Here are the forum questions and my answers, followed by those of my opponent. The candidate forum was cancelled this year, according to Chamber President Lisa Farquharson, because a number of candidates were unavailable or did not respond to the invitation. As a result, willing candidates responded to 10 questions in written form with a two-day turnaround.
My answers represent the intellectual care, research, consideration of context, and policy specificity I will bring to Salem.
1. What is your position on Measure 114?
I am concerned that this measure’s implementation is not adequately addressed, nor is the unfunded fiscal impact on police and sheriffs’ departments. There is a lack of timeline mandated for OSP to complete background checks. I am especially concerned that the present lack of training availability and no caps on training costs would negatively impact rural communities and low-income gun owners. I will advocate strongly for legislative fixes for what is not working.
I understand the concerns about gun safety of many in District 26 and, as a teacher, I believe we should ensure our communities are safe. Young people look to us adults to lead. As a licensed gun-owner, I want to preserve the rights and privileges that responsible gun owners have earned. Gun permits, gun training, and background checks proposed in this measure sound reasonable; many years ago, this was the platform of the NRA. We have seen other states with similar laws show a significant drop in gun violence.
Oregon already does well with universal background checks, state database of background checks, and extreme risk protection orders.
2. Do you favor, or oppose a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary ordinance in Wasco County?
I oppose a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary ordinance in Wasco County, as I do not believe that gun licensing, red-flag laws, and other common-sense gun safety measures are unconstitutional. In addition, this type of ordinance is largely symbolic and carries no legal weight.
3. What is your main priority if you are elected to office? How do you plan to accomplish your goal and where will the funds come from?
My main priority is affordable and accessible housing.
People who live here should be able to thrive here. As businesses struggle to find quality labor, workers struggle to find affordable housing. The current lack of it impacts workforce recruitment and retention, as rising housing costs lead to workforce migration – a key barrier to business growth.
A few ways we can boost affordable housing stock:
- Ease regulatory red tape by digitizing the permitting process.
- Continue to properly fund career/technical education: “Oregon needs 13,000 more construction workers per year to help close the housing gap…[B]ut city and county planning departments also will need 400-500 additional public sector workers per year to approve, permit and inspect these additional housing units.” [Oregon Capital Chronicle, Sept. 2022] The state can assist with training/cross-training for public employees.
- Expand “medium zoning” housing (duplexes, triplexes); add more boarding houses and “mother-in-law” apartments.
- Develop more public-private partnerships to build affordable apartments. We cannot build our way out of the housing crisis only with expensive, single-family homes.
- Promote home-shares (HomeshareOregon.org) and allow on-driveway RV rentals that expand affordable housing and increase owners’ income.
- Increase and provide wrap-around services for shelters and transitional housing – providing temporary shelter is not a sustainable method to move transitional housing tenants to self-reliance.
- Facilitate co-housing and tiny home developments, as well as RV and mobile home parks.
- Increase mixed-use density in our small-town downtowns (stores below, apartments above).
- Incentivize next-generation building techniques, like low-carbon 3D printed homes, straw bale construction, and mass timber construction.
How should we accomplish this? I support creating and maintaining coalitions and partnerships- bringing stakeholders and legislators together for a common purpose. I am focused on leveraging current resources to achieve new and additional objectives. Federal programs are already available to provide funding support and technical assistance for multifamily dwellings and can help pilot new, evidence-based approaches to housing projects. We need to both evaluate how we are currently spending our state dollars for maximum impact and cost-savings, and determine how to most effectively put federal funds to use.
4. What are your thoughts about the SB 762 wildfire risk legislation?
“Senate Bill (SB) 762 (2021) created a statewide approach to a wide range of wildfire mitigation measures. The legislature directed the Building Codes Division to adopt fire hardening building code standards…that could be applied to areas of the state mapped as extreme or high risk and that are in the wildland urban interface.”
Note:
- No action is required at this time.
- Building code standards do not apply retroactively.
- The Oregon Wildfire Risk Map from the Oregon Department of Forestry has temporarily been withdrawn for further refinement.
More information at the SB 762 Implementation website.
I support this legislation. Most Oregonians understand that wildfires are becoming more frequent and catastrophic; to continue without adapting imperils lives and communities. A statewide risk-assessment map was designed to hone where to focus fire-prevention resources, land-use restrictions, and building codes. Work on the map is ongoing.
