I would like to propose legislation to enact a statewide property tax freeze for senior citizens age 65 and older who are living in their primary residences. The legislation would also allow the property to be inherited by their heirs at the same property tax amount that was in place when the freeze began, without the property taxes immediately escalating or being reassessed retroactively.

Living in the Mount Hood Corridor, I know all too well the threat of wildfires. In 2020, I was forced to evacuate my home with my horses for ten days, not knowing if we would return to a house still standing. Like so many families, we scrambled to safety, making split-second decisions about what irreplaceable pieces of our lives we could carry with us. It was terrifying.

We cannot continue to live at the mercy of preventable catastrophe.

Across Oregon, forests are increasingly vulnerable to massive, high-intensity fires. Over the past decade — and especially in recent years — wildfire frequency and severity have escalated, devastating communities and straining state resources as well as putting homeowners dwellings labeled as high risk for insurance companies. 

Oregon has a proud history of forward-thinking environmental leadership. In 1971, under Governor Tom McCall, Oregon passed the nation’s first Bottle Bill, proving we can protect our environment while delivering practical benefits to the public. That same spirit of innovation must guide us now.

We need proactive, science-based forest management. By responsibly harvesting fallen timber and removing excess dead wood, we can reduce dangerous fuel loads before they ignite into catastrophic fires. That material can be processed and reused in parks, highway medians, playgrounds, and made available at affordable cost to Oregonians — encouraging sustainable, low-water landscaping throughout our communities.

This effort should complement, not compete with, local garden centers and small businesses. Because taxpayers are funding wildfire mitigation, any reuse program must be carefully structured to provide measurable, direct benefit to Oregonians while protecting existing local enterprises.

The financial argument alone is compelling. Rather than spending billions reacting to disaster, we can invest in prevention, restoring forest health, protecting homes, and reducing long-term suppression costs.

We can also partner with existing forestry companies to responsibly reinvigorate Oregon’s timber industry. A balanced, science-driven approach supports family-wage jobs, strengthens rural economies, and builds long-term forest resilience.

That is a true win-win: healthier forests, safer communities, lower taxpayer costs, and renewed opportunity for working Oregonians.

The Oregon Corporate Activity Tax (CAT), signed into law on May 16, 2019, and effective January 1, 2020, was enacted through House Bill 3427. This tax is imposed on businesses for the privilege of doing business in Oregon and applies to commercial activity and the sale of goods and services within the state. While exports of goods and services outside Oregon are exempt, the CAT places a significant burden on Oregon businesses.

Ultimately, this tax drives up costs that are passed on to consumers through higher prices for goods and services. I will work to repeal the Corporate Activity Tax to provide meaningful relief for businesses and to signal that Oregon’s business climate is moving in the right direction—encouraging growth, investment, and job creation.

I believe every Oregon family deserves excellent educational outcomes and meaningful choice:

✔ Parental rights matter.
Parents should be empowered partners in their children’s education, not sidelined in decisions that shape their child’s future.

✔ We must constantly improve our public schools.
Oregon’s gains in graduation rates are encouraging, but we must extend that success into stronger academic achievement in reading, math, science, and critical thinking skills.

✔ Families should have options.
Different students thrive in different learning environments. Options like open enrollment, public charter partnerships, early literacy supports, career and technical pathways, and other evidence-based programs can help meet diverse learning needs while honoring local control.

✔ Educators are experts — and parents are essential partners in the process.
We can blend the professional expertise of teachers with the insights and expectations of families to build schools where students are challenged, supported, and prepared for life beyond graduation.

Oregon students deserve an education system that delivers both excellence and opportunity, a system that works for every child, every family, and every community in our state.

As a Realtor, I value homeownership and will fiercely defend your private property rights,  whether you’re starting an organic small farm to sustain a neighborhood community or operating a large-scale enterprise. Every Oregonian has the right to self-determine on land they’ve worked hard for and paid for. Recent encroachments, such as short-term rental caps, have limited the use of private property, even though boarding houses and accommodations have existed for generations. I will work to ensure a fair balance between growth and the protection of our natural open spaces, agricultural land, and the rights of property owners.

I do not support tolling. It is simply another tax that hardworking Oregonians do not want — and cannot afford.

Tolling Highway 205 and other major corridors is a short-sighted policy with long-term consequences for the people who live, work, and travel throughout our region. I-205 is not a luxury route — it is a daily lifeline. Families, small business owners, tradespeople, delivery drivers, and commuters rely on it multiple times per day.

When you toll essential highways:

• Traffic diverted into residential neighborhoods as drivers try to avoid fees.

• Local roads become congested and less safe.

• Small businesses on either side of the corridor lose customers.

• Working families shoulder yet another financial burden.

Oregonians already pay for our roads through gas taxes, vehicle registration fees, and other transportation funding mechanisms. Why should families be forced to pay again just to get to work, school, medical appointments, or the grocery store?

The economic consequences are too significant to ignore. Increased costs ripple through supply chains, raise prices for consumers, and disproportionately impact middle-class and lower-income households.

What concerns me most is this: the public has been clear. Oregonians do not want tolling on our highways. The government must listen to the people it serves. That is what needs to change.

Make no mistake — tolling proposals continue to move forward. I will stand firmly and vocally against them.

We need transportation solutions that are transparent, fiscally responsible, and supported by the people who live and work in Oregon.

Measure 110 has now been repealed — but repeal alone is not a solution.

While it is important to acknowledge that past policies contributed to unintended and harmful outcomes, simply reversing course does not fix the crisis we see on our streets today. We must go further and deeper into real solutions.

First, we need to be honest: current approaches are still not producing the outcomes Oregonians expect. Visible disorder, unsafe conditions, and human suffering continue in too many communities. That is not compassionate, and it is not acceptable.

We need immediate, accountable action:

• Clean up unsafe and unsanitary areas promptly.

• Coordinate outreach with clear benchmarks for progress.

• Expand access to meaningful, recovery-based addiction treatment.

• Strengthen mental health crisis response and long-term care options.

Compassion must mean more than tolerance of decline. It must mean intervention, treatment, structure, and support that leads to recovery and stability.

We also need to examine what drives people into chronic homelessness in the first place; untreated trauma, addiction, mental illness, economic hardship, and family breakdown. Families trying to help loved ones often feel powerless. While federal HIPAA protections are necessary, we should evaluate whether state-level coordination tools or carefully defined legal pathways could allow better collaboration among treatment providers, case managers, and immediate family members in crisis situations — while still safeguarding civil liberties.

Both short-term stabilization and long-term prevention strategies must move forward at the same time. Programs receiving public dollars must have measurable outcomes and real accountability.

Oregon can be both compassionate and firm. We can protect public safety while restoring dignity. We can support recovery while insisting on results.

Repeal was a first step. Now we must build something better.