Interview with Gordon - April 2026

Where did you grow up and how long have you lived in Oregon City?

I grew up in a small town called Groveland in New York. It’s a beautiful historic town, much like Oregon City. When I moved to Oregon, I lived in Portland where I met my wife and after we married, we moved to West Linn. It wasn’t until we moved to Oregon City in 2017 that I finally felt at home. Moving to the historic district was like an aha moment, yes this is what I’d been searching for. We live in South End now and couldn’t imagine leaving Oregon City

 

What's your professional background?

During college, I took on odd jobs for my landlord fixing up and renovating some of the old homes he owned. I graduated expecting to go into law but something called me back to renovation. Over the years I managed to build a company out of that passion. We specialize in very specific kitchen rehabs, integrating appliances into homes in a unique way. We’re usually the ones people call when they’ve been told something can’t be done. We’re problem solvers. That’s what I do, I solve problems and I have to admit, I’m pretty good at it.

 

What community involvement have you had?

My company tries to do two to three community service projects a year. We’ve supplied lunch to Father’s Heart, helped stock food pantries and community fridges. I’ve been a cub scout den and camp leader for the past few years which is where I really started feeling the call for community outreach. I volunteer for the Historic Review Board and for the board of the Chamber of commerce. I’ve met so many great members of the community and made some really close friends through volunteer work, it’s been a great way to network and get involved

 

What does this community mean to you personally?

Community is everything to me. I came from a town where everyone knew each other. To give you an idea, our school was K through 12 in one building and there were only 50 kids in my class. That small community gave me a sense of belonging that I was missing greatly for twenty years. Though this community is much larger, it has the same sense of closeness. People here are personable and approachable.

I’m a gregarious person. For me it’s never been what you know, it’s who you know. In my business, I don’t rely on one expert alone. I trust and rely on multiple people to get the job done. It’s never been how do I succeed, but rather, how do we all succeed. I feel the same way when I think about our community and the changes we can make together.

 

What made you decide to run and was there a moment that pushed you to act?

In 2016 I made a Facebook post saying I was going to spend the next few years getting involved in local politics. I think that’s a sure way to make a difference in our immediate community. I looked back ten years later and thought – I actually did it.

Then the question was how do I make a bigger difference, how can I make myself more useful? I’ve been thinking about running for city council for a long time. I’ve been encouraged to run by other members of the community but still wasn’t sure if it was for me. It wasn’t until I spoke out at a school board meeting this year that my mind was made. The meeting was about whether or not to put out a community statement regarding ICE having a presence on campuses. Not only was I upset with the board’s inability to pass a statement that was describing what was already

Oregon state law, I was also upset with the verbiage used by some of the board members when discussing the statement. That meeting made me realize that it is

difficult for some people to speak up. I feel like after I spoke, the tone of the meeting changed and people were beginning to more easily voice their concerns. That was when I knew I wanted to run. If I have even the smallest ability to empower people, I want to do it. I want to be a voice for people that may be too nervous to speak out.

 

Why this race, why now?

Two out of four city commission seats are open, plus the mayor’s seat. That three-position swing could be monumentally damaging to the city I love.

I may be a busy person, but I can’t turn away from this. The ability to speak, to research, to think critically and to be a presence – I can’t just recognize that I have these skills and not do anything with them. The alternative is not something that I want to see happen.

 

What are the top issues facing this community?

Oregon City's top issues are development and infrastructure, human services, and parks and recreation.

We're quagmired in a stasis between historic preservation and city growth. You can't fund services without a tax base, and you can't build a tax base if you kibosh every development opportunity. We look like it's 1987 when you drive around.

Oregon City is an aging demographic. We need an influx of families. We've got a great high school, great parks potential — but we need to become a place people are actively choosing to move to.

The current city government is not doing what it needs to do to move into the future while respecting the past. We should be embracing our history and becoming a beacon of what a thriving city looks like. Right now we're doing a poor job of showing people what this place is capable of.

 

 

What's the one thing you want voters to remember?

I don't give a hoot about having a position. My goal is to take what I love about living in Oregon City and expand that for everyone else who lives here.

Oregon City should be a destination. Not a pass-through on the way south. Not that place south of the mall. A place people are moving their families to and building a life in.

Respect the past while moving into the future. That's it.

 

What would surprise people about you?

I moved to Oregon with a backpack and five hundred dollars. I'm happy with what I've made. That's what this city can do too.