This legislation highlights the responsibility of all people living in wildfire-prone areas for fire prevention and fire-spread prevention. It establishes dozens of new programs to help fight and reduce wildfires, help communities adapt to smoke, and improve the state’s building code within high-risk areas where wildland and buildings meet (the wildland-urban interface). This bill was passed in a bi-partison manner; only 6 representatives voted against it, one of whom was my opponent.
There will be legislative involvement in the upcoming sessions to focus on implementation. As the co-founder of the C02 Foundation, which addresses responses to climate events such as wildfires, I am uniquely qualified to participate.
5. What are your thoughts on how the pandemic was handled in Oregon? Knowing what you know today would you change anything?
Certainly, COVID-19 placed considerable stress on our communities, businesses, families, and the healthcare system. The Commonwealth Fund released new data in June showing that Oregon experienced better health outcomes from the pandemic than all but 4 states, as shown in key areas: hospital and ICU capacity; vaccination rates; and “excess mortality,” or death rates that exceed historical norms.
On the economy, Oregon’s economy rebounded by 5.8% from this time last year, whereas our economy had retracted only 2.8%. [CNBC: “Oregon Rebounds as America’s Most Improved State for Business,” July 2022]
However, COVID laid bare inequities impacting our frontline workforce, school personnel and healthcare workers – and the need for public support. Businesses were whipsawed between shut-downs. Without community support for basic measures preventing disease transmission, continued transparency by government decision-makers, and good-faith weighing of medical, social-emotional, and economic impacts, our community will be at greater risk, if COVID resurges or a new zoonotic disease emerges, as is statistically likely.
Of course, we have the luxury of hindsight now. Again, I rely on creating and maintaining coalitions and partnerships, bringing stakeholders together, which would include the business community, state and federal legislators, school districts, and healthcare professionals for a coordinated response to an inherently tragic event.
6. Would you vote against your party caucus if you felt it would not be beneficial for your constituents?
Yes, I would. I will seek to communicate with constituents about whole or parts of proposed bills I agree or disagree with, and also respectfully communicate with my caucus during information gathering and deliberation about parts of legislation I find problematic. I will strongly advocate for rural interests.
I earned my degree in mathematics, with a minor in political science. I am able to identify strong questions to ask, remain open-minded and unbiased in exploring solutions, and be guided by logic and verifiable knowledge – always being willing to consider new ideas and information. As a STEM teacher, these are the habits of mind I tried to pass on to my students. These habits of mind also guided my work as the executive director of a climate change education foundation, the CO2 Foundation. I am a trained problem solver – willing and able to find solutions for significant challenges that face us.
7. What is your stance on the timber industry? Do you agree or disagree with harvesting and replanting timber?
Yes, I agree with harvesting and replanting timber. The timber industry is a historically foundational sector for Oregon’s state economy, and an important resource for rural economies – from harvests to recreational activities. Over 60,000 Oregonians are employed by the timber industry, and 47% of the state is considered forest land,
We have the privilege and responsibility of protecting this great resource for future generations.
I support jobs in our forests that include sustainable timber harvesting, forest thinning, juniper management, biomass expansion, and more biodiverse timber planting. One issue I have with Oregon’s timber industry is the increasing number of out-of-state timber companies, as well as investment funds and real estate trusts controlling Oregon’s timber industry. That, plus unfairly low tax structures, cause significant lost revenue for our rural communities.
Some good news: The Oregon Mass Timber Coalition has received a $41.4M grant funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, to modernize and boost the forest product industry in Oregon. The Coalition aims to bring down the cost of building homes, provide good jobs, and restore forest health.
8. Do you favor reducing or eliminating capital gains on investment properties for seniors?
Currently, over 15 million (9.4%) seniors are economically insecure, living with incomes less than poverty levels in the US. Oregon fares a bit better, with 8.4% seniors living below poverty levels. I would prioritize ways to lift seniors out of poverty, and consider proposals such as capping capital gains on mandatory retirement withdrawals before prioritizing eliminating capital gains on investment properties for seniors. I think we can work toward other ways to spur real estate markets.
9. How are you going to support our businesses?
Small businesses employ 55% of the private workforce in Oregon, with more self-employment in rural districts like ours. It’s critical to develop and support a healthy economy, built on the services and industries of the future.
