Nike is doing a bigger favor to Beaverton than vice versa by advertising them. Ask someone in Europe which they know - Beaverton, OR or NIKE.

Nike is owned and operated in Asia.

Beaverton, Oregon is just their little, rusty mailbox.

Chuck,

I am not sided on none of the sides on this topic, but this is how I feel about this topic as a whole: 1. But don't bash corporations that try to defend themselves from hostile intentions from local governments; 2. Without bashing the City of Beaverton's "Wall-Street, Gordon Gecko"-style bear-hugging monies out of the coffers of major corporations; 3. On the other hand, the officials in Salem that kowtowed to Nike and other major corporations on not letting local governments get extra monies from them if they are in close proximity of local government boundaries by forced annexation.

I see a bigger issue from this topic: tax reform, by these methods: 1. Close archaic and “company-specific” tax loopholes at the state-level that cost local government agencies (i.e.: cities, counties, school districts, the AG office, and so many others) hundreds of millions of dollars per year. 2. Decouple state corporate tax filing from the federal tax system. 3. Criminalize abusive-tax shelters and tax dodgers.

Aaron, I agree with your reform ideas, and am appalled by the special deal they got in Salem, but I don't see how Beaverton trying to get Nike to pony up some taxes to contribute to the local infrastructre counts as "hostile intentions." I just don't buy Nike's "victim" stance when they are a hugely profitable, multibillion-dollar corporation. And confiscating the Mayor's computer to search for the word "nike" was just plain silly.

Ruth,

I am not siding with the City of Beaverton; or saying po’lil Nike or po’lil Beaverton are victims to the pissing match. I am disgusted with all the parties.

I know that the unincorporated areas around Beaverton; towards the Multnomah/Washington County line, is using the city’s resources as well as the county’s resources. Those areas should be able to have a referendum to say yes or no to being incorporated in to the City of Beaverton; if the county opts out of have full services in those areas. These areas residents/citizens/voters just has 2 years, instead of 30+ years as Nike and other major multinational corporations have; to decide to incorporate in too a city that will include the areas of: Cedar Hills/the west side of the West Slope; or face the City of Beaverton slurping them up in its city limits. I think those that are beholden to Nike will have to deal with this issue with the voters in 2008 one-way or another.

This whole thing disgusts me. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a right winger, the kind most of you call all kinds of nasty things, but let's see if we can forge some common ground here.

Like it or not (I think neither of us do), Oregon is funded by property taxes.

The people who work at Nike's Oregon HQ make very healthy salaries. Many of them live in Beaverton. All of them spend money in Beaverton, which supports others who pay property taxes in Beaverton.

The city wants to sink its teeth into Nike by making it part of the city, thereby getting a huge boost in property taxes. But one thing that the city (and sorry, most liberals) tend to forget is that people adapt...what is to keep Phil Knight from giving the big middle finger to Beaverton and moving to, say, Indonesia or Mexico or some island he could buy and make Nike its own country?

Answer? Nothing stops him from doing that, except that he is happy with paying his huge property tax bill to Washington County, and finding a fairer response there. And also, he is funding programs that go to the poorer areas of Washington County (eg, the western edge of the county). Beaverton is getting by quite nicely on the money that its residents make at Nike...the city shouldn't be greedy and cry "poor me", because frankly, I don't buy it.

I would rather maintain the status quo and have Nike paying Washington County with its property taxes, and its employees paying the city, and everyone there still having jobs. Poke this sleeping lion and don't be surprised if it comes back to bite you. I am sure that any country would make all kinds of deals to get Nike to move there, and they could find great talent at considerably less cost somewhere else. Knight likes Oregon, it is his home, but if the novelty wears off from his getting pissed off at Beaverton, watch for the Uhaul trucks to come in, and that scream you hear will be the sound of a lot of little people getting screwed by the mayor's greed.

Hey Sanmarco, I totally agree with you. You made some really good points. As a former Clackamas county resident and a Hillsboro employee I can see how Washington County needs them. Beaverton is definitely doing fine as it is; for example their school system has not required any cuts. Nike employees put tons of money into the Beaverton taxes and area businesses.

p.s.- i'm a dyed (blue) in the wool Dem. and we agree. :) who woulda thunk it?