Overview
Being a City Council member is very important and comes with responsibility. I am motivated to serve and I love helping people and this position would give me that opportunity. I am the best person for this position because I have a perspective that many have not experienced. Although Redmond, Oregon is a very beautiful city, we like many other cities are now experiencing chanllenges we could have never expected with COVID-19 taking a grip on our country. To add to this dilemma, we are now being hit with wildfires across the country. This is not a time to act as if everything is fine and ignore these very pressing and serious issues. This is where the City Council’s role becomes even more important and looking at alternatives and solutions is the priority. Our small businesses are suffering, our homelessness is increasing, the opiate epidemic has not been addressed, and the citizens have lost confidence in the City Council. What’s even more problematic is we continue to build “ affordable housing” that a large percentage of our citizens cannot afford to live in. This is where real leadership comes in and I will bring these issues to the forefront and work with the present city council members to find solutions to these problems. The city must get involved.
Marijuana Sales
It’s only a matter of time before the taxes for the citizens of Redmond increase. This is why I oppose the interpretation of the city code on marijuna and hemp sales. It is important to understand that what isn’t discussed is how the state of Oregon has given out $85 million to various programs thanks to Marijuna sales. He is a quick breakdown of the allocation of those funds: State School Funds – $34M, Mental Health, Alcoholism & Drug Programs-$17M, Oregon City and Counties- $17M, Oregon State Police – $12M, and Oregon Health Authority – $4M. In 2020 (this year), marijuna tax are expected to exceed $2.3 Billion and this too helps fund school programs and other important services. Without this revenue, taxes would have to be raise to keep budgets afloat.
Homelessness
Homelessness is a Major Issue of concern, but we have found a solution that actually has worked. Skyline Village is the model of success.The partnership between city, county, and the state resulted in the developenment of a housing development with a sizable affordable segment. Here’s how it worked, Deschutes County donated the land and the state waived land use laws so locations were feasible. The city was the primary force behind this project. What makes this work is Skyline Village mixed in higher density (duplex, triplex, row houses) with single family housing. (Google Skyline Village). The County owns more land in and around Redmond and the city should encourage more residential development like Skyline Village.