[0:06] All right. Uh, can you hear me? Okay, Andrew.

[0:10] » We can, Mr. Chair. Thank you. >> Right. Well, good afternoon everyone and

[0:13] welcome all. I will now call to order this October 23rd, 2025 joint meeting

[0:19] with Wasco County, Hood River County, Multma County, and Clakmus County Board

[0:24] of County Commissioners. I'm Craig Roberts, chair of Clakamus County, and

[0:29] the Secretary of State has asked me to chair this meeting. I will now ask

[0:35] Clakamus County Clerk Board, Andrew Geraki, to call the roll call for us.

[0:42] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll call the roll by county. From Wasco County,

[0:48] Commissioner Phil Brady, >> present.

[0:51] from Wasco County, Commissioner Jefferson,

[0:55] » present >> from Wasco County, Chair Scott Pedy.

[1:02] » He just stepped into his office, Andrew, so he should be joining as a panelist

[1:06] just a moment. >> I will return and ask for his presence

[1:12] after we finish the list. Moving on to Hood River, Commissioner

[1:16] Arthur Babbittz, >> present.

[1:20] from Hood River, Commissioner Leticia Moretti,

[1:22] » present. >> From Hood River, Commissioner Chad

[1:25] Muner, >> present.

[1:28] » From Hood River, Commissioner Ed Weathers.

[1:34] » Commissioner Weathers of Hood River

[1:41] from Hood River. Chair Jennifer Uer >> present.

[1:46] from Multma, Commissioner Julia Brim Edwards,

[1:50] » present. >> From Multma County, Commissioner Vince

[1:54] Jones Dixon, >> present.

[1:57] » From Multma County, Commissioner Megan Moyer,

[2:01] » present. >> From Multma County, Commissioner Shannon

[2:04] Singleton, >> present.

[2:07] » From Multma, Chair Jessica Vega Peterson,

[2:10] » present. And from Clakamus County, Commissioner

[2:14] Diana Helm, >> present.

[2:17] » From Clakamus County, Commissioner Paul Savis,

[2:19] » present. >> From Clakamus County, Commissioner

[2:21] Martha Shrader.

[2:27] Commissioner Shrader.

[2:31] » I'm here. >> Thank you. Commissioner from Clackamus

[2:35] County, Commissioner Ben West.

[2:42] having problems on with muting. >> Commissioner West.

[2:54] » Chair, I will just return because I understand that a couple of our

[2:58] commissioners may have just been joining as we're taking the role. With your

[3:00] permission, chair, I'll check to see if Wasco Chair Scott Hedgy, if I'm saying

[3:06] that correctly, is present.

[3:11] And I see he's in the attendee list. So I will promote him to panelists.

[3:16] Thank you for your patience.

[3:22] And I also see from Hood River, Commissioner Weathers

[3:26] has joined. I will also promote him to panelists.

[3:35] Sherhi, can you hear us? Yes, I can.

[3:40] » Thank you very much. And checking uh from Hood River, Commissioner Weathers,

[3:44] are you with us? >> Yes. Yes, I can hear you.

[3:46] » Thank you very much. And finally, returning to Clacamus, Commissioner

[3:50] West, are you present? >> Can you hear me? I'm present.

[3:53] » Yes, we are. >> Okay, we're working. Thank you.

[3:56] » And from Clakamus County Chair Craig Roberts,

[3:59] » present. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. All commissioners

[4:02] are present and accounted for. That concludes the role.

[4:05] » Thank you. But the purpose of our meeting today is to fill a current

[4:09] vacancy in the state senate district 26. As prescribed by law, the political

[4:15] party to which former senator Daniel Bonham uh belonged has chosen nominees

[4:20] for us to consider. The nominees are Representative

[4:25] Christine Drezen, Mr. John Grant, Representative Jeffrey Helfridge,

[4:32] and now I will introduce our staff to support uh today's meeting. So, our

[4:37] legal adviser today is Clackmus County Senior Assistant Legal Counsel Jeff

[4:42] Muns. Our clerk today from Clackmus County, clerk to the board, Andrew

[4:46] Geraki. And I will now turn to our clerk and ask him to explain the procedure of

[4:51] today's meeting for us. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[4:57] The order of today's meeting will be as follows. Public comment followed by

[5:02] nominee opening statements, questions for nominees from each board, nominee

[5:07] closing statements, deliberations, voting, an optional statement by the

[5:12] selected nominee, and finally, closing statements. In a few moments, Chair

[5:17] Roberts will open the meeting for public comment. Members of the public may

[5:20] comment for up to one minute each. As Chair Roberts has requested, those who

[5:25] wish to speak to register advance, I will use the list of registries to

[5:28] announce the next speaker. Once public comment has concluded, the nominees will

[5:32] be invited to make opening statements. Each nominee shall have an opportunity

[5:36] to make a two-minute opening statement. The nominees will be called upon in

[5:40] alphabetical order of last name. Dreisen, Grant, Elfridge.

[5:45] Once opening statements are complete, Chair Roberts may call a brief recess as

[5:49] needed. We then will move to the question and answer portion of the

[5:52] meeting. Each county's board may ask up to two questions. The order of the

[5:57] questions will be Wasco County first, then Hood River, then Multma, and

[6:03] finally Clackamus. After each board question, all nominees will have two

[6:08] minutes to answer. I will rotate the nominees speaking order for each board

[6:11] question. As a reminder to the public, this is not a public hearing, so no

[6:16] testimony will be received during or after the Q&A portion.

[6:20] Once the Q&A portion of the meeting is complete, each candidate will be called

[6:23] upon to provide a one-minute closing statement in reverse order from the

[6:27] opening statements. I will keep time for all speaking during this meeting. Chair

[6:32] Roberts may again call a brief recess after Q&A as needed. Following that, we

[6:37] will begin deliberations. All commissioners will have a chance to

[6:40] comment during deliberations. After commissioner comments, Chair

[6:44] Roberts will call for a vote. The votes were made in alphabetical order ending

[6:48] with the four chairs. Only commissioners who are present may cast votes. No

[6:53] proxies are allowed. If a commissioner is absent, their vote is recorded as

[6:58] zero and that county loses the ability to use that commissioner's votes. As

[7:03] provided by the secretary of state, commissioner's votes are weighted to

[7:06] reflect the share of voters in Senate District 26 living within each county.

[7:11] Wasco County Commissioners will each have five votes. Hood River County

[7:15] Commissioners will each have 3.4 votes. Multma County Commissioners will each

[7:21] have 1.8 votes. And Clacamus County Commissioners will each have 13.8 votes.

[7:27] Because this process is governed by a weighted formula and is not the usual

[7:32] one vote per one commissioner system, staff will show the voting matrix in

[7:36] real time for clarity and transparency during the vote. As a reminder, state

[7:41] law requires a nominee to receive only a plurality to be appointed. This means

[7:46] the nominee who gets the most votes, even if not a majority of all votes,

[7:50] will be appointed. If two or more candidates are tied in votes, Chair

[7:54] Roberts will call for additional deliberations and votes as needed until

[7:58] a nominee is selected. That concludes my overview of the meeting. Mr. Chair, may

[8:03] we begin with public comment? >> Okay. Just uh before we begin a public

[8:08] comment, I just want to thank those who submitted written comments and that we

[8:14] appreciate all the public participation. And since we are having a lot to

[8:18] accomplish today, uh let's just aim uh comments that take no more than 30

[8:23] minutes total. So, clerk, uh could you go ahead and uh begin the moderation?

[8:30] » Thank you very much, Chair. Please hold while I pull up the most

[8:35] recent list of those who pre-registered to ensure fairness.

[8:40] As a reminder for everyone who wishes to speak, I am using the list of those who

[8:45] pre-registered. I will announce one name who will have one minute and afterwards

[8:50] I will announce the person who will follow them so that they may begin to

[8:54] prepare while the first person is speaking.

[8:58] First, I see Adam Marl. Adam Marl, if you are

[9:04] present and still wish to speak, I ask you to please raise your hand. And this

[9:08] is a reminder to everyone that you will have one minute.

[9:20] Mr. Marl, I do not see your hand, so I'll move down the list. Akimi Norish.

[9:25] Akimi Norish, please raise your hand if you wish to speak still.

[9:39] I'll continue to move on. Alex Blosser, Mr. Alex Blosser, if you wish to speak,

[9:43] please raise your hand.

[9:52] Seeing no hands, I'll move on. Miss Allison Williams. Allison Williams, if

[9:56] you wish to speak, please raise your hand.

[10:02] Moving on. Andrea Moore. Andrea Moore, if you still wish to speak, please raise

[10:07] your hand.

[10:14] Seeing none, Angela Peterson. Angela Peterson, if you wish to speak, please

[10:18] raise your hand.

[10:25] Seeing no hand, I'll move on. Anne Walker, please raise your hand if you

[10:28] wish to speak. Annne Walker,

[10:35] seeing no hand. Ashley Graph. Ashley Graph, please raise your hand if you

[10:39] wish to speak.

[10:45] Just a reminder to our audience, if you are attending and you indicated in your

[10:49] pre-registration you wish to speak, I'm using this list to call your name. If

[10:52] you still would like to speak during this meeting, this is your opportunity

[10:55] to please raise your hand and I will call on you. Moving on, Ashley Kunzie.

[10:59] Ashley Kunzie, if you'd still like to speak, please raise your hand.

[11:06] Moving on, Audrey Tran. Audrey TR, please raise your hand.

[11:14] Moving on, Bradley Cross. Bradley Cross.

[11:23] Moving on, Brendan Finn.

[11:27] Brendan Finn. Moving on, Brian BBE. Ryan BBE.

[11:39] Moving on. Bryce Dole. Bryce Dole.

[11:51] Mr. Chair, Commissioner Vince Jones Dixon had his hand raised. I'm not sure,

[11:56] Commissioner, if that was a question or a mistake.

[12:00] » It's just a comment. I think most of all of my staff, you mentioned their names.

[12:04] So, I think all of our staff might have um when they filled out the application

[12:09] that they want to um they might have clicked the the button to provide

[12:13] provide comment. It might be easier to do it on the reverse like have folks

[12:17] that want to provide public testimony just raise their hand now. Um or you can

[12:21] just read through the list.

