Standing up for small towns and local governments

Prior to my current career as a local government administrator, I spent years working as a reporter, covering city council, county commissioner and school board meetings for various media outlets. Most of those local government entities were in small Oregon towns, but that wasn’t all that they had in common. Every single one of them - and the rural communities they serve - were struggling in some way or another. As I sat through more and more meetings in more and more towns, I couldn’t help but notice that those struggles were often the result of policy decisions made at the state level.

That made me curious as to what happens inside the state capitol in Salem on a daily basis during a legislative session. I got my opportunity to find out just over 20 years ago, when then-state Representative Dennis Richardson asked if I was interested in being his legislative aide. Naturally, I accepted and moved to a studio apartment within walking distance of the capitol days before the 2005 session started. What I learned in that environment only confirmed what I’d already suspected.

After that session ended, I wound up back in Southern Oregon, where I started my career. I was once again covering local government meetings, but I had a better understanding of the massive disconnect between Salem and the rural parts of the state. That disconnect became even more obvious to me after returning to the capitol in 2013. I ended up serving as chief of staff for Sen. Doug Whitsett, whose district included parts of central and Southern Oregon.

I always made it a point to travel around the state when every legislative session adjourned. That disconnect was still there and seemed to grow more every year. It also served as a source of inspiration and a central theme for my third book, “On the Cusp of Chaos.” Half of its chapters detail the inner workings of the capitol. The other chapters all take place in different rural communities.

Being at the capitol gave me a great setup for graduate school, and I took advantage of it to earn my Executive Masters in Public Administration. The years since have given me the chance to channel my passion for helping struggling rural towns. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek recently announced the formation of a Prosperity Council, which is aimed at making recommendations to solve some of the state’s biggest problems. This is a golden opportunity for those same struggling cities, counties, school districts and special districts to make sure that they become part of that conversation.

My hope is that through the League of Oregon Cities and other similar entities, a robust legislative agenda can be formulated in time for the 2027 session to give some relief to the local government agencies that are on the front lines of providing critical public services. Senator Whitsett used to end every one of his legislative newsletters with the line, “Please remember, if we do not stand up for rural Oregon, no one will.” Even though he retired from the Senate in 2017, those words still ring just as true as they ever did. I’m trying my best to stand up for rural Oregon and would like to see other local government officials decide to do the same. Now is our chance. We need to take advantage of it. If we don’t, those struggles will not only continue, but multiply over time.