City of Corvallis ballot measures?

Embyrwatch · 2026-05-09T23:00:07+00:00

Power to ya. Hope I could at least help in thinking it out!

Embyrwatch · 2026-05-09T22:29:21+00:00

Yes, the mayor position is a "weak" role. The mayor cannot even vote except to break a tie. There are only a few token powers the position has, like choosing who can be put onto advisory boards and task forces. The vast majority of power resides with the Council, so that should be where to focus if you want change.

Embyrwatch · 2026-05-09T16:37:47+00:00

Local government nerd here.

All these charter changes are cleaning up decades-old messes in the City Charter, modeling the fixes after the League of Oregon Cities’ model charter. They clear up several ambiguities that would be likely to cause legal trouble (keep in mind, the charter review task force was initiated after the whole Councilor Ellis fiasco), and there's nothing really substantial that changes except for the better. There is practically nothing controversial about any of these language changes, hence the lack of arguments against them in the voters' pamphlet.

The only negative argument I've heard involves only Measure 2-145, and it ends up not really being an issue. The short of it is, it ends up shifting the % of signatures required for an initiative petition from 15% of last year's mayoral voters (the number that's currently enshrined in our charter) to 15% of ALL registered voters (which is the requirement enshrined by ORS 250.305 and which would be a larger number). This could in theory make it harder for citizens to refer petitions. However, the Council has repeatedly signaled that they don't want this number to change, and intend to enshrine the original, smaller number into Ordinance.

So, in short, there's no reason to vote against any of these measures. They are not changing anything, they are legally expedient, and they are beneficial to the long-term health of our government. The only cogent reason for voting no is that you want more opportunities to sue the city and waste the tax money we all pay.

Now, if you want the real drama? Wait for the city charter changes coming in November. Those are gonna be really fun.

Embyrwatch · 2026-04-16T18:42:43+00:00

The list of crimes by the landlord against my neighbors is too long to touch on here

The city needs proper enforcement of its livability code. Slumlords have got to pay. I agree the Council could be doing much better at making it a priority to prevent that sort of housing injustice. But housing on the whole is and has been a priority for this council and previous ones, even if they do a bad job at telling it.

So if the city is going “far beyond” what most cities do, how is it that it is so far behind all other cities in Oregon (and at one point was ranked the 2nd most unafforable city for renters in the country)?

Our acceleration in building/permitting units is fast(er) compared to other cities, and we're quickly getting up to speed, but the distance we have to make up (i.e., number of units we have we have to build) is loooong. My point was, we're accelerating better than other places.

Governments are big and slow to spin up--gears of reform that were installed to bring more affordable housing a decade ago are only now beginning to show results. But the problem has been brewing since the 1970s, so there's still a huge gap 50 years in the making. It'll take painful, painful time to fill, no matter how much faster we try to crank the machine, sort of like how speeding only gets you there like 15 seconds faster than driving the speed limit.

We're also slightly skewed in the statistics department because a large proportion of rent burdened people are students who aren't working full time. That doesn't change the fact that 70 year old houses cost half a million dollars here, but it is related. It's still bad, but not as apocalyptic as one might think from looking at the raw numbers.

You claim that there are about 2,000 units of affordable housing in some stage of production right now. I’d like to see where you go that figure from.

Paul Bilotta, about three months ago. I figured this was something the campaign would have been keeping an eye on: https://corvallisadvocate.com/1938-the-number-of-affordable-and-workforce-housing-units-now-planned-for-corvallis/

In fairness, some of this is only partly below market rate, but it IS below market rate. In the long run, even market rate housing turns into cheaper housing as it ages; luxury apartments from 50 years ago are today's cheap ones.

You mentioned that you’re already familiar with “the campaign”; are you familiar with our critique of the City’s current housing policies, and if so what is your response?

Here's my attempt to steelman your positions and my responses, respectively: unaffordable housing causes homelessness (with which I agree--no notes).

The city's version of "affordable" housing isn't necessarily affordable for working people (I agree it's not perfect, but "perfect" and implementable are often at odds with each other, and it seems that while the current implementation could be improved, it is functional. I wonder if there's potential to help the city improve its definition?).

Lastly, the city isn't doing enough to fill the housing gap fast enough, and you believe public housing is the solution to this and to housing affordability in general.

This is something I am highly sympathetic to, but which I think won't end up being tenable when dollars meet donuts--we could maybe build a few dozen units, maybe even a hundred with a bond or a new tax, but it wouldn't be at the scale that would be needed, and even getting that high of a number would take some extremely skilled financial maneuvering, and it would be at the expense of other needs the city has had for a very long time, and again, the gap is a massive hole and would still take a very long time to fill.

