Question:
My Response:
That’s a short question with a long answer. Broadly, I consider myself fiscally responsible, and I have a long career that speaks to that. I understand the financial reality in Josephine County, where roughly one in eight people lives in poverty. I also understand the pressure small business owners face because I’m one of them, working to make payroll, manage rising costs, and keep the doors open.
Before asking taxpayers for more, I believe we have a responsibility to make the taxes we already pay work better. Government spending should have a clear purpose, and taxpayers should be able to see value from their investment. When a program isn’t delivering meaningful results, we should be willing to question it, change it, or stop funding it.
I also don’t believe the Governor or the Democratic majority in the Legislature has gotten everything right, particularly when it comes to Josephine County and other rural parts of Oregon. There are areas where we have spent significant amounts of taxpayer money without seeing results that match the investment.
Homelessness, behavioral health, and Measure 110 are examples. Oregon committed substantial resources to addressing these challenges, but too often the outcomes have fallen short. Part of that failure, in my view, has been Salem’s reluctance to give local communities enough flexibility to determine how resources can be used most effectively based on conditions on the ground.
Fiscal responsibility isn’t simply about spending less. Sometimes responsible government requires making investments in infrastructure, public safety, economic development, or other services that strengthen a community. The standard should be whether those investments are necessary, effective, accountable, and producing measurable value for the people paying for them.
That is the approach I would bring to decisions about taxes and spending: respect the taxpayer, scrutinize how existing dollars are being used, demand measurable results, and make sure Josephine County is receiving real value from the investments Oregon makes.