In any even partially complete survey of last year’s activism, we’d be remiss not to include the oldest business group in North Portland. Especially this year.

Founded in 1926, the St. Johns Boosters recently voted in a whole new board. Fierce election campaigning in 2008 yielded few fresh faces, but the epic tally of Dec. 7, 2009, ended the reign of several executives who had served since the ’90s.

The organization’s membership has also skyrocketed in the past two years from about 12 to 83 members. After long sharing a space with the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival on North Alta Avenue, the Boosters are gearing up to announce a new, larger space.

“The biggest difference between the old group and the new group is that everyone now lives here and works here,” says Sarah Anderson, Anna Bannanas Coffee Shop co-owner and Boosters secretary.

Anderson replaces Jaime Potts, owner of the Atomic Daylight clothing line, in the secretary position, so Potts can move up as the Boosters’ president after being a member for less than two years. “Jaime’s got a lot of energy and a lot of love for this area,” Anderson says.

Both acknowledge that the Boosters have a tough road ahead. For years there have been political blockades between the Boosters and various neighborhood associations. Potts says it’s simply a matter of getting everyone on the same page, so she’s counting on plenty of crossover with other associations.

“It’s been like an octopus because everybody’s got arms that are going off in different directions,” she says. Because the groups say they want the same basic things, they see it as a matter of not doubling up work and not stepping on each other’s toes, or tentacles, as the case may be.

Robin Plance, founding member of the St. Johns Main Street Coalition, is looking forward to a new year of productive activities. “We’ve had our disagreements in the past, but we’ve also had some successes,” he says. “This is an opportunity to move forward in a positive way and forge new relationships rather than rehash old differences.”

Plance and the Boosters saw symbolism in the new arrangements when various neighborhood groups came together in the St. Johns Plaza Dec. 12 to light up the neighborhood’s first holiday tree in 15 years. The 20-foot-tall tree doubles as a political feat, and marks what neighborhood activists hope to be a new tradition of organization, promotion, economic redevelopment, and urban design.

Potts has already put Boosters treasurer Carol Ellis, owner of Tré Bone pet specialty shop, in charge of the St. Johns marketing effort aimed at the larger metro area. They see a small-town attraction in the Portland neighborhood that’s akin to some of Oregon’s cute coastal towns. 

“We’re not on the way to anything, so we have to make ourselves a destination,” Potts says. “We really want people to realize that there are vital independent businesses out here and not just a strip of bars.”

With the Main Street project, they’re looking to rebuild the downtown area into a viable and beautiful area, starting with a renovation of the plaza. Potts doesn’t want the drive for a new plaza to interfere with helping out other areas. 

“We need to reach out to North Fessenden [Street], which has been largely forgotten, being off from the main business district around [North] Lombard Street,” she says.

Another founding member of the Main Street Coalition, Booster member Angel O’Brien, owner of Ladybug Organic Coffee, thinks the groups are going to be able to work together. “Boosters leadership is a good representation of the business community for the first time,” she says. “Every time there’s a big transition, things aren’t going to happen very quickly, but I have big hopes for the future.”