Meet the Candidates: The Dalles City Council Position #2 - Dr. John Willer & Darcy Long-Curtiss
Dr. John Willer challenger for The Dalles City Council Position # 2. -Contributed photo
CHALLENGER
Dr. John Willer / The Dalles City Council Position # 2
Age: 53
Family: Single
Work History: Ophthalmologist and owner at Cascade Eye Center since 2001. Part owner of Columbia Laser Skin Center and Columbia Gorge Surgery Center.
Governmental Experience: In Willer’s college years, he served as a paramedic and firefighter with the Cedarville College EMS and the Cedarville Township Volunteer Fire Department in Ohio. He was Chief of Cedarville College EMS for two terms. His past government experience In the Gorge includes service as a reserve deputy in Hood River County and a board member of Directors for Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue. Willer also served on The Dalles Urban Renewal Advisory Committee and board. He completed a term on the Rules Advisory Committee for the Oregon Board of Advanced Estheticians. He is currently on the budget committee and civil service commission for Mid- Columbia Fire and Rescue.
What are your top three priorities for The Dalles if elected?
Focussing on business downtown. I would like to see downtown revitalized. It kills me to walk or drive through downtown… I see it through two lenses: one, it’s terrible all the vacancies; on the flip side, what an incredible opportunity. I want it to come back and be the center of the community. We need to work with Urban Renewal downtown. COVID did not kill downtown, but it did not do it any favors. As COVID goes away, opportunity is going to flow and fast. You know another name for business is employers… I would also like to see an Olive Garden and Outback Steak House come to town. They would hire 30 or 40 employees each easily.
TAXES We’re going to get Google money tax breaks starting in a year. We could use the money to do infrastructure improvements. It would be nice to get the taxes lowered.
Infrastructure downtown. There is a sewer line downtown that needs to be replaced. It’s about 100 years old… We need to repair infrastructure downtown. I’m a big history fan, and the historic downtown attracts tourism. I think our history is a big thing to draw people into town.
Given the current level of demonstration by Black Lives Matter and those seeking change, do you believe that we need to change our current method of policing in The Dalles?
I think they are doing a good job. I don't think we have a lot of issues with that. I don't think we have a big problem. The cops and deputies out there are doing a good job. And I worked with deputies in Hood River, and I would trust my life with them. I never saw one molecule of racism. They were highly professional. Hood River Sheriff Matt English, Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill, and Sherman County Sheriff Brad Lohrey are top-notch guys. If they thought they had racism in their department, they would come down hard and heavy.
The Dalles City Council recently denied the Legacy Development Subdivision in East The Dalles based on safety concerns over a lack of infrastructure on streets, sidewalks. Do you agree or disagree with the decision? What can the city do to accommodate growth?
I agree with the decision. I did not read the 500 pages of documents. I don’t like the idea of packing houses into that small of an area. But we do have a very low housing inventory in town. I did not like it because (the subdivision) met the requirements. Councilor Darcy Long-Curtiss and I agree on this. Having said that, it is going to LUBA, it got kicked upstairs. We got screwed by the Columbia River National Scenic Gorge Commission. We only get 50 more acres to add on for life. I agree with keeping the town small. I feel weird about the development since they did click all the boxes and satisfied all the state requirements. I don’t see how it could be denied.
Tell us about your personal experience with budgets and government budgets.
I don’t claim to be an expert. I’ve been looking at them for seven years at the fire department. I still got more to learn. They are extremely complicated. City Manager Julia Krueger and City Clerk Izetta Grossman are top-notch people you can trust. In the fire budget, office manager Dana Wood and Chief Bob Palmer are always dead on. Even if there was a small amount of surplus, say, about $50 k in the budget and there is only $8,000 used, they would explain that the rest of the debits would show up in two months. Those guys had their act together. I use a notebook and binder with the budget. Before the meeting, I go through it front to back and read everything on every page - get the layout - figure out the things that are being done. If I have a question, I write it in pencil right next to it. As they explain things they often answer questions before I ask it… It’s a line-by-line thing.
What are you going to do for young people and working families?
Bring business downtown and make downtown the center of the community so there is a place to go at night, a place you can walk too… I would like to see an arcade - not sure how to put that on an agenda - but someplace to go like that.