[12:28] » Thank you, Commissioner. Uh Mr. chair. It's possible that uh those who have

[12:32] signed up to speak may have either unintentionally checked the box that

[12:36] they wish to speak or have changed their mind. Would you like me to continue

[12:40] reading the lists of those who have pre-registered or would you like to

[12:44] change to a hand system as Commissioner Jones Dixon has suggested?

[12:48] » Yes. Why don't we go ahead and uh switch to raise your hand?

[12:54] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. If you're attending this meeting, regardless

[12:56] whether you pre-registered and wish to speak, please raise your hand. I will

[13:01] call on you in the order that I see.

[13:08] First up, I see Lori Kimmel. Lori Kimmel. I'll meet you. Second will be

[13:14] Thomas Busy. Lori Kimmel, then Thomas Busy. A reminder that you each will have

[13:19] one minute. Please begin your comments by introducing yourself with your name

[13:22] and your area of residence.

[13:29] My name is Master Sergeant Lori Kimmel, South Clackamus County.

[13:36] I wish to address uh you county commissioners because I am a veteran and

[13:42] Christine Drezen has done so much for the veterans. Just recently, she

[13:48] introduced a house resolution for um we had it was for honoring

[13:56] Vietnam vets who were killed in action in Clackamus County. There were 18 names

[14:03] and I serve on a veterans advisory committee. We went to uh Representative

[14:10] Drezen's office and we went and uh crafted a house resolution which uh

[14:18] Senator Bonham carried in the uh Senate and it was passed uh overwhelmingly.

[14:25] And um as a returning veteran from post 911,

[14:31] we do not have a strong enough lobby in the Oregon legislature. Now, Christine

[14:38] Drezen has uh done a great job of >> Miss Kimmel, that is one minute.

[14:44] » Okay. Uh let me sum this up. She is our strong lobby in the Oregon House. we

[14:50] need it in the Oregon Senate. And as a freshman, she did a wonderful job in uh

[14:57] sponsoring a bill when she was a freshman

[15:01] way back, I believe it was 2018 for House Bill 2203-1

[15:05] for a statewide veterans treatment court. But she is the voice that we need

[15:11] in the Oregon Senate. Thank >> Thank you, Miss Kimmel. Next, Thomas

[15:16] Busy. Thomas Busy, I'll unmute you and you'll have one minute.

[15:25] » Uh, thank you very much. Uh, I don't know why you can't see my video. Uh, I

[15:31] am a Multma resident and I am the elected treasurer of the Libertarian

[15:35] Party of Oregon. I'm hoping that we can use this question and answer session to

[15:41] uh put the candidates on record about issues that are important to us because

[15:46] I only have one minute. I'm going to bring up one specific issue which I hope

[15:49] a commissioner will ask uh which is the urgent and desperate need for reform of

[15:56] professional and occupational licensing in Oregon. The Institute of Justice has

[16:01] ranked Oregon dead last with a Dminus grade in terms of professional lensure.

[16:06] And as a Moltnoma resident, I would say to my Multma commissioners,

[16:10] this is the problem with our preschool program because the oppressive

[16:15] occupational lensure regime uh for preschool teachers in the state of

[16:20] Oregon where multma where where Oregon ranks dead last. So, if I would urge the

[16:27] candidates to put on the record if they will put occupational lensure uh reform

[16:33] on their legislative agenda. Many thanks.

[16:38] » Thank you, Mr. Busy. Next, Michael Abrams. Michael Abrams. And this is a

[16:44] reminder if you are attending this meeting, regardless whether you

[16:47] pre-registered as a member of the public and wish to speak to please raise your

[16:51] hand. Mr. Abrams, go ahead, please. Thank you. Michael Abrams, Multma County

[16:58] Commissioners on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. My name

[17:01] is Michael Abrams. My pronouns are they, them, and I serve as policy counsel. The

[17:06] ACLU of Oregon is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to

[17:09] defending and advancing democracy, civil liberties, and civil rights with more

[17:13] than 40,000 members and donor supporters statewide. Oregonians deserve leaders

[17:17] who will defend our constitutional rights, our sovereignty as a state, and

[17:21] the safety of our communities, not bend to political intimidation. Right now,

[17:25] that means a senator who will unequivocally oppose the federalization

[17:28] of National Guard troops for deployment to Portland or elsewhere in Oregon, and

[17:32] who will stand firm against the Trump administration's efforts to create a

[17:35] national police force through militarized federal agents or the

[17:38] military, which threatens the rights of all. The administration and its allies

[17:42] may hope to divide us, but they underestimate the state. We will

[17:45] continue to expose dishonesty and abuses of power and we will keep showing up for

[17:49] one another peacefully with courage and resolve. Our representatives must do the

[17:53] same. We ask that all elected leaders and all candidates be stalwart in their

[17:57] positions that they will protect Oregon's constitutional right to local

[18:00] self-governance by opposing any and all forms of federal abuse of power. Thank

[18:04] you. >> Thank you very much.

[18:10] This is a final call. If you are attending this meeting and wish to

[18:14] comment, regardless whether you registered in advance, do please raise

[18:18] your hand and I will call on you in the order that I see.

[18:33] » Mr. Chair, I see no other members of the public raising their hand to wish to

[18:36] speak. >> Thank you, Mr. Drai. And thank you to

[18:41] all the members of the public who spoke or wrote in today. And want to turn to

[18:45] our clerk as to what's next. >> Mr. Chair, next is opening statements

[18:50] from the nominees. Nominees, this is a reminder that you each have two minutes

[18:54] for your statement. As was explained, the order for opening statements will be

[18:59] in alphabetical order by last name and for concluding statements will be in

[19:03] reverse order. So to begin, Representative Drezen, you will have two

[19:07] minutes.

[19:10] Uh thank you. Thank you so much for having me here today. It is a privilege

[19:15] to be with all of you. Again, my name is Christine Drezen and I am the state

[19:19] representative for House District 51 and I'm honored to be a nominee to fill the

[19:23] vacancy left by the resignation of Senator Daniel Bonham. I first stepped

[19:28] into the Capitol building uh all the way back in 1995 as a young staffer. I uh

[19:34] worked in the House Majority Office at the time and rose to chief of staff for

[19:37] the majority leader and then the speaker of the house. That was my first

[19:40] opportunity to really see the good that can come from public service inside our

[19:45] state capital. I also saw opportunities where our elected leaders fell short and

[19:50] failed to really serve the full needs of Oregonians across our state. Uh it left

[19:54] an indelible mark on me and I'm deeply committed to continuing that work. I had

[19:58] the privilege of returning to the legislature in elected capacity in 2018

[20:03] uh where I served as Republican leader always with a commitment to improving

[20:07] the lives of Oregonians and standing up for the future of our state on behalf of

[20:12] families and businesses statewide. I am deeply grateful to have the endorsement

[20:16] of Senator Daniel Bonham uh for this position to complete his term through

[20:20] this appointment process. and I recognize that he's got very big shoes

[20:24] to fill. And uh this next year, it would be a privilege to work on behalf of

[20:30] Senate District 26 and continue to tackle the problems that face our state.

[20:35] Whether or not that's youth homelessness, uh wildfire response,

[20:38] increasing agency accountability, or tackling the high costs which burden

[20:42] Oregon families, it would be a privilege to represent this Senate District in the

[20:47] state legislature, and I look forward to our conversation today. Thank you so

[20:50] much. Thank you very much. Mr. Grant, you are

[20:56] next.

[21:00] » All right. Thank you everybody. Uh good afternoon. My name is John Grant. Uh I'm

[21:06] deeply honored to be considered uh for the appointment to Senate District 26.

[21:12] Um, I have raised my family here in in Mads within Oregon and I uh have came to

[21:24] uh coach quite a few teams um and youth teams and this year was much more

[21:31] important uh where I taught a a group of kids perseverance and I think

[21:39] perseverance is extremely important when it comes to uh filling the roles of

[21:44] Senate District 26. Um I'm I'm no stranger to perseverance uh growing up.

[21:50] Um just when I was 2 months old, uh my father passed and I uh grew up being,

[21:57] you know, kind of a troubled youth and uh luckily the military straightened me

[22:03] out and I continued on in leadership, in management, and in sales. Um, and it was

[22:12] through my my friend Daniel Bonham who uh was my first boss when I came to the

[22:19] Dallas. Um, and he got me into uh being a PCP for the Wasco County Republicans.

[22:27] Um, I eventually became the vice chair and then became the chairman and I've

[22:34] been serving in this capacity for the last seven years. Um, I have ran on

[22:40] boards for the school budget committee as well as being a planning

[22:44] commissioner. Uh, I've worked with the OP and I have also um been worked with

[22:52] the the Chamber of Commerce as on the board of directors. Um, so I've

[22:58] continued my leadership and I hope to continue that in Salem. Thank you so

[23:03] much.

[23:08] Thank you very much. And finally, Representative Helfridge, please go

[23:12] ahead. >> Hey, good afternoon everybody. For those

[23:14] who don't know me, I think I've talked to just about everybody here. My name is

[23:17] Jeff Elrich, state representative for House District 52. Um, I entered uh into

[23:21] politics actually when I was a police officer with the city of Portland and

[23:24] small community cascade locks. Eventually, that led to me being coming

[23:28] in the state representative and I got to be the state representative. Daniel

[23:32] Bonham and I both came in to the state legislature. Um, at the same time in

[23:35] 2017, I lost my race, but I came back and I came back uh in 23. And so with

[23:41] that, it's a true honor. He was my roommate. Uh, he's done a great job as

[23:45] senator and I would love to be able to fulfill his role his rest of his term.

