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Rick Metsger

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MEASURE 118: Free Money Proposal Comes With Big Price Tag

Written by Rick Metsger on Aug. 15th, 2024

Measure 118 has officially qualified for the November 5th general election ballot, seeking to impose a $6.8 billion tax on sales and services for Oregon businesses and then redistribute the money in relatively small annual payments to every Oregonian, regardless of age or means. 

The initiative petition drive was funded primarily by an out-of-state f…

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Supreme Court ruling on Homeless Camping Restrictions finds Oregon on the Outside Looking in

Written by Rick Metsger on Jul. 17th, 2024

Sleepless in Seattle? Or, how about Los Angeles, Sacramento or Boise? Issues surrounding if, where and when homeless individuals are allowed to camp on public property has resurfaced now that the United States Supreme Court has overturned a landmark 9th Circuit ruling that had declared camping ordinances like the ones in Boise, Idaho, and Grants Pass, Ore

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Salem Revenue Task Force Set to Deliver Final Report

Written by Rick Metsger on Jun. 25th, 2024

Dedication, engagement, and respectful disagreement all highlight the deliberations of the City of Salem’s Revenue Task Force as it prepares to hand its homework back to the City Council.

The task force, created last December, was given a six-month window to address what the City says is a shortfall in the revenue necessary to fund city services. It evo…

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New Faces in Prominent Positions Highlight Oregon’s Primary Election

Written by Rick Metsger on Apr. 8th, 2024

This fall, Oregon's political landscape is set for a transformation as three state offices welcome new leadership, with the most intense competition expected in the Democratic primary for Secretary of State and State Treasurer.

Oregon Treasurer

The race heats up with the May primary election, featuring a contested battle for the Democratic nomination b…

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Capital for a Capitol Host City Gains Momentum

Written by Rick Metsger on Mar. 7th, 2024

The economic and social impacts of having a state capitol located in your city has long been a discussion topic of elected officials and local municipalities. Faced with a significant budget shortfall in the years ahead, the City of Salem is exploring all options to fill a funding gap estimated to be at least $14 million in the next fiscal year, and escal

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Governor Unveils Ambitious Housing Production Bill

Written by Rick Metsger on Feb. 8th, 2024

Ambitious, comprehensive, complicated. Three words that define Gov. Tina Kotek’s effort this legislative session to help address Oregon’s decade-long failure to meet housing goals critical to Oregon’s societal and economic future.

The second-year governor has made it clear from day one of her term that moving the housing debate from conversation to …

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Business Needs to Engage as Oregon Charts a New Direction on Transportation

Written by Rick Metsger on Jan. 9th, 2024

Oregon is about to undergo a seismic shift in how it funds its transportation system, and business leaders are starting to take note. Faced with state and federal mandates to reduce carbon emissions by moving away from internal combustion engines to a fleet powered by electricity, the days of relying on gas tax revenue as a principal source of funding for

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Oregon State, wandering in the Pac-2 Wilderness seeks Legislative Help

Written by Rick Metsger on Dec. 13th, 2023

“Two can be as bad as one, it’s the loneliest number since the number one.”

Last week the President of Oregon State University and the school’s athletic director, came before the House Committee on Higher Education to plead their case for financial help in the wake of the implosion of the Pac-12 Conference. Left as roadkill by their ten conference…

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Musical Chairs In CD 5: Round and round she goes- where she stops, nobody knows

Written by Rick Metsger on Nov. 6th, 2023

When it comes to musical chairs, political candidates are masters of the game. Only one can claim the prize, the others are just left circling the drain. Oregon Congressional District number five has attracted four notable entrants, a Republican incumbent and three Democrats jockeying for position in a race with national implications for party control in

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Savior or privateer? The “Good Ship” OHSU offers refuge from troubled seas to Legacy’s fleet of hospitals and Clinics

Written by Rick Metsger on Sep. 25th, 2023

Oregon entered uncharted waters last week with the announcement that Legacy Health System, a private healthcare provider, would ‘merge’ with the state-sponsored Oregon Health and Science University. While the word ‘merger’ has a softer and gentler tone, make no mistake - this is an acquisition. Mergers generally are distinguished as two entities

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