His appointment to the Sweet Home Planning Commission is a chance for Mountain Home area resident Mike Kinney to get involved in the community and pursue ideas he thinks could improve the community.
“I’ve been wanting to get on a planning commission for quite a long time,” Kinney said. “This was my first opportunity to get on the planning commission in many years.
“I’m a very strong advocate of reserve police officers in Sweet Home.”
Private citizens as members of a reserve program can accomplish and see what’s going on in law enforcement in the community, Kinney said. A number of persons are in favor of developing a reserve program.
But “you can’t fight City Hall,” Kinney said. “You fight within.”
Working on the Planning Commission is an opportunity to get started working within the local government.
Kinney has worked in a variety of jobs, from running gunshops and gunsmithing to running car lots. He is a multi-engine rated pilot and has hundreds of credit hours at several colleges, ranging from sociology to theology.
He is an ordained minister and enjoys officiating weddings wherever the couples want. He asks only for filing fees and whatever a couple would like to pay.
“I love to do that kind of stuff,” Kinney said. “I do that for fun because I enjoy it.”
Kinney served in the U.S. Navy until 1974 when he retired on an injury. He enlisted in the Navy in 1961.
As a member of the community, he wants to help improve the city.
“I believe in the community,” Kinney said. “I live here. I’m going to be here.”
After reviewing planning commission materials, including a community survey that was used in the community’s strategic plan process, Kinney has ideas that he’d like to go to work on with the Planning Commission. At this point, he won’t be vocal, taking his time to learn about the Planning Commission.
“One of the things I’d like to see … is about the kids, somewhere for kids to go,” Kinney said. In economic development, the community needs to make itself a destination spot.
“Why not have the biggest, most elaborate logging museum?” Kinney asked.
“I can bring things up at the Planning Commission,” Kinney said. “My ideas are good ideas. I can’t stand on a street corner and preach my ideas.”
To put them in play, he’s got to work through the Planning Commission and City Council, Kinney said. At the same time, he doesn’t plan to be the lone agent for ideas but wants to work with other people, which is required to get things done. “With time, I’d like to try to get more people involved.”
“As far as the development of Sweet Home,” Kinney said. “This whole area, Lebanon, Albany, Sweet Home… there’s really been a lot of growth. If we get a Burger King or a Taco Bell in Sweet Home, we’d really be big time.”
Sweet Home really needs to attract businesses, Kinney said. It has an enterprise zone designation, which provides tax incentives to businesses, and it should use it to benefit startup businesses. The community should use any incentives it can and do what it takes to draw businesses to town. People should not talk about losing money with tax incentives. It should be counted as investment in the community.
Still, the community should not grow too fast, Kinney said. “I know it involves zoning and changes. There again, it’s still definitely community development no matter how you look at it.”
The Planning Commission most typically deals with public hearing processes for permits and variances.
If a variance is requested, Kinney wants to make sure people have their chance to explain but at the same time they need be made aware of the laws and regulations governing those processes.
Kinney refers to communication as the most important part of nearly everything, and that applies to planning as well. Persons need to understand the planning laws and regulations as they go before the Planning Commission, saving time in the long run.
As long as requests are for the betterment of the community and is legal, Kinney said he would support land use actions.
“You can do anything you want as long as you’re in according to existing rules and regulations,” Kinney said. If something is against the law or regulations, then persons should get a variance or try to change the law. “You just can’t make a public eyesore or something totally outrageous.
“If it’s a feasible thing that doesn’t cause problems for the community, why not?” Kinney said.
Kinney was born in Portland. Except for the time he was active duty in the Navy, he has lived in Oregon. He is married to Susan Kinney. They have two children, Roman, 8, and Katie, 11. They have been in the Sweet home area, off of Mountain Home Drive, for 8 1/2 years. They left Portland because they did not like the taxes, crime or politics. The street below their home became a freeway with a new development.
“We spent about six months to find a nice quiet place, and we ended up here,” Kinney said.