It’s hard not to be disturbed by much of what we’ve seen in the news the past few months. What makes it worse is that some of the worst images of riots and civil unrest from across the entire country are coming from nearby downtown Portland. My professional background gives me a particular perspective on issues relating to criminal justice.…
Continue readingIt was recently announced that Multnomah County will be taken off of the state’s COVID-19 watch list. Multnomah County had been on it since July 30, meaning that its businesses and residents faced additional restrictions for about a month. While it’s good for Multnomah County that it’s being taken off of the watch list, the fact that it was ever…
Continue readingI’ll admit that I didn’t know what to expect when I first started using the Nextdoor app for Aloha. Internet technology has certainly made the world a smaller place. But I’ve also seen it cause division and distance between friends and family members. Instead, I ended up being amazed at the camaraderie I saw people have in their own individual…
Continue readingThis article was recently published on The Oregonian’s website about a debate that took place August 12 at the Westside Economic Alliance between Metro officials and opponents of a proposed $7 billion measure that will be on your ballot this November. The $7 billion would be funded by a permanent payroll tax on employers in the Metro area that includes…
Continue readingThroughout my public service career, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that leadership is a team sport. This is especially true in government, where the end goal is to serve all the citizens to the best extent possible, despite our differences. Unfortunately, common sense leadership has lost ground to ideologically-based leadership to our detriment. True leadership involves…
Continue readingEarlier in life, I never would have guessed that I would end up running for public office. But the path that led me to file for Washington County Commissioner made it almost inevitable. I have long called the city of Beaverton and this county home, from my days of attending Vose Elementary and Highland Park Middle School to my graduation…
Continue readingI can fondly remember my days of growing up in Beaverton. So many of the roads seemed rural back then and stretched in between different large farm properties. So much has changed since then. Those back-country roads have become increasingly urbanized. The tractors that used to drive slowly on them have been replaced with lines of cars driven by frustrated…
Continue readingThe high cost of housing is one of the most important issues facing Washington County residents. It affects literally every man, woman and child in the county, regardless of whether they rent or buy, or live in a house or an apartment. This is one of those problems that we’ve seen government agencies try to solve any number of ways.…
Continue reading