The past few months have been among the most interesting in my entire life. I started it off by being sworn in as Clackamas County Commissioner, which was and is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever experienced. This came after our county and many others throughout Oregon suffered through massive fires and the resulting smoke. Then there were the…
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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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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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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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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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It’s no secret that our nation is divided. This is typically the case in election years, and especially when we’re set to decide our next presidential administration. All the heated rhetoric and soundbites circulate through traditional media outlets and are now shared and spread on social media, often causing longtime friends and family members to lose touch because they disagree…
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I’ve long maintained that freedom of mobility is a critical component of our quality of life. We are, and should be, free to travel and come and go as we see fit. I believe that one of government’s most important roles is to provide the infrastructure that makes this all possible and keep it up. We benefit from the use…
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After retiring from the military, I set about starting the next phase of my life as a civilian, and I settled into the home that I built north of Sandy. I was happy to enjoy the slower pace of life in my peaceful rural setting. After a while, I started looking around and noticing that things were not as good…
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