The Bridge by OR360

Republican political strategist Bryan Iverson has over two decades of experience in media and politics. In this episode he joins Reagan to talk about what makes a good candidate as well as some of teh challenges republican candidates face in Oregon as well as teh obstacles that revolve around recruiting new candidate to the party. For more information on Bryan and his work you can check out https://iversonmedia.com/

Daniel Kemmis is a giant figure in the politics of the American West. A former Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives and twice-elected Mayor of Missoula, Kemmis is also an author and political theorist. President Bill Clinton awarded him the Charles Frankel Prize for "outstanding contribution to the field of the humanities," and he also one the Wallace Stegner Prize from the Center of the American West. His first book, Community and the Politics of Place, was published in 1990, and his most recent came out in 2020, Citizens Uniting to Restore Our Democracy. In this episode, we discuss Kemmis' framework for community-based decision making, the importance of geography in politics, and his advice for elected officials navigating a polarized political landscape. For more information about Daniel Kemmis, visit his website: https://citizens-uniting.org/

Olivia Clark has worked in state, local, and regional politics and policy for decades, including stints working with cities, DEQ, the Kitzhaber Administration, and TriMet. In this episode, she reflects on how her previous work will inform her approach as a Portland City Councilor. We discuss her work for Gov. Kitzhaber, the challenges she navigated in that period, and why she stayed for nearly two full terms. Olivia also offers her explanation for what went wrong in Portland over the last decade or two--and what can be done to fix it. She gives her vision for making the layers of government work together more effectively, and how she would approach the job of councilor in this new form of government.

In the second half of this conversation with George Fox's Civility project, the Oregon Bridge is doing a deep dive on what civility means in the context of politics and how creating a more civil political environment can lead to more productive bipartisan policy and discourse. A huge thank you to George Fox for inviting the Oregon Bridge out to be on this panel and for helping provide this programming. You can learn more about the Civility Project here: https://sites.google.com/georgefox.edu/gfcivilityproject/home

In this special two part episode, recent guest Ron Mock returns to the Oregon Bridge but this time Ben and Reagan are the interviewees. In this first half of the conversation, the team unpacks the history, thesis and origin of the Oregon Bridge Podcast, how that has evolved over time, and also the role that the podcast plays in both Ben and Reagan's Lives. A huge thank you to George Fox for inviting the Oregon Bridge out to be on this panel and for helping provide this programming. You can learn more about the Civility Project here: https://sites.google.com/georgefox.edu/gfcivilityproject/home

Ron Mock is Director of the George Fox University Civility Project and Professor Emeritus of Politics and Peace Studies. He is also a former Newberg School Board Member, serving for nearly. His loss in 2021 triggered a conservative board majority that made international headlines for attempting to ban pride flags and BLM symbols--and ultimately for firing their superintendent. In this episode, Ron explains exactly what happened and why it happened. We talk about political polarization and divisiveness--and how it impacts communities. He shares what lessons other communities can learn from Newberg--and provides some specific examples of proactive steps community leaders can take to build a more productive political culture locally. We also discuss the occasional tension between being an advocate and being a convener--and whether "civility" is always the right framework for politics, or if today's political environment requires something different. You can learn more about the Civility Project here: https://sites.google.com/georgefox.edu/gfcivilityproject/home

Tony Morse is a candidate for Portland City Council's District 4 (the west side and a small slice of inner east Portland). Tony is an attorney by training and has worked in real estate and political organizing. He describes himself as "center left" and willing to work those who disagree with him to get things done. In this episode, we talk about Tony's recovery story and what it means to be a "recovery candidate" for the Council--including some specific ideas about how the City can help resolve the crisis. We talk about Ballot Measure 110, harm reduction strategies, public consumption of drugs, and his views on "safe use" sites. Finally, we talk about what it's like running to serve in a new form of government with a totally new way of electing leaders in Portland.