[23:50] He's done a great job. But for me, um, there's a lot of politicians who do the

[23:55] work because they want the title. They get caught up with the attention, the

[23:58] headlines, uh, all while nothing really changes. That's really not me. Politics

[24:04] today seems to be about who gets the credit, who gets the check, who gets the

[24:08] power, instead of who actually gets to get helped. I'm not interested in

[24:12] playing that game. What I'm interested in is problem solving. As a problem

[24:17] solver, um during my time as House Republican leader, I led the charge on

[24:22] recriminalizing drugs and started fixing Measure 110's failures. We took steps

[24:26] that were real to get money out of politics, but also

[24:31] um be able to get things done. And none of these things were what would be

[24:35] considered my perfect solution to these problems, but they were progress. And

[24:39] that's how real change starts. You know, I've seen I think you guys have seen

[24:43] where watching in Salem has turned into a place where both parties care about

[24:47] more about making headlines and making a difference. I am a Republican, but I

[24:52] don't see Democrats as being the enemy. I see the enemy as the political culture

[24:55] that makes compromise impossible and rewards people for

[25:00] playing politics instead of doing their jobs as a public servants. I spent over

[25:04] 30 years in law enforcement as an Air Force veteran, a police officer at the

[25:07] city of Portland for 25 and a half years and from county for about six months and

[25:12] then from there I became a legislator. My career has been based upon results,

[25:16] accountability, not ideology. In law enforcement, there's a

[25:19] cornerstone of leadership, the principles, which care, which is I

[25:22] cares, integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence.

[25:25] I'm not running for this seat to be a stepping stone to somewhere else. I'm

[25:28] doing it because I care. Proven leadership. That's what it's meant to

[25:30] me. Thank you for your opportunity for this.

[25:36] » Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. That concludes the statements from all

[25:40] nominees. >> Cler, let's now proceed with the board

[25:44] questions for the nominees. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, I will

[25:49] call on each county to ask their questions. As I previously stated, each

[25:52] county will have a total of up to two questions. After each question from a

[25:57] board, all three nominees will have up to two minutes to respond. Wasco County

[26:03] will begin. Wasco County, please proceed with your first question.

[26:07] » All right. Thank you. So the question is with the economy in

[26:11] both the federal and Oregon starting to falter, what can Oregon do to ensure a

[26:16] strong economic future? And what can you do or will you do specifically in this

[26:21] role to ensure a strong economy for Oregon?

[26:29] » First to rotate the order. Mr. Grant, please answer first. And reminder, each

[26:35] nominee, you'll have two minutes. All right. Uh, thank you, Commissioner

[26:41] Higgy, for that question. Um, you know, I really believe in uh less taxation. I

[26:49] I believe, you know, the deregulation. Um, for for businesses in a a healthy

[26:58] manner. um just making sure that businesses can

[27:03] be able to get everything that they they need um without the cost um that

[27:10] sometimes government can can uh imply on them. So uh that would be um some of

[27:21] the ideas that I would I would have going forward on that.

[27:28] Thank you very much. Next, Helfridge, your turn to answer.

[27:34] » You know, it's not uh really a secret that we've become unbus friendly with

[27:40] the amount of taxes that have gone on, the amount whether it's the CAT tax or

[27:44] building homes. When we look at jobs leaving our state, when Intel leaves

[27:48] with 2,400 jobs that leave, it's just not Intel across the the nation or

[27:52] world. It's because it's unaffordable. the housing is not affordable. The

[27:57] regulations aren't uh being businessfriendly and we have to dial

[28:01] that back. We have to be smart about how we build and we plan, but we can't keep

[28:06] asking businesses to continue to take be the big burden of paying the taxes all

[28:11] the time. The problem is is we've had numerous logging mills uh leave the

[28:15] state. We've had businesses leave, relocate because of the tax structure

[28:19] that we have. We have to look at this. We have to get back to the basics of

[28:23] what is the function of government, how do we provide those services, and how

[28:26] does that money get spent appropriately.

[28:32] » Thank you. And finally, Drezen, your turn to answer Wasco County's first

[28:36] question. >> Yeah, thank you for this. I actually

[28:39] think that this is one of the most uh critical issues facing legislators right

[28:45] now in our state. I think we are absolutely in a position right now where

[28:51] we are hemorrhaging jobs and we feel it in our communities, our families feel

[28:56] it, but here very soon our local governments and our state government are

[29:00] going to feel it. And so if we want to be a part of turning our economy around,

[29:06] we've got to listen to business. We've got to listen to people that create

[29:09] jobs. And when they tell us that they would love to see a moratorium on new

[29:13] rulemaking and new regulations, we need to do our best to listen to that. We're

[29:18] in a position right now where public policy makers at all all levels have a

[29:23] role to play in turning our economy around in strengthening the economic

[29:27] viability of our state. We want to be a welcoming place for business. We want to

[29:31] be a welcoming place for families to come knowing that they can find a job,

[29:35] that their kids can get a good education, that they can build a life

[29:37] here. And I believe that it is uh it is it is important that every single one of

[29:44] us take responsibility for that. But certainly at a state legislative uh uh

[29:48] in that lane uh we're the number one problem for adding regulations to

[29:53] businesses and harming our economy and making things more difficult for people

[29:56] to be able to to grow a business here. And so the future is in our hands here.

[30:02] We can turn this thing around. We absolutely legislatively can pause the

[30:07] heavy-handed rulemaking. we can help businesses and work with them and see

[30:10] how we can begin to partner with them in these tough times. And I believe as

[30:15] state state legislators, that's our job and that we absolutely can do that.

[30:23] » Thank you very much. That concludes Wasco County's first question. Wasco

[30:27] County, if you wish to ask a second question, please ask it now.

[30:31] » All right. Our second question is with the recent transportation bill passing

[30:35] in the last session, it included significant funds for cities and

[30:40] counties for roads. So the conservative side of the political spectrum is

[30:44] tending to support repealing this measure. And if that measure is

[30:49] repealed, how do you suggest cities and county replace the funding that came

[30:53] through that that bill? >> Thank you very much. Continuing with our

[30:58] rotation of the nominee order, Mr. Mr. Hridge, please answer first.

[31:06] » Thanks. Uh, transportation has been a big issue. Um, it's been uh a huge

[31:10] thing, not just during long session, but short of the special session. And

[31:14] Commissioner Hegy, you're exactly right. How do we pay for those services? How

[31:17] does ODOT consider um how do we get the money? ODOT's had record revenue coming

[31:22] in. We had bills as Republicans in the House. How to keep them afloat? how to

[31:27] move it forward, whether it's using emergency funding and or using um just

[31:32] freezing the the existing services. At this point, I think we still have to

[31:35] look at that. Uh I know there's a tax initiative that's been put or the

[31:39] petition initiative to stop that. We'll see how that plays out. Once that does

[31:42] play out, then we have to come back to the drawing board and fix it. But I

[31:45] think there's there's plenty of opportunities within the agency itself

[31:49] to make the cuts that we need to have to get you guys the counties and cities the

[31:53] money that they need to continue working towards uh maintaining the road

[31:56] structure and that what you need what you guys will need for future for the

[32:00] next bianium.

[32:04] » Thank you very much. Next, Miss Disen, go ahead please.

[32:07] » Uh thank you and thank you commissioner for that question. It's interesting this

[32:11] last legislative session, um, the conversations that we perpetually had

[32:15] around transportation focused on the state. I know you guys were keyed into

[32:20] those conversations. You guys were active lobbyists in the in the process

[32:23] with us, coming into our offices, talking to us about that. And we kept

[32:27] having conversations about uh the Department of Transportation and how

[32:31] ODOT was struggling to make ends meet. And what we weren't talking about as

[32:35] much in those public conversations was the very good work being done by cities

[32:39] and counties and the fact that you guys are not the ones uh that are on the

[32:45] chopping block for bloat and bureaucracy and mismanagement of funds. That was

[32:49] that was never leveled at cities and counties. Cities and counties were

[32:52] always partners in maintaining miles and miles and miles of roads across our

[32:56] state and that was essential work. Um but as policy makers in Salem, uh we had

[33:02] in front of us a proposal which would just simply have sustained the status

[33:05] quo for the Department of Transportation, an agency that really

[33:08] really needed accountability and really needed to get back to the drawing board

[33:12] and say, "What are our core functions and what are we doing that doesn't have

[33:16] to be done and how can we do this differently to respond to the fact that

[33:20] Oregon families can't afford these cost increases right now?" So from my

[33:24] perspective, I always supported the the need to be able to balance the budget

[33:28] for ODOT without raising taxes and then when we go to raise taxes, it would

[33:32] actually be for new lanes, expanded systems, and to benefit Oregonians

[33:38] themselves. So, I absolutely uh believe that cities and counties always have the

[33:43] opportunity to be able to go and increase their own taxes as well, but

[33:48] certainly the partnership with the state is a critical and long-standing

[33:51] tradition that must be maintained.

[33:56] » Thank you. And finally, Mr. Grant, go ahead, please.

[34:01] » Thank you. Um, I think this is definitely a budget question. um you

[34:07] know, where do we go as far as continuing to spend on a state level and

[34:14] uh when we run out of money, we just continue to tax our uh our people of

[34:20] Oregon. So, um I think that there are uh budget budgets that can be drawn up to

[34:29] be able to bring funds in for our our roads for our, you know, city and

[34:34] counties and uh our state. So, um you know, I I don't think it's a I don't

[34:41] think we have to continue to to tax people. Um,

[34:46] you know, we did have the House and the Senate from the Republican party. um

[34:51] fight and come up with alternatives to this uh measure that they came out with.

[34:59] Thank you.

[35:02] » Thank you very much. That concludes the two questions for Wasco County. We'll

[35:06] now move to Hood River. Hood River County, please proceed with your first

[35:09] question.

[35:14] » Thank you. Since you are in the minority party, in

[35:18] what ways have you demonstrated or would you demonstrate the ability to work with

[35:23] the majority to advance the needs of our district?

[35:30] » Thank you. Continue with our candidate rotation. Miss Drezen, please answer

[35:35] first. >> Thank you. Um, and thank you for that

[35:38] question. You know, uh, people talk quite a bit about bipartisanship in the

[35:42] state legislature, and to your point, being in the minority party, the only

[35:46] way we get anything done is by being bipartisan. And it has been a great uh,

[35:52] privilege of mine to be able to identify issues where we can work across the

[35:56] aisle and where we do have shared goals and um, and that we absolutely can uh,

[36:03] collaborate to get some of those things done. Uh, one of the priorities for me

[36:07] through the years has always been youth homelessness and addressing youth

[36:10] homelessness. I passed legislation in my freshman term um that would expand

[36:15] access to programming in the rural parts of my legislative district and then move

[36:20] forward in uh collaboration with the majority leader while I was serving as

[36:24] the minority leader and we jointly passed legislation to expand that

[36:28] programming statewide. And so I am very proud of the multiple opportunities that

[36:33] we have seen to work together. I will always put my foot down when there is uh

[36:37] overreach from single party control and it harms Oregonians, but there are lots

[36:42] and lots of issues that are in fact not partisan and that we can find ways to

[36:46] reach across the aisle. Um throughout the period where we were addressing

[36:50] COVID in particular, uh we had five special sessions that were very

[36:54] bipartisan in response to the needs of Oregonians at that time. and we continue

[36:58] to find opportunities to work together. That will always be the gold standard.

