From the desk of Representative Paul Evans
One of our community’s most significant challenges is finding and maintaining balance in our decision-making. As a state legislator, I’m deeply committed to an open, thoughtful, and transparent policy development process. I understand that every decision involves trade-offs, and I’m dedicated to finding the right balance between the quality of the outcome, the cost, and the speed of implementation. Your involvement in this process is crucial, and I’m committed to keeping you informed every step of the way.
Life in the 21st Century feels like it is experienced at a faster, ever-accelerating pace than in the past. I believe it’s a reflection of the increasingly complex world we are navigating, an era made even more challenging because of pressures from stakeholders to act in a swift and certain manner.
My personal journey, as the son of a retired small business owner and the grandson of a dairy farmer, has given me a unique perspective on the challenges faced by owner-operated ventures. I’ve experienced the highs and lows of starting businesses with great optimism, only to see them end due to circumstances beyond my control. These experiences have deepened my understanding of the struggles small business owners face and the crucial role of supportive legislation.
Over the past decade, I have sought to serve our shared community by sponsoring legislation that supports both small businesses and working families. I have advanced proposals for subsidies to small businesses that choose less experienced workers and/or workers who are simultaneously attending school. These efforts are meant to help soften the pressures on companies trying to navigate an emergent global marketplace, even as they provide value to the public by training workers for their future.
I have also supported portable health care and retirement plans for workers so that businesses are not held responsible for the rapidly increasing costs of both. We must continue to find new strategies to move Oregon toward a more robust economy, based on highly productive workers and companies that manifest fairness. We must recognize the synergetic relationship between worker stability and small business success, and I am committed to finding the right balance that ensures both can thrive in our community.
This year, I hope to re-establish a small business roundtable for people interested in working on potential legislation, targeted economic assistance, and other tools to make it easier for small businesses to grow and prosper.
Oregon is, at least for the moment, on a responsible path. We have made some headway in reducing inflation, and we have jobs for most of the people who want them.
It is time for Oregon to reframe our economic perspective. We can advance a comprehensive agenda focused on making our people and place an oasis of innovation.
We must accept our situation and find the courage to improve it. We need to develop new avenues for helping small businesses survive (and thrive) during their initial years of operation. We also need to push for reforms in our bureaucracy.
The 21st Century will continue to become more challenging, not less. And if we truly seek an economy robust enough to support our aspirational values, then we must recognize that we must prioritize commerce higher than we have. We must develop a rational, reasonable, and responsible strategy for empowering small business development and growth. We can do these things, even the hard things – but we can only do them if we work together for a common cause. Please help us build a strategy. Share your ideas, interests, and suggestions for retooling our economic development environment. We need all hands on deck to change the direction of the ship of our state.