A Big Voice

I am not a shrinking flower. I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. I do not give up in the face of opposition. Whether treating the community with compassion or ensuring that our local leaders use humanity in how the city is run, I believe that every situation should start from a place of respect. Sometimes, a firmer hand is required, but it should always serve the greater good of the community. While not everyone feels they can speak up, I have a loud voice and will use it to try to make a better community for everyone who lives here. I will not sit idly by while the rights of the citizens of Seaside are disregarded or stripped away. I will not watch silently as some of our leaders knowingly twist the truth or disrespect our community. I have been called a rabble-rouser for my tendency to call out the issues that I see. Put my voice to work for you in the way it can be the most effective, by having that voice in the position to make the decisions.

Homelessness

Having spent some years living outdoors following my time in the Army, I view this issue from a somewhat unique place. I understand what the houseless are dealing with. I also understand what it takes to get out of it. I know that making things harder in hopes that "they will move somewhere else" is counter-productive. In Seaside we have a growing population of houseless people, and if we want to get anywhere at all we need to approach the situation with an informed mindset and use methods that work rather than punishing everyone for the failings that may or may not be there. Seaside has a severe shortage of housing. Affordable housing is even more rare. We would do well to strive to build more housing so that people have a place to get off the streets to.

Drugs

As in most communities across the country, Seaside has an addiction issue. What we do not have is ready access to addiction treatment services. We mainly rely on services that are overworked like Clatsop Behavioral Health and Helping Hands. Both have a place in addressing the issue, but should not be left to shoulder the brunt of such a heavy load. I believe that we need to seek out more options that work for the people who need help and encourage them to join the effort to deal with the drug problem in our community. Those who need help should not be left to flounder because they cannot afford access to the services available. If we can get a proper treatment facility we can get people the help they need while simultaneously creating good jobs in the community.

Fireworks

Fireworks bring a lot of tourists to Seaside. But at what cost? The day after involves time money and manpower to clean up after the spectacular. The local wildlife is negatively impacted, the environment is trashed, and our pets are traumatized, as are many of our local veterans. I believe that we can still draw the tourists that support our local business AND do away with the fireworks that begin going off each year in June and don't stop until as late as October and in some years November. By replacing the fireworks show that the city puts on with a drone light show we create a draw for tourists. Using a drone show would have the added effect of saving the city money because, unlike fireworks, drones can be used more than once and don't generate trash. We can then go further and take meaningful steps to stop the nightly assault on our vets by banning fireworks in the city. Just because fireworks are a long-standing tradition, it doesn't mean that they cannot be addressed for the well-being of the community. 

This is a drone show put on in Ocean Beach, California as an example of how it can be done in an environment similar to ours.

Credit to the applicable artists, none of the music or imagery are mine.