I love the feel of a sharp saw and what I can do with it. I also love that I get to work with… real men… with common sense… who work hard every day, and have learned how to laugh and have fun regardless of the conditions. Yes, I’ve lived a life surrounded by the greatest people in the world… right here in Douglas County. And I am grateful. 

Oregon has certainly been wonderful to me. My wife, Patti, grew up right here in Tiller, where we live in the very same house that she has lived in since 1965. The South Umpqua River runs right through our property, which we bought from Roseburg Resources in 2005. We built two houses next door which currently serve as vacation rentals that my wife manages with our oldest daughter. We also have another adult daughter and son as well as a handful of grandchildren. 

A small group of us loggers started Responsible Forest Initiatives (ReFI). We became full-blown activists for proper management on the Umpqua National Forest. It was 2016, when I became politically active… and soon became a prolific writer of editorials, mostly pertaining to forest issues at first, but ultimately reaching into many different areas of political contention. I invite you to check the archives of The News Review as well as The Beacon if you really want an inside look at my politics. It’s all right there in black and white, and there is more coming every month… hot off the press! 

I was not raised a Christian, but I had a life-changing conversion experience in 1985, and as a born-again follower of Jesus, I hold a Biblical worldview (and actively study, “The Word”). My wife and I believe that we are on “a mission for God,” and I would love to be on that mission with all of you… as your State Senator.