natural resources. They’ve never looked back since. They did this very cohesively, very intelligently, and very quickly. This led to big gains in income, along with a strong sense of identity, community and pride. As outsiders experienced the lifestyle, the beauty, and the opportunity, they began to move. The environment crafted was attractive to young professionals and those with young families. This brought in outside money, talent and thinking people excited about joining the growing community from various metropolitan areas. Fast-forward to 2013 and the census.gov estimate for Bend’s population was 81,236, median household income was estimated at approximately $53,000 and people below the poverty level at approximately 13 percent. Compare that to Medford estimates for 2013 of population 77,677, median household income at approximately $41,500 and people below the poverty level at approximately 21 percent. This sums up the last couple of decades for each town fairly well. Bend has grown in very desirable ways and is showing many signs of a health, while Medford has done little to adjust and grow during a pivotal 20-year period. Changing course is hard, and it’s hard to know exactly what needs to be done, but I believe these three elements are essential in altering our course. First off, Medford needs to stop hating itself. From the top to the bottom our community (in general) has a lot of apathy, cynicism, and disrespect for itself. This shows in how we treat each other, the decisions we make, how we take care of our homes, our public areas, how we are perceived by outsiders, and many other areas. If we start respecting our community and ourselves, new and good things can begin to grow. Second, those with power and influence need to step-up for the community they live in. Some are doing this (such as Lithia) while others with means are continuing to choose cyclical selfish paths that have kept Medford captive for far too long. The faster we all start taking care of our community top to bottom, the better it will be for everyone, and the more opportunity there will be for everyone. This will include investments from generous spirits that have resources and influence to invest creatively in our city. Finally, we need to stop infighting among community stakeholders and we need to open our doors to the outside world and change. Medford has changed over the last 20 years, but sadly I believe much of this change has come from internal rot. We’ve watched long-time employers move on that at one time were early technological adopters, and replaced them with more retail positions and Walmarts. The good thing about rot, though, is that it can precede new growth. We have opportunity and can capitalize if we can invest together at the city, county and state levels, compromise wisely, and come to the table for the good of the community no matter what role we have to play. Medford has just as much potential as Bend to be a ridiculously awesome place to live, but we must have a cohesive vision, a commitment to our whole community and a willingness to lay aside personal interests to invest in our opportunities. Todd McDonald is a partner at New Brew Media LLC and longtime resident of Southern Oregon. He is involved in Bear Creek restoration as a board member of Oregon Stewardship. By Todd McDonald MailTribune.com By Todd McDonald Posted Jul. 12, 2015 at 12:01 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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