Richard Benner served in the Office of Metro Attorney from 2001 to 2012 and advised Metro on urban growth management and transportation. Between 1991 and 2001 he served as Director of the Oregon De...view moreRichard Benner served in the Office of Metro Attorney from 2001 to 2012 and advised Metro on urban growth management and transportation. Between 1991 and 2001 he served as Director of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, the state agency that oversees the Oregon statewide land use planning program. Before that, he was the Executive Director of the Columbia River Gorge Commission during the time (1987-1991) the commission developed a management plan for the new Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Prior to that, he spent 12 years as a staff attorney with 1000 Friends of Oregon. He is a graduate of Princeton University, where he received a degree in history, and the University of Oregon Law School. Mr. Benner continues to serve on boards and committees and speaks and writes about growth management and sustainability.
Michael co-founded the law firm of Royce, Swanson, Thomas, & Coon, where he represented workers from 1979-1995 in suits to obtain compensation for injuries resulting from toxic exposure. From 1986 to the present, he was part owner and helped manage a family companys working interest in two small run-of-the-river hydroelectric facilities. He and his wife founded Green Empowerment in 1997 to support isolated rural villages in Asia and Latin America in establishing renewable energy systems. In retirement, Mr. Royce writes and publishes fiction and creative nonfiction.view less