Conrad
CHARLIE CONRAD, 49
Birthplace: Corvallis, Ore.
Marital status: Married
Spouse’s occupation: Lane County Parks
Children: One child, 18, Pleasant Hill High School
Residence neighborhood: Dexter
Online: electcharlieconrad.com; Facebook@electcharlieconrad
Party registration: Republican
Education: Bachelor’s degree in wildlife science – OSU 1994; master’s degree in public administration – University of Colorado – 2012
Occupations: Police officer, research coordinator, supervisor
Current employer: Lane County
Public sector experience: 1998-2000: Lane County Sheriff’s Dept.; 2000-14; Springfield Police Dept.; 2014-16: League of Oregon Cities; 2016-present: Lane County
Private sector experience: Allstate Insurance Company – 1995-98
Elected office held: None
Previous unsuccessful runs for office: None
Recently, tax equity, or more accurately – inequity, between wealthy individuals and the rest of us has garnered much media attention. It is worth remembering a fundamental economic precept: items increase in value as the demand increases compared to supply, i.e., supply vs. demand. This is as true for tangible commodities such as oil as it is for intangible services like labor. This rule also holds true for a particular item which is dear to all of us and spans both tangible and intangible categories – our income, the tangible dollar and the intangible “digital dollar” that resides in our bank account.
A fact of our modern consumer world is that our income is the source of competition between people, non-profits, companies and the government for uses we might or might not agree with. As these entities vie for our hard-earned income, our ability to decide where it goes and how it will be used is slowly diminishing, particularly with rising inflation. I fully accept my civic duty to pay more of my income than those with less, for whom each dollar has a higher value. I appreciate and respect people who earn more than I do, and who also accept their civic duty to pay more. However, I do not respect people who avoid paying their share, who are free riders and game the system in order to avoid contributing; our institutions need to hold them accountable. Everyone benefits from a well-constructed and maintained transportation system, we all benefit from well-trained and supported police officers, and we all benefit from an education system which challenges and prepares our children for life as adults.
I see Oregon in desperate need of responsible, practical and transparent State government. I ask for your support in the upcoming May primary, let’s lead Oregon together!
Read the Q&A between all candidates here.