[37:02] We're Oregonians and we're Oregonians first. And while we enter this process

[37:07] under uh under a party banner, our work is to do our absolute best to serve the

[37:12] needs of Oregonians regardless of party. And that's certainly the case in

[37:16] legislative service. It's not about serving Republicans. It's about serving

[37:20] our constituents and they are our shared constituents. And I'm grateful for that.

[37:24] and I would look forward to additional opportunities to work together to that

[37:27] end.

[37:30] » Thank you. Next, Mr. Grant, go ahead, please.

[37:35] » Thank you for that question. Um, I believe wholeheartedly that we're all

[37:40] Oregonians. Um, you know, I I think fundamentally that we all want the same

[37:45] things for our state. You know, we want a great education system. We want a

[37:50] thriving economy. Uh, we want affordable housing.

[37:54] um you know, we want low crime rates, you know, and the list continues on, um

[37:59] of the same goals. Um you know, some of the differences come between how we get

[38:05] there and uh I've, you know, on a community level. I've worked well with u

[38:12] a lot of people across the aisle um you know when it's nonpartisan and you know

[38:19] I can continue to do that because I'm a relationship builder and that comes with

[38:25] a bunch of different backgrounds people from um different parties and uh you

[38:32] know from different parts of the country from other countries so um I'm I'm a

[38:37] strong advocate for teamwork to get the ultimate goal of have having a thriving

[38:45] organ. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. And finally, Mr.

[38:51] Hellfridge, go ahead, please. >> Thanks for the question. Uh, I think

[38:55] most recently for me to show that I can work bipartisan is the measure 110

[38:58] reforms that we did. We recriminalized hard drugs. But more importantly, as a

[39:02] police officer, when I showed up to somebody's door, it was about solving

[39:06] problems. And it was about how do we get to yes, not always, but how do how can

[39:11] we get to a yes here? And we all have different ways of going about doing our

[39:15] business, but it's about relationships. And in the House, you have to have good

[39:20] relationships with everybody. Uh you may not like some of the politics sometimes,

[39:24] but you have to have those good relationships. And then the Senate

[39:26] provides the opportunity to be expand those relationships, but you're there

[39:29] longer to sit down there and get good work done over the over a couple of

[39:32] sessions. So for me and how I've worked across to get the to get uh things done

[39:37] for the district is because I've been bipartisan. I've been able to bring home

[39:43] $105 million for the Hood River Bridge because that was important and I knew

[39:48] how to be in that building and get relationship and get a bill passed. Also

[39:53] part of that was is part of the bonding that was going to happen with that bill

[39:57] was the ability they were going to bond all that bill in one and they were going

[40:01] to take the whole 105 million which would have taken out lottery bonds would

[40:04] have maxed them out. I recognized that worked with the stakeholders and said

[40:08] how much money do we need now to work over a couple of bianiums to get the

[40:12] money that's needed for the bridge so you can spend it as you need it. So, we

[40:16] did that, but that what that did was offered other opportunities for other

[40:19] legislators to bring home project money for their projects at home. And so, it's

[40:23] just not bipartisan work within um the each side of your political spectrum.

[40:28] It's about actually working with together throughout the whole process.

[40:30] And it's about, as we said, it's about people, not party. And that's how we

[40:33] have to look at look and serve our constituents. It's about how do we do

[40:37] best for them and how do we get the best results for them.

[40:43] » Thank you, Mr. Albridge. Wood River County, if you have a second

[40:47] question for the candidates, please proceed.

[40:50] » Given recent rumors, how can you allay our fears that you won't have time to

[40:56] serve the residents of this district rather than focusing on running for

[41:00] statewide office? >> Thank you very much, chair. You are

[41:05] continuing with our nominee rotation for answers. Mr. Grant, please answer first.

[41:10] » I'm I'm sorry I didn't get the first part of that question. If we could

[41:14] repeat that one more time. >> The question is um really specific to

[41:20] one of you. Um given the recent rumors, how can you

[41:25] allay our fears that you won't have time to serve the residents of this district

[41:30] because you're focusing on running for statewide office?

[41:35] » Oh, well, um thank you for that question. I uh do not plan on running

[41:42] for statewide office. So, you will have my full time and attention to Senate

[41:47] Districts 26. Um and

[41:52] » thank you. >> Thank

[41:55] you, Mr. Grant. Next, Mr. Half, go ahead, please.

[42:00] » Thanks for the question. I have never sought I never thought in my growing up

[42:06] as a kid I would end up in politics, let alone be the House Republican leader for

[42:11] that time and then make the impact that I did. And the Senate for me is the end

[42:15] point for my political career. I don't plan on seeking higher office. I don't

[42:19] want to go to DC. My wife and I have talked about those things. anything else

[42:22] other than where I'm at. My kids are 11 and 13 and I want to be around to see

[42:27] what they do and all the great things and experience them and about if

[42:31] guarantee, you know, I'm I have filed for the Senate seat. I can plan on

[42:36] running for the Senate seat, but also it's at least four years if not a second

[42:40] term on top of that. Eight years gets me to where my kids are out just getting

[42:43] out of the house and I get to go follow them around, chase them around and watch

[42:46] watch them do their sports and the great things that their kids are going to do

[42:49] and follow them around. So that's my commitment. I'm not going to seek any

[42:51] higher office than being in being a state senator.

[42:57] » Thank you, Mr. Hellfridge. Finally, Miss Drezen, please.

[43:01] » Thank you. So, I uh appreciate this conversation and I certainly appreciate

[43:05] the question. You know, I am always somebody that is going to give my

[43:10] absolute all and my absolute best to whatever I undertake. And as I've had

[43:14] the privilege and the opportunity to serve in the state legislature,

[43:18] um I have not I have not ever backed down from a challenge. And I I believe

[43:24] that this Senate seat in particular has very big shoes to fill um from Senator

[43:28] Bonham. And I think that he with his endorsement of me and knew that I would

[43:34] give it my all, that I would give it my best to serve this district. And had he

[43:38] completed his term, there's no doubt that Senator Bonham also might have been

[43:43] looking at running for some other office since he could not run for reelection.

[43:47] Um, unfortunately, he was not able to run for re-election to this seat. And

[43:51] so, this Senate district was going to have an open seat and an open contest

[43:55] under any and all circumstances. So, I can tell you, I've talked to each

[44:00] one of you and I've really appreciated those conversations. I am committed to

[44:05] uh to doing my absolute best to serve this district uh throughout the

[44:09] remainder of Senator Bonham's term and I am committed to um doing right by his

[44:14] endorsement and and serving this district to the best of my abilities.

[44:18] Just the fact that you would uh consider that I would be the person I'm assuming

[44:23] that it was directed to me that might consider statewide office. Um, for me

[44:27] that is just a reflection of the fact that I am always determined to do more

[44:31] than everyone else that everybody else sometimes is willing to do to serve the

[44:36] greater good for the state of Oregon. Um, but that begins with this district.

[44:39] Um, I would not have accepted Senator Bonham's endorsement and been been

[44:43] willing to take on the responsibility that he so dearly loved to to represent

[44:47] this Senate seat if I were not completely committed to doing my best uh

[44:51] by the constituents in Senate District 26.

[44:56] Thank you very much. That concludes Hood River County's two questions. Next,

[45:01] Multma County, please answer your f ask your first question.

[45:05] » Yeah, great. Thank you. Thank you, Andrew. Good afternoon again.

[45:08] Commissioner Jones Dixon here. Um I'm going to build this is another

[45:11] transportation question. Um but with a final point on, you know, SD26.

[45:16] Um the portions of Senate District 26 in East Multma County have roads that are

[45:20] crumbling and a lack of transit services. This impacts our our our a

[45:25] economy and our ability to promote agro tourism. While the legislature took

[45:31] action on a short-term fix to transportation funding, it it will not

[45:34] address the systemic issue which relies on a declining revenue source. Besides

[45:39] doing more with less and uh disinvestment in existing programs like

[45:43] public transportation, what is your long-term vision for providing the

[45:47] revenue needed to build a transportation system needed for our economy to thrive?

[45:53] Thank you, Commissioner. Continuing with our nominee rotation scheme, Mr.

[45:57] Helridge, please answer first. >> Uh, thank you, uh, Commissioner Dixon.

[46:01] Thank you. I know we were at the tour that was at, uh, a few year, I guess it

[46:05] was last year or so when you and I were out there looking at those roads,

[46:09] looking at the crumbling, looking looking at the bridges. You know, I'm

[46:11] very keenly aware what's going on in that district that also that part of

[46:14] that district is, you know, we talk about agurism.

[46:19] I've always had the philosophy and leadership. I'm not the if I'm the

[46:22] smartest one in the room, I'm in the wrong room. And it's going to take a

[46:24] collective group of people to get together to figure out how we're going

[46:28] to be able to fund this fund these resources or fund these projects that

[46:31] need with the resources with the limited dollars that we have, but also you have

[46:36] a lot of things going on out there in East Point County when it comes to the

[46:39] water project that Portland's done and tearing up those roads and who's going

[46:42] to be accountable for what's going on out there with their water treatment

[46:45] project. Those are questions that we have to sit down and have a conversation

[46:50] about. get everybody in the room and say, "How are we going to slice this

[46:53] up?" Because if we don't have good roads, people aren't going to want to be

[46:56] out there. If these roads cause problems and cause accidents and even death at

[47:00] some points because of these things, that's a problem. And I'm going to tell

[47:04] you right now, I don't have the answers, but I'm willing to sit at the table and

[47:06] have that conversation and figure it out. Being at being on the

[47:09] transportation committee, those are some big heavy asks and big heavy lifts that

[47:12] we're trying to figure out. But it's engaging local leadership like yourself

[47:16] at the city and county levels to get this done. And so that's that's that's

[47:20] my commitment to make sure we can move this forward to get the roads out there

[47:23] in East Mult County. Well, east mult county west of me out there in Corbett

[47:28] in those areas like that that are really rural that need the help.

