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Residents launch North Plains Strong Towns chapter; chamber official urges council engagement at community events
Summary
During the Jan. 6 public comment period, Linda Galas-Merten announced a North Plains chapter of Strong Towns and urged resident involvement, while Chamber board secretary Cynthia Hirst criticized new council members for not attending recent community events and requested replies.
During the public comment portion of the North Plains City Council meeting on Jan. 6, 2025, resident Linda Galas-Merten announced the launch of a North Plains chapter of Strong Towns and encouraged neighbors to get involved. "The North Plains Chapter is made up of all of us who live in 97133," Galas-Merten said, urging residents to speak up and volunteer.
Galas-Merten framed the group’s goals around the Strong Towns approach of encouraging inward-focused, incremental development and said neighboring chapters have formed in Hillsboro, Helvetia, Beaverton, Bethany, Banks and Portland. She said the chapter will emphasize resident-led planning and called for broader participation.
Later in the public comment period, Cynthia Hirst, board secretary of the North Plains Chamber of Commerce, asked that her statement be included verbatim in the minutes and said several recent community events — Veterans Day, the North Plains Jingle and a Public Works Building Dedication — proceeded without attendance by the newly elected council members. "None of you attended these significant community events," Hirst said, and she asked whether the new councilors intended to attend or speak at similar events going forward.
No formal council responses were recorded in the transcript to either Galas-Merten’s announcement or Hirst’s request for replies; the mayor announced a short recess before continuing the meeting. Several other residents and representatives were listed on the public comment roster that evening, including Larry Gonzales, Don Weber, Patti Perrin (who spoke on behalf of Linda Galas-Merten earlier in the sign-up list), Chris Edmonds and others.
Galas-Merten’s remarks established an organized resident group with stated principles; Hirst’s remarks asked the council for more visible participation in community activities. The council did not take formal action on either request during the meeting.
Next steps: The Strong Towns chapter organizers and Chamber requests were entered into the public record; any council follow-up was not recorded in the meeting minutes.
