Impending closure of the communications paper division at Camas’ paper mill is, indeed, a wake-up call — but not in the manner some have suggested.
Last week, the state Employment Security Department announced that May 1 will mark the beginning of layoffs previously announced by mill owner Georgia-Pacific. Company officials said in November that the division would be shut down in 2018, but the revelation of an actual date hammered home the reality of the closure.
The loss of 280 to 300 manufacturing jobs in the coming months will be a blow to the regional economy and to the zeitgeist of Camas. The city was essentially founded by the paper mill, which has been in existence since 1883 and was the inspiration for the high school’s nickname of “Papermakers.”
While we lament the loss of the jobs, we also point to Camas as a success story in a changing economy that requires cities to be flexible and demonstrate foresight. In 1971, the paper mill employed more than 2,500 workers and dominated the economy in that part of the county. As operations and employment numbers have dwindled over the past several decades, local leaders have recognized the need for diversification.
High-tech businesses such as WaferTech, Linear Technologies and Sharp were lured to the city. Fisher Investments moved its headquarters from California to Camas. “There were a lot of us that realized that the golden goose could die any moment and we would be in financial ruin,” former Mayor Nan Henriksen told OPB for an article about Camas in December. The paper mill went from 64 percent of the city’s tax base in 1992 to 5 percent in 2017.
Therein lies the wake-up call. Rather than cling to the past and pretend that change is not inevitable, Camas embraced the ethos of adapt or die. It is an ethos that will ensure the city thrives into the future.
In this regard, Camas serves as a rebuttal to state Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, and others who claim that Washington’s environmental regulations are strangling businesses. As soon as the coming layoffs were announced, Pike sent out an email that included, “The sad reality is that it’s more economical for GP to expand existing operations in Louisiana where the business climate is more favorable.”
The sad reality is that Louisiana ranks 44th in the nation in per-capita income, 45th in health care, and 46th in education — and that the 100-mile industrial stretch from Baton Rouge to New Orleans is known as “Cancer Alley.” In most ways, we’d rather not aspire to be more like Louisiana.
Instead, cities and towns throughout the state should aspire to be more like Camas and to recognize the need for a diversified economy. Government officials at all levels must maintain an eye on the future rather than clutch the present in a misguided belief that economies are static. That includes a process for retraining workers, attracting new industry even in good times, and being prepared for a worst-case scenario.
As for Camas, officials can take a lesson from Bellingham. That city near the Canadian border purchased a former Georgia-Pacific site in 2005 and, after years of cleaning up industrial contamination, is developing a $44 million project offering access to the waterfront, housing, and small-business opportunities.
The loss of jobs in Camas is, indeed, sad to see. But the only wake-up call involved is the revelation that the city is well-positioned to absorb that loss.
