Over the weekend, Rep. Patrick Sheehan (R-Clackamas) spent two days at various locations throughout House District 51, speaking with and reaching as many constituents as possible. By Saturday’s end, he had hosted six 90-minute public forums in 36 hours at local coffee shops, small businesses and restaurants.
“Rather than hold large, formal events, I wanted to be accessible to my constituents by going to their communities, supporting their local businesses and keeping the conversation casual and comfortable,” said Rep. Sheehan. “We live in very unique communities, each with different needs and interests and spending time in each of them is important to me.”
District 51 encompasses the areas of Beavercreek, Boring, Clackamas, Damascus, Eagle Creek, Estacada, Happy Valley, and Rural Oregon City. The attached map highlights the areas where Rep. Sheehan held the public town halls.
“I was really pleased to see the turnout over the weekend. Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated voters all asking similar questions about getting the economy back on track and prioritizing spending in our state,” said Rep. Sheehan. “We all want the same things—stable jobs, good schools and safe communities. We can get them if we work together and I think this weekend was a good start.”
Rep. Sheehan said two pieces of legislation may come directly from speaking with constituents this weekend. The first would address additional funding for search and rescue and the second would call for legislation defining abuse in custodial and non-custodial parental rights situations.
“It’s great to get away from the isolating environment of Salem. It definitely feels satisfying to answer questions, and get confirmation directly from the people that I’m representing them well,” Rep. Sheehan said. “I’m looking forward to getting to work on these items for my community and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to learn more about what matters to them.”
Rep. Sheehan said there will be many more opportunities like this in the coming months of the Legislative Session. He also does a weekly video address to keep constituents comprised of what he’s working on week-by-week. These can be found at his website www.representativepatricksheehan.com.