Week Two: When the Calendar Tightened
If the first week of session was defined by the arrival of the math, the second was defined by the arrival of the calendar.
Ryan Tribbett excels at helping policymakers understand the real-world human impact proposed bills and regulations have on his clients. Regardless of political swings, Ryan’s ability to translate client needs into a viable political strategy has helped Pac/West Lobby Group clients achieve their goals and overcome challenges previously seen as insurmountable. Ryan’s coalition-building skills have led to the development of key state programs like Connect Oregon, where millions have been invested in roads, rail, bridges, and ports to move Oregon’s commodities to domestic and global markets. Ryan’s expertise comes from knowing the legislative process and his strong relationships with leaders in both political parties of the Oregon Legislature and the Governor’s Office.
Ryan has more than two decades of government affairs experience working on legislative and business issues related to economic development, critical transportation infrastructure, apprenticeships, labor law, contracting code, capital construction funding, local governments, and procurement. Before becoming a lobbyist, Ryan was a policy advisor and chief of staff in the Oregon State Senate and managed campaigns and field operations for regional and statewide candidates and ballot measures.
If the first week of session was defined by the arrival of the math, the second was defined by the arrival of the calendar.
A roughly $300 million question is forcing Oregon policymakers to confront two uncomfortable truths at the same time: families are feeling acute cost pressure right now, and long-term funding for public services ultimately depends on whether the state remains a place where businesses invest, expand, and hire.
The first full week of Oregon’s legislative session made one thing clear early. This would not be a session defined by delay.
The defining characteristic of this session is anticipation, but not like the way we anticipate the state fair coming at the end of summer — more like how the Louisianans anticipate the next Category 5 hurricane. It’s the clash of federalism and states rights.
Elected to the Salem City Council years before Mayor Julie Hoy took office, Nordyke is part of the governing body that presided over both the city’s fiscal crisis and its subsequent stabilization during the past year. That reality forecloses the outsider posture and presents a more delicate strategic course — arguing for a change in leadership when the city’s trajectory appears to be improving since the incumbent mayor took office.
For Mayor Julie Hoy, the race for Salem mayor comes down to whether the electorate feels her leadership has been a positive or negative influence on the direction of the city in her first term.
Over three days at the Capitol in mid-January, 42 of the Legislature’s 55 committees and subcommittees met to preview legislative concepts, receive agency briefings, and frame the issues lawmakers hope will advance during the 35-day February session, which begins Feb. 2. These meetings are less about neutral updates than they are about signaling which topics committee leaders choose to elevate and begin building momentum around.