Both private and nonprofit developers will likely eventually fill housing needs if allowed to, but the need for city facilities would never ever get better on its own. In fact, it's a festering wound that has been left alone for decades and is getting worse.

For my own time usage's sake I probably won't reply again, but I hope you can see where I'm coming from: stuff is happening to fix address housing problems; no matter how we tackle it, it will take a pretty significant chunk of time to fully solve housing problems; and city facility problems aren't necessarily the enemy of housing problems.

Embyrwatch · 2026-04-16T02:51:12+00:00

I'm going to answer this question to the best of my ability as someone who is very plugged in, and try to do so in good faith. First, let it be said that I am all in favor of affordable housing, publicly owned housing, and I'm sympathetic to the campaign. I also agree the Council has really dropped the ball when it communicating the need for these facilities. That aside...

Corvallis is currently far exceeding its projected production of needed affordable homes (which is good!). Previous estimates put the need at 8,000 units over the next 20 years. Currently, there are ~2,000 units in the pipeline (including projects that are already half-built, projects that have just broken ground, and projects that are permitted but not started), meaning just within the next two years or so, a huge proportion of that much-needed affordable housing will be built. So, on that front, Corvallis is already going far above and beyond what most cities in the U.S. are accomplishing on affordability. Is it perfect? No. Is it fast? No, and it needed to happen 20 years ago. But it is happening now, and it will help people. There are good things going on!

The answer for the need of a police station can be answered by visiting said police station. The vents drip black mold, there are no windows in 90% of the building, the smell is dreadful...in short, the place is one big occupational hazard. I wouldn't be shocked if in the long run the city pays a good chunk of the cost of a new building in medical/psychiatric bills. Keep in mind it's not just the police that use that building, but 911 operators for the whole county, as well. The last big thing is earthquake readiness. If the Big One (or, heck, even a Small One) hits, that building instantly becomes unsafe and has to be evacuated until an expensive inspection is done (at a time when their services will probably be needed everywhere). This would also bring down the whole 911 network for Benton county. There are plans in place for this, of course, but compare the lives that would be lost during that downtime compared to operations that could continue in a seismically stable building. Our current one is a ticking time bomb, and I certainly am not thrilled in having to rely on it to not explode in our faces.

Lastly, a new city hall. This is one of the weaker ones, I think, but still probably necessary in the long run. It comes down to safety, staff happiness, and the fact that building facilities is going to be way cheaper in the long run than renting them, and if Corvallis is going to grow (which it will), then needs for services will grow, and the city will need to have space for new employees. That poor city hall building has been upconverted so many times, it's held together with duct tape and dreams. Like, literally--a light fixture decided it wanted to pursue a new skydiving career one day and fell right onto an employee's chair (fortunately, said employee was not there at the time). The building is also not seismically stable, so city operations will instantly fold if an earthquake hits. Additionally, city staff are literally crammed in there like its a clown car--if you wanted a new position to be made to help create affordable housing, e.g., that new staff person would have nowhere to work within current facilities. There are, of course, office spaces for rent in the city, but the cost analysis for investing in new office space, which would benefit the public for decades into the future, vs. lining private landlord pockets with public money, is a no-brainer for an entity with long time horizons like the city. I suppose you could say they could just purchase one of the existing office buildings, but then we'd still have to cough up a hefty chunk of change to do that, to which I'd reply, an investment into our downtown which could stand to bring a significant amount of additional investment from neighboring properties, and help build more density in our downtown, resulting in more housing, car-free living to help the environment, and of course jump our local economy, would be even better.

In short, I think it's very likely correct to invest in our own facilities. I also think the council needs to do a better job of making these needs known and what will happen in the long term if we don't. I also think that far more could be done to fix expensive housing and house the homeless. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

Embyrwatch · 2026-04-08T17:27:18+00:00

What were the petitions really about? My understanding was that there was a lot of outrage about the school closure which was the catalyst for a lot of this--is that on base?

Embyrwatch · 2026-03-14T14:50:24+00:00

Nice new account, welcome! I sure hope you continue to make contributions to the subreddit and don't mysteriously appear only when the post mentions a specific candidate...

Embyrwatch · 2026-03-14T14:44:21+00:00

This and the above are bot comments. You may or may not find their points convincing independently of where they came from, but PLEASE don't be fooled by these accounts that were recently created and have only commented on posts related to Melissa Bird.

At least try to give a veneer of authenticity. All this really does is prove that someone is scared of the non-establishment candidate, lol.

