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Carl Bartlett gains respect Photo by Jim Craven Medford Planning Commission Chairman Carl Bartlett, center, listens to testimony during a recent meeting. Once perceived as as anti-tax and anti-government for his work on ballot measures, Bartlett has developed a reputation as a hard-working, knowledgeable and fair member of local government. At left is Commissioner Robert Tull; at right is Commissioner Boyd Gibson. So-called 'radical' turns out to be pro-community By JIM DAVIS Carl Bartlett could have worn a name tag when he first came into Medford City Hall: "Hi! My name is Carl, and I am anti-government." Involved in measures to lower property taxes and set term limits, Bartlett said he had already been labeled before he was appointed to the Medford Planning Commission seven years ago. "Just because I had spoken out on a couple of items," Bartlett said, "I was given a name of a radical, as anti-tax." Now, Bartlett has been around long enough to have helped shape major projects in the city and has gained the respect of his peers. In February, fellow planning commissioners elected him to his second term as chairman. Whether he changed or his image changed, Bartlett is certainly wearing a different name tag nowadays. "It became clear very quickly that his real interest was not in beating up on government," said Medford Planning Director Jim Eisenhard. "His real interest was in making a better community." Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Bartlett, 68, is a former businessman who managed large bakeries during his career, supervising hundreds of employees. Bartlett retired and moved to Medford in 1988 from San Francisco to get away from the booming population of the Bay area. About a year later, Bartlett started showing up on the Medford political radar when he helped out on the campaign for Measure 5, which limited property taxes. Bartlett next campaigned for term limits for state politicians, leading the Southern Oregon arm of the effort and helping to gather 16,000 signatures on initiative petitions. Both measures passed. Encouraged by people he worked with on both efforts, Bartlett ran for Medford City Council in 1992 -- only to lose to current Councilman Bill Moore. At the time, Bartlett was approached by Councilmen Mel Winkelman and Lou Hannum to join a city committee. "It's like anybody else," Winkelman said. "Once somebody shows an interest in the community you want to get them involved." Bartlett applied for and was appointed to a seat on the Planning Commission. For his first year as a commissioner, Bartlett said, city workers from the city manager on down ignored him. "They thought the City Council put me on there just to quiet me down, and they thought I was just going to go away quietly," Bartlett said. "They didn't know me." Eisenhard and Medford planner Mark Gallagher said city staffers were a little apprehensive because of Bartlett's anti-government reputation. But they said their opinions changed after seeing that he was coming to meetings prepared, that he was knowledgeable and that he was fair. "He was willing to come down here," Gallagher said. "Rather just standing around and throwing stones, he actually came down to make a difference." In 1994, Bartlett filed again for a City Council seat and again lost. His opponent resigned after just a few months. Bartlett said he was approached about being a replacement, but declined to pursue the vacancy. He said he wanted to be elected rather than appointed to the council. "I didn't want to be appointed and be accused of being one of the good old boys," Bartlett said. He also said the Planning Commission was in the middle of working on several large projects. One of those was the Larson Creek Shopping Center, which is now being built at North Phoenix and Barnett roads. Through his work as the planning commission liaison to the Site, Plan and Architectural commission, Bartlett was able to lead a charge for months to make the center fit in with the community. The tile on the roof of Albertson's matches the tile on the roofs of surrounding homes. The wood matches the wood of surrounding homes. The building -- originally planned for the middle of the lot -- was moved to the side to eliminate a sea of asphalt. Trucks were required to make deliveries during the day -- so as not to keep neighbors awake at night. "We really worked hard on that," Bartlett said. "The whole commission worked hard to make it -- and I believe it will be -- the best suburban shopping center in all of Oregon." Eisenhard said it is a credit to Bartlett and to all the commissioners that in the end that project wasn't appealed by the developer or neighbors. The biggest problem, however, came recently when Albertson's applied and was granted the right to build a gas station on the site. Although he's been in city government for seven years and holds a position just a step below the council, Bartlett still sports a pro-term limits bumper sticker on his pickup that says, "Vote the Ins Out." "I don't want to be an insider," Bartlett said. "You cannot be fair to people and be an insider." He may resist that label, but he's made a name for himself in other ways. "He's become an advocate for the city," Winkelman said. "And he's become a good planning commissioner." Bartlett said he has spent so much time working on the city that he has become its defender when he feels criticism is undeserved. "I feel like my time on the commission is being well spent," Bartlett said. "I'm beginning to enjoy some of the things that we've done." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA