My Priorities

  1. Public Health

In a time when there are attacks on healthcare coming from the highest levels of government, we can fight back here in Marion County. As a Marion County commissioner, I’ll focus on three areas:

  • Education on preventable diseases (measles, whooping cough, etc.)

  • LGBTQIA-Informed Healthcare

  • Bridging the gap for mental health & chronic disease management after inpatient care.

Public health is the foundation for tackling larger problems like houselessness and community violence. The way we keep people from falling through the cracks is by filling them. As a disabled LGBTQIA+ person, I know first hand how large these cracks are and how important it is for our whole community that we fix them.

2. The Houselessness Crisis

Everyone deserves a safe place to live. We need to address the root causes of houselessness to ensure that everyone has a safe and secure place to live.

As a Marion County Commissioner, I will form a council of advisors including non-profits, healthcare officials, and people who have experienced houselessness to collaborate with the Marion County Public Health Department and other agencies to help ensure wrap-around services are available to all Marion County residents. These programs will collaborate with mental health and substance abuse services.

I will fight to increase access to affordable housing and focus on safe and well maintained housing units for residents. I believe in a housing first approach and plan to do the work to help make that a reality for Oregonians in Marion County.

3. Government Transparency & Accountability

It’s quite remarkable how many people don’t know what “The County” does. I think this can be rectified by transparency and accountability in the way we run County Government—something I plan to promote. The County is responsible for permitting, land use, waste management, emergency services, housing, health, animal services, and so much more. Yet most people inside our cities couldn’t tell you one thing that they do, much less if they are doing it well.

I envision a county that is centered around community, and plan to work towards a system in which the community can easily connect with county government.