What are your thoughts on helping locals with mental health issues?
I’ve been to India, Beirut, Greece, Bhutan; there are homeless people everywhere. There are homeless people in Bhutan. You can put all the services there, and it is up to the person to use them, and not everybody is going to utilize those services; you can bring a horse to water but you can't make them all drink. I would like to see Portland quit giving them one-way bus tickets here too; that’s the rumor around town. “We’ve got the resources here. We have the Center for Living and Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc., downtown. If there is a deficit of mental health care in this town, I am unaware of it. Existing agencies are more than likely capable of serving the community.
Why do you want this job?
I’m running for office since I’ve been a small business owner in the Gorge for 19 plus years, and it’s time I offer my skills and experience to help make my home, The Dalles, a better place and shape our future.
Darcy Long-Curtiss incumbent The Dalles City Councilor Position # 2
INCUMBENT
Darcy Long-Curtiss - The Dalles City Council Position # 2
Age: 49
Family: Two children
Work History: Darcy Long-Curtiss was raised in The Dalles and graduated from TDHS prior to attending Willamette University to study political science and international studies. She has two sons, ages 23 and 20. Darcy is an independent financial advisor and owns Empower Financial, serving clients in Oregon, Washington, and California.
Governmental Experience: She is currently the Position #2 City Councilor. She has been a long-time advocate for children and adults with mental health issues and respite care for families with special needs children. She is the City Council liaison to the QLife Board, the Urban Renewal Agency Board, MCEDD transportation advisory board and the Community Outreach team.
What are your top three priorities for The Dalles if elected?
Communication. Do a better job of taking information to people upfront and explain to them how things work. We need to do a better job of anticipating the questions they have about a process on a decision before the council makes a decision. The whole process for the (Legacy Development) subdivision... people did not understand all the steps and limitations on staff and officials by rules and regulations. We need to explain to people how things work - come up with viable solutions. If they had info on parameters on what we could do, they could offer more thoughtful targeted solutions. People get frustrated when we do not give them enough information and not properly notice them. That is easy to solve. We need to ask people to opt in to an email list and send out updates in plain English instead of cryptic things on an agenda. Government is of the people by the people for the people. I sometimes feel, although unintentional, we do not give them a way to understand it and that is the same as not giving it to them at all.
Affordable Housing. We have been identified as a rent-challenged area. That means that a certain percentage of residents are paying 30 percent or more of their income on housing. That's a problem. That means less money for food and clothing and other living expenses. The Dalles is not a cheap place to live by any means. Ways to make it affordable for everyone is by increasing the number of housing units available. We can be supportive of projects that don’t pencil for developers - not profitable - that to me is what is so hopeful about Legacy Development. They were willing to put something in. We need to remember they are a small business in our community, less than 50 employees, their wages come back into our community as well. We need to identify more units, put up money to get another apartment complex through a public-private partnership. The Housing Authority has a funding stream to serve a large area. We need partnerships with city and county and private companies. If we all chip in, and say we need this and go get it, we can make it happen. Right now, I feel like The Dalles is treading water. It’s not proactive.
Economic Development. We need desirable goods and services locally. We need to tie all of these priorities together and create a longer-term vision for The Dalles. We have to do a 20-year plan. We do not have work sessions very often to sit around as city council members and discuss long-range goals. So, instead of just coming and voting on something, we would need to talk and find out where everybody is at in their thinking. We need to find good ideas to get behind that allows for the most collaborative approach. I’m the youngest person on Council by far. Scott Randall is seven years older. The next councilor is 70 or 72. There is not a lot of diversity of thought on Council. I would like to see some younger people. What is the 50-year plan? What will The Dalles look like when my kids are 70? To only look and see what is in front of us today and not consider how to fit in what The Dalles will be in 50 years is short-sighted.
Given the current level of demonstration by Black Lives Matter and those seeking change, do you believe that we need to change our current method of policing in The Dalles?
I have not heard any complaints about police, not to mean that there are not some out there. I encourage those feeling discrimination to come forward. I feel we have a very good police department right now - they put a lot of effort into training. And I like the attitude coming top-down from the chiefs. This is worth having a community discussion to find out things that we are not aware of. I’m not afraid of doing that, let them come talk to us about it.
