Reporter's Notebook

Paul Leonard can be reached at pleonard@vbjusa.com

Portland-Vancouver USA

It’s a t-shirt that communications executive Ron Arp says he would most like to burn – preferably in public, presumably safely, perhaps in an unused corner of downtown Vancouver’s Esther Short Park.

To be clear, it’s not the t-shirt itself that has aroused this Clark County resident’s ire. Instead, it’s these words, which encapsulate the geographical malaise bedeviling an entire metropolitan statistical area and its inhabitants:

“Vancouver, not B.C.; Washington, not D.C.; Clark County, not Nevada; Near Portland, Ore., not Maine.”

Lucky for us that Ron put away the lighter fluid and strike-anywhere matches, instead leading an effort, unveiled for a packed room at the Hilton Vancouver Wednesday, to rebrand the region.

The launch of the new campaign, which includes the slogan, “Land here, live here,” as well as a logo incorporating an image of Mt. Hood’s peak with a winding Columbia River, was notable, first and foremost, for the location of its announcement.

“Once again, Vancouver is out ahead of Portland,” said Port of Portland marketing manager Susan Bladholm – a remarkable statement given the Rose City’s innovative reputation.

But then again, it should come as no surprise to any Southwest Washingtonian that Vancouver has led the way in a discussion touching on its own economic, social, political – and I’m breaking the journalistic “law of three” for good reason here – geographic identity.

In Portland, there’s very little hand-wringing about the potential confusion between themselves and another quite charming and lifestyle-oriented old Port town.

Here, there tends to be a bit of an unconscious drop in cadence as we explain to the confused outsider, “Wrong Vancouver.”

Of course, our proximity on the I-5 corridor with our namesake doesn’t help matters. But why the subtle change in tone? I’m proud to be here, to be part of this community; as are the bulk of the Clark County residents I speak with on a daily basis.

Though the jury remains out on the ultimate success of this rebranding effort – this week, at least, a team of planners, business leaders and a t-shirt-slogan-hating Ron Arp has accomplished something that any die-hard Vancouverite can be proud of.

We made Portland jealous. For a moment, at least.