[47:31] » Thank you, Representative.

[47:35] » Thank you. Next, Miss Brazen. Go ahead, please.

[47:39] » Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Uh I uh have been thinking a lot about this.

[47:44] Uh obviously when Republicans um and I was the leader at that time um proposed

[47:50] an alternative to the $15 billion transportation package, it was our

[47:55] intent to engage authentically in that process and to say we understand the

[48:01] assignment here. We know how important infrastructure is. We know how important

[48:04] transportation is and we recognize that constituencies across the state use the

[48:10] transportation systems differently and some areas are very dependent on transit

[48:15] and other areas need access to roads and brid they use their roads and bridges

[48:20] and there's uh and there's actually a little bit less of the population enga

[48:24] you know using their transit services and so balancing out all those needs is

[48:29] actually always always the challenge and that's really the important role that

[48:34] our local government partners play in helping us better understand what on the

[48:38] ground needs are for our shared constituents. But I would say this in

[48:42] particular about revenue sources moving forward. I think we identified through

[48:46] this process, I think they gave us, you know, it was just pages and pages and

[48:50] pages from the Department of Transportation that they told us these

[48:53] are noncore functions that we engage in. We're spending gas tax dollars on the

[48:58] following things that we don't view as core to our mission. I think we have to

[49:02] balance these things out and so I think that we can't assume that Oregonians can

[49:06] always afford more and I think that's a premise I walk in with and you know

[49:10] there might be differences of opinions on that but I think given the economy

[49:13] right now we could we could say what can we do first that doesn't burden

[49:18] Oregonians and then second where else do we need to go for that gap and when it

[49:23] comes to transit specifically I would say that when we increased the funds in

[49:26] 2017 for transit and they instituted a payroll tax what we saw was we saw

[49:31] transit districts not sharing that burden with riders and they would make

[49:35] and they would be free rides instead of instead of sharing those cost burdens

[49:39] they suddenly weren't charging anymore for those rides and I think having that

[49:42] as a part of the conversation has to be part of the solution here

[49:48] » thank you very much finally Mr. Grant, go ahead, please.

[49:54] » Thank you for that question. Um, I uh very familiar with the uh the East

[50:02] Multma County um roads and areas. That's an area that I'm in on a regular basis

[50:10] uh for for my job. Um, you know, it's it definitely would be a collective effort

[50:16] um coming from the local um municipalities um and county and trying

[50:25] to be able to come up with some problem solving efforts. Uh along with that um I

[50:31] don't want to sound redundant but I think that accountability with budgets

[50:36] um is something necessary that we need for for funding for these uh for

[50:42] transportation and you know for roads. Um I think that Oregon as a whole we can

[50:49] we can do a little bit better. Thank you.

[50:54] » Thank you. That concludes the answers to Multma County's first question. Multma

[50:58] County, if you have a second question, please go ahead.

[51:01] » Yeah, if we do, thank you. Thank you again, Andrew, and thank you all for the

[51:04] responses. Um the final question for us is in East Multma County specifically,

[51:09] we have um a lot of community members that are on fixed um on fixed incomes.

[51:14] Um and they uh a lot of them are relying on federal food access programs and

[51:19] healthcare benefits. Um, with the current federal uh, legislation

[51:23] restricting and ending those benefits for a lot of folks in our district and

[51:28] including in Senate District 26, what is your plan as a state senator to ensure

[51:32] that no resident in Multma County, Hood River County, Wasp County, or Clackmus

[51:38] County loses a losses healthcare and food access benefits. Thank you.

[51:43] » Thank you, Commissioner. Continue with our rotation. Miss Drazzen, please

[51:47] answer first. Thank you uh thank you uh for that for

[51:53] that question. These are uh these are times where the state has a

[51:57] responsibility to do uh what it can to be more efficient with the resources

[52:02] that are available to us. I think part of the challenges for why those numbers

[52:07] have been so stark as well is that the state has in some of those programs

[52:11] massive error rates where they don't actually check whether or not people are

[52:16] eligible which at the end of the day in some cases means that people that might

[52:20] not be eligible for some of the some of those services are taking those services

[52:24] from people that are actually needy and actually are eligible for those

[52:27] services. Um, some of our review periods are two years and we need to shift those

[52:31] review periods for eligibility back to 6 months. And those are things that we can

[52:36] do. And once we get our error rates down into five and 6% instead of 16%, we'll

[52:42] actually um we'll actually see some of those funds return as well. And so when

[52:46] you look at our state budget, that's something that we are facing right now.

[52:49] And we're having those conversations today about how the state can um can

[52:54] step up and be responsive to what's an appropriate federal expectation that

[52:59] that the eligibility terms are met in some of these programs and also for the

[53:03] people that are needy that the state ensures that we actually are providing

[53:07] for our needy citizens across our state. And so yeah, I'm in I'm I'm in that I'm

[53:12] in that with you to fight that fight and make sure that folks get what they need.

[53:16] On the other side of it, I will insist that the state uh just absolutely abide

[53:22] by the exact same eligibility standards that they do across the rest of the

[53:25] nation and that we don't let the that eligibility period lapse.

[53:33] » Thank you very much, Mr. Drezen. Next, Mr. Grant, please proceed.

[53:38] » All right. Well, thank you for that uh that question. Um, you know, it's uh

[53:44] definitely an alarming situation to be in. Um, you

[53:49] know, we don't want to see people that need benefits and and not be able to

[53:54] receive them. Um, you know, for as far as something that I would be able to

[54:00] provide uh as an answer, um, you know, simply put is without all the

[54:06] information, I wouldn't be able to give a very good answer. And um you know

[54:11] without the education and and without the um knowing what the state would be

[54:19] able to provide at this time I I wouldn't be able to give you a a great

[54:23] answer for for this question. So my apologies. Thank you.

[54:30] » Thank you Mr. Grant. And finally Mr. Hellfridge please go ahead.

[54:34] You know, there's been a lot of conversation, a lot of thought about

[54:37] this very uh question when it came to the budget towards the end of the long

[54:41] session and the chairs uh the co-chairs were very um concerned about budgets and

[54:48] we only have so much left in our emergency fund and then how do you spend

[54:52] those dollars and then how do you create the accountability portion of it? There

[54:56] is a answer to it but I don't know what that is right now. Um, Representative

[55:01] Drezen, you know, spoke eloquently about some of the processes that are there. We

[55:05] do know like OA has not done very well with their accountability when they've

[55:09] lost hund00 million a couple years ago and trying to figure out when they're

[55:12] paying out the dollars for measure 110 and the the services going out there.

[55:16] So, we really have to look and see where that money's at, where the money is at

[55:21] under the couch cushions to get stuff done. I don't have the answer to you.

[55:25] Again, I don't have that direct knowledge of where we're at, but those

[55:29] are questions are going to be tough questions to ask and the answers.

[55:32] They're going to be tough, even tougher answers to figure out where what where

[55:35] our solutions are going to be going from. But that is where we again get the

[55:39] right people in the room and having those conversations and be having the

[55:42] internal fortitude to say yes or no to these certain programs. But we don't

[55:46] want to leave anybody behind and we don't want to sit there and watch people

[55:48] get kicked out of their homes or um not be able to put food on the table. We

[55:53] have to adhere to what the standards are across the nation.

[55:58] » Thank you, Mr. Hellfridge. That concludes Multma Countyy's two

[56:01] questions. Finally, moving to Clackamus County. Please proceed with your first

[56:05] question. Commissioners, uh, Clackamus County Commissioner Ben

[56:09] West here. I'll be asking the first question.

[56:12] Um, Clackamus County has adopted a recovery oriented system of care and

[56:18] infrastructure for our substance use treatment is still needed throughout

[56:22] Oregon and within our c and within our counties. What are you willing to do as

[56:27] a senator to make sure serving services, programming, and infrastructure can be

[56:32] elevated in our communities to meet this need?

[56:39] » Thank you. Mr. Grant, please begin.

[56:43] Um, I think that we've statewide we've had uh our

[56:49] numerous problems with uh with the drug issue and um you know I would definitely

[56:58] uh love to see our legislation push for um we we've we've repealed our former

[57:07] bills which is Representative HR has has mentioned um you know we we need to get

[57:14] people as much help as we possibly can. Um and I don't think that we do that by

[57:20] being any more lenient. Um I think that we need to ensure that we have the uh

[57:27] proper structure in place to get them help or um let them you know they they

[57:34] have to hit a certain point of rock bottom to be able to get healthy again.

[57:40] I don't think it's a um I don't think it's very humane to

[57:46] continue to let people um you know use drugs and have addiction problems in our

[57:53] state of Oregon. Um but we also have to have that infrastructure set up to be

[57:59] able to do so. So um that's all I got. Thank

[58:06] » Thank you, Mr. Grant. Next, Mr. Hridge. Go ahead, please. Thanks for the

[58:10] question, Commissioner uh West. For people's history, when we were looking

[58:15] at 110, there was people in the room um for the caucus room and the Republicans

[58:21] that didn't want to reform 110. They wanted to sit there and call for special

[58:25] session, full repeal. I knew we needed to have a plan and that's why I included

[58:28] you in that process, writing a good bill, writing what you had. That's what

[58:32] we that's why we published what we had and how we moved it forward. And part of

[58:36] that conversation was is how do we fund these things? Do we get it? Does it go

[58:39] through OA? Does it go through another nonprofit to get the money out there?

[58:43] And what we found was when it goes through the nonprofits, it doesn't get

[58:46] to the right places at the right time. And so the money's there. It has to get

[58:50] to the counties and it has to go to the places that do the good work. And

[58:54] Clackman County is the shining example of not just deflection and treatment,

[58:59] but also accountability with that. And that's that's the good work that, you

[59:02] know, you and I did uh working on that bill and moving that forward. But it's

[59:06] always about who's getting the money, where's it going, and it's going to go

[59:10] back to OA with the accountability portion of that. The money didn't get

[59:13] where it needed to go. And we had to fight for you guys again to get the

[59:16] money and get those grants that you were supposed to get. And we did. We stepped

[59:19] up and we got we got it done. But it shouldn't take that to get people help

[59:23] that they need. You know, I've seen people in their worst moments just like

[59:26] you have and every everybody else maybe has seen this in this on the screen. And

[59:30] it's not a pretty sight. But we have to do our job to help people and get them

[59:35] better. And we have to make sure you guys have the tools to do that. And

[59:38] that's most of lot of that is just really self-governance and self-control

[59:41] when it comes to the counties and the cities knowing what's best for them and

[59:44] how they're going to go about doing it.

