Patrick Birkle for St. Helens City Council

Response to Questions from The Chronicle The Chronicle  sent an email to me with four questions. Here are the questions and my responses.   1. How long have you been a St. Helens resident?  My wife and I moved to St. Helens 28 years ago with our three-year-old-son and three-week-old daughter. We spent our first night in our house on Halloween, 1992.       2. What is your occupation?  I am an educator. I was a Director of  Religious Education/pastoral associate at St. Frederic's Parish before becoming a public school teacher,  This is my twenty-first year as a public educator including 11 years with the Beaverton School District, six years with the Hillsboro School District and three as a substitute. Currently, I am a substitute teacher, tutor and education consultant working with local families and community organizations to develop outdoor early childhood outdoor education opportunities and to support families struggling to meet th...

City Councilor Stipend I explained my choices about campaign finances and expenditures in my first post on this blog. Now I want to share a decision about the monthly stipend that city councilors and the mayor receive. The city councilors and mayor are essentially volunteers, but they are given a stipend in recognition of the time that they commit to public meetings and other duties and responsibilities related to their public offices. If I win the election for Position 2, I will establish an account separate from my personal financial accounts. I will accumulate funds to eventually establish a foundation through an organization such as the Oregon Community Foundation. The purpose of the foundation will be to support environmental preservation and restoration of natural areas in St. Helens such as Dalton Lake Nature Preserve, Nob Hill Park, and the Columbia Botanical Gardens. View of Dalton Lake from the bluff looking toward the Columbia River.

Campaign Finances and Spending The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact many residents of St. Helens in many ways so I made two decisions when I decided to run for a seat on the city council. First, I will not accept campaign donations. If someone offers to make a donation, I will encourage that person to make a contribution to an organization such as the Columbia Food Bank or to the St. Helens Senior Center to support their nutrition programs or to any organization or cause that supports those who are in need during the pandemic. Second, I will limit my personal campaign spending to less than $750.00. This amount is the limit set before it is necessary to file a Statement of Organization and to register with the Oregon campaign reporting system ORESTAR.