Tim Schechtel - Investing in Democracy: Ellis for DA - Letter to the Editor

As we draw near to our local elections on May 19th and prepare for our national voting again next Fall, I am confronted with an unsettling that I have rarely experienced. This “unsettling” is pervasive in the current crisis - local, national and global. Pandemic and climate destruction is upon us all. Fear, despair and anxiety clouds almost every moment. No one is spared this condition. We all must stare at our collective predicament and ask, “what now?” What do we do as a democracy with our resources, our infrastructure, and our votes to forge a new way forward? How do we assess the successes and failures of our institutions and make change?

Our first, and most important, opportunity arrived in our mailboxes last week. Our ballots, which we have the privilege of casting, provides an exercise in power and intentionality, to create progressive change. We must invest in our institutions, civil society and the economy. We must build inclusive, unrestricted and accessible capacity across our community to enable everyone’s ability to act, and exercise their voices in the democratic process. We must validate the authority we have to hold economic and political leaders accountable.

We must demand a new baseline for honesty and integrity from our leaders to whom we give authority. Citizens must be motivated to make the best choices and realize they can demand higher standards and accountability. I believe that Matt Ellis, candidate running for Wasco D.A., is most aligned with our community’s needs and motivations going forward. He is a competent, accomplished and respected litigator. I vote to give him the authority. Please join me.