Viewpoint: 'If (Portland) wants to compete, we need a new civic posture'

Lately, there's been a lot of pearl-clutching among Portland’s economic leaders.The Portland Metro Chamber’s 2025 State of the Economy report didn’t just deliver sobering data — it issued an urgent call to action. Yet instead of grappling with its core message, much of the local conversation has zeroed in on a single, loaded phrase: “doom loop.”The hand-wringing misses the point. The report is clear: “Our region’s leaders must turn their attention