Tristan Sheppard, P. O. Box 751, The Dalles, OR (2026)

10/22/2026

Today I would like to talk to you about transparency. I previously stated that I believe transparency is a two-way street. I give my expectations of you, but I require you to also give me yours— and hold me accountable to them. If people have to dig deep for an answer on public services, tax dollar expenditures, and even laws and ordinances— then something is incredibly wrong. If those things aren't readily available, then as far as I am concerned, that transparency doesn't exist.

I am often asked about placing campaign signs in the yards of people who support me, and where donations for my campaign can be sent. The truth is, while I do have the infrastructure in place to accept donations, and am incredibly grateful for the offer— I am choosing not to do so. I am not running for status, influence, or power. I am doing this as a service to my community, and I refuse to take money from my neighbors.

When it comes to political signs, I understand the reasoning behind getting one's name out there, and I am honored to have your public support. However, I believe it is a waste of resources to have them printed and placed— especially when they are legally only allowed to be up within city limits for a limited amount of time and must be promptly removed (The Dalles states signs may be placed 60 days prior to election day and must be removed 5 days after it). I think it would be extremely hypocritical of me to say that I care about our environment while needlessly wasting plastic and metal signs made for a single election cycle of roughly two months.

I am proud to say that I have not accepted any outside funding. The only "PAC" or committee activity associated with me is my own active candidate committee (Oregon requires you to formally track and report transactions the second your campaign spends or raises over $1,500). Everything I have done has gone through the proper legal channels and has been fully documented.

Even though I am currently below that state-mandated reporting threshold, I have everything routed through a separate business account. This ensures my campaign expenses and donations never mix with my personal finances— and everyone knows exactly where the funds go and exactly who they came from: not large corporate interests— Me.

I have not spent anything on advertisements, gathering voter data, or AI assistance. I do not believe that someone can represent another while being afraid of them. I do not have any assistants either— I personally answer people's questions and listen to what they have to say instead of giving closed, scripted, and sanitized responses.

I am doing my research now and proactively looking at solutions, even misguided ones—instead of waiting for something that may never come. I hear the complaints that are made, and more often than not, I share and am affected by the same exact frustrations.

I am not legally required to make any of this information public since I am under the $1,500 threshold, but I still have it documented and ready to go for two reasons:
1. It is ready to be filed instantly just in case my final bills do push me over my budget.
2. Most importantly, it is so that it's ready for any transparency concerns that you may have. I hold myself accountable.

Oregon law grants small campaigns like mine total privacy, meaning I have a legal right to keep all of these receipts and transactions hidden. I am choosing to show you anyway. If I am asking for your vote to manage our city’s budget, you have a right to see exactly how I manage my own campaign finances as both the Candidate and Treasurer.

If you want to see the literal receipts, scroll through the screenshots below to look directly inside my active ORESTAR portal, my flat U.S. Bank statement that shows the minimum $100 deposited, and my digital account dashboards. The warning codes you see are because while they have been verified, they are still not officially sent to Oregon Elections Officials until they cross that $1,500 threshold. No secrets, no filters— just your neighbor who is working to keep serving our community.

10/19/2026

I got it done and out of the way instead of waiting until last minute on Election Day!

Make sure your vote counts— get your ballots in early, no matter who you support. This is so you don't have to worry about mail delays, or signature challenges. The deadline to have your ballot returned, or postmarked is November 3rd. (8PM on the 3rd for county drop boxes & whenever your outbound mail deadline is.)

Despite ballots postmarked by Nov 3 being allowed to be counted if they arrive a week late— Oregon's office of the Secretary of State (elections office) is still recommending sending your mail out by the 27th to guarantee it arrives in time to be counted.

If you haven't gotten your ballot yet, it should show up over the next couple of days. If it hasn't arrived by the end of this week, definitely contact the County Clerk to find out what happened and get a replacement.

You can use a local drop box or mail it in. I know it's not feasible, or convenient for everyone— but I prefer to personally drop it off at the Wasco County Clerk's Office (401 E. 3rd St) here in The Dalles so I know mine made it, and the signature is valid... plus, you get a cool sticker!

