About My Campaign

Our County Is Broken

The problem

The current, and recent, commissioners have been running things for decades. What is the result? We have declining quality of life, addicts dying in the streets, petty crime going unpunished, rampant vandalism/graffiti, and roads that are nearly impassable. In addition to the damage to personal vehicles, this creates dangerous conditions where emergency services cannot carry out their duties. Meanwhile, more and more tax revenue is collected at the county level.

This is sheer mismanagement, and the current group of commissioners ought to be fired by their bosses…we the people.

This isn’t a question of ideology, but one of competence and priorities.

The solution

Instead of embarking on quixotic causes that are firmly within the domain of the state or federal governments, the county should be:

• Joining, as an amicus curiae, the appeal of Martin v. Boise and Black v. City of Grants Pass, which together are tying the hands of counties and municipalities in addressing unsafe and unsanitary camps on public property
• Working with the legislature towards modifying or repealing HB3115 after Grants Pass is struck down
• Reemphasizing proper road maintenance in the budget
• Encouraging the (hopefully incoming) District Attorney’s and Sheriff’s offices to undo some of the ill-advised soft-on-crime policies adopted in recent years
• Exploring new solutions to the homeless mental health crisis, instead of rewarding the nonprofit-industrial complex, possibly revamping the Wapato Jail/Bybee Lakes as a secured drug treatment facility

The challenges

I am under no illusion that I don’t face an uphill battle to be elected. I am not endorsed by any of the groups that constantly have their hands out for the largess handed out by the current commission. Nevertheless, we need someone to stand up to the powers that be. Should I prevail, I would be honored to represent you, and provide one voice on the commission against the entrenched interests that waste your tax dollars and fail to serve you.

I humbly ask for your vote to be the next Multnomah County Commissioner for District 4 in the May 21, 2024 election.