Good News for Governing Ourselves...

What if...

What if you took the two most controversial (and perhaps complex) measures on our upcoming Oregon ballot -- this year that would be Measure 73 (mandatory minimum sentences for new categories of repeat offenders) and Measure 74 (legalizing dispensaries to provide medical marijuana). And let's say you gathered a group of Oregon citizens at random, people starting off with no financial, political or big ideological stake in these issues. Then say you had the time and resources to give them plenty of good, responsible information, let them hear from advocates on both sides, let them ask all the questions they want. Then you gave them time to discuss and deliberate and give their judgment on the issues. And THEN their opinions went into the Voters Pamphlet (right alongside with the statements of the rah-rah supporters and opponents of the measures) for you to read before you voted.

Think that would improve our system? Well, for the first time, all of that has happened, and you in fact have a chance to read the opinions of unbiased, very well-informed citizens, all thanks to Healthy Democracy Oregon. Check it out and see if it gives you some optimism about citizenship and political process in our state. It did for me.

My opponent takes me aside

After a meeting we both attended last week, my opponent asked if I had a minute and led me to the corner of a hallway. He looked at me with a lot of intensity and said "I just want you to know that I'm going to be running this campaign on the issues. Not on personalities, not on rumors or any of that stuff, just on the issues."

Same goes for me, I told him. We agreed that we have an opportunity to give citizens a quality election campaign without the usual ugliness and distractions. We shook hands and as he turned away he said, "and I want you to know that I'm telling my team that, too."

I don't know who's on his team, but if you're supporting our campaign, I count you on my team. So I'm saying to you what he claims to be saying to his team: let's keep this on issues and steer clear of any last-minute garbage. He is stepping up and asking to do important public service, and from what I can tell (I only met him a few months ago) he's a thoroughly decent guy. The difference between us, and it's big, is our beliefs on what Jackson County needs to thrive. You've heard mine, or can read them on the website. And his? Well, here's his website. See what you think.

I hope you're with us this election. Part of being with us is resisting any urge to scorch him, no matter what flaming Letters to the Editor come our way. I'm asking everyone involved with this campaign to keep your eye on the ball: a viable, quality future for us and the next generation.

Releasing the Local Jobs Agenda

Some say there are three big issues this election year, in national state and local elections alike: 1) Jobs 2) Jobs and 3) Jobs.

That's not hard to understand. You don't have to look farther than page after page of foreclosure notices in the local paper to know that many working people are in the hardest crunch of their lives. We can design all the nifty government programs we want, but the hard reality won't change without developing stable, quality jobs.

How can county government help that happen? A couple of months ago we started a research project to find out. The result is our Local Jobs Agenda, which we think is unlike any report ever offered before in a Jackson County Commissioner race. It's not THE ANSWER...we don't think that exists. But it puts forward sound actionable ideas, and can stimulate more from others who are serious about putting Rogue Valley people back to work. That's the whole idea.

Take a look and tell us what you think.

A Second Nomination

It's been coming for a while, but this week it's official: the Independent Party of Oregon has given us its nomination. This is the first time anyone's had both a major party nomination and the Independent nomination for Jackson County Commissioner. Oh, there's this small detail: carrying multiple nominations has only been possible in Oregon for the last couple of years, since "fusion" nominations have been authorized by Oregon law.

We're proud of this. The people who created this party are laser-focused on reducing special-interest ownership of our politics, and are working against steep odds to make that happen. I thank them for their bold work, and for this nomination.

They're stepping up purely for the good of it

Just came back from a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) outing up in the Oak Knoll subdivision on Ashland's southeast edge, 18 hours after fire destroyed eleven homes. We canvassed the neighborhood, making sure everyone was ok and looking for smoldering patches that the wind could possibly whip back up into flames.

Turned out to be a pretty uneventful canvass. And hot (104). But seeing a squad of volunteers show up to minimize chances of a second-round catastrophe, people moved purely by an urge to help and comfort -- that feels so good. Our Strength is Our Community.

Grounding a Slogan in the Real World

Our Strength is Our Community. It's our campaign slogan, and today I walked into a great nuts-and-bolts example, a meeting of the Jackson County Task Force on Homelessness. There I found about 30 dedicated people from a couple of dozen organizations, some of whom have been meeting monthly for 20 years to deal with this problem.

Think about it. Homelessness, spreading by the week at exactly the same time governments are cutting back on services, has to be near the top of the list of problems where people might throw up their hands and say "Man, it's really terrible, but there's no way we can solve it." This group of professionals and volunteer leaders somehow missed the memo that there's little or nothing that can be done. They're aiming not just to ease the worst pains of homelessness, but to eliminate it in ten years. And not by whistling a happy tune and thinking happy thoughts; check out their Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness and see if it doesn't raise the bar for you on what's possible in these rough times.

Making this plan work will take a mountain of effort, of collaboration, of tenacity and letting go of turf concerns. It will also take laser-focused leadership from County Commissioners. Not easy. But this report leaves you convinced it can actually be done.

And that Our Strength is Our Community.

Who's making a difference?

I'm completely excited that Community Building Blocks is up and running, thanks to volunteer coordinator Cynthia Salbato. It describes some of the amazingly creative work people are doing every day to make this Valley stronger, healthier, more resilient, and just more enjoyable as a place to live and work. Check it out, and then if you know if any project around here that deserves more attention, help us get the word out with an email to salbatoc@gmail.com.
We're hoping this chronicle of great & generous project will outlive this election, and stir even more folks to make a difference. Thanks, Cynthia...