Broadman

Here in Central Oregon, we know how to do the right thing. We show up and serve our communities, day after day, even when it’s hard.

Examples abound. Nurses and doctors, including my wife, show up every day to care and heal, and even did so throughout the pandemic. Public school teachers, like my mom and my sister, show up every day to mentor and educate kids, including my three daughters in Bend La Pine Public Schools. Bend Firefighters and Bend Police officers show up every day to make sure our community is safe and just. Small business owners, frontline workers, public employees, we all get it: showing up is job number one.

So why should our elected officials be held to a lower standard? I don’t believe they should—and neither do the overwhelming majority of Oregonians. We’re not wired to quit when things get hard – that’s not the Oregon Way.

Last week’s decision from the State Supreme Court shouldn’t have been necessary. Sadly, some elected officials in our State Senate don’t share our commitment to daily service. The most recent Senate walkout was the longest in our State’s history, and the second-longest in American history. Until we fix quorum rules and hold Salem politicians accountable, this will be a part of Oregon politics. In the past, Democrats have walked out of the Oregon legislature as well. It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now.

This latest walkout prevented Oregon from taking action on the most important issues facing our state. Instead of tackling those issues, there were weeks of preventable gridlock. To the Walkout Senators, that’s a feature, not a bug. They’d rather gum up the gears than work to build something better.

Ironically, as the Bend Bulletin correctly pointed out, Measure 113—the anti-walkout measure recently passed by a 2:1 margin—may not stop future Oregon Senate walkouts. The reason is simple, if shocking: some elected officials simply don’t care to do the job we send them to Salem to do. Legislating is hard work, and makes you responsible to the voters who elected you. For some, it’s preferable to fundraise on the fact that they failed to do their jobs.

There is a solution. Oregon is one of only four states to allow a small minority to paralyze state business. Rather than our current requirement that two-thirds of legislators be present for a quorum, we need to change our quorum requirements so that a small group of out-of-touch politicians can’t derail the important work that Oregonians expect their elected officials to deliver on.

But that will take time. And as long as walkouts remain possible in Oregon, every single one of our public servants, candidates and elected officials alike, must pass a basic test: will you commit to showing up?

I’ll start. As long as I am an elected official, I pledge that I will never walk out on our state democracy or the people who elected me to do a job, and I will never support anyone who refuses to show up to work.

Here’s why I promise to show up every day: to serve our communities and help Oregon become a better, fairer place to live and work. Pragmatic leaders—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike—can build bridges and get things done. I’ve seen it firsthand as I’ve served as a member of the City Council, the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Steering Committee, co-founding the Coordinated Houselessness Response Office, and chairing the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council. Showing up is half the battle.

There’s so much we can accomplish if we show up and work together. Healthcare, affordable housing, protecting our environment, public safety, good jobs…we can make central Oregon a place where all people can thrive. That’s why I’m running for the State Senate. I know that when we commit to working together, real progress can be made. I will never walk out on you, because the work ahead of us is too important.

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