The last year and a half since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit have taught us a lot about ourselves, each other and the true intentions of many people entrusted with leadership positions. Elected officials throughout Oregon and the United States have had the chance to apply their particular political philosophies to direct action in this time. And the results have…
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Having completely failed to address the homeless crisis in any meaningful way, Portland politicians have concocted another way of dealing with it. This mostly involves passing legislation telling every other city throughout Oregon to take care of the problem while simultaneously limiting what they actually can do. Before the Oregon Legislature adjourned on June 26, it passed House Bill 3115.…
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Anyone who is even the least bit familiar with my public political stances knows that I’ve traditionally had a tough time trusting Metro and its officials. This position comes from years of watching this agency chronically waste tax dollars and fail to properly perform its duties and functions. It comes from my dual perspectives as a longtime Clackamas County resident…
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One of the biggest problems we face in Oregon is the growing divide between those in the urban and rural areas. And despite all that they might have in common, public policy issues often come up that remind them that they live in completely different worlds. The most recent example of this is IP-13. It’s an initiative petition that’s being…
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In order to truly thrive, an organization needs to have clearly defined goals and objectives in place. Those goals should be agreed upon by the organization’s leaders and employees and be understood by all involved, for the sake of achieving a sense of buy-in. As chair of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, my duties include getting a sense of…
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Summer is now officially underway. We can all recall last summer, when catastrophic wildfires touched and torched nearly every corner of Oregon. Devastation was literally everywhere, and much of it remains to this very day. The small town of Gates, in the Santiam Canyon, is gone and has started the long rebuilding process. In Southern Oregon, a fire left a…
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Thanks to modern technology, property owners are able to connect to would-be visitors to rent out unused rooms in their houses. It’s proving to be a win-win for those property owners and their guests alike. However, these kinds of voluntary, mutually beneficial arrangements are being threatened by the heavy hands of government overreach and overregulation. Many Clackamas County residents stand…
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Published in Pamplin MediaGroup – EstacadaNews “This is great news for our Clackamas County residents and businesses. I’d like to express my thanks to our local business community and residents for their sacrifices as they worked to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community. I’m hopeful that with our collective efforts we will soon fully reopen and get back…
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Published in Pamplin MediaGroup – PortlandTribune We call on Oregonians to reject obstructionist efforts that ignore the trauma, suffering and future livelihoods of fellow Oregonians. Help us move forward by supporting efforts to restore and replant our treasured forests. Read more… Content credit to Pamplin MediaGroup – PortlandTribune
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This time last year, I was elected chair of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners outright in the May 2020 primary election. I accomplished this by winning over 50 percent of the vote, meaning that a runoff in the November general election would not be necessary. People all over Oregon took notice of my upset win. I had taken on…
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