Pages tagged "candidates"

  • The Right Approach

    Posted on News by · March 02, 2022 7:00 AM

    There’s a very crowded field of candidates running for governor, and they cover the entire political spectrum. They come from different backgrounds and have various levels of education and experience. Over the next few months, we’ll all be bombarded with ads telling us all about where some of them stand on the issues.

     

    All of the candidates also have their own visions of what they intend to do if elected to that position. But what does being governor actually entail on a daily basis? It’s not all about making speeches and doing photo ops. The governor serves as the chief executive of the state government and oversees all of its agencies, boards, commissions and literally thousands of employees.

     

    To me, the single biggest qualification anybody could have for governor is the ability and knowledge needed to effectively and efficiently run a large organization.

     

    Some people openly scoff at the thought that government should be run like a business. And even though the public and private sector don’t necessarily run the same, they do share some commonalities. One is that customer service should matter.

     

    Right now, a lot of people don’t feel that customer service is a priority for Oregon’s state agencies. There are many recent examples to support this position. Oregonians have had a hard time getting basic services out of the DMV during the COVID pandemic. Thousands of them were unable to get their unemployment benefits for months on end, or even get ahold of anyone at the Employment Department to find out what was going on. Even the state’s attempt at providing rental assistance was marred by incompetence that kept people from getting the help they needed.

     

    The truth of the matter is, any company that treated its customers the way the state of Oregon treats its taxpayers would have been out of business decades ago. The state keeps raising taxes, the way a business would raise its prices, but the services don’t get any better and agencies aren’t any more responsive. So who’s responsible for this? It starts at the top, in the governor’s office.

     

    I’ve spent most of my career turning around companies and nonprofit organizations that had been struggling. As part of that, I have to analyze their organizational and operational structures and advise them on what steps to take to build back their customer or donor base.

     

    I’m proud of my track record of helping clients improve and streamline their operations and return to a point of profitability.

     

    Some of the gubernatorial candidates will boast that they’ve served in elected office, including the Oregon Legislature. Being a legislator is not the same as being an executive, and being a career politician is not necessarily a qualification for running an organization. If anything, it means they’re more likely to be beholden to the special interests and lobby groups that are funding their campaigns.

     

    We all know deep down inside that Oregon is in trouble. The good news is, it can still be helped. It’s not too late.

     

    Most of those problems aren’t external, they’re simply the result of bad management practices. Those practices can be changed. Oregon needs a new CEO.

     

    Our current governor is term limited. That’s a good thing, as her chronic mismanagement of state agencies has made her the least popular governor in the entire country.

     

    We’re going to have a new CEO next year. I think that person needs to be someone with the right approach, and that’s why I’m uniquely qualified to be governor.

     

    I’m going to be making my way across the state to share and spread that message. Help is on the way.

  • What Sets Me Apart

    Posted on News by · February 09, 2022 2:17 PM · 1 reaction

    Oregon Republicans have been shut out of the governor’s office ever since Vic Atiyeh completed his second term in 1987.

    Since then, a succession of Democrats has taken the state further and further in the wrong direction. It began with Neil Goldschmidt, whose tremendous personal failings have made him both a disgrace and a pariah. There’s also John Kitzhaber, who resigned days into the beginning of his forth term in the wake of a green energy scandal involving his fiancée Cylvia Hayes, who used her connection to the governor’s office to benefit her own private business.

    Republicans have had a series of candidates in governor’s races since the time of Atiyeh’s administration. Some of them were great candidates who made considerable contributions to the state and its people.

    They include Norma Paulus, who had previously served as secretary of state before being defeated by Goldschmidt in the 1986 election. Former Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer fell just shy of overcoming Barbara Roberts four years later to replace Goldschmidt. Chris Dudley, a retired Portland Trailblazer basketball star, came very close to defeating Kitzhaber in 2010. Late longtime legislator Dennis Richardson made a courageous run four years later and eventually went on to be Secretary of State before passing away in 2019. Former legislator Knute Buehler raised over $20 million in 2018 in his unsuccessful challenge to Governor Kate Brown.

    None of those candidates could get over the top in the general election.

    Right now, there are many candidates seeking the Republican nomination to try and break the party’s losing streak in this critical statewide race. I’m one of them.

    So what differentiates me from the rest of them?

    Some of these candidates have been running in earnest for months without gaining any traction. They have no chance in the May primary election and are very unlikely to make it to the November general election.

    One has already ran for governor and lost to Brown. Another used to be a registered Democrat and has struggled to explain that unfortunate fact to grassroots Republican voters all over the state. Still another is an unknown political consultant to happens to have raised large amounts of money from a handful of donors.

    There are a couple of small town mayors, one of whom is from eastern Oregon and unlikely to connect with enough voters in more populated areas to gain the support needed to be successful.

    What sets me apart is that I’m experienced enough to do the job, which is an executive position that involves managing the daily operations of a huge organization with thousands of employees. I’ve spent my career helping to turn around businesses and non-profit organizations and am confident I can do the same with the state government.

    I’m young enough to approach this campaign and position as governor with the energy and vigor it requires. I can appeal to a cross-section of voters across the political spectrum, bring a fresh perspective and am not beholden to anyone.

    I have no preconceived notions about these state agencies. My plan is to take a look at whether they’re functioning as they’re intended, if there’s better ways for them to operate and how they can best serve the taxpayers of Oregon.

    There are many options for people looking to maintain the status quo. But I’m adamant that this approach has failed, is failing and will continue to fail us. I think we can do better, and I’m ready to lead the way to a brighter future for this state.