State-level partnerships with counties and municipalities, like the Governor’s Regional Solutions Center, and our economic development districts supported by the federal Department of Commerce (MCEDD here in The Dalles), assist rural business owners to address specific issues they face. I will advocate in Salem to streamline/thin out onerous red tape required for start-ups and existing businesses.
A strong and competitive business economy means having an accessible economy, which includes adequate and affordable housing, access to quality education, and infrastructure development support. Infrastructure gaps create barriers for both employees and employers. Basic infrastructure like high-speed broadband is still subpar in rural Oregon. Financial support from USDA and Oregon’s ROI program for rural businesses helps, but we need improved infrastructure for long-term success.
10. What is your position on new taxes or fees for businesses in Oregon?
I am not a proponent of new taxes or fees. We do need to ensure that basic services are funded. With my business background and mathematics degree I will focus on ensuring the numbers match up, that tax monies are spent with care, and no sector is disproportionately burdened.
My opponent’s answers to the same questions:
- What is your position on Measure 114?
I oppose Measure 114. - Do you favor, or oppose a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary ordinance in Wasco County?
I certainly wouldn’t oppose a statement like that from our county government, but think it is unnecessary – the constitution and 2nd Amendment provide all the protection we need. - What is your main priority if you are elected to office? How do you plan to accomplish your goal and where will the funds come from?
My number one priority is bringing balance and common sense to Salem. The
Democrat majority of the past 10 years has brought increased crime, homelessness, and taxes to our community and state, while simultaneously degrading the quality of our public education. The state is on the wrong track under complete single party rule. It’s imperative that the Legislature remembers that all funds come from the taxpayers. The government doesn’t produce anything – so it must be a good steward of the peoples’ money. - What are your thoughts about the SB 762 wildfire risk legislation?
I voted no on SB 762 for two major reasons: 1.) the wildfire risk maps proposed in the legislation were always going to lead to increased premiums for certain homeowners and or cancelled coverage – an effort by Democrats to dictate to rural Oregonians where they can and cannot live, 2.) the state is in desperate need of investment in our State and Federal forests that have become overgrown with underbrush and too much density of smaller trees- thinning our forests will create healthier forests and mitigate against wildfire risk- SB 762 failed to fund the identified $200 million per year investment over the next 20 years to do the forest treatment identified by the governor’s wildfire council.
- What are your thoughts on how the pandemic was handled in Oregon? Knowing what you know today would you change anything?
Oregon’s pandemic response was authoritative and over the top. To this day, we still have a vaccine mandate to teach or volunteer in public schools. The school shut downs left our kids years behind, businesses were forced to close- some never reopening, and freedoms were taken unnecessarily. Other states and other countries proved that you could educate people about the risk, provide accurate information, and allow individuals to make decisions for themselves – all the while keeping people alive and healthy. - Would you vote against your party caucus if you felt it would not be beneficial for your constituents?
My vote consideration is as follows: the Constitution, my conscience, my
constituents, then my caucus. - What is your stance on the timber industry? Do you agree or disagree with harvesting and replanting timber?
Timber is one of our most valuable natural resources and we should be doing more to ensure the long-term viability of this essential industry. Log it, Graze it, or Watch it burn- is a fair sentiment when it comes to our approach to forest management. Oregon drove out a lot of this industry in the name of saving the spotted owl. Today, we have less production capacity, less jobs, more trees, and more fires than ever- even as the spotted owl population continues to decline. Oregon historically has been a responsible steward of our natural resources with those in the Timber industry recognizing that responsible harvest today allows for continued harvest for generations to come. We
should set policy that allows for reinvestment in mills and harvesting with long term certainty. - Do you favor reducing or eliminating capital gains on investment properties for seniors?
The most helpful tax change we can make for seniors is to freeze property taxes at retirement age. I know too many people who are on fixed incomes that now pay more for their property taxes than they did for their original mortgage. - How are you going to support our businesses?
Restoration of balance in Salem would allow for removal of unnecessary regulation and taxes that have made doing business in Oregon challenging. The state needs to invest in programs that develop well-trained and qualified employees to boost our workforce that has been lacking since the pandemic. - What is your position on new taxes or fees for businesses in Oregon?
We need to remove tax burdens from business and allow small businesses to invest in their employees. Allowing businesses to reinvest in themselves will grow and strengthen our local economy.
Finally, here is the full public document, which includes a number of candidates’ responses.