Metro Councilor Christine Lewis has had an extensive career in Oregon politics. A Portland Business Journal "40 Under 40" honoree, she graduated from Reed College and quickly entered the world of political organizing. She has worked as campaign manager for former Senate President Peter Courtney, former State Rep. and Multnomah County Commissioner Jules Bailey, and several ballot measures. She also worked on the "official side" (non-campaign) for then-Speaker Tina Kotek, the City of Portland, and the Bureau of Labor and Industries. In 2018, she was elected as a Metro Councilor representing a large district including much of Clackamas County and parts of Multnomah and Washington. In this episode, we talk about Christine's career in politics and how Metro intersects with the most important policy issues facing the Portland area today: housing, homelessness, transportation, and more.

Former legislator and Secretary of State Phil Keisling has had a truly remarkable career in Oregon politics. Prior to his own tenure in elected office, he worked on the campaign of Gov. Tom McCall (McCall's third and only unsuccessful attempt) and for then-Speaker Vera Katz. Elected to the legislature in 1988 after a career in journalism, Gov. Barbara Roberts appointed him as a freshman legislator to assume the office of Secretary of State (it is an incredible story, involving Phil arriving an hour and a half late for his interview with the Governor). He was subsequently elected to two full terms. In this episode, we talk about Phil's career, the changing nature of Oregon politics (with an emphasis on policy over administration), the true story of how Oregon launched vote-by-mail (and the strange bedfellows who made it happen), and why attempts to open Oregon's primaries have failed.

The 2024 election cycle is already heating up in Oregon even at this early stage! In this episode Ben and Reagan discuss what candidates will be expected to contend, as well as which candidates have already declared and began fundraising campaigns for some of Oregon's open seats in office.

Eric Zimmerman is a chief of staff for a Multnomah County Commissioner and a Major in the Oregon National Guard. Previously, he worked as a senior advisor to the Mayor of Portland and as an assistant city manager. He's also thinking about running for Portland City Council. In this episode, we cover Eric's background in the military, his experience running for office, and why he has hope for Portland's future--but wants a more action-oriented set of leaders in charge. We also talk about the time that he punched a man in the face (following an attack on his then-boyfriend)--and what it was like when the story hit the newspapers a year later. Finally, we touch on how the conflict in the Middle East has impacted state and local politics.

Former republican minority leader Christine Drazan rejoins the podcast over 100 episodes later to reflect on Oregon's political leadership throughout the pandemic and present her framework for rebuilding what she calls Oregon's broken systems, through an organization called A New Direction, a 501c4 non-profit organization dedicated to connecting Oregonians with each other to advance policies and ideas that make Oregon a safer more affordable place to live and raise a family, strengthen checks and balances, improve transparency, empower Oregonians and support the next generation. To learn more visit https://www.christinefororegon.com/

Justin Hwang is a Korean immigrant and small business owner. He’s been chairman of the Oregon Republican Party since 2022 and was previously a candidate for state representative and state senate. He talks about the challenges Republicans are facing in Oregon and where he sees the opportunities for Republicans to hold and make additional gains. https://oregon.gop/

Adam Marl is the City Commission President for Oregon City. He was worked for numerous Republican candidates and elected officials. He serves in the most politically complex of the three major Portland metro counties: Clackamas. Marl is the youngest, as well as fist Asian person, to serve on the city commission. As someone who identifies as an Evangelical Christian but cites legislation from leaders like Sen. Mitt Romney, Marl has a nuanced take on Oregon politics. In this episode, Ben and Adam cover a wide range of topics including tolling, culture wars, abortion policy, and what it means to be a young Republican in Oregon in today's political climate. You can check out a piece that Adam recently wrote for The Way here: https://theoregonway.substack.com/p/how-oregon-republicans-can-further Also be sure to subscribe on Youtube if you haven't already! https://www.youtube.com/c/OR360 And huge shoutout to our newest partner OVBC, be sure to check out their typography survey and share your voice and opinions about Oregon politics here: https://oregonvbc.org/

