District voting approaches quicker than you think

“I always say, if every single student voted, we probably would pass the levy,” said MHCC President Debbie Derr in an interview with The Advocate during the first year of her tenure at Mt. Hood. Those words make sense now more than ever, as the MHCC Board of directors is gearing for a final push to pass the general obligation bond Derr was referring to, before its expected public vote in May 2016.

As Mt. Hood approaches that date, our bond proposal becomes especially important due to MHCC’s rocky financial standing. We don’t think we have to sell any students on why MHCC is a good thing, since you’re already here, but it’s easy to see how some voters towards the edges of the district wonder how a community college actually benefits their community, especially if they have never attended or used one of Mt. Hood’s facilities themselves.

Community colleges in general actually tend to have a positive impact on their surrounding economic area, via community programs and creating jobs. In Mt. Hood’s case, that’s an estimated 12,000-job impact, plus better education for over 25,000 students per year. This was a big selling point during a failed bond measure the school attempted in 1995, but that measure drowned in the midst of a GOP-driven anti-tax movement.

If something improves the economy, isn’t it worth doing even at the cost of higher taxes, simply from a fiscal standpoint? We’re pretty sure everyone would agree, and we don’t think too many of the voters are against education, somehow – just that they don’t have enough information readily available at the moment to make an educated decision, in most cases.

It may sound ridiculously facile, but simply talking about the bond is one of the quickest and most effective ways to get the word out. After all, when was the last time you saw a TV ad for a local politician and immediately started learning more about them?

As an MHCC student, you’ve seen firsthand how a community college benefits our area. And, you’ve heard it before, but it’s more important than you would believe to not forget to vote.

Advocate Staff