Sandy mayor runs for governor in 2022

Jake Oeck
Staff Writer

Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam announced in September that he is officially running for governor.  That has the voters wondering, how would Governor Stan Pulliam impact Oregon for the better?  

While the elections are still about a year away, one thing is certain, the current governor – Kate Brown – will no longer be in office as her term limit will be coming to an end.  So no matter what, there will be a change in leadership in Oregon, but what would that look like if Pulliam became governor?

“We want to get more power into the hands of parents, and local school boards.  We think it’s important for parents along with their kids to be able to choose more customized learning and school opportunities best for them and their individual personalities,” Pulliam said. 

Pulliam also has concerns about the crime rate rising in Oregon and some ideas for how to lower it.

“I think that safety’s also a big issue. Portland has become a national embarrassment, and a lot of the safety concerns and homelessness isn’t just concentrated in Portland anymore, it’s growing out into our communities. I have proposals to triple the size of the state police.  I want to really support our local county sheriff and local police department,” Pulliam said.

Pulliam emphasized the importance of using the National Guard to help enforce safety in Oregon, something that the current Governor has not been taking advantage of as much.

“I want to put the National Guard out on the front lines, because when you think about the crime skyrocketing and how more people have been murdered in Portland in the last year than any time in our states history, we have mass homelessness, unprecedented wildfires.  Our National Guard is certainly up to the challenge but we need to get them out on the front lines,” he explained.

Pulliam also addressed the students of Sandy High School specifically.

 “I went to and graduated from Sandy High School, and now because of the support of our community I get the opportunity to run for governor,” Pulliam said.  “These people that you come across now, whether their involved in non-profit organizations or business owners or the coach of your ball team, these are really special and important people that will shape the rest of your lives, and you owe it to your community to really engage and to really try to keep this special place that we have special.”

Having grown up in Sandy himself, moving away at times and now returning, Pulliam has seen Sandy grow and change for a long time and it’s why he volunteered for the unpaid position of Mayor.  Now he feels that he has a solid campaign and enough experience that he could make a real difference as governor of Oregon.