Returning to the podcast is Amaury Vogel. Amaury is the Associate Executive Director of the the Oregon Values & Beliefs Center (OVBC). OVBC is an innovative organization that provides public opinion research for free to policymakers, news organizations, and the general public. In this episode we talk about how polling works (and why sometimes it doesn't work), and we discuss what makes OVBC unique. OVBC 2023 Typology Survey: Online Survey Software | Qualtrics Survey Solutions OVBC 2023 Typology informational landing page (also contains Pew and Policy Interactive Links): OVBC 2023 Typology Project - Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (oregonvbc.org) Pew Typology: Political Typology - Research and data from Pew Research Center Policy Interactive: Finding Common Ground in a Divided Political Culture – PolicyInteractive oregonvbc.org ovbc.info/23_Background

Oregon is grappling with a severe housing crisis. Recent data reveals that the median selling price of homes in Oregon is hovering around the $500,000 mark. In swiftly growing cities like Bend, this figure climbs even higher due to significantly constrained housing availability. Governor Tina Kotek has set an ambitious target of constructing 36,000 new homes annually. However, critics argue that current regulations, coupled with limited land resources stemming from the Urban Growth Boundary and Oregon's stringent land use guidelines, render this goal unattainable. Joining our discussion today is Jodi Hack, a former Republican Representative and now the CEO of the Oregon Home Builder's Association. Jodi will help us break down what all is contributing to the housing shortage and what policies may need to change in order to increase inventory and address the demand for affordable housing in Oregon.

Kathleen Stuart has held many of the top jobs in the Oregon Democratic campaign world--deputy director for the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, Executive Director for FuturePAC, and head of the Democratic coordinated campaign effort in 2018 (where Gov. Kate Brown won by 6 points). She now owns her own firm, Stuart Collective, and was recently selected as one of the Portland Business Journal's 40 under 40. In this episode, we talk about Kathleen's relatively rapid promotions in the political world, and her career trajectory from private sector public relations to politics. We cover how caucus campaign committees work, and what the "coordinate campaign" does. We also talk about compensation for public officials (legislators, judges, and statewide officials) and her recent piece in the Oregon Way called: "Where can Oregon step up to support women serving in office?". For more information on Kathleen, you can visit: www.stuartcollective.co

Rep. Annessa Hartman (D-Gladstone) and Rep. Emerson Levy (D-Bend) are freshmen legislators first elected in 2022. They represent two swing districts (sometimes called “purple” seats) — Hartman in Clackamas County and Levy in Central Oregon (you can listen to our interview with then-candidate Levy here). They are also both relatively young legislators, and moms of young children. In this episode, we discuss the impact of running for office and public service on family, what it’s like running in ultra-competitive districts, and the policy wins they are most proud of.

Charles Lehamn is a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a prominent center-right think tank that focuses on urban and city-related issues. The organization gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s for brainstorming the "broken windows" theory and creating the policy blueprint for Republican New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Charles recently took a trip to Portland to examine the impact of Measure 110 and detailed his thoughts in a City Journal piece that we link to below and discuss the episode. We also dive into more technical issues such as defining what certain drugs like Fentanyl actually are, the hard statistics around Measure 110 and its outcomes, the differences between legalization and decriminalization and a host of other issues. This episode is also meant to give listeners the opposing view of the folks over at the Drug Policy Alliance who helped to pass Measure 110 (you can listen to that episode by clicking here).

The Watchdog, a brilliant book by NPR senior editor Steve Drummond covering the Truman Committee's oversight of the defense buildup and war production effort of World War II, begins in Portland, Oregon. The book chronicles Harry S. Truman before he became president--his development from a junior senator from Missouri without much power, recognition, or stature to the Vice President of the United States (and, just a few months later, President). The Truman Committee is a case study on effective government oversight. Ultimately, the Committee saved billions of dollars, prevented countless American deaths, and helped the United States win World War II -- and the Committee is undoubtedly what launched Truman from political obscurity to political powerhouse. In this episode, we discuss the lessons that today's leaders can learn about fighting corruption from Harry Truman and the Truman Committee.