[59:48] » Thank you very much. Finally, Miss Disen, go ahead, please.

[59:52] » I'm sorry. Can I ask Commissioner West to repeat the question? I'm want to make

[59:55] sure I'm responsive directly. >> Yeah, no problem. Um, Clactamus County

[59:59] has adopted a recovery oriented system of care and infrastructure for substance

[1:00:04] use treatment. Um, is and and it's not it's not there's a typo here, so that

[1:00:10] might be part of the confusion. Infrastructure for substance use

[1:00:13] treatment is still needed throughout Oregon within that recovery oriented

[1:00:16] system of care and specifically within our counties. um what are you willing to

[1:00:21] do as a senator to make sure services, programming, and infrastructure can be

[1:00:26] elevated in our communities to meet this need and crisis?

[1:00:30] » Yeah, thank you for that clarification. So, um I was chair of the Clackamus

[1:00:35] Caucus, as you know, when I was a freshman and have continued to work

[1:00:42] collaboratively across the aisle on issues specific to Clacamus County. And

[1:00:46] I really think that that is uh going to be a gold mine for moving forward is

[1:00:50] ensuring that our approach to recovery based infrastructure that it's

[1:00:54] bipartisan. Uh budgets express priorities and we are facing budget

[1:00:58] challenges right now. But unfortunately what we've seen too often recently in

[1:01:03] response to uh addiction in the state of Oregon has not been enough focus on

[1:01:07] recovery. And I think that uh Clackmus County in particular has been so crystal

[1:01:12] clear on the importance of uh infrastructure that that is built out

[1:01:17] assuming that people are going to get into recovery and they're going to

[1:01:21] remain sober long term. And you don't do that without supports. You don't do that

[1:01:25] you don't do that without the beds. You don't do that uh without the

[1:01:28] infrastructure. And I know that you guys had um a bipartisan supported ask in

[1:01:33] this most recent session that didn't make it across the finish line. and I

[1:01:37] will look forward to advocating for that uh in particular with our partners

[1:01:40] across the aisle to see if we can't get that done in the upcoming short session.

[1:01:44] I think it's critically important that recovery be a larger part of this

[1:01:47] conversation. It has not been. You know, when we talk about beds um and we we we

[1:01:51] talk about recovery specifically, I mean, whether or not it's homeless

[1:01:55] services or whatever, it's primarily focused on assuming that people will

[1:01:59] remain in that state of addiction. And I think Clackamus County has made it

[1:02:03] really, really clear that the future must be recovery.

[1:02:10] » Thank you, Miss Drezen. That concludes all nominee answers to Clackamus

[1:02:14] Countyy's first question. Clackamus County, if you have a second question,

[1:02:17] commissioners, please proceed. >> Yeah. Hello everyone. Uh, Commissioner

[1:02:22] Paul Savis here. Um, thank you for the, uh, people being present here and

[1:02:26] answering our questions. I'm going to qualify my question to give you context

[1:02:30] so I get as clear or we all get as clear as an answer as possible. Uh when HB

[1:02:36] 2017 passed um it included a transit tax called STIF stiff um as well as monies

[1:02:43] for uh for infrastructure large projects and help to uh meet the uh the needs for

[1:02:51] not only the state but local cities uh and counties. And in the earlier part of

[1:02:56] this discussion, we heard about businesses and I was a business owner,

[1:02:59] but I I always consider myself an employer first and a business owner

[1:03:03] second. And um and I say that because um you know we are seeing more people

[1:03:09] falling in homeless economically. Economic the economic drivers that are

[1:03:13] pushing people out of their homes um or putting pressure on them financially

[1:03:18] really add uh challenges. Businesses are leaving. uh they're not really seeing

[1:03:23] investment perhaps in infrastructure. We talk about that a lot. Uh and though we

[1:03:28] have separate funding streams, um the one again I'm talking about is the STIF

[1:03:32] and I want to bring that back. Um that had the legislative intent of providing

[1:03:37] first and last mile connections. Basically giving service to areas that

[1:03:42] have no service. This area has had a historic this region has had an

[1:03:46] historical um challenge in providing equal levels of of transportation

[1:03:52] transit in this case to all areas. And there's areas that are served well and

[1:03:55] there's areas that are underserved. But however, the stiff tax uh came the

[1:04:00] unique tax that came from people's paychecks. And the promise was again

[1:04:05] more access and people paying in. And yet there's a lot of people paying into

[1:04:09] the system but they're not seeing any new service.

[1:04:13] and the state rules committee changed the rules and allowed some backfilling

[1:04:16] with that. And now it appears as though some transit agencies, the larger ones,

[1:04:21] um are really using it to backfill and not honoring the intent and the promise

[1:04:25] that some state legislators voted for. So my question to you all specifically

[1:04:29] is what will you do either to to to uh uh get the service promised with this

[1:04:36] STI and have that dedicated to that service to help people that really have

[1:04:41] the need? um that it's to help keep them at their homes because transportation is

[1:04:45] getting expensive. What will you do to again reinstate the purpose, the

[1:04:50] legislative intent of those STI dollars on behalf of the people who need it

[1:04:54] most?

[1:04:58] » Thank you, Commissioner Savis. Continuing with our nominee rotation,

[1:05:01] Mr. Hell, please answer first. >> Thanks for the opportunity for this

[1:05:05] question. Uh, Commissioner Savis, uh, that's a great question and I know with,

[1:05:10] uh, Commissioner Merleti, uh, she and I served on the CAT board here in Hood

[1:05:15] River, which is the Columbia area transit division or transit agency, and

[1:05:20] know firsthand what those dollars mean to them and what it means to have those

[1:05:24] services. And Clakamus is not immune to that. You have trime. I was in the

[1:05:28] transit police division as a police officer. saw all the stuff that went on

[1:05:31] there and a lot of empty buses and they are sucking up a lot of those dollars

[1:05:35] that need to go there. You have, I think, three different uh smaller uh

[1:05:39] transit agencies, Sandy uh in Cami and there's another one I believe that all

[1:05:44] need these dollars and they're it's about getting people to the grocery

[1:05:47] store. It's about seniors that are unable to get to uh the grocery store or

[1:05:51] get to their medical appointment or veteran services, all those things. And

[1:05:54] so my commitment is to make sure those dollars get allocated appropriately to

[1:05:59] these smaller agencies because it's not always having a big bus and a big uh

[1:06:04] thing to go up and down the freeway to get to to uh the airport, whatever it

[1:06:08] is. But we have to take care of these smaller communities because these people

[1:06:12] depend on that service. And it can be as simple as a dialer ride. It can be as

[1:06:16] simple as a van instead of a large bus and how that service works. And so it's

[1:06:20] not one sizefits-all. And with that, I'm going to make sure have that influence

[1:06:24] to have that make sure you guys have the agencies, these small these smaller uh

[1:06:28] transit agencies, not just in the district, but throughout the state, get

[1:06:31] the appropriate dollars that they need instead of the big gorilla in the room,

[1:06:35] which usually is try getting sucking up a lot of those funds that shouldn't be

[1:06:38] going there.

[1:06:42] » Thank you, Mr. Alfred. Next, Miss Drezen, please answer next.

[1:06:48] » Thank you. And uh thank you for the question, Commissioner. Uh this is the

[1:06:53] topic, right? Like you and I have talked many times about transit and uh and and

[1:06:59] we both recognize that doubling the payroll tax is something that Oregonians

[1:07:02] will struggle with. That that will affect their take-home pay that that

[1:07:07] does have a direct impact on Oregon families. And in the case of this

[1:07:11] particular um tax, 60% of it goes to Trimet. And so I would say that in all

[1:07:19] cases whenever right now we're talking about government, we just need

[1:07:22] accountability and we need that not not in a way that says that government

[1:07:27] doesn't have a function but that begins to set these expectations that when

[1:07:33] government is given taxpayer dollars, no matter what the source, no matter what

[1:07:36] the intent, that they will do with those dollars the absolute best that they can

[1:07:41] to meet the mission and and to serve the citizens. And when it comes to transit,

[1:07:46] I think that there are transit districts that are innovative and they're

[1:07:50] modernizing. And then there are transit districts that are a little bit stuck in

[1:07:53] the past. That maybe the transit systems that were first created have not in fact

[1:07:57] done as good a job uh being responsive to that la first mile last mile u

[1:08:03] mandate that everybody expected them to begin to close that gap with the 2017

[1:08:08] dollars. But instead, we're seeing those same issues. And certainly ridership has

[1:08:12] not rebounded after 2020. Um it's there's no doubt that the world has

[1:08:17] changed postcoid and not everybody is getting on a bus to go to work anymore.

[1:08:21] A lot of folks are now working remotely. Uh work life balance has changed. Uh but

[1:08:25] the transit system needs to change with it. The transit system needs to be

[1:08:28] modernized and they need to be assuring the people that are paying those payroll

[1:08:32] taxes that they aren't squandering the money and that the money is actually

[1:08:36] going for first mile last mile and that people are being served. And so I think

[1:08:40] we've got a ways to go in this issue area. I know that you bird dog this all

[1:08:43] the time um in your work uh across committees. Um and that's certainly in

[1:08:48] my capacity as the state senator something that I would be anxious to

[1:08:52] partner with you on.

[1:08:56] » Thank you very much. Finally, Mr. Grant, please proceed.

[1:09:00] » Thank you for that question. Um, no, I definitely with the, you know, that

[1:09:04] taxation from um from that bill for stiff, we're we go back into

[1:09:11] accountability and, you know, if we're not being able to um spread out our our

[1:09:18] tax dollars uh to the communities that that need it or, you know, if these

[1:09:26] transportation entities are not being responsible with their funds, you know,

[1:09:30] that that needs to be taken into consideration. Um, and you know, I'm a

[1:09:36] I'm a person that believes in in teamwork on to uh you know, listen and

[1:09:42] and figure out solutions of how um how to better serve you know, these these

[1:09:50] tax dollars that need to go into the uh transportation um

[1:09:56] services. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Grant. Mr.

