October 28, 2022

Telling the Truth on Tolling

Tollgate-cm

There are certain signs that a campaign isn’t going well. One of the biggest is when you feel like you have to pay an attorney to contact your opponent and make threats of legal action. While this kind of thing may be more common at the federal level, with the highest public offices in the nation, I never expected to…

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October 25, 2022

Actions Speak Louder

Voter's Education Guide with Election Pamphlet and Bill of Rights -cm

Now that the November 2022 general election is just around the corner, voter pamphlet statements are becoming available to the public. Many voters base their candidate selection on the contents of those pamphlets. Ideally, the statements put together by candidates and their campaigns should be accurate representations of where they stand on the most important issues we face. But that’s…

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October 19, 2022

One of Two Directions

Voting -cm

Because the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners is a five-member body, each election can change its overall direction. Recent history has also shown that ours is a swing county, meaning that its voters go back and forth in their preferences every couple of years. With that being the case, I think there are two different ways that this county can…

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October 18, 2022

My Thoughts on Tolling

Toll gate on the highway -cm

As far as I’m concerned, tolling is the single biggest issue in the race for Clackamas County Commissioner, Position 5. The entire race boils down to this simple question: Do you want to pay to drive on I-5 and/or I-205? If the answer is no, then I am asking for your support so I can work to help stop this…

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October 13, 2022

Metro, By the Numbers

Metro by the numbers-cm

Perhaps one of the greatest points of contrast between myself and my opponent, Clackamas County Commissioner Sonya Fischer, is our attitudes and approaches when it comes to dealing with Metro. Ever since being appointed to commissioner position 5, Fischer has consistently carried water for Metro and its agenda, at the tremendous expense of Clackamas County residents. By contrast, once I’m…

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September 28, 2022

A Voice for the People

Microphone with Crowd -cm

Challenging a sitting incumbent is no easy task. But that’s exactly what I’m doing in this November general election as I campaign for Clackamas County Commissioner, Position 5. On one hand, a current officeholder has several advantages. They get the automatic photo ops. Local media outlets are eager to use their press releases and request interviews. The power of the…

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September 21, 2022

Reading Between the Lines

Interviewing businessman or politician, press conference-cm

There are a lot of nuances involved when it comes to public policy. Candidates will often stick to the most generic, reliable, poll-tested catch phrases to seem as inoffensive as possible and appeal to the broadest cross section of voters. The same phrases, if applied properly, can also mean different things to different people. That’s why it’s important to read…

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April 13, 2022

More Metro Mission Creep

More metro mission creep

One of my core philosophies is that the government should work on doing a handful of things and try to do them as well as possible. Where government agencies frequently run into problems is when they try to do too much and lose focus on those things they’re supposed to be doing in the first place. The State of Oregon…

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March 23, 2022

What Do We Have to Show for Metro?

Property investment, house mortgage financial planning and real estate home refinancing concept with piggy bank saving budget and money coin stacks -cm

Many people don’t know this, but Metro has been around in some form or fashion for about 65 years. It began as the Metropolitan Service District in 1957 and ran under that name until 1966, at which point it became the Columbia Region Association of Governments. A statewide ballot measure passed in 1978 that created its current incarnation. So what…

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