Every decision we make matters. There are a lot of different places to look for information, but please take the time to look into everyone and everything on the ballot— being informed is what matters. Do your research, take the time to fill out your ballot, and make sure to turn it in on time so that your voice is counted.

10/18/2026

I am beyond thankful for having such a loving community that keeps coming together to help others in need.

This year $18,500 was raised and donated to each family. $37,000 is no small feat, and it could not have been done without you.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, coordinated, played, donated, and showed up to the game— this year and in the past— as your support means everything and is the reason we have been able to keep this community tradition alive for more than 20 years.

Please keep neighbors and loved ones facing difficult times in mind when next year's Pig Bowl - The Dalles nominations open up— as we all look to aid another deserving family here in the gorge.

Thank you again for all of your years of continuous support.

10/16/2026

Yesterday, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV) published their official "2026 Environmental Voter Guide".

Here are the questions asked, and the responses submitted by the candidates running within Wasco County. (Hood River, and Deschutes are both also found under the "Cascades/Columbia Gorge" section)

As always, the direct link to read through the full guide and look over the complete questionnaire details can be found right on their website:
https://www.olcv.org/2026-environmental-voter-guide-2/

10/15/2026

This morning I had the pleasure of being on the Mid-Columbia Today Program with Mark Bailey. Thank you to Gorge Radio - Bicoastal Media for having me

In case you missed it, you can find this morning's interview, as well as the other candidates and morning local news for free on podbean, as well as other streaming services. The link can be found here:

https://midcolumbiatoday.podbean.com/e/mid-columbia-today-for-thursday-october-15-2026/?fbclid=Iwb21leAU-AD9jbGNrBT4ANmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YBc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEea9yOu_hcYHqHksKThY_3Ob7wiSpD8hZq_iiyq4shUWPhX8PQKQuDdDGVNvs_aem_M1X2LXY4Ix8wSdWSFlLJMg

10/15/2026

Two schools tell the story of how our local votes get lost in big systems.

On one hand, we have a beautiful, modern community college campus. In 2024, the college board pushed through Measure 33-111 (Wasco Co.) and 14-111 (Hood River Co.) to extend a multi-million dollar tax.

Our community values education, so do I— I personally voted yes on that measure, but look at how the numbers broke down: the majority of my neighbors right here in Wasco County looked at their household budgets and voted NO (53.51%). Even though I voted differently, their democratic voice was completely cut down by outside ballots.

Hood River County voted yes (61.26%), but they already enjoy some of the lowest property tax rates in the state. We pay a much higher tax rate here in Wasco County, meaning our families carry the heavier load. Yet, because the college pools all the votes together into one giant district, our local choice was completely wiped out by outside ballots.

Back in October 2024, a letter was published by CCCN from the chair of the college board, telling people to vote yes because the bond "will not raise our taxes", and "would keep the current tax rate of $0.27 per $1,000".

That sounds fine on paper, but it ignores real life. Keeping an old tax on the books that was supposed to end isn't free money— it keeps your bill high when it should have gone down.

When taxes are extended or added, property and small business owners are forced to carry 100% of that financial burden upfront, and they shouldn't have to. Many simply can't afford it, and to stay afloat, they have no choice but to raise rents and push up the cost of everyday goods and services, meaning a property tax ultimately hurts every single family in town.

If that tax had actually dropped off our bills like it was scheduled to, our community would finally have the breathing room to pass a local school bond and fix our own buildings.

On the other hand, our everyday public high school is left struggling. The situation has reached a point where parents are actively choosing to put their kids on waiting lists for the school district's online program rather than send them into the physical building.

It is a huge contrast. While big systems lock in funding for regional colleges despite our local choices, our own high school students are left in an 82-year-old building with a 1939 boiler and either noisy, inadequate window AC units or windows that are simply covered up. Because of old single-pane windows, outdated security cameras that leave entire hallways uncovered, and structural blind spots from the dated layout, safety is a total nightmare with dozens of vulnerable outside doors.