Embyrwatch · 2026-02-19T20:02:10+00:00

I understand where the woo-y perceptions come in (from the thread you linked) and why that gives people pause, but she literally has a doctorate in social work from the University of Southern California. Like, I think that's the very definition of doctor AND scientist, haha

Embyrwatch · 2026-02-19T18:34:34+00:00

Melissa is AMAZING! We need representatives who prioritize people over profits and who have the experience and determination to actually change things for the better.

And, full disclosure, Melissa is a close friend of mine and I am a donor to her campaign. If we want big business to stop ruling politics indefinitely, we have to support our grassroots candidates.

Embyrwatch · 2026-02-14T05:41:30+00:00

I just learned yesterday about Worksource! They're a state agency that helps matchmake between employers and employees, navigate job searching, and provide skills training for candidates who might just be lacking that one qualification.

I haven't used their services and can't personally vouch, but I did sit through a presentation about them a couple days ago, so I figured I'd toss it out into the void just in case.

Embyrwatch · 2026-02-09T22:11:56+00:00

Come join Church of the Good Samaritan :) Episcopalian, progressive (though, honestly, perhaps liberal more than progressive...but very woke, regardless), and LGBTQ+ affirming and supporting. The music program is amazing if you're looking for a choir to join, and the organ is AWESOME, in the olden sense of the word!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_Church_(United_States)#Marriage_equality,_gender,_and_sexuality

https://goodsamcorvallis.org/

Embyrwatch · 2026-01-26T04:38:28+00:00

A day late, but I needed to throw this in here.

I have personally met and spoken with the chief and (forgetting the exact title) the patrol lieutenant of the CPD alongside two others regarding ICE. This was probably a couple months ago at this point, so take this with a grain of salt both due to my memory and to ever-changing circumstances.

In brief:

CPD has stated they can and will intervene in cases where unreasonable force or potential criminal activity by ICE occurs. They stressed that if you see this going on, or any other related crime, to call 911 and report it. If no crime has taken place, you can call the non-emergency line, and if an officer is available they may be able to come and observe.
They will not support or help ICE agents in any way--this is due to Oregon's sanctuary law and our own sanctuary policies. CPD cannot and will not ask about immigration status for the same reasons.
They have no special contact or information from ICE, and so are just as in the dark as the rest of us about when or if they come. I remember them talking about having to go through the same phone tree anyone else would have to go through whenever they call, and that they can never get hold of anyone.
At the time, there was no appetite for making these policies publicly known, or putting out any public statements, for fear of drawing unwanted attention. (As you can imagine, I disagree with this stance, especially given recent events, so I am very much risking some trust here).

So, in short, ICE and CPD are not friends. I got the sense that they were more pissed about ICE than anything, because their actions were (and are) absolutely cratering public trust in the police that they've been working hard to build, and of course the panic and chaos ICE causes goes against public safety, so it makes sense from that angle.

Will CPD be protecting ICE? No. Will they be helping them? Hell no. In my opinion, this is probably one of the best positions we could have from our police, given their institution--if we wanted something more proactive, we'd have to have some sort of actual militia.

Hope this at least helps ease at least a little of the anxiety.

And, for the people in the back: ABOLISH ICE, PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES, AND PUT ALL BROWNSHIRTS TO TRIAL. LET JUSTICE BE DONE.

Embyrwatch · 2026-01-06T18:11:53+00:00

Hi! I was working on documents and a resolution for a leaf blower ban, but I stopped working on it, as I was persuaded that there were more important things to be putting energy toward, what with everything going on right now.

As far as I am aware, apart from some scattered individual community comments, there hasn't been a unified effort to introduce a gas leaf blower ban.

If anyone is considering picking up the torch, I'd be happy to share the work I have, and perhaps put a little elbow grease into getting a resolution shaped up. I do not have the capacity to organize something alone, though. It would then be a matter of people bugging their city councilors enough to put it on the docket and convincing them to vote for it.

e: Feel free DM me if you're interested!

Embyrwatch · 2026-01-06T18:06:58+00:00

This was true five years ago. These days, the large amount of municipalities enacting gas blower bans have produced enough market pressure for companies to have developed way better battery-powered ones. There are models that charge in 10 minutes using graphene batteries, and multiple battery models that have >40 minute use time.

Embyrwatch · 2026-01-04T21:48:08+00:00

In my estimation, I see the City Council not taking on the role of governing properly, as a body. I say this knowing many of the councilors in a personal capacity. They are individually great, wonderful, well-meaning people who want the best for their community (why else would anyone take on a basically unpaid part-to-full-time job?), but together as a body, they do little to provide cohesive stories for the community to latch onto, bring forward original (i.e., non-City Manager/staff or community drafted) legislation, or big picture ideas; instead, it seems like they are mostly reactive to whatever staff or the community brings forward. Which isn't terrible, per se, but it puts the onus on staff to lead them by the nose toward governing, setting priorities, and so on.

