Whites Only: Race in Oregon
There are whiter states in America, but when Oregon entered the Union in 1859, it did so as a “whites-only” state, the only free state to do so. One hundred and fifty years later, Portland... Read More
The Things That Do Not Burn
Living in Ashland, you wouldn’t know there was much of a Latino community here. Salvador, who mows our lawn, laughs and tells me, “We’re invisible to you, but we’re here!” A tourist town, thanks to... Read More
Sharing Food, Building Community
Food is the ingredient that binds us together. — Author unknown Paul Giancarlo remembers reading an article in the Ashland Daily Tidings, a few weeks after Christmas in 2009, about food bank “blues”: how shelves stand... Read More
Citizen Calls Council to Face the “Third Rail” and to Control City Employee Personnel Costs III
March 28, Esteemed Mayor, Councilors, and Citizens’ Budget Committee members: Personnel costs are the second largest expense item in the chart of accounts. We all need to tighten our belts, and that includes city employees.... Read More
Infrastructure (CIP) Correction Offered by a Citizen Critical of the Budget Process II
March 28 — Esteemed Mayor, Councilors, and Citizens’ Budget Committee members: The budget process in Ashland is badly broken. Here is a simple idea to help improve it: Prepare the CIP on alternating years, not... Read More
Citizen’s Plea to the Ashland Budget Deciders for Careful Examination of Expensive Improvements I
March 28, 2021 Esteemed Mayor, Councilors, and Citizens’ Budget Committee members: Ashland’s BN 2021-23 budget must reflect the realities of the current economy, and the wants and needs of its citizens. After at least ten... Read More