Darcy Long

My service on The Dalles City Council over the last 5-plus years has given me opportunities to fully immerse myself in issues that are applicable to all of House District 52. Issues such as rural broadband, homelessness, mental health disparity, affordable/workforce housing, and more. My professional relationships and friendships with statewide leaders, which I have been developing for more than 30 years, will help the district be a relevant voice during discussions and debates.

I have a long and well-known history of being prepared for meetings, asking good questions and chairing a wide variety of boards and committees as a city councilor and for many years before that.

2. A lack of affordable housing is a community concern throughout the Gorge. What role do you believe the state is able to play in finding solutions, and what solutions do you support?

The free market strongly favors building housing that can bring in higher sales and rental prices and thus a better return for private investors. The state can encourage affordable housing to be built by providing financial incentives (to reduce the overall cost of the project) and access to financing (that doesn’t require high rates of return), as well as legislative and administrative changes that make it quicker and easier for affordable housing to be built.

My time on the local urban renewal board has shown me how difficult it is for builders and investors to put together affordable housing projects — that make financial sense — without a public/private partnership.

3. The pandemic has exposed significant disparities between Oregonians in their ability to access the Internet, earn a living wage and obtain healthcare. How should the state address these disparities?

 The need for access to high speed internet is the equivalent of electricity and telephone service. The cost of getting the service to rural customers is so high that private companies often cannot recover the costs of providing the service, much less make a profit. The state can making sure the necessary infrastructure is put in place throughout the state. The same goes for quality healthcare, which is also more expensive per person to provide less densely populated parts of Oregon, such as District 52.

4) What do you see as Oregon’s greatest challenge going forward?

 Oregon is facing many challenges, but the one that affects all of them is the extreme division between rural and urban parts of the state. Oregon needs representatives throughout the state who are willing to respectfully listen to one another to truly understand the alternative perspective(s) and needs of the people they represent, and then work together to create win-win solutions. For the good of the state, the legislature needs to start finding solutions that are good for all Oregonians regardless of where they live.