31/03/2021

The Ways in Which I Will Serve

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A lot is involved with being a Clackamas County commissioner. Aside from being part of the board that manages the daily operations of one of Oregon’s largest counties, the commissioners also work with several different outside entities on a wide variety of public policy areas. On February 21, I was assigned to several positions on various committees, councils and commissions…

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10/03/2021

Searching for Housing Solutions

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Residents of Clackamas County, the Portland metropolitan area and all throughout Oregon have felt the crunch in recent years of skyrocketing housing costs. Rising rents add to the cost of living for families and individuals, and also make it more difficult to save enough money to buy a house. Homeownership has long been a cornerstone of the American Dream and…

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17/02/2021

Preserving Our Freedom of Assembly

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On Friday, February 5, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down California’s stringent restrictions on indoor religious service gatherings. The 6-3 decision was in the case of South Bay United Pentecostal Church vs. Gavin Newsom. Justices Breyer, Kagan and Sotomayor were all in dissent. Up until the ruling, California had the most extreme restrictions on worship in the entire United States.…

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10/02/2021

Planning Ahead for the Future

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Clackamas County is in an interesting position right now. Even though it has the smallest population of the three counties in the Portland metropolitan area, it’s still Oregon’s third most populous county. As of 2019, around 418,187 people called Clackamas County home. Washington County was at 601,592 and Multnomah had 812,855 residents. Many of issues that our residents are most…

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12/11/2020

Mark Shull wins election to Clackamas County Commission.

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Published in Pamplin MediaGroup – PortlandTribune Mark Shull ran on a platform of housing affordability, improving transportation, accountable government, fiscal responsibility and preserving Clackamas County’s unique identity. Read More.. Content credit to Pamplin MediaGroup – PortlandTribune

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27/10/2020

In Defense of the American Way

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Like many of you, I’ve closely watched the events of the past few months, both locally and nationally. Oregon’s largest city, Portland, has become the poster child for the differing visions of what our great nation should be. Knowing that the riots and lawlessness are happening not too far from Clackamas County has been a huge source of discomfort for…

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21/10/2020

Using Tax Dollars to Campaign for Tax Dollars

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As voters in Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties are scheduled to decide on a payroll tax to pad Metro’s pockets, that agency is facing an elections complaint. The complaint was recently filed by Tootie Smith, the incoming chair of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. In the May primary election, Smith defeated incumbent chair Jim Bernard, who has been found…

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14/10/2020

What We Don’t Want to Become

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I can remember when Portland was considered a clean, safe, affordable city. Decades ago, it had the distinction of being one of the nicest big cities in the entire United States. Because of its natural scenic beauty, “livability” became one of Portland’s big draws. All along, the city was already known for being somewhat quirky. “Keep Portland Weird” became the…

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07/10/2020

Birds of a Feather

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An old cliché states that you can judge a man by the company he keeps. If that’s the case, it certainly does not bode well for current Clackamas County Commissioner Ken Humberston, who has gone out of his way to be associated with outgoing Commissioner Jim Bernard. Bernard was defeated in the May primary election due largely to some of…

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30/09/2020

Just Say No to Metro

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Ideally, government agencies exist to serve the public and solve problems. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Some agencies seem to do more to create and perpetuate those problems for the sake of justifying their own existence. And when those same problems persist, bureaucrats at those agencies claim it’s because they need more money. Taxes are raised over…

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