Still Putting in the Work

Happy Juneteenth, Astoria.

Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people there were free. That moment came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is a celebration of liberation, but it is also a call to remember the long struggle for justice, the resilience of Black Americans, and the work still before us as a nation and as a community.

That idea of service, memory, and responsibility was on my mind all week.

Last Thursday, in my role as Rogue Cell’s Creative Director, I sat down with Rogue Cell Executive Director Brad Pietzyk and County Commissioner-elect Mike Brosius to talk about the formation of a new Veterans’ Advisory Committee for Clatsop County. This is something our county needs. Veterans make up about 11 percent of Clatsop County’s population, and their experience, leadership, and service should be better connected to county decision-making.

A Veterans’ Advisory Committee can help coordinate services, identify gaps, strengthen communication between veterans and local government, and make sure our community is not only responding to veteran needs after a crisis, but building systems of support before people fall through the cracks. It can also help us recognize the strengths veterans bring to rural Oregon: leadership, logistics, emergency response, public service, mentorship, and a willingness to keep showing up when the work is hard.

This year also gives us a powerful reminder of our local history. Astoria’s Doughboy statue turns 100 years old in 2026. Rogue Cell is working with the city and Clatsop Community College to help honor that anniversary on Veterans Day this year. That celebration is not just about a statue. It is about memory. It is about the generations of Astorians and Clatsop County residents who served, came home, built lives here, and continued serving their communities in quieter ways.

Friday, June 13, was my Alive Day.

On June 13, 2004, I was critically injured in Iraq during a violent ambush. Every year, that date comes back around. It is not exactly a birthday, and it is not exactly an anniversary. It is something stranger than both. It is the day I remember to reflect and celebrate life, to honor those who didn’t make it back by living a worthy life.

This year, I celebrated with Kevin Pannell, who lost his legs that same day in a separate ambush. I also celebrated with many of my Army brothers from our company. We laughed, remembered, checked in, and carried the weight together.

On Sunday, Rogue Cell set up our tent at the Astoria Sunday Market. We talked with dozens of people about our mission to fight veteran suicide by building connection, purpose, and community. That is the heart of Rogue Cell. We are not waiting for veterans to reach a breaking point before we care. We are building places where people can show up before the crisis.

We host Veterans’ Coffee every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Elks Lodge. We also host Dog Walks along the Riverwalk every Saturday at 10 a.m., meeting at Pier 12. And the Dog Walks are open to anyone looking for community. You do not have to be a veteran. You do not even have to have a dog. You just have to be willing to walk with people for a while. Sometimes that is enough to start. We are also starting a Rogue Cell co-ed softball team.

On Monday, I attended the Astoria City Council meeting. The agenda included a Juneteenth proclamation, approval of visitor service agreements with several tourism organizations, an extension of the Pacific Power franchise agreement, budget amendments for the Library Department, Building Fund, and Public Works Shop & Yard division, and a lease agreement connected to the Astoria Column celebration. The regular agenda included consideration of right-of-way vacations and a campus agreement tied to the Columbia Memorial Hospital expansion, a second reading of amendments to the Astoria Camping Code, adoption of fiscal year 2026-2027 water and sewer rate adjustments, a pause on the scheduled Transportation System Development Charge increase while the city reviews its methodology, and a discussion of a community-based shelter program.

Tuesday, I continued my veteran peer support training. I am halfway through the program now, and it has only strengthened my belief that peer support matters. There is something powerful about being helped by someone who has walked through their own version of the fire. Peer support does not replace professional care, but it can build trust, reduce isolation, and help people take the next step when that next step feels impossible.

Wednesday was a huge day.

I started the morning by driving my daughter Jackie to her first day of her internship with the North Coast Wildlife Center. Watching your kid step into meaningful work is one of those moments that sneaks up on you. You think you are just giving someone a ride, and suddenly you realize you are watching them build a life.

After that, I went on a tour of the Bear Creek Watershed. Astoria is incredibly lucky to have such a passionate and knowledgeable Public Works team. Jeff Harrington and Sarah Hammond are amazing. They know the system, they care about the work, and they understand how much our city depends on infrastructure most people never see until something goes wrong.

And then there is Ben Hayes, our City Forester. Astoria has a Ford Scholar and Yale-educated forester helping care for our watershed, and I am not sure the city fully understands how fortunate that makes us. I come from a timber family. I grew up in the Willamette National Forest. I have spoken with more foresters than most people ever will, and too often the conversation centers on how to sell timber. Ben’s focus is different. His goal is to create a diverse, healthy forest that produces the best water possible for this community.

That work is paying off. Astoria’s Public Works Department was recently recognized for having the best tasting surface water in Oregon. That is a huge accomplishment, and it did not happen by accident. It came from planning, expertise, stewardship, and people who care about doing the work right.

Wednesday night, we held my official mayoral campaign kickoff party. It was simply amazing. So many active, creative, engaged Astorians came together: community leaders, artists, veterans, small business owners, neighbors, and friends. It reminded me again why I am doing this.

This campaign is not about one person. It is about what we can build together.

The good news is that I have gathered enough signatures to be on the ballot. I will still be collecting more this weekend, just to be safe, and I will be turning them in on Monday.

We are doing this.

Together, we can create housing that is affordable to the people who make Astoria the incredible place it is. We can bring in more living-wage industrial and commercial jobs. We can keep improving our infrastructure. We can honor our history while building a better future.

I am still putting in the work, and I cannot wait to serve this amazing town.