Darcey’s Priorities
Our state has systemically defunded state police over decades of neglect. Locally, our District Attorneys and police forces are understaffed and forced to be cautious because they have zero backing from the law and from the politicians. As a result, criminals walk free and crime victims are put at risk.
My father was a firefighter. The world he dealt with is not the world people in those roles face today. We must also invest in more training for first responders to better handle the drug addiction crisis.
Finally, we must repeal Measure 110, which has been an unmitigated disaster in terms of drug addiction and public safety. Recriminalizing hard drugs will incentive rehabilitation and treatment and stop enablement.
Public Safety
When my son was in his darkest moments of drug addiction he spent months on the streets of Portland. I didn't know if he was alive. Every weekend I went into Portland to look for him. I talked to countless homeless people to ask about him. Some of them had lived on the streets for decades, while some had recently arrived because of the promise of easy access to services with no accountability.
It’s inhumane to allow people to live on our streets indefinitely, and it’s unsafe for all our families. It almost seems like the politicians are hoping the homeless don't live to be a problem anymore. I believe we can be compassionate to homeless people by expecting more from them. I'm not afraid to dig in and find solutions to end this crisis!
Homelessness
I live in rural Banks but am keenly aware of the need to build new housing developments. Balancing building with protecting our rural communities is tricky, but there are some basic principles we can all agree on.
My family owns a large property zoned for forestry. Because of that we are only allowed one house on 38 acres. This just makes zero sense. If you own property you should be able to use it! Otherwise the state should be paying property owners to not be able to do what they want with what they own.
As a Realtor, I think it's unconscionable that it takes some $70,000 in permits to build a new house in Washington County. "Affordable housing" programs more often than not tend to be a pile of permits and fees and very little actual housing. It's time to loosen the ties of the housing industry to be able to build more and lower the cost to live in our beautiful state!
Land Use
Natural Resources
I grew up around both logging and farming. House District 31 is extremely reliant on the tax revenue and jobs from our natural resource industries. From fishing to logging to farming, we must sustain and support these renewable resources!
I strongly oppose the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). What this is already doing is killing jobs in our communities, including the shuttering of Hampton in my home town of Banks. The data shows that this is just the beginning. The HCP (as proposed) will results in millions of dollars of lost revenue for our counties, resulting in massive cuts to public safety and education in time.
We can properly manage our natural resources without these kinds of draconian restrictions. I will empower our local industries to revive our local economy!
I am proudly pro-life—and that means advocacy for life in all its stages, starting with the unborn. Adopting children out of the Oregon Department of Human Services cost our family far too much and was far too hard. You have to wonder why the politicians that believe in "choice" don't make it easy to choose life!
My family, like many others, navigated through the draconian limitations put on us by the state to take care of my father during COVID. He ended up suffering from neglect in a home and lost forty pounds because we weren't allowed to ensure he was taken care of. We must hold our state accountable to properly value and protect our most vulnerable!
Protecting Life
Gun Rights
When I talk to friends who support more gun control I like to invite them to go shooting on our property in Banks.
I know that many people like them operate out of fear and react by trying to take the guns from law abiding Oregonians like my family. This is wrong, and only empowers criminals! Gun owners know better than the state how to operate them safely. Let's focus the state's efforts on the real problems of gangs and criminals that are running amok and don’t take into consideration whatever laws are on the books.
Taxes
Our state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. The Governor's bureaucrats are proposing even more taxes on working families—taxes we can't afford! We need leaders who implement zero-based budgeting to make sure we're only spending money on what Oregonians need.
As your State Representative, I will say no to new taxes and vote to protect your Kicker rebate checks. I will also work to reduce or eliminate government fees for permits that nickel and dime small businesses and families alike.