Thoughts from Kevin

Answers to Some General Questions:

 

Oregon House District 14 generally includes western Eugene, Veneta, and Elmira. I am running to unseat the current Speaker of the House, Julie Fayhe.

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Profession and Public Service Background?

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I am a middle and high school teacher.  My primary subjects are math, the sciences, and vocational skills.

I worked for Saint Vincent DePaul where I learned a lot about the regulations under which companies must function and about the situations that make it hard to keep employees.  I was chair of the non-profit (501c3) Living History group, 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for six years.  In that time, I learned how to conduct meetings in ways that everyone had a chance to be heard, and how to ensure that all state regulations were followed such as timely and accurate filings of required paperwork.

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Additional Biographical Information?

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I’m a life-long Oregonian.  I was born in eastern Oregon, Nyssa specifically.  I have also lived in Salem, Damascus (Portland area), and North Bend.  I have lived in Eugene since 1986.  My wife and I have been married for 40 years, and we have three sons and four grandchildren.  I like hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping.  I have also been an American Civil War re-enactor since 1995.  I was a farm kid, helping with livestock and working in our family’s plum orchard.  I also worked on a charter fishing boat, participated in the Salmon-Trout Enhancement Program, and replanted trees after logging.  This has given me a lot of experience on the historic foundations of Oregon’s economy.

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Answers to Questions Voters are Asking About:

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Affordability? 

Prices, taxes, and fees and increasing faster than incomes are.  This will not change unless lawmakers work to lower costs.  Raising the minimum wage won't fix it; that only increases costs and raises prices.

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Jobs?

Businesses are leaving Oregon by the thousands, and those that are staying are saving money by cutting employee costs.  We must stop taxing businesses out of the state, and we need to reduce administrative fees for setting up businesses in Oregon.  We need to stop setting limits on the types of employers we are willing to accept in Oregon.

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Homelessness?

We need to be compassionate with our neighbors who are struggling, but we cannot afford to do that if we are also advertising that anyone can come to Oregon and be provided for.  People who are receiving state assistance for homelessness need to also be doing all they are able to move toward transitional housing as a first step to independence.

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The state budget?  

Citizens need to learn to live within their means.  The state needs to do that as well and not assume it can spend money anyway it wants.

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Education? 

We cannot continue to be in the bottom 5 while we rank 15th in spending.  We need to look to other states that are succeeding with less and discuss what strategies they are using that will work in Oregon as well.  We also need to reinstate graduation requirements in math, reading, and writing.  An Oregon diploma needs to be seen as a symbol of accomplishment by colleges, universities, and trade schools throughout the country.

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What Oregon Public Servant's Example Do You Want to Follow?

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Tom McCall who was governor from 1967-1975.  He was a family friend, and we regularly ate, fished, and hunted together.  He was a man of the people who listened to Oregonians and took action to correct issues.

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