Open Letter To Governor Kate Brown

Dear Governor Brown:

I am the City Manager of the legitimate City of Damascus, Oregon. Senate Bill 226 is being sent to the Governor’s desk. This bill was promoted by a group of anti-government and anti-land use planning activists hoping to euthanize a city in Oregon — the City of Damascus. Hopefully, the Governor of Oregon won’t do this.

If the Governor signs this bill, then it goes to the Republican Secretary of State to certify this insanity. I say that because the Oregon Appellate Court already ruled on the city’s legal existence. The League of Oregon Cities and the City-County Insurance System just acknowledged its legal existence. If the Secretary of State were to certify this insanity, then it is legislatively, fast-tracked to the Oregon Supreme Court. This bill is so riddled with legal holes, that they will nullify the law for any number of reasons. But they only need one!

Never has the Governor of any state in America done what you are being asked to do. I would hope that Oregon’s Governor would spare the state of Oregon the embarrassment of all of these outcomes. The state just suffered one such occurrence with Republican Senate walkout. The Governor’s creating another such embarrassment, not seen since the calamitous days of the Rajneesh takeover of a city, should be averted.

I am asking that the Governor not sign this bill and Save the City of Damascus. It is not in the best interest of Oregon to euthanize one of its cities. The eyes of the citizens of Oregon and the national media are on the Governor’s desk right now. Governor Brown, please Save Damascus!