[1:10:03] Chair, that concludes all board questions for nominees today.

[1:10:09] » Thank you, Andrew. Let's move to closing statements. So, clerk, could could you

[1:10:13] please moderate those closing statements for us?

[1:10:16] » Yes, Mr. Chair. As a reminder to the nominees, you will each have one minute

[1:10:20] for your closing statements. First, Representative Hellfridge, please

[1:10:25] begin. You guys have a tremendous uh heavy

[1:10:30] weight on your shoulders to choose who's going to be the next senator and I'm

[1:10:33] asking for your vote to be the next senator to fill Senator Bonhams and

[1:10:36] continue to run in that role. I have a proven track record in bipartisan work

[1:10:41] and problem solving. That is what I've done for my career from public services

[1:10:46] trying to figure out how to solve problems. Understanding that we're not

[1:10:49] going to get there all the time, but we have the ability to sit and have a

[1:10:51] conversation and you can't walk away. You have to sit there and be at the

[1:10:55] table or you can be at the menu. On the menu. I don't want to be on the menu. I

[1:10:58] always want to sit at the table and have those conversations because it's

[1:11:01] important. We understand we're going to disagree on certain things, but let's

[1:11:04] focus on the things that we can get to and fix the problems and then we can

[1:11:07] tackle those bigger issues. That said, I believe my five years basically in my

[1:11:12] five years almost in the legislative body has helped prepare me for this next

[1:11:16] step. Do I know all the answers? No. Do I know where to find the answers and

[1:11:19] look for them and get the right people in the room? Absolutely, I can do that.

[1:11:22] So, I'm asking for your vote to become the next senator for Senate District 26.

[1:11:28] » Thank you very much. Next, Mr. Grant, please proceed.

[1:11:33] » Thank you so much for uh having me today. Um, you know, I have the utmost

[1:11:39] respect for Representative Drezen and Representative Health. Um, you know,

[1:11:44] I've helped out on both of their campaigns.

[1:11:47] um you know, but we know that they're going to be there in Salem this

[1:11:52] February. Uh no matter what the decision is here today, um I know that I'm not in

[1:11:58] a representative position at the at the moment. Um and sometimes going into this

[1:12:06] this uh process can feel a little overwhelming, but uh I'm no stranger to

[1:12:13] adversity and taking on hard challenges. Um what I do is I I manage things well

[1:12:22] and I get results and um I ask for your vote and uh you know let's hopefully end

[1:12:30] this process today instead of going to I don't know do this process all over

[1:12:36] again. Thank you. >> Thank you Mr. Grant. Finally,

[1:12:40] Representative Drezen, please begin. >> Uh thank you. It has just been um it has

[1:12:46] been just a pleasure to be with everybody today and talk about the range

[1:12:49] of issues that affect uh affect your counties and we've had a great

[1:12:54] conversation about transportation, a great conversation about bipartisanship

[1:12:59] and preserving the safety net and making sure that Oregonians can in fact get the

[1:13:06] most that they deserve out of our public services and with our shared work

[1:13:10] together to serve our shared constituents. Um, the conversation that

[1:13:14] we have had has been one I think that has reflected what Oregonians would want

[1:13:18] this Senate district to to work on on their behalf. And I am anxious and ready

[1:13:25] to do the job on behalf of our shared communities. I'm honored to have the

[1:13:29] endorsement of Senator Bonham. I he I'm sure did not give that lightly and I do

[1:13:34] not take that lightly. Um this is a responsibility uh which I which I would

[1:13:38] give uh my full heart and work to and I look forward to having the opportunity

[1:13:43] to to serve Senate District 26 in the upcoming year. Thank you.

[1:13:48] » Thank you very much Mr. Chair. That concludes closing statements from all

[1:13:52] nominees. >> Thank you. Let's uh take a short recess

[1:13:57] before we move on. So it's 2:16 now. So, let's uh return at uh 2:25

[1:14:04] and we'll resume at that time. So, let's take a short recess.

[1:14:09] Thank you.

[1:14:13] All right, we'll go ahead and reconvene and right now it's uh we're going to

[1:14:18] move to deliberation. And before we begin, clerk, would you please remind us

[1:14:22] of the process so everybody's really clear about that?

[1:14:26] » Of course, Mr. share. As provided by the Secretary of State, commissioners votes

[1:14:31] are weighted to reflect the share of voters in Senate District 26 living

[1:14:35] within each county. Wasco County Commissioners will each have five votes.

[1:14:41] Wood River County Commissioners will each have 3.4 votes. Multma County

[1:14:46] Commissioners will each have 1.8 votes. And Clackamus County Commissioners will

[1:14:52] each have 13.8 votes. And as an additional reminder, state law requires

[1:14:58] a nominee to receive only a plurality to be appointed. This means the nominee who

[1:15:02] gets the most votes, even if not a majority of all votes, will be

[1:15:07] appointed. That concludes my summary, Mr. Chair.

[1:15:11] » Thank you. So, I just want to make sure, colleagues, that there aren't any uh

[1:15:15] questions or confusion about the voting structure uh before we begin this

[1:15:20] deliberation.

[1:15:24] Okay, not seeing any hands raised. Uh for deliberations, I'll open the floor

[1:15:29] to anyone who would wish to speak. Uh after everyone's had a chance to speak,

[1:15:34] I will call for a vote.

[1:15:39] So just again as a reminder we have u many commissioners here today and I just

[1:15:43] asked my fellow commissioners to keep their comments as brief as possible to

[1:15:48] be respectful of everyone's schedule and uh do any of my fellow commissioners

[1:15:53] wish to comment and uh just please raise your hand and our clerk will call on

[1:15:57] you. So now's the time.

[1:16:14] here. Roberts, I had a question. Is this the time to make any comments or will we

[1:16:19] also have time to make comments as we're voting?

[1:16:24] » Um, this is really the time for comments and then I'll uh call for a vote after

[1:16:29] the comments have been made. um is is how this is set up.

[1:16:35] » Okay, great. Thank you. Thanks for clarifying that. Um and I'm I'm happy to

[1:16:39] make a comment now um at this at this time. Um so just I I first wanted to

[1:16:43] just say how much I appreciate everyone stepping forward for this appointment

[1:16:48] process whether it is Mr. Grant who is new to elected office or representatives

[1:16:53] Halen Drezen. Um stepping into public service or further public service is

[1:16:57] always um both a big sacrifice on a personal level and family level but also

[1:17:02] an incredible privilege of being able to do that work. So I just wanted to thank

[1:17:06] everyone for that. Um and I think we have some very well-qualified candidates

[1:17:10] here. It was great to hear from everyone um about this. um you know for me I

[1:17:16] think that um whether it is an appointment to fill a term or for long

[1:17:20] term you know this district deserves the best representation it can have and um I

[1:17:26] will just say coming into this for me the experience that I've had um I've had

[1:17:30] the most experience I think working with Repridge um I know that both um he has

[1:17:35] um always been available always met with Multma County staff and our government

[1:17:39] relations team and has worked bipartisan um with us on on issues um and even

[1:17:43] though it's only a very small um part of um Senate District 26. Multma County

[1:17:47] still is a part of that and and I um and I appreciate the way that he has gotten

[1:17:52] to know our district and um or gotten to know our county and um and worked on

[1:17:56] that. So, I will be supporting um Representative Halridge today. Thank

[1:17:59] you. >> Thank you.

[1:18:09] » Right, >> Andrew? I'm not seeing any other hands

[1:18:12] raised. Do you see any? Am I missing anything?

[1:18:15] » No, Mr. Chair. Just as a reminder to all commissioners, if you wish to comment to

[1:18:19] please raise your hand as Madame Chair Vega Peterson did, and I will call on

[1:18:23] you.

[1:18:32] Mr. Chair, I have two hands. I saw Commissioner Brim Edwards hands first.

[1:18:37] Please go ahead, Commissioner. you know what um so we don't have two county

[1:18:42] individuals going in a row. I'll just defer and I'll follow um

[1:18:47] Commissioner U. >> Okay.

[1:18:53] Um I would also like to thank the people who are being considered uh two people

[1:18:58] with the experience and a new face from Wasco County. Um, because my county

[1:19:04] asked a question about whether or not it might be distracting to run for a

[1:19:11] statewide office, I've thought about how I would think about the answer to that.

[1:19:15] And um, I think there's two ways to look at it. One, that person would be very

[1:19:20] busy. And the other is if you want things done, ask a busy person. And I'm

[1:19:25] not saying that that's an adage that I live by always, but um I think the

[1:19:30] confidence that you have the connections also might to to run might also indicate

[1:19:35] that you have the connections to get things done. And I'm not saying uh that

[1:19:40] I'm for or against uh either. I'm just um I'm just pointing out that I think

[1:19:47] that's one of the ways that I would look at it. is uh the confidence to run could

[1:19:53] indicate effectiveness. So, I'll just leave it at

[1:19:58] that and thank everybody. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Commissioner

[1:20:03] Brim Edwards, I also see Commissioner Schrader's hand raised. Would you still

[1:20:06] like to defer or would you like to speak now?

[1:20:08] » Defer. Let um that the counties uh chime in. I don't I was just going to go

[1:20:12] because nobody else had their hand raised.

[1:20:14] » Share. With your approval, then I'll turn to Commissioner Shrader.

[1:20:17] » That's fine. Go ahead.

[1:20:23] Commissioner Shrader, we're not able to hear you.

[1:20:39] » Commissioner Shrader appears to be having technical difficulties with our

[1:20:42] audio. Mr. Chair. All right, we might go ahead to Julia

[1:20:48] then. >> You want me to go? Okay. Um, I'll go.

