The Ford Report: Stand for Safety!

Published 11:24 am Wednesday, June 11, 2025

By Bren Swogger

Bess Wills, owner of Gresham Ford

This column is brought to you by Bess Wills, owner of Gresham Ford. Sponsored Content.

“If you stand for something, you will always find some people for you, and some against you.  If you stand for nothing, you will find nobody against you, and nobody for you.”  – Bill Bernbach

Bill Bernbach was a legendary advertising executive and co-founder of Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB).   He was known for his emphasis on integrity, creativity, and taking a clear position in both advertising and life.   Today’s world is complicated, and taking a stand on one subject gets interpreted as taking a stand on all related subjects, or that you are aligned with others on all issues, with others taking a stand on that particular issue or subject.

I ask all of us to wake up and stand up for our communities… Our greater Portland Metro is not tracking in the right direction.  County and City Leaders must quit partisan politics and do what is best for the majority.   As I recently wrote, the Multnomah County Budget, supported by the Chair, reduced the budget of the District Attorney’s Office, such that the Auto Theft Division and Retail Theft Task Force would be eliminated, just as it has started to make our community a safer and economically viable place to live.

My passion for this is not just as a car dealer, but as a mom, grandmother, taxpayer, friend to many of you, and someone who just wants the best for our community.   I have worked with countless folks who have had their cars stolen, thus their insurance rates skyrocket.  And retail theft affects all of us, the cost of goods goes up, and the variety of stores and services we have at our disposal goes down (remember Walmart closed a store in Portland, as well as Nike and REI).   Those are LOCAL jobs! And who pays the rent and taxes on these empty facilities?  No Corporate Activity Tax there!  Thus, the need to raise taxes elsewhere.

Please contact the Chair of the County Commissioner’s Office, Jessica Vega Pederson, mult.chair@multco.us, District 2 Commissioner, Shannon Singleton, district2@multco.us, or District 1 Commissioner, Meghan Moyer, district1@multco.us, and advocate for funds for Public Safety – this starts with the District Attorney’s Office!

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