In 2022 I Applied for the Job of Being Your State Representative. I May Do So Again.
In the meantime, I'm asking that you vote for me on May 16, 2023 so that I can serve on the non-partisan Central Oregon Community College Board - Zone 6.
Unfortunately, in the race for State Representative I fell short by 509 votes and did not get elected. Once all the votes were counted and the precinct totals were available, the reason I fell short became clear. The answer is presented in detail here in my Blog post "A Region Divided."
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Regardless of the State Representative race, my desire to serve our region continues. Currently, I'm on the May 16 ballot, running for the
Central Oregon Community College Board - Zone 6
The COCC Board is a non-partisan, volunteer, service-based position. I’m a small business owner and community leader. Education has been part of my family for three generations. My grandfather was a school principal, my grandmother and mother were teachers, and I am an executive coach, consultant and trainer. I have a passion for education, especially career and vocationally-focused education. I am interested in serving on the COCC board because of COCC’s commitment to its core mission, its community learning offerings (I have participated as a student) and its small business offerings (I have taught some courses).
I also support COCC’s engagement as a great community partner in our region. This is an area in which I can especially provide value to the college, as I have broad connections across Central Oregon in the business community, in the nonprofit community, in the faith community and in the government sphere, both locally and at the state level. I believe these connections set me apart from other candidates for the position.
In Army Ranger training, I learned to quickly assess situations and make critical decisions. As a business coach and consultant, I help leaders solve problems in innovative ways. As a mergers and acquisitions advisor for over 30 years, I’ve learned how to collaboratively bring people with diverse perspectives into positive agreement, creating the possibility for forward progress. I’ll bring business sense, commonsense, consensus-building and strong budgetary skills to the COCC Board.
I’ve served our region for many years, including:
New Each Morning Board (serving women graduates of addiction recovery programs)
Annual Central Oregon Community Prayer Breakfast, Founder
Annual Bend Christmas Parade, Chairman
Bend Chamber of Commerce, Former Board Member
Rotary Club of Greater Bend, Past President
2022 Deschutes County Fair, Title Sponsor
2022 Candidate for Oregon HD53 State Representative
I'd appreciate your vote for the COCC Board!
TheCOCC position calls for working collaboratively for the highest and best outcomes for all, rather than engaging in partisan political power plays. If you agree, then the issue becomes who is the most qualified person for the job, just like in hiring for any other position. The three main reasons you should hire me for the job can be categorized as:
Personal, Professional and Practical.
Personal
EMPATHYA good Representative should have a high degree of empathy. When you look at my website bio, you’ll see that I’ve lived a very full and diverse life that gives me deep insight, understanding and much empathy for people in all walks of life and in all circumstances. Frankly, this kind of true empathy comes only from having a wide variety of life experiences.
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VALUESAlthough there is a far-left fringe in Central Oregon that the other applicant appeals to, my foundational core values are very much aligned with the moderate, mainstream values of the majority of Central Oregonians. I’m a commonsense alternative to the craziness we see in Salem and Portland.
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SERVICEThe way you know if someone is a servant is not by hearing them talk about how they want to serve, but by observing them actually serve over time. My life has been devoted to service. Service in the military, service to business clients, service in church, and service to the community. Please see my website bio for details.
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Professional
EXPERIENCEAs a mergers and acquisitions advisor and business consultant, I’ve been negotiating deals and bringing angry people fighting over money into positive agreement for over 30 years. Sounds a lot like politics, right? The lessons learned from decades of turning contentiousness and competition into collaboration and creativity will serve you well in my work as your State Legislator.
BUSINESS SENSEI’ve been an entrepreneur and business leader my entire career. Nearly all the work of a State Representative involves tax and budget matters. I have the business sense, practical experience and financial acumen to avoid wasting your tax money, and the business perspective of always looking for the highest return on an investment that the State might make with your tax dollars.
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Practical
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BALANCE MATTERSOur State has been under one party domination for 10 years. This has been a recipe for terrible policy decisions that have led us to a place where, according to a poll conducted for Oregon Public Broadcasting, 73% of Oregonians think our state is on the wrong track. Multiple other polls this year confirm the findings. I agree with them. Our education system is about 45th in the country. We have the 9th highest cost of living. Our homeless problem is out of control. We have the worst addiction and mental health problems and the least treatment. We have chaos and violence in the streets of our cities. Bottom line: our elected officials have failed us. It’s time for a change. It’s time to re-balance our State government.
INDEPENDENCEI’m a political outsider and I have no political ambitions other than to serve Central Oregon well in the Legislature. I'm a commonsense, business-minded, independent thinker motivated by positive results, not political advancement. Visit my blog page and media page for detailed examples of creative solutions to many of the problems that plague our State, like homelessness, public safety, inflation, childcare, housing and transportation.
Practically speaking, if you choose the other applicant for the job, we’ll just get another junior legislator ambitiously in lock step with the party that, because of single party control, has produced all the messes we face today. The result: We’ll get more and more of the Kate Brown and Tina Kotek policies that have failed us all. |
Choose a Voice in Salem for Central Oregon,
Not a Voice in Central Oregon for Portland and Salem!
The choice in this job applicant process is really simple.
If you hire the other applicant, Central Oregon will lose its voice in Salem.
If you hire her, Portland and Salem will simply have another voice in Central Oregon.
On the other hand, when you hire me, Central Oregon will have a strong, commonsense, moderate, mainstream voice in Salem.
My wife Cathie and I choose to work for Central Oregon. We choose to work for common values, common good and for common sense.
You can reach me with your comments and suggestions on the Contact Page.
Not a Voice in Central Oregon for Portland and Salem!
The choice in this job applicant process is really simple.
If you hire the other applicant, Central Oregon will lose its voice in Salem.
If you hire her, Portland and Salem will simply have another voice in Central Oregon.
On the other hand, when you hire me, Central Oregon will have a strong, commonsense, moderate, mainstream voice in Salem.
My wife Cathie and I choose to work for Central Oregon. We choose to work for common values, common good and for common sense.
You can reach me with your comments and suggestions on the Contact Page.
