Support Greg Malinowski for Washington County Commission District 2

By Sean Sosnovec of Raleigh Hills, Oregon. Sean is the campaign manager for Greg Malinowski. Sean recently completed a master’s from the London School of Economics and also works for an electric vehicle company called MotoCzysz.

Washington County is at a critical crossroads. In spite of its suburban, farm-country image, the County has a range of difficult issues that are reaching their respective boiling points. Greg Malinowski understands the challenges of a Washington County Commissioner, and we’re fortunate he’s running for the office.

Greg was born and raised on the farm he and his brother currently operate. Several years ago Greg and his brother made their entire farm certified organic. It was a capital-intensive decision but, as he says, it was the right thing to do. Outside the farm, Greg built a high-tech career working more than 30 years with Tektronix and Merix. During the 2008 recession, he was laid-off and began working for a furniture store in order to continue supporting his family.

The reality is, Greg could have cashed out. His more than 60 acres encompass some of the most beautiful undeveloped land in Multnomah and Washington County. I’m not going to speculate on how much money he could sell his land for, let’s just put it this way: he wouldn’t be working at the furniture store anymore.

For decades, Greg’s worked on progressive issues including land use, transportation, and community planning. He’s been deeply involved in the Save Helvetia effort, fought to respectfully manage the Urban Growth Boundary, and battled to establish urban/rural reserves areas which will shape sustainable growth in the region for the next 50 years. Further, Greg understands the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are moving to Washington County. He knows the growth is coming and he wants to plan for it. Greg embraces growth, but not the irresponsible and speculative “growth at any cost” that is the basis of our current economic troubles.

District Two includes more than 130,000 residents, most of them living in urban-unincorporated areas. Greg knows the challenges of unincorporated County areas and supports efforts of the City by Choice to research the best governance solution for unincorporated Washington County.

If you live in District 2, I encourage you to vote for Greg and please encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. I encourage you to visit Greg’s website, sign up to volunteer, and join Greg’s Facebook page. We’re a grassroots campaign and we need the progressive community to step up. Every dollar goes a long way: donate (click the “Donate” tab). Thanks for your support.

May 07, 2010