Safe Communities

For decades, Clackamas County's seniors, the men and women who raised families here, built local businesses, and shaped the communities we all call home, have watched their property tax bills climb year after year on fixed incomes that don't. With median home values near $600,000 and typical tax bills topping $5,300, even Measure 50's modest 3% annual cap compounds into a relentless, mounting burden. The result: too many seniors forced to choose between staying in the homes t

Hoodland's mountain communities—including Government Camp, Welches, and Rhododendron—face unique challenges, from wildfire risk and severe winter weather to growing tourism and limited public services. These communities need leaders who understand rural priorities and deliver practical results. Commissioner Mark Shull has consistently done exactly that.

In Oregon, where universal mail-in voting has been the norm since 1998, convenience has long been touted as a virtue. Ballots arrive automatically, voters mark them at home, and drop boxes or mailboxes complete the process. Yet this system has contributed to a troubling erosion of public confidence in elections across Oregon and the nation...

Clackamas County families are already struggling with rising costs for housing, insurance, groceries, and everyday necessities. The last thing they need is another increase in their electric bills. That is why I do not support massive AI data centers being built in our county unless we can guarantee that local residents will not be forced to pay the costs of private corporate projects.

I believe voters have a right to know who is trying to influence their elected officials. That principle is especially important in local government, where decisions made by the Board of County Commissioners directly affect taxpayers, public safety, county employees and the services our communities depend on.

Folks, look at what’s happening right across the Pacific Northwest. Oregon is blessed with incredible land, hardworking people, forests, farms, and tech talent, yet our streets are a disaster, families are struggling, and government keeps making things worse with one bad decision after another. We don’t need more fancy studies or progressive experiments...

In 1955, a Detroit factory worker earning about $5,000 a year could support a family of four on a single income. He could buy a new house for $7,000, a new car for $2,000, put food on the table, save money monthly, and still ensure his wife never needed to work outside the home. This wasn't a rare success story—it was the norm. That era defined the American middle class...

As a former Clackamas County Commissioner who consistently supported our Sheriff’s Office while championing smarter, more efficient government, I view the recent budget challenges not as a crisis of despair but as an opportunity for innovation and renewed commitment to the safety of our families and communities. The defeat of the public safety levy in May underscores the very real pressures facing taxpayers rising costs, economic uncertainty, and skepticism toward new tax bur

As a former county commissioner and someone who has considered serving in the United States Senate, I have spent years focused on practical solutions that strengthen families, create jobs, and build economic resilience. Few issues matter more than energy. Affordable, reliable electricity underpins manufacturing, small businesses, agriculture, healthcare, and daily life. Without it, costs rise, opportunities shrink, and communities suffer...

Oregon faces serious economic headwinds: stagnant population growth, sluggish job creation in key counties, rising housing costs, and persistent transportation bottlenecks. While Multnomah County has lost jobs and Washington County has leveled off, Clackamas County with its diverse industries, suburban-rural balance, and quality of life has a real opportunity to become the state’s economic standout. As a candidate for County Commissioner, I believe...

The American Dream of homeownership is under immediate, systemic assault from both Wall Street capital and predatory foreign investments, and it requires an urgent, structural policy response before our neighborhoods are permanently stripped from American family property owners. As a retired military officer, former county commissioner, and family man, I have spent decades defending our nation and managing local governance. Today, I am speaking out as a deeply concerned citiz

For nearly four decades, Oregon's 1987 sanctuary law has tied the hands of state and local law enforcement, limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities on civil violations. What began as a well-intentioned bipartisan measure has evolved into a barrier that isolates Oregon from effective partnerships with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)...

As an American patriot concerned about our nation's future, I urge a bold reevaluation of our involvement in NATO. It's time for the United States to withdraw from this outdated alliance, freeing us to prioritize our own security and prosperity in a rapidly changing world. Below, I outline compelling reasons for this step and proposals for resetting our military and foreign policy accordingly...

America is being betrayed—from within and without. For decades, we have bankrolled the United Nations, an organization that actively undermines our sovereignty, empowers our adversaries, spreads virulent anti-Semitism, and wastes billions in a bloated, corrupt bureaucracy. This is no accident; it's a deliberate assault on American greatness...

As we approach July 4, 2026, the United States of America stands on the threshold of its 250th anniversary. Two and a half centuries ago, in the sweltering heat of Philadelphia, brave men pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to declare independence from tyranny and birth a new nation conceived in liberty. This semiquincentennial is not merely a date on the calendar; it is a profound reminder of who we are, what we have overcome, and the bright future th

Fellow Americans, for forty straight years, the Pentagon has given every U.S. President — Republican and Democrat — the same clear, unwavering advice: Do not go to war with Iran. Bush heard it. Obama heard it. Biden pushed back hard against the hawks twice in 2024 alone. The military’s message never changed: Iran is not Iraq.