District 2 Commissioner Maui Meyer has spent many hours of his first term in office helping Hood River County gear up to enter the renewable energy business.

He is now asking voters for another four years in the elected role to complete that goal.

“I’ve decided to run again because I feel that we are almost there,” said Meyer.

“I believe that I’m the right person to engage in a discussion that requires an in-depth involvement. These decisions will outlast our lifetimes and shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

Meyer serves as chair of the Renewable Energy Committee and believes the county, with a natural resource base, could produce up to 30 megawatts of electricity. He said feasibility studies have shown promise for bio-mass, hydroelectric, wind and solar power production.

“We find ourselves in an enviable position as one of the very first counties in the nation to explore community-scale power,” he said.

The county began seriously studying alternative energy as a revenue source in 2006. Officials believed that “green power” production might be an appropriate fit for a county that owned 30,000 acres of forest land. With a managed harvest that yields about $4 million each year, the county board decided to look for income with other natural resource-based industries.

Last year, state and federal laws were passed to encourage renewable power production. Meyer said the county is ahead of what could eventually become a crowded field of competitors for grants and low-interest loans.

He said finding a new revenue source has become even more critical in recent months. The county has received its last $1.7 million in federal compensation for logging cutbacks in national forests. Meyer said Oregon’s Congressional delegation could gain a second one-year extension of the program, but it will eventually end. In that case, he said green power production could save essential programs from falling under the budget axe.

At the end of the day, Meyer said the citizens will decide which direction the county board should go in the pursuit of renewable energy.

“Everybody’s got to be involved. We can only do these studies and then put the information in front of people for consideration,” he said.

Second on Meyer’s list of policy priorities is the creation of affordable housing. He said professionals, such as firefighters, police and teachers, do not have high enough incomes to purchase a residence in the county. He said many of these individuals are now commuting from other areas and the local culture is not benefiting from their involvement.

Meyer said low-income families also deserve to raise their children in the idyllic lifestyle of a rural setting — but affordable rentals have become a rare find.

“We need to ask how we, as a community, take care of our own. And an intrinsic part of that conversation is how we even put a roof over some heads,” asked Meyer.

His vision does not include massive affordable housing developments. Instead, he favors a small number of apartment and/or condominiums being sited in available areas of the residential landscape.

“If we truly believe that we’re a community that takes care of its own then we will make that sacrifice. What it is? I don’t yet know,” said Meyer.

He said the county’s population is steadily increasing as people discover the scenic beauty of the area and all of its recreational possibilities. Meyer said officials within Hood River are now tasked with deciding how to accommodate growth without losing the town’s historical character.

“There is so much talking and listening that needs to take place as we make these decisions,” he said.

He has been pleased that the valley’s farmers have enjoyed profits from the fruit of their labors for the past couple of years. When Meyer entered office in 2004, the economic picture looked much grimmer.

He believes the financial pressures that were squeezing the agriculture industry led many growers to file Measure 37 claims to protect their investment potential. The law ousted by voters last November required the government to compensate a landowner when a regulation devalued property by taking away its use. In lieu of making that payment, the agency could lift the restriction and restore the development right in place when the current owner acquired the land.

Measure 49 has now replaced Measure 37 and limits the number of home lots on resource lands to three, including an existing dwelling.

“I think the passage of Measure 49 was timed right because now is a good time to be in the resource business,” said Meyer.

“The intrinsic wealth of this nation is in its land and its ability to produce things.”

He said some factors that affect the economics of agriculture are not within local control, such foreign trade laws, so profit margins will continue to fluctuate. However, he said many orchardists are branching out into new value-added product lines, such as Gorge Delight fruit bars, that bring in a steady income.

“Hood River really does have it all. Every single building in this town was built because of agriculture; ours is truly an agrarian lifestyle,” he said.

Meyer has found it “interesting” to juggle his public service with ownership of two restaurants — Celilo and Sixth Street Bistro — as well as Copper West Properties and Oregon Growers and Shippers. He features as many local products as possible, such as jellies and fruit butters, in his eateries and markets them through OGS.

In addition to business and political pursuits, Meyer has been kept busy by a growing family. He and wife Jan welcomed a baby girl, Emma, into the world, one month ago. The infant joins sister Julia, 2, and brother Nathaniel, 5, at home in Hood River.