VOTE411 Voter Guide

Houselessness and affordable/available housing are two intertwined issues. I support the work being done by the Mid-Willamette Valley Homeless alliance and Community Action Agency to prevent houselessness and to quickly rehouse those who need it.

Housing must be addressed by using a smart growth approach, balancing compact development and transit-oriented development. We also must determine how to create the necessary infrastructure for the expected growth in the region.

Transportation planning and equity is a concern. There are many people eligible for services that don’t receive them. We need to establish a Polk County Transportation Commission that will ensure equity and availability of services for all modes of transportation.

I have 40 years’ experience in public service, private industries, and academia. Six years as a Monmouth city councilor, and 20 years in public transportation at ODOT and Cherriots.

Sixteen years at Stanford University and Chevron in transportation, training, mar/com, org. development, and emergency response.

In the last 40 years, I have gained expertise in strategic planning, transportation, finance, stakeholder relationships, policies dev. and grant management.

My leadership skills include interactive listening and emotional intelligence. I am transparent, adaptable, inclusive, and I work collaboratively. I am a generalist with years of experience, but also an area expert in communication, transportation and service equity.

In addition to the smart and managed growth suggestions I made earlier, since we are the second fastest growing county in the state, we need to be advocating for funds for our cities and the county to put in the infrastructure now for water, sewer, and transportation (roads, bridges, and public transit) that we will for 2050. I believe good work is already underway, but we need to continue to advocate for state and federal funds to support our growth and we need to continue to look for ways to work within our land use rules to protect our farmlands, while planning for housing for the population numbers we are projecting.

1: Connectivity; Eliminating Bottlenecks and addressing highway safety concerns. We need open roadways for shipping and receiving and our ambulances reaching our trauma center in Salem. I have been working with ODOT on the Doaks Ferry Rd to Rickreall Rd project to open it up. 2: Rural Broadband; Our communities, industries and homes need to be connected to the internet for marketing, learning, shipping and being connected to new emerging markets. We are partnering with local providers to expand opportunities. 3: Homelessness, drugs and behavioral health; Teaming up with Sheriff, Judges, DA, Community Corr. and Behavioral Health creating alternatives and keeping our county safe. Being proactive in keeping families in their homes.

35 years working with the public at Les Schwab Tires has taught me to be patient, listen, do not judge and be open to everyone. Being able to work with people to find a solution. Understanding you can not get it done alone. Creating relationships that allow you to go beyond your capabilities and staying focused on the end result. I have been able to earn the trust with several entities which has allowed us to open doors that were previously closed. From ODOT working with us eliminating project challenges quickly to creating relationships in our communities that did not exist to join forces and be more effective. Willing to step up when others step back. Taking the lead may not always be comfortable but you have to have trust in others.

This first has to start with us lobbying the State Legislature to change or soften some of their land use laws. County lands are very difficult to develop because they are protecting open spaces. Farm Deferred zoning is almost impossible to develop and I support that. We need to protect our productive acres to grow our food for an ever increasing population. I believe Polk County works the hardest to find ways to get the answer you are looking for. We continue to be creative in deciphering land use laws for our constituents benefit. I am very supportive of our local cities as they try to expand their urban growth boundaries and work with them in helping with the zone changes that are required for their developments.