Tigard is our home. I love it here and I’m sure you do, too.

For the past 12 years, I have raised my family here. My son attends school here. And in Tigard, I have started 3 thriving businesses.

But in the last two years, I have seen our government–on all levels–ignore the needs of the people in favor of maintaining the status quo.

Last September, I chose to do something about it. I ran for Governor of Oregon. It was a great experience and I met so many wonderful and inspiring Oregonians from every corner of our beautiful state. Oregonians are anything but ordinary. There’s an independent spirit that lives in all of us and is felt right here in Tigard.

It is time for all of us to harness that spirit. To come together and make our home better–for all of our neighbors. As a neighbor of Portland, we have had to deal with many of their same problems. The lack of leadership that Portland has shown is unacceptable, and unfortunately, they are dragging our city into the mess they’ve created. It’s time to show our neighbor that there’s a different way.

And Tigard’s city council has let us down. They have failed the first rule of leadership, which is: to do the most good for the greatest number of people. They have foregone the needs of the Tigard residents they represent in order to push their own agenda and to maintain the status quo.

There is a different way to solve the homeless crisis. There is a different way to keep our streets safe. There is a different way to make sure that everyone thrives in our community. But first we must come together and believe that change is possible.