Serving as President of Tualatin City Council and representing our community members is a great honor and a great responsibility. I see this as a fiduciary role, where my decisions must be made through the lens of what is best for our community and the ongoing viability of our city, rather than my own personal interests.
As Councilors, we make decisions, set policy, and advocate for the City of Tualatin. Our challenge is to provide the needed services, while dealing with the ever-increasing divergence between property tax revenues and the cost of a well-run city. This includes its infrastructure needs, such as well-paved roads and clean drinking water, providing a safe and welcoming environment throughout our city, supporting economic growth and our local businesses, and ensuring current and future livability.
Livability must not be selective, but include everyone, including our transgender community. This fits directly within our stated Council goal of being an inclusive community. An important reason for supporting the Transgender Day of Inclusion was because of our responsibility to provide a safe community. At our February 24, 2025 council meeting, we heard from members of the transgender community as they spoke of incidents in our city that made them feel afraid and unsafe. I strongly feel that it is our responsibility to do whatever is within our realm to help make our community a safer place for all.
One of the most welcoming and safe places in Tualatin is our library, which is meant for everyone including children. I confirmed with our Library staff that there is no agenda to include “highly sexualized books” directed at children and that age-appropriate books are carefully chosen for the children’s section of the library.
The goal of book selection in the adult section of the library is meant to provide reading material to a wide variety of adults in our community. This likely includes some reading materials that most would feel are not meant for children. The purpose of the library is to provide reading selections for adults and children alike. It is the parent or guardian’s responsibility to make sure that book selections are appropriate for each child.
Our Council goal to be a connected, informed and civically engaged community was greatly enhanced with the creation of the Tualatin Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Advisory (IDEA) Committee. This was not based on some political ideology, but rather to broaden the input the Council receives from members in our community to help us make more informed decisions.
As part of the Council Committee on Advisory Appointments, it was our goal to select as wide a range of community members with as many different life experiences and perspectives as possible for the IDEA committee, including such differences as age and income level. One memorable moment during our interviews was when the mother of a child in a wheelchair explained how difficult it is to go through the bark dust to reach the accessible swing in Tualatin Community Park.
Guidelines for future livability are outlined in Tualatin’s Climate Action Plan, which has nothing to do with federal bureaucracy. The plan was put together by a local consultant, city staff, Councilor Brooks and myself based on a study specifically focused on Tualatin’s climate. The plan identifies the main factors causing carbon emissions throughout our city. Surprisingly, the largest carbon emitter in Tualatin is commercial buildings, not motor vehicles. The 59 actions contained in the Climate Action Plan provide direction for changes that can be implemented over time to help us protect our city’s environment for future generations.
Hearing from a wide range of individuals in our community, and looking to our Climate Action Plan, give us needed direction to make more informed decisions. This leads to fiscally responsible choices to provide for the long-term livability of our community. This is the foundation for a strong, safe, and united community!