Our kids deserve a safe, modern place to learn, but local funding for our high school keeps failing because taxpayers are completely tapped out by these massive, overlapping tax extensions.

Now, I am fully aware that the community college and the high school are not run by the city. A city councilor cannot change school district budgets or alter these boundary lines. But local leaders can— and should— fight to keep our hard-earned dollars right here at home so we can refocus them on our own immediate community needs.

When leaders get too comfortable letting giant districts decide our bills, they lose sight of the basic needs right here in our own town.

I want to support our youth. But a real partnership requires mutual respect, and our community explicitly did not give its consent to this tax extension.

I don't want a system that continues to treat our residents like an automatic ATM by drowning out our local choices without our consent. We need a City Council that will watch the public pocketbook, advocate for our community's financial health, and put the explicit will of our actual town voters first.

10/08/2026

My official Ballotpedia profile is now online.

You can review my completed Candidate Connection survey responses, as well as search for your preferred candidates to see which have completed the questionaire themselves. (Or urge those who haven't filled one out to do so. This way everyone has a chance to hear what they have to say and we keep our elections transparent and accountable.)

Thank you for staying informed as we work towards our future.

https://ballotpedia.org/Tristan_Sheppard_(The_Dalles_City_Council_Position_1,_Oregon,_candidate_2026)

10/07/2026

A huge thank you to all the local residents who took the time to attend last night's Wasco candidate forum! Seeing the room filled with neighbors pushing for real, common-sense solutions proves how much we all care about our future. Let's hope that next time the seats are completely filled!

A big thank you to The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce for organizing this event and keeping our community informed. While I believe a true public forum should always open the floor to direct questions from the audience for maximum transparency, I deeply appreciate the Chamber giving us a clear platform to address the critical infrastructure, budgeting, and utility accountability issues facing our town.

We could not have done it without the selfless volunteers of the Mid-Columbia Senior Center either. Thank you for setting the event up and allowing us into your space.

Thank you to Mark Bailey of Gorge Radio - Bicoastal Media for moderating this event as well.

It was great to share the panel and exchange ideas with all the candidates who stepped up to participate under the lights, and especially hear from residents who had questions after the event was over.

Let's keep the focus on transparency, supporting our working families, and moving The Dalles forward responsibly!

If you are interested in viewing the live stream of the event Columbia Community Connection did record the event. It can be found here on their YouTube page:

**
https://www.youtube.com/live/TAUyUjuRYpU?is=-ss5iivb38QsSGu9
**

Columbia Gorge News also attended and I'm sure they will have something posted shortly if they haven't already.

Lastly, thank you to the candidates who came to participate in this democratic event to keep my community informed.

**In order of questions asked so you can follow along in live stream**

County Level:

Position 1
Lisa Gambee
John Grant

Position 3
Mike Urness
Dick Schaffeld (Write-in Candidate)

State Level:

Oregon State Senate District 26
Nicole Bassett
Jeff Helfrich

House District 52
Hank Sanders
Scott Hege

House District 57
Josiah Dean
Greg Smith

City Level:

Mayor
Joe Slusher
Tim McGothlin
Darcy Long

Position 1
Kim Morgan
Tristan Sheppard (myself)

Position 3
Scott Randall

Check them all out and do your research!

10/05/2026

We shouldn’t have to dig through hundreds of pages of complicated paperwork to see how our town is being run. The proof is sitting right outside our windows, and the official city documents speak for themselves.

As we look to our future, let's look at the simple facts about our tax dollars and our limited natural resources. Neither will last if they continue to be abused.

Right now, our city uses about 70% to 75% of our entire water reserve. Out of all the water we pump, Google uses nearly 40% of it. Our local officials have already approved upcoming data center expansions that will cause that number to grow even more.

Let's be completely fair: Google bought those water rights legally. They own them. The issue isn't with a company using what they purchased. The real issue is that our own city officials went behind closed doors, signed secret non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and gave away our community's water supply without putting long-term protections in place for local residents.

