Candidate profiles: Mayor, City of The Dalles

 How does your previous experience help qualify you for this position?

As mayor, I haven’t confronted any problem or issue that I didn’t experience during my career. To address these issues, a good mayor brings citizens together, builds consensus and builds a plan in the best long-term interests of all of the citizens that he or she serves.

Tell us why you are running for this office and list your top three concerns. 

My wife and I moved to The Dalles to be closer to our daughter and two grandchildren, and we plan on spending the rest of our lives here. I am running for mayor so I can use my professional experience in public service, local government and city management to help The Dalles grow, prosper and keep and attract families and families with children. I also want to finish what we started a year and nine months ago when I was first elected mayor. My top three concerns are downtown redevelopment, the homeless and land use planning and infrastructure.

How should the City of The Dalles respond to the lack of affordable housing, considering the recent urban growth boundary limitations announced by the Columbia River Gorge Commission?

One solution is to convince the Gorge Commission to amend their recent decision to restrict Urban Growth Boundary expansions. Their vote to allow only up to 50 acres in perpetuity was very close, so a reversal isn’t out of the question. Another solution is to raise/borrow sufficient funds and work with non-profit organizations, real estate professionals, architects and housing developers that are willing to contribute their services for a discount (they’re out there) and build appropriate housing. Any loans could be repaid with monies received through land and home sales and rent income.

Please give one specific suggestion you have for helping The Dalles businesses and residents recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We have already allocated $200,000 from the city’s 2020-21 budget specifically for this purpose. Business Oregon has matched that amount with a grant to make a total of $400,000 to assist our local businesses. With this financial assistance, businesses can hire local residents and lower our unemployment rate.

Please describe one concrete goal you intend to achieve by the end of your term, if you are elected. 

To build a “people place” or plaza downtown near the area of Second and Federal streets.

Solea Kabakov 

My name is Solea Kabakov and I am a community organizer, businesswoman and mother of four children ages 10-17. Throughout my life, I have been involved in community matters to protect the vulnerable and work toward social, racial, economic and environmental justice. Skilled and passionate, I bring creative solutions.

How does your previous experience help qualify you for this position? 

 Experienced in political forums, trained in project management, with a desire to improve our city, I am well positioned to lead city council with purpose, driving for results to bring positive change to The Dalles. As a community organizer, I bring people together around common goals with respect and compassion.

Tell us why you are running for this office and list your top three concerns. 

There is so much we can do to elevate The Dalles in all facets of life. I am excited to bring new energy to our city, leveraging my skills to effect positive change. We must partner with our district to help build new schools, bring in more businesses that provide living wage jobs and ensure affordable housing. We can find sourcing to help ease the tax burden as we build new schools, work to attract small to mid-sized companies to our community that pay a living wage and create action plans to protect renter’s rights and provide affordable housing.

How should the City of The Dalles respond to the lack of affordable housing, considering the recent urban growth boundary limitations announced by the Columbia River Gorge Commission? 

 First, we must keep those vulnerable to eviction in their homes. We begin by creating an eviction prevention program. Next, we must look closely at available real estate including existing structures and buildable lots. We can learn from other cities facing this same issue, like Salem’s work on their Multifamily Housing Design Project which helps by “removing barriers to the development of multifamily housing” ensuring new development is compatible with their neighborhoods. It is possible to accommodate more affordable residences within our current boundary. Housing is a human right, having been personally affected, this issue is close to my heart.

Please give one specific suggestion you have for helping The Dalles businesses and residents recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We need to create an Economic Impact Action Committee involving key stakeholders to review what’s been done so far, set priorities and provide recommendations regarding how the city deploys resources. We must work to reduce commercial evictions and evaluate and improve city practices which support small businesses and their employees.

Please describe one concrete goal you intend to achieve by the end of your term, if you are elected. 

It will take years to recover from COVID-19. I will create a COVID-19 Economic Impact Action Committee, collaborating to provide stabilization for individuals and businesses.

Jason Garrett Gibson 

Jason Garrett Gibson is a fourth generation Gorge resident preceded by the likes of William R. Gibson. Jason is 51 years of age and has one son (24 years old), they have been fortunate to reside in the Columbian Basin for 33 years.

 How does your previous experience help qualify you for this position?

Jason entered the workforce at age 11, was gainfully employed throughout his teens and became self-employed in 1991. Gibson brings creativity, innovation, extensive resources and a professional league of talented folk to the table; his candidate filing (SEL 101) and web references offer a snapshot into this extensive background.

Tell us why you are running for this office and list your top three concerns. 

The purpose behind Gibson’s “peace through culture” campaign is to draw attention to the Roerich Peace Pact, (Banner of Peace) and the objectives of the Foundation for the Law of Time — World 13 Moon Natural Law Peace Initiative (1935). “Think globally while acting locally…  Ask not what you can do for your country, but what can I do for the planet?” Without a genuine approach towards the topic of World Peace and a practical plan for such, all goals, objectives and activities will fall short. Accountability and transparency in government, law enforcement and education — social reform and the redistribution of wealth today!

How should the City of The Dalles respond to the lack of affordable housing, considering the recent urban growth boundary limitations announced by the Columbia River Gorge Commission? 

The lack of affordable housing is driven by the skyrocketing costs of living in the Gorge today. Driven by “vacation station” appeal (rich out-of-state tourists), over inflated government services and big business military contractors.  Tiny Homes and Eco Village sustainable friendly endeavors offer a better quality of life, lower overhead and a meaningful alternative to the so-called “American Dream.” Three car garages, vacation home(s), monster trucks and big boat RV’s are the ideal icons of achievement — things of the past! 

Please give one specific suggestion you have for helping The Dalles businesses and residents recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 Personal discipline. It takes a mature human being to develop a personal practice (lifestyle), rooted in holistic care and personal development, to overcome today’s illnesses. This means, that each one of us should take personal responsibility for the quality of our own health. In other words — “know thyself!”

Please describe one concrete goal you intend to achieve by the end of your term, if you are elected. 

Consider the state of affairs today, a climate of fear and ambiguity. Discovery of the Law of Time in Human Affairs will make “conscious what’s unconscious.”