Public Safety

Appointment of two circuit court judges- a first in Oregon’s history!

Patti was able to champion getting approval to add two Circuit Court Judges, for the first time in Oregon history. The heavy backlog in cases was proving harmful to our community. Her efforts improve the processing time, allowing more crimes to be prosecuted and helping establish a Veteran’s Court.

Ceasing Marijuana Farm Expansion

The legalization of marijuana statewide has had harmful impacts on our children and community. Sadly, these effects are beginning to escalate. These include stress on an already stretched law enforcement, the proliferation of drug cartels, illegal marijuana operations, increased potency of products sold, and contributions to homelessness. Patti and her colleagues have pushed back and successfully stopped more marijuana licenses from being issued in Deschutes County with the voters’ passage of our moratorium. While there is more progress to be made, capping licensure is a starting point and one that we should all celebrate.

Homelessness Solutions / Development of Camping Codes

She believes in a hand-up approach peppered with compassion and accountability.

The homeless crisis and public camping are dangerous for those camping and for those who operate in and around the communities. We must do better. Patti has spearheaded efforts to achieve a comprehensive plan which includes collaboration with various stakeholders to solve the problem rather than place a band-aid over it.

She is developing reasoned camping codes, locating appropriate sites for acceptable camping, and serving as a leader in these conversations. Patti is solutions-focused and the candidate you can trust to cut through the noise. She is working on real solutions to care for those in need and those impacted by these issues. Cleaning up our streets is good for the entire community, and you can count on Patti to continue her thoughtful, humane and balanced approach.

Affordable Housing

ADU Senate Bill 391

Patti chose to testify for three years as a County Commission to create more impact versus a lobbyist testifying for the ADU bill to pass (SB 391). Once it’s passed, there’s a potential of 10,000 ADU units in Deschutes County.

Bethlehem Inn

Patti granted $900,000 of ARPA funds to Redmond’s Bethlehem Inn (a high-barrier shelter with nearly 90 beds). This program is cost-effective ($10,000 per bed), another example of Patti’s commitment to being fiscally responsible. Logically, solutions need to be realistic with long-range financing. The goal is to provide sustainable opportunities for people to move from the streets and shelters to be productive citizens again.

Veterans Village

Patti helped establish the Veteran’s Village, which provides 15 cabins for our Veterans in need. Deschutes county funded this project and provided the lead in finding the necessary land.

Protecting Natural Resources

Expansion of Fire Free Days and Wildfire Mitigation Efforts

Fire can destroy our community and is becoming a disastrous norm for Deschutes County and much of Oregon. Unfortunately, fire management’s cost and negative impact are high, and Patti knows that prevention and mitigation are critical. And she increased the number of days community members can dispose of brushes and create personal defensible spaces. This common-sense approach will help protect our community and save lives.

Another effort was Senate Bill 762 (SB762), which requires utilities to produce, manage, and enforce wildfire mitigation plans. While the bill itself is comprehensive, the idea is simple. Hold public utilities to a high standard, given the risk of fires associated with their operations. To read more about SB762- click here.

Mental Healthcare

Deschutes County Stabilization Center

Patti has been an advocate for Mental Health in Deschutes County. She was a leader and Commissioner Henderson in establishing the Deschutes County Stabilization Center (DCSC). It serves children and adults who need short-term mental health crisis assessment and stabilization but do not require the medical capabilities of an acute care hospital or longer-term residential care.

Patti visited three stabilization centers (Eugune, Salem, and Hillsboro) to research this project. As a result, she identified $500,000 in cost-saving with more efficient construction and an improved design. Of the 1695 unique individuals served, 217 were children 17 and under (approximately 13%). The youngest child was 5 years old, and the oldest adult was 95.

Increase Availability of Deschutes County Veteran’s Office

Patti is passionate about supporting those who have served us! Through her leadership, she collaborated with various stakeholders to increase access to the Deschutes County Veteran’s Office from a 4-day work week to a 5-day work week- ensuring that services are available Monday-Friday. This improvement made no impact on the budget!

Public Transportation

Patti is committed to updating and improving our transportation grid. She pushed for Harper Bridge and remediation of Smith Rock parking. In addition, she is working proactively to continue bus routes from La Pine to Sunriver. Patti also served as Chair of the Central Oregon Area Commission on Transportation. This promoted area projects such as the Bend Airport Tower.

Fiscal Operations & Responsibility

As a CPA, Patti is uniquely positioned to bring fiscal responsibility to county government. She is creative, innovative, and a good steward of our collective resources.

She has worked tirelessly to keep property taxes down (in fact, they are down $0.06/per thousand for the past four years under Patti’s leadership). These efforts are critical, especially as our community experiences severe inflation. Patti will continue this fight in the coming years and remains respectful of your hard-earned money.

While Patti is proud of these and many other accomplishments, she is most proud of working with and for you!