The Dalles City Council recently denied the Legacy Development Subdivision in East The Dalles based on safety concerns over a lack of infrastructure on streets, sidewalks. Do you agree or disagree with the decision? What can the city do to accommodate growth?
Long-Curtiss voted against the appeal and in is favor of allowing the subdivision.
The reason I voted no was because I thought it was a waste of taxpayer money to go to LUBA and have it get kicked back to us. Street improvements for the general neighborhood have already gone to the city manager, and they’re starting on a plan for improving that area. Development happens slowly. The next budget year is not far away. There is a chance now to put money aside in the budget to do this. The budget is a reflection of city priorities. I did not know a girl was severely injured while avoiding traffic and falling in a ditch. The reality is there is a finite amount of money. They did projects they thought were most urgent. A year ago, if you would have told me a high-density subdivision was going to be out there, I would have laughed. The community did not see it coming. It was sudden to us too. Now we can do something about it. Honestly, whether a subdivision goes in or not, we need to do something about it because it (street safety issues) has been brought to our attention.
Tell us about your personal experience with budgets and government budgets.
The fiscal budget explains how things work. The budget is brought to us prepared by staff based on policy decisions made. So when the budget comes forward, it is not the time to do sidewalks on 10th and 12th streets for example. By the time the budget gets to us a lot of it is set. We have to make clear what our policies are early on. This gets back to work sessions and talking to people who tell us what they want. And that has to go up to department heads to make as many of those things happen as possible in the order that City Council has set for them. City Council has control on just a small portion of the budget by the time we receive it. There is a small section that deals with grants, beautification committee - those are the ones we get to decide.
What are you going to do for young people and working families?
Personally, I don't have issues to take forward. Just consideration of each issue, I try to run through the lens of how it will affect children and families, and other groups. But that gets back to the diversity of people on Council and bringing specific policies forward. But it’s not my area of expertise. My focus has been on our homeless population - probably too much. It’s my passion. But if someone came to me and said, ‘this is important to me,’ I can champion ideas. If garbage rates are too high, can they afford that? - I’m always thinking about them.
What are your thoughts on helping locals with mental health issues?
There is a big gap in our community. It has to do with co-working things out at a state level. The Center for Living is key and so are mental health providers if you have insurance. The Center for Living is providing those services for the majority of people. Police are getting informed and trained as best they can on those services. But I need to point out that it is not part of a policeman's job. They - homeless people - can have negative, aggressive behavior, and the police’s job is to neutralize that threat, not deal with their problems. So there is room for improvement. The biggest factor is at the state level. Oregon has a broad interpretation of what being self-sufficient and taking care of yourself is. People are left unto themselves if they are deemed neither a threat to themselves or others. People have challenges and are not able to take care of themselves, but by definition, at the state level, they don't have to take meds. The State doesn’t want to institutionalize people if they don't need to. But by not having a place for them to be safe, not having meds., and counseling, and other support, it's difficult or impossible for them to be successful. About two years ago, I was helping a woman named Tammy. She was homeless. She was confused a lot of the time. She was clearly not in a position to make good decisions for herself. People would steal from her so she did not have her money or medications. I thought she could get into a group home. She said she did not want to live on the street anymore. She clearly did not have the skills to be in an apartment by herself. When I took her to Adults and People with Disabilities and other agencies, they all told me she did not qualify for help because she was able to take care of herself on the streets. And then ultimately, I believe she died because she was not able to take care of herself on the streets. It is so hard, I am intelligent well connected, I get favors a lot but it has been so hard to get people into housing. They can’t jump through all these hoops... and they want to quit drugs or get off the street and you take them in for services and they say, ‘see, it’s always like this.’ It’s humiliating for them to tell people their whole story over and over again. People are proud. A lot of people I work with have advanced degrees. Some were in the military. Some earned $100,000 a year and had a tragic situation. They got depressed and their life fell apart. Now they’re on the street.
Why do you want this job?
I really care about The Dalles, and I grew up here, and I feel there is a lot of potential for The Dalles. I chose to come back and raise a family here, and we are going to stay here, and I want to make The Dalles a great place to be. I like helping people, and being an elected official is one way of helping a lot of people all at that same time.