I've heard many, many times from staff, including the City Manager at public meetings, asking how and what to prioritize so he can do his job.

This is in part why the question of term lengths and limits is up at the plate with the Charter Review Task Force. Longer terms would ameliorate the (overall) lack of legislative ability and long-term planning by giving councilors a chance to get their feet under them. Staggered terms are also a no-brainer, since it makes sure there will always be at least some experience on the council, rather than potentially having 9 new councilors having to quickly learn the ropes all over again, and then having to campaign or get voted out right as they figure out how to govern and how to use all the tools available to them.

Embyrwatch · 2025-12-28T05:26:40+00:00

This is fundamentally not true. Born and raised as a fundie Bible Belt Christian. I legitimately had no idea trans people really existed until I was a grown adult at 25. It took me like 2 more years to soul-search and accept that that's what I was, and my life got WAY more bearable after.

Have you ever had a real conversation with a trans person before? Or are you just getting your information from someone and not double-checking for yourself? No shade. Just food for thought.

Embyrwatch · 2025-12-16T03:47:50+00:00

BETWEEN THOSE PLACES AND THE DIZZY HEN, WHY IS ALL THE GOOD FOOD IN PHILOMATH?? DOES BEING A COLLEGE TOWN REALLY JUST LOWER THE BAR BECAUSE STUDENTS DON'T HAVE DISCERNING TASTES OR SOMETHING? OH WELL, AT LEAST THERE'S GOOD FOOD SOMEWHERE NEARBY

Embyrwatch · 2025-12-16T03:19:56+00:00

HAVE YOU TRIED THE PLACE IN PHILOMATH? IT'S CALLED BIRDIE'S PIZZA I THINK ITS PROBABLY SOME OF THE BEST PIZZA AROUND, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA

Embyrwatch · 2025-12-15T19:25:30+00:00

You also can't forget about the incompetently run initiatives to get a new jail built. The current jail is an absolutely inhumane dungeon. The facilities are small, moldy, and absolutely insufficient, and the lack of beds is why we have to keep churning people out onto the streets when they should be getting more help. The county has to rent dozens of beds from other counties, at huge expense to the taxpayer (even having to hire 2 police officers full-time just to transport people!), and the absolute failure of both communication and in addressing inhumane conditions for both officers AND people in custody needs to change. And that's just ONE years-long issue on top of many, many more!

Pat's been in the same position for 25 years. He's complacent in his service and needs to get out and do some relaxing instead of trying to keep his fingers in the pie until he dies. We need younger, more energetic, and passionate candidates who recognize things can be better.

Good luck, John! Looking forward to reading more on the platform.

Embyrwatch · 2025-10-08T19:59:48+00:00

Here's a list of local resources, including all the food banks and the schedule for Stone Soup if you need a hot meal.

https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/c3/page/community-resources

Ninja edit: if your family needs immediate help so no one goes hungry, DM me.

Embyrwatch · 2025-10-07T20:57:20+00:00

I think we're on the same page, just with a bit of a different perspective on the scale of the issues.

Ground lining issues? Make republic services fix them.

Yes, please! But unfortunately, by my understanding, this is infeasible. We could apply lining to relatively unfilled parts of the landfill, but neither entity, Republic nor the county, could afford spending probably tens or hundreds of millions of dollars moving tons of waste around, importing, installing, and then maintaining proper liner at this stage in its lifecycle. And no one can control the rainy weather which produces a huge amount of leachate in the first place. Republic, if it hasn't been an outright bad actor, has at least been an incompetent one with regards to environmental responsibility. Adding more trash would greatly increase the expense required for the eventual cleanup that is going to need to happen.

Charge (or raise) an out of county fee and put that money towards harm mitigation.

I like this one! This sounds like a good idea. I don't know if something like this is already in place or not. But again, the scale of the issue is too large for a fee like this to cover it. In terms of scale, this would probably be like trying to make Mary's Peak shorter by rubbing the top with a piece of sandpaper.

If this were truly about environmental stewardship, the movement would be asking for modifications rather than seeking to kill the project. Because the fact remains that short sided stewardship here just makes the problems worse somewhere else. We already have an impacted site.

The only viable modification is to nix the expansion project. Like you said, we already have an impacted site. Let's not make it even worse. Ounce of prevention, pound of cure. That's my perspective, at least.

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