[1:20:52] Um, I want to thank all three of the individuals who stepped up um and your

[1:20:57] willingness to serve the state in this capacity. I really appreciated hearing

[1:21:01] your opening statements and also the discussions I had in advance um on some

[1:21:05] issues that are really important to um Mult County and my district whether

[1:21:10] it was housing, economic development, public safety, community corrections,

[1:21:14] and also the president's um call to deploy the military in Portland. Um I

[1:21:21] want to just share that I've um Mr. Grant, I'm sorry that I haven't had a

[1:21:24] chance to work with you, but I appreciate that you have stepped up in

[1:21:27] your local community um to volunteer. Um, I have had a chance to work with uh,

[1:21:32] Representative Drezen. I've seen her in action. Um, I know she understands the

[1:21:35] legislative process. Um, and appreciate her willingness to step up. Um,

[1:21:40] Representative Hiltridge, I've also, um, seen you in the legislative arena and,

[1:21:45] um, also working on behalf of the constituents and taking in mind um, sort

[1:21:49] of some of the complexities and sort of the differences um, and our comm the

[1:21:53] differences in our communities across the state. Um, I really appreciate um

[1:21:57] that you know through your professional work um my commission district and the

[1:22:02] neighborhoods and the challenges um and opportunities that exist. Um

[1:22:08] so um appreciate your your prior uh professional service. Um but I really um

[1:22:15] feel that we um in some ways is no lose situation. there's going to be um

[1:22:21] effective representation in um that Senate district and also in the House

[1:22:27] district um with whatever we decide.

[1:22:36] » Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I believe Commissioner Shrader is

[1:22:38] currently working on solving her technical difficulties.

[1:22:42] She may need just one more moment. Uh with your permission, Chair, I'll ask if

[1:22:46] there's any other commissioners who would like to speak.

[1:22:59] Okay. Can you hear me now? >> Yes, we can. Commissioner Sher.

[1:23:02] » Okay. Thank you so much. Uh, for some reason my uh mute was not working on my

[1:23:07] screen touch. So, if it happens again, I'm going to have to depend on you to

[1:23:11] unmute me. Um, let me just start by saying that I don't think I'm going to

[1:23:15] say anything earthshattering that um, the rest of us are thinking and that my

[1:23:21] other colleagues have just said. I want to thank Mr. Grant uh, for stepping up

[1:23:27] to the plate. this is uh it can be a pretty grueling experience and as

[1:23:32] someone who is uh looking to serve I want to thank you for coming today and

[1:23:37] for giving this uh giving yourself the opportunity uh to begin to hopefully

[1:23:44] longer term begin a life of public service. Um uh Mr. Hridge, I have always

[1:23:50] admired you. You are a gentleman. you work tirelessly for the good of the

[1:23:57] people and uh I believe that the work you have done in the legislature has

[1:24:04] been absolutely stellar. So thank you for that sir. And uh finally um Miss

[1:24:10] Christine Disen I've known you for so very long. uh you're a Cambi native as I

[1:24:16] once was and we've had many conversations uh

[1:24:22] together where I think that we have worked across the aisle on the issues

[1:24:26] that matter most to Oregonians. So thank you all and that's all I have to say at

[1:24:31] this time and I would like to hand it over to another commissioner or the

[1:24:36] chair. >> Thank you Commissioner Schrader. Mr.

[1:24:40] Chair, I will make a final call for any other commissioners wish to speak. I see

[1:24:44] no other hands, but I will ask one more time if any commissioners wish to speak

[1:24:48] to please raise their hands. I see two hands, Mr. Chair.

[1:24:57] » Yeah, >> three first. Uh I saw Commissioner Jones

[1:25:02] Dixon first and then Commissioner Savis. Uh Mr. Chair,

[1:25:06] » go ahead. Great. >> Mr. Jones Dixon, Commissioner, please

[1:25:09] proceed. Yeah, great. Thank you. Thank you, chair, and thank you, Andrew.

[1:25:12] You're doing an amazing job. Uh just want to go go around and just say thank

[1:25:15] you to all of the applicants uh this this afternoon, especially Grant. I've

[1:25:20] been out to Wasco County, hosted a bull riding camp out there. It's beautiful

[1:25:23] and amazing. Um Mr. Hridge as well. I really really appreciate your your

[1:25:28] advocacy for the district, uh specifically um around the water

[1:25:31] filtration plant and then being out there with you and the community as far

[1:25:34] as the as far as the roads. Um and then same with you, Rep. Drazen. Um, thank

[1:25:38] you for your advocacy and your your thoughtful responses uh this afternoon.

[1:25:42] And it's always interesting, we continue to think about Baltimore County as far

[1:25:45] as being one county and how we fold into the rest of the 35 counties here within

[1:25:50] the state of Oregon. And both of you guys are great represent uh

[1:25:54] representatives of that. So, uh, thank you again for taking the time and I

[1:25:57] appreciate being being a part of this process. Back to you, Andrew.

[1:26:02] » Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Savis, I saw your hand next. Yeah, I I

[1:26:06] too want to just just join the join the crowd here and just say to thank all

[1:26:10] three of you for uh your roles and um and to um Mr. Hell and uh Mr. Disen um

[1:26:17] thank you for your public service and in the uh in the state capital. I know that

[1:26:22] no matter what happens here, both be there serving us all.

[1:26:25] » Um but I do want to say probably more than anything, this is not an easy

[1:26:29] decision. I know you both. I know you're all hard workers and I know you really

[1:26:32] care. So, I just want to just say this is not easy for me. Um, and um I I do

[1:26:38] appreciate you being here and I do appreciate your your public service. So,

[1:26:41] no matter what happens, I hope that you will all still be engaged. Thank you.

[1:26:50] » Thank you, Commissioner Savis. Mr. Chair, I see no other hands of

[1:26:54] commissioners who wish to speak at this time.

[1:26:56] » Okay. At this point, I'll call for a vote and I'll ask the clerk to call the

[1:27:00] votes in alphabetical order by last name ending with the chairs. And as again, as

[1:27:06] a reminder, folks, each commission commissioner's vote is weighted

[1:27:10] according to their county's population shares, not one commissioner, one vote

[1:27:15] system. So, clerk, would you please call for the votes and show them in real time

[1:27:20] on the screen for really clarity and transpar?

[1:27:26] » Of course, Mr. Chair. And I'll have Blackmus County Assistant Council Jeff

[1:27:30] Muns. Please share his screen. You will see the votes tallied in real time as I

[1:27:34] call the votes. From Hood River, Commissioner Arthur

[1:27:38] Babetts. Uh, >> thank you very much. I will cast my 3.4

[1:27:42] votes for Representative Hell.

[1:27:47] from Wasco County, Commissioner Phil Brady.

[1:27:50] » I will cast my five votes for Commissioner Jeff Hridge.

[1:27:56] » From Multma County, Commissioner Julia Brim Edwards.

[1:28:00] » Casting my 1.8 votes uh for Representative Hridge.

[1:28:07] » From Clakamus County, Commissioner Diana Hill. I cast my vote for Christine

[1:28:12] Drezen

[1:28:15] » from Multma County. Commissioner Vince Jones Dixon.

[1:28:19] » I'll cast my vote for Representative Drezen

[1:28:24] » from Wasco County. Commissioner Jefferson.

[1:28:28] » I'll cast my vote for Representative Hridge

[1:28:34] » from Hood River County. Commissioner Leta Moretti.

[1:28:38] » Thank you. I will cast my vote for Representative Jeff Hridge

[1:28:43] » from Multma County. Commissioner Megan Moyer.

[1:28:47] » I will cast my vote for Representative Hridge

[1:28:52] » from Hun River County. Commissioner Chad Muer.

[1:28:55] » I will cast my vote for Christine Drezen >> from Clakamus County. Commissioner Paul

[1:29:02] Savis.

[1:29:07] » I will cast my vote for Christine Drezen.

[1:29:12] » From Clakamus County, Commissioner Martha Shrader.

[1:29:15] » I'll cast my vote for Christine Drezen

[1:29:21] » from Multma County. Commissioner Shannon Singleton.

[1:29:25] » I will cast my vote for Representative Halrich.

[1:29:31] from Hood River County, Commissioner Ed Weathers.

[1:29:35] » Thank you. I vote for Representative Jeff

[1:29:41] » from Clackamus County. Commissioner Ben West.

[1:29:44] » I'll be casting my vote today for Christine Drezen.

[1:29:51] » Wasco County Sheriff Scott Hedgy. I cast my votes for Helfridge

[1:29:59] » from Hood River. Chair Jennifer Uer,

[1:30:12] » Jeff Hilfri.

[1:30:16] » Thank you from Malttoma. Chair V Jessica Vega Peterson.

[1:30:22] » Thank you. I cast my vote for Representative Hrich

[1:30:29] » and from Clakamus County, Mr. Chair Greg Roberts.

[1:30:33] » I cast my vote for Christine Drezen.

[1:30:39] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. That concludes the vote roll call. All commissioners have

[1:30:43] voted. >> All right. Council, has clearity uh been

[1:30:47] reached? >> It has, chair.

[1:30:50] » Right. Thank you. So on uh behalf of our boards uh congratulations to Christine

[1:30:57] Drezen and wanted to give uh Miss Disen a chance to have any comments if she

[1:31:04] would like uh brief remarks. >> Uh thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And

[1:31:11] uh thank you everyone for this opportunity to really vet the issues

[1:31:15] today and have a discussion uh with both Representative Halridge and Mr. Grant. I

[1:31:21] look forward to the opportunity to work with all of you and to uh serve this

[1:31:25] district to the best of my abilities and certainly to continue my partnership

[1:31:28] with uh Mr. Hellfish moving forward. So, thank you guys for the time today that

[1:31:32] you've invested in this process and uh and thank you for giving all of us an

[1:31:36] adequate opportunity to really go through our approach and our thinking as

[1:31:40] it relates to the central issues for your counties and this larger Senate

[1:31:44] District. So, thank you today. I appreciate it very much. I'm honored to

[1:31:47] have the opportunity to serve. >> Well, thank you very much and thank you

[1:31:52] to all those residents watching today and provided written comment. It's only

[1:31:57] through community involvement that we can collectively work to best represent

[1:32:01] you. Colleagues, our board clerk will coordinate with your staff shortly after

[1:32:06] this meeting and coordinate the signing of the required documents for the

[1:32:09] Secretary of State and um council. Is there anything else before closing the

[1:32:15] meeting? Not at this time chair, just that form for the secretary of state.

[1:32:19] » Right. And uh just again before we journ I want to thank all of the candidates

[1:32:25] and for their community service for stepping up and um uh appreciate the

[1:32:31] time and effort that everyone's takes. So thank you and if there's nothing else

[1:32:35] will be ajourned. Thank you.

Senate District 26 Vacancy Appointment Meeting - Oct. 23, 2025

Transcript