There are certain expectations that come from living in a free society. The most important is that, as long as you work hard, obey the law and don’t hurt anyone else, you’re generally free to go about your business peacefully....
23 March 2022
All Eyes on Clackamas
Even though much of Clackamas County is rural in nature, it’s considered part of the Portland metropolitan area. The “tri-county area” consists of Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties. Those three jurisdictions are also part of Metro. Due to the close...
2 February 2022
Fleeing from a Free-for-All
Over the past year, I’ve written about the decriminalization of two of the biggest problems facing the residents of the Portland metropolitan area and Oregon—drug use and homelessness. Now, some people are hoping to add prostitution to the list of...
29 December 2021
The Tide is Turning
At the beginning of the year, things were admittedly looking bleak. The coronavirus pandemic raged on with no end in sight, prompting many in authority to impose open-ended restrictions and mandates on the rest of us. There was violence and...
3 November 2021
Standing Up for Our Essential Workers
As chair of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, I take much responsibility for what happens with the county, its residents and its employees. The governor’s most recent COVID related mandates drew my attention because of their potential impacts on...
20 October 2021
Honoring our Health Care Heroes
There’s no doubt that the past year and a half has been a challenging time. Countless families around the world have either fought off illness or had relatives succumb to the deadly COVID virus. Health care professionals like nurses have...
22 September 2021
Local Control and the Consent of the Governed
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...
18 August 2021
Blindsides, Broken Promises and Burning Bridges
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...
13 July 2021
What We’re Working Toward
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...
23 June 2021
Fighting for Your Vacation Rental Rights
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,...
