Lane County Remarks
December 14, 2023
It has been an amazing opportunity to visit all parts of Oregon in my first year in office.
The First Lady on three-quarters of those visits around the state. The two of us together having an opportunity to sit down with Oregonians in their own communities to hear about what is going on is an experience neither of us will forget. And it will actually help me be a better governor over the next several years. Over the last 12 months, we have traveled to 36 counties – I want to make sure you hear the numbers here. We’ve met with nearly 1,000 people in nearly 100 towns across our beautiful state. Every conversation was memorable and important. It was really wonderful to be there and just listen At the end of the day, you can’t lead unless you listen to the people that you’re here to serve.
To everyone that welcomed us into their communities, the First Lady and I would like to say thank you – for your hospitality, your graciousness, and your authenticity to help lead Oregon together in these conversations.
I’ve been to a lot of communities in Oregon before prior to being elected, while I was Speaker of the House. I’ve been to a lot of parts of Oregon. But it’s different when you’re Governor. It’s different when you feel the responsibility that you have for every Oregon resident to make sure people have what they need.
And as I said, my job in those visits was to listen so I could better serve Oregonians and I think we met that goal. I can’t wait to have more conversations in the years ahead.
The conversations that we had in many communities centered around the top priorities that we are hearing from Oregonians across the state: housing; serving individuals who are homeless; behavioral health and addiction; talking about education – how are schools are doing and how are we doing around childcare? These were constant themes, and we had some really important conversations to help us understand what local communities are doing and how that can impact what we do across the state.
What I’ve learned from listening to Oregonians is people are resilient. They are committed. They have a can-do attitude. They look at problems in their communities and say, this is what we can do, here’s where we could use some extra help. And those stories, that information, is what I am bringing back to Salem in conversations not only with my executive agencies, but with the Legislature.
The One Oregon Listening Tour has really reinforced what makes Oregon special in my mind. That we are working together – not against each other – to solve the problems here that our state faces.
To everyone who is doing this hard work, I want to say thank you. Whether that is developing shelter capacity to serve your unhoused neighbors or it’s meeting the behavioral health needs of your community or showing up every day to make sure you can turn on the lights in your small business on your Main Street so people can get their cup of coffee, people are showing up every day and doing good work.
I want Oregonians to know, as their Governor, I see you and I have your back and I can’t wait to continue working with you.
I’ll close by saying this is not the end of my visits to the many places here in Oregon. I’ll be back, and I have dedicated staff in every region of the state who are working to support you through our Regional Solutions team. We’re here to help you in your most urgent needs. I look forward to seeing more of you in the coming years.
And once again, thank you for welcoming me into your community and for helping us be a state where we can work together.