Message from the Chair

A Winning Culture

The Oregon Republican Party does not have a winning culture. Changing culture is a leadership issue. It is also one of the hardest things to do, in any environment. In sports the players do not change the culture the head coach does.

In Marion County, I am working to change the culture. I have decades of experience doing this. It is not easy nor is it fun at times. People invested in the previous culture will oppose your changes. Others will not understand or agree. Many will balk at the work required. Some will deliberately sabotage the changes that are being made. I have seen all of this and more.

As I promised when I ran for Chair, I am a Chief Petitioner on the Constitutional Carry Initiative. The number one reason for doing this initiative is to prove that we can win. The right issues and messaging with the right infrastructure will produce winning results. We did this already in Marion County last May, winning over 90%.

The demoralized voter is our biggest hurdle to overcome. We have to breakthrough the media and the naysayers in an undeniable way. Constitutional Carry will do that for us. It is a safety and rights issue. It is an Oregonian issue. Carrying the initiative to victory in Nov next year will be that breakthrough.

126 thousand Republicans did not vote in the Nov ‘22 election. They were the difference in the Governor’s race (64k votes), M114 (24k votes) and control of the legislature (4200 votes). We fix this with infrastructure that drives turn out.

There is another issue that has become an opportunity. The Salem Payroll tax. We are working with other community organizations to get the tax referred to the Ballot. Hopefully in May of next year. This will coincide with the election of two city councilors that voted for this abusive tax. (Ward 1 and 3). Getting ourselves organized and generating the 4000 plus signatures needed is an opportunity to change the culture.

If you are interested in running and live in Salem Ward 1 or 3 give me a call. We need to replace those two councilors.

If you have the right culture, then your leadership is open, and the body of the party is engaged. It takes time to achieve this and effort to maintain it.

Thank you,

Joel Pawloski, LTC(R)

Chair, Marion County GOP