A Voice for Central Oregon in Salem

Meet Mike at an Upcoming Event

​August 9, 2022 (12-1:15) - Rotary Club of Greater Bend Debate with Michael Sipe and Emerson Levy www.bendrotary.org

August 20, 2022 (10am-3pm) - 2022 CASCADE CAR SHOW in downtown Redmond redmondcarshows.com

​October 6, 2022 (6:30pm) - Deschutes County Government Building—Sawyer Room - The League of Women Voters of Deschutes County and City Club of Central Oregon in-person candidate forum for the Oregon State House Representative 53rd & 54th Districts. RSVP to: info@lwvdeschutes.org

Even though the primary elections are done and I am officially the Republican Party nominee to represent House District 53, people still ask:

Why Are You Running?

As best I can tell, about a third of my friends are registered Democrats, about a third are registered Republicans and about a third are pretty fed up with the whole sorry political mess and call themselves independent or unaffiliated. The thing is, none of them have their identity linked to a political party. While I'm running as a Republican candidate, my experience is that we are bound much more by our common beliefs, culture and values as Central Oregonians than we are by whatever party name happens to be on the ballot we receive at election time. The position I'm running for is called "State Representative," which means the job is to represent ALL Central Oregonians, regardless of party affiliation, and seek the highest and best outcomes for everyone in our region while serving in Salem. 

Here's what people in HD 53 are telling me:

- “Our country, our state and our region are in worse shape economically, culturally, relationally, educationally and politically than they were two or three years ago...and it seems like things are getting worse each month.”
- “It’s all crazy-making, and I don’t know what to do about it."
- “I’m thinking about leaving Central Oregon.”

​That brings up four choices:
1. Pack up and leave Oregon in search of sanity. (Way too many of my friends have done that.)
2. Keep your head down and just hope “this too will pass.” (I know lots of people hunkered down like this.)
3. Complain nonstop and do little to make things better. (You and I both know these folks.)
4. Be part of the solution. That’s what my wife Cathie and I decided to do.

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We love Central Oregon. We love the people of Central Oregon. This is our home. It’s worth working for. It’s worth serving. It's worth saving. That’s why I’m running.

I believe that politics does not have to be ugly. We can say a prayer, shake a hand, give a hug, look each other in the eye and seek to understand. Together, we can find common ground and develop creative solutions to the challenges that face us. We can love God and love people. We can pursue righteousness, act justly, love mercy and walk humbly. We can be friends, colleagues and co-workers. We can be community. We can be The Heart of Central Oregon™.

I believe the core values of the majority of the people of Central Oregon are superior to the clamoring voices from over the hill. I believe that not only do our values need to be preserved, our voice needs to be heard in Salem. We can be a clarion call to common sense for the entire state.

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Here's the deal: the 2022 District 53 State Representative race is going to come down to a simple choice:
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Do we continue to have a mainstream, rational Central Oregon voice in Salem to help secure our region and shape our state for the better?

Or

Do we give up, yield our future to the extreme radical views of the Salem politicians currently in control and let things continually get worse?

Cathie and I choose to work for Central Oregon. We choose to work for common values, common good and for common sense.

​I hope you’ll work with us. I hope you’ll vote for me.

​P.S. You can reach me with your comments and suggestions on the Contact Page. 

Mike

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