And it isn't stopping with data centers. As you can see in the official city memo attached to this post, discussions have already taken place to provide up to 480,000 gallons of water per day out to large corporate energy projects like the BrightNight Solar Project out in Juniper Flat.

Our state has labeled The Dalles a Critical Groundwater Area since 1959 because our water table is dropping. Our deep well levels are lowering right now. If we keep selling off our reserves to feed massive corporate expansions, what happens when the tap runs dry? How are our local family orchards supposed to survive? What happens to our cherry farms and our agricultural roots if we run out of water?

Behind closed doors, the establishment has signed off on long-term property tax abatements that grant deep exemptions to industrial giants. A $23.3 million taxable exemption for a corporation pushing toward a trillion-dollar valuation is like the average citizen donating roughly $10. It is pocket change for them, but it leaves a massive hole in our local city budget.

Meanwhile, back on our neighborhoods' ledger, the contrast is laid out in plain daylight:

1. The Looming Cost:
Look at the official city rate table attached. Working families and seniors are facing a system overhaul that will push typical residential water bills from $55.30 up to $151.70 a month—nearly tripling our monthly household utility bills over the next twenty years, alongside a ballooning street maintenance crisis.

2. The New Project:
The city council approved a $3.4 million downtown plaza contract, spending nearly $1 million of our community's tax dollars just to build a duplicate splash pad feature.

3. The Asset Neglect:
At the exact same time, our premier family pool at Thompson Park stays locked behind gates and is unusable for almost 9 months out of the year. Our existing historical water feature downtown at Lewis & Clark Festival Park has been permanently shut down—left to sit unmaintained as a stagnant, green breeding ground for sludge and bug larvae.

How is spending $1 million on a new splash pad while letting our existing water parks rot considered good management of our money? And why are household water bills going up for local families instead of setting fair utility rates for mega-corporations?

The state of Oregon already proved we can fix this. Under the POWER Act, state regulators stepped in and created a separate utility rate class for massive data centers, making large industrial users pay about 30% more so that residential bills for regular families could actually decrease. Those multi-billion-dollar corporations still paid it, and they didn't leave. Why isn't city hall fighting to protect our families by doing the exact same thing for our water rates?

True resource stewardship means protecting our neighborhoods, our pocketbooks, and our agricultural future. As a neighbor who loves our community and wants to see it thrive, I know we cannot manage our future by ignoring the data. When I sit at any table, I am fighting to implement a clear, independent blueprint for our community:

1. A top-to-bottom internal budget audit to clear city construction backlogs and fix our streets.

2. Hard city permitting deadlines that protect our main street small business owners from endless street construction delays.

3. An exponential Super Corporate Water Rate to shield family checkbooks from industrial utility strains.

4. An absolute ban on public NDAs that hide critical resource numbers and future corporate water deals from the public.

Our town deserves a practical, independent neighbor as a leader who answers directly to the citizens that they serve.

10/04/2026

We owe it to ourselves to stay informed and do our own research.

As we get closer to election day, another great resource for people to get information on who/ what will be on their ballots is: ActiVote US

They allow candidates to fill out a questionaire and put them cleanly on a grid (that also shows yourself so you can see who is aligned closer to you).

This is my "Virtual Lawn Sign" and clearly shows where I stand on issues.

Their website can be found at:

https://Activote.net

* UPCOMING EVENTS*

Monday, October 5th at 6 p.m. (THIS MONDAY) :
The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce is holding their candidate forum at the Mid-Columbia Senior Center. The doors open to the public at 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 15 at 8:35 a.m. :
I will be on the Mid-Columbia Today program from Gorge Radio - Bicoastal Media at:
98.3 FM/1340 AM KIHR

Almost every day at some point in the day (most likely a lunch hour or an evening). :
I will be out somewhere in our community. Don't hesitate to come up and say hi or ask me any questions. You're not a burden or a bother— I am running to represent you.

Tristan Sheppard

10/22/2026

10/19/2026

10/18/2026

10/16/2026

10/15/2026

10/15/2026

10/08/2026

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