Delivering a State of the Region address at the City Club of Portland's Friday Forum, Hughes focused on the economy in his 28-minute speech, talking about bringing jobs to the Portland region and having employees ready to fill them.

Community Investment Initiative Leadership Council co-chair Tom Imeson, presenting on behalf of the Initiative's Leadership Council, offered a PowerPoint slide showing a proposed governance model with Metro, the Port, the state, Greater Portland Inc. and "other" appointing directors to a board overseeing the Regional Infrastructure Enterprise.

Citing a need for an organization focused on regional infrastructure development – specifically for projects that support job creation – leaders of the Community Investment Initiative this week presented the clearest picture yet of their project.

Thursday was the first time the Metro Council met at length to discuss the Community Investment Initiative, born in 2010 as a way to address a $45 billion shortfall in infrastructure funding across the Portland region. Some of the initiative's proposals landed with a thud; others were met with enthusiasm.

Four members of the initiative's Leadership Council – Randy Miller, Joe Rodriguez, Burton Weast and Karen Williams – were at a Metro Council work session Thursday to get feedback from the elected officials on their initial plan.

The Community Investment Initiative's Leadership Council has been meeting for more than a year as part of a Metro-funded effort to look at the region's funding future. The council is adamant that the region's economy will stall without better infrastructure, free-flowing transportation corridors and solid school buildings.

First budget review for new Metro chief operating officer Martha Bennett calls for agency's overall operations spending to decrease by 2 percent. The planning cuts partially reflect a change in that department's focus.

Whether that's in transportation, environmental quality or economic development, councilors said, the interconnected nature of the region means that no city can be an island.

This project started with some seemingly simple questions – what are the region's cities' main priorities for investment? What do they need money for, and how do they plan on spending it? What's the anticipated return? What barriers do they have to success?

As the Community Investment Initiative moves closer to recommendations for regional collaboration, local leaders talk about what it will take to work together.