Travel is one of the activities that gives me an expanded context and frame of reference for my life. Nothing in my experience has amazed me as much as my recent trip to Egypt and the Nile. About 96% of Egypt’s total area is desert. The Nile River, which starts in the Sudan and flows northward for 4,160 miles, from east-central Africa to the Mediterranean, provided ancient Egypt with fertile soil and water for irrigation, as well as a means of transporting materials for building projects. It continues to play an important role today. Cairo, the capitol, is the largest city in the Middle East and the Arab world. The chaos, cars, and congestion of 22 million people is unbelievable. It is also a magnificent wonder of ancient history. Egypt’s ancient civilization and the abundance of majestic monuments of the pharaohs along the Nile is nothing less than astounding.
I want to thank the residents of the city of Cave Junction for their continued confidence in the city council and me as mayor. I promise to do my best for Cave Junction in the next two years. I was also glad to see that the hard work put into updating the city charter passed. The city charter lays out the groundwork for the city of Cave Junction’s governing system as defined by its own charter document rather than solely by state law.
I was most distressed by the dismal county rejection of the 3% seasonal retail tax that would have supported our underfunded sheriff department and given us 24/7 deputy coverage. It seemed like such a small amount to pay for public safety. Josephine County’s property tax rate, one of the lowest in the state, supports the local police force only minimally. Sheriff Dave Daniel has stated that most of his 18 deputies may have to be laid off. That means going back to limited police coverage in the county and in Cave Junction. This is not something I’m looking forward to. A lot of hard work has been going into upgrading our downtown corridor and supporting businesses. I would hate to see us lose this momentum.
On a more pleasant note, Thanksgiving is almost here. For me that signals the beginning of the Christmas season and not far behind, the end of year 2022. I hope you take time to slow down, enjoy being inside, share food and fun with family and friends and maybe even include someone less fortunate.