Touring Silverton

Last week, I had the opportunity to tour the beautiful City of Silverton! I spoke with State Representative Rick Lewis about the issues facing Silverton and surrounding communities. We talked about how we need to stop wasteful spending and ensure that our public dollars actually get to our classrooms and to our law enforcement officials.

I also had the chance to visit the world’s largest grass seed producer, Doerfler Farms and speak with owner Kent Doerfler. Doerfler Farms has been around since the 1870’s and grew from only 10 acres to 18,000 over the course of 140 years. We talked about how important agriculture is to our economy in Marion County and how important it is for our farmers to be able to ship their crops to buyers overseas.

We also visited with Traci Mosher at Visions Salon and Spa. Traci has been operating her small business in Silverton for over 30 years. She reminded me how important it is that as public servants we act responsibly when spending citizens’ tax dollars.

We finished our day with Duane Eder of Eder Farms and learned about his family's history of farming and the complex watering systems throughout the area.

Last week, I also spoke with the CEO of the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, Nick Williams, and we discussed the impact that many of the great local businesses have on Salem. Over 5,000 businesses in Salem alone provide jobs for the citizens in Oregon’s Capital. I will always be an advocate for small business in Marion County.

Speaking with Kent Doerfler outside of his grass seed packaging facility.

The owner of Visions Solan and Spa Traci Mosher and I talking about the importance of local businesses.

Grassroots

On Tuesday night, we had our first big phone banking event! Over the course of 2 hours, we managed to make roughly 200 phone calls and reach out to voters all across Marion County. Many of them had similar concerns. They are worried about the increased homeless population in their communities, the Federal Government's plans to drain Detroit Lake. and they want practical solutions to address the severe traffic in Salem. As your County Commissioner, I promise to work with our local communities (big and small) to bring real solutions to the varying issues that burden its citizens and fight against the encroachment of Portland politics throughout the Willamette Valley.

With 110 days to go, it is imperative that we ramp up our efforts. Reaching out to the citizens of Marion County in as many ways as we can is essential to winning this campaign. If you are interested in helping out by making phone calls, going door to door or simply hosting a yard or field sign, just contact us at info@colmwillis.com.