Governor Kotek stops in John Day on One Oregon Listening Tour

JOHN DAY – On Thursday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and First Lady Aimee Wilson were in John Day as part of the Governor’s One Oregon Listening Tour. They stopped at “The Ridge” property on the east side of John Day to view the location where Oregon’s first 3D homes are to be printed.

When asked what she’d like to tell Grant County residents, Governor Kotek told Elkhorn Media Group that she’s inspired by Grant County’s sense of community:

“Well, I think everybody who lives here knows Grant County is beautiful. I’ve been meeting a lot with local leaders, community members—folks who really care about their community—and I’ve just been so inspired by people who are like, ‘here’s the plan we have, here is what we are trying to do, you know, we just need your help on this-or-that thing.‘

It’s been great. As Governor, I just want to make sure we can help people do what they need to do locally, and…frankly, the First Lady and I can’t wait to come back for our next visit.”

The Governor also gave thanks to our local volunteer firefighters:

“It’s nice to be back. Had lunch with the Mayor of Prairie City, and we talked a little bit about the fire that happened in John Day. To hear [about] the community coming together to make sure that wasn’t a whole lot worse was really great, and kudos to all the volunteers. What I heard about the volunteer firefighters making sure that was not more of a tragedy, it was amazing. That was a lot of community effort, so, thank you everyone.”

While speaking on the state’s housing initiative, the Governor recognized the statewide shortage in labor and said, “That is probably where I lose the most sleep—who is going to do the work? Even if we figure out all of the other things, we still need people to do it. And, if we can make some material stuff easier, that certainly helps.”

The Governor, First Lady, and their team went on to Harney County to continue the One Oregon Listening Tour Thursday afternoon.

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