Peace, economic stability on commissioners' wish list.

Byline: COUNTY BEAT By Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

With just a week left before ringing in the new year, the Lane County commissioners have given some thought to their hopes and goals for 2004. Here's what they have to say:

Bobby Green

My basic premise is that in life, we are here on Earth temporarily, so with that in mind, it is my hope that our board of county commissioners will:

Have the spirit of the holiday season throughout the year and not just during the month of December.

Seek out the best in people and encourage their strengths versus focusing on their deficiencies.

Maintain a positive "can-do" attitude.

Maintain a sense of urgency about the needs of others.

Continue to visit students in the classrooms and learn what they think of the future.

Approach problems with a 30,000-foot perspective and a hand-ons solution.

Anna Morrison

That we teach our children to look forward to the future and not fear the prosperity that will bless them with the ability to help others - and as Father Time ushers 2004 in the door, a thriving economy slips in.

Bill Dwyer

My wishes include the quick return of our armed forces and stability in Iraq and the Middle East.

Here at home, I wish for a speedy economic recovery, family wage jobs for all that need them, food, shelter and medical attention for those in need.

I pray that we don't forget our veterans, those that fought in previous conflicts and those presently fighting.

I pray for the families of our Guardsmen and women who have had to put their private lives on hold and make ends meet on a meager military allotment.

I pray for a major breakthrough on the disease front - cancer and Alzheimer's in particular.

I pray for the dogs and cats and a sound solution to our animal control problem so that we won't have to kill so many animals or simply ignore the problem and hope it goes away. I thank all those who have supported me over the years and have had faith in my judgment.

And, finally, I wish or pray that my colleagues make sound public policy during the coming year based on "the common good," not the special good or the private good.

Happy Holidays, good wishes and good health to all.

Peter Sorenson

On a very practical and local level, I certainly hope that our economy improves and that we can work for family-wage jobs so that those of us who have good jobs can make it possible to help others who depend on the social services that government needs to provide. I would hope we can balance the budget with the least amount of harm to those affected by these reductions.

Second, I hope for a recognition that we live in an incredibly fertile valley with an incredible amount and variety of food that can be produced here, and in spite of that, that we have such an incredible number of hungry people. We have the capability of growing our own food, and yet we're among the hungriest places in the country. We need to seek ways to resolve that inequity.

Taking a broader outlook, I hope for greater hope. With all the international strife and all the terrorism and war and the fact that Oregon has one of highest numbers of National Guard troops in the war in Iraq as well as one of the worst economies in U.S., I think that the need for hope is greater now than it has been in a long time. Hope is something that helps people get through bad economic times and bad emotional times.

When people lose hope, they lose not only the present, they harm the future. As leaders, we need to be talking about hope, for all of our citizens.

Don Hampton

Here are my wishes and goals, both global and local:

International - that peace efforts are successful so that many American troops can return home.

National - that the economy continues to improve, to expand the number of jobs available.

State - that the state Legislature's interim committee creates a tax reform plan with universal appeal that reduces the chronic shortage of funds faced by public education and governmental entities.

County - that the staff and budget committee create a budget that has general support but also provides vision and direction for future county efforts, specifically a workable plan for animal control, an improved and speedier permit process, functioning federally (funded) health clinics in three locations, a fiscally stable fairgrounds and convention center and successful economic development efforts throughout the county.

Happy Holidays!

Randi Bjornstad can be reached at 338-2321 or [e-mail].