Meet the candidate: Brad Peters for governor

Presenter: Meet the candidate welcomes Brad Peters. Please tell us a little about yourself and why you’re running for governor. 

Brad Peters: Hello, KEPW! My name is Brad Peters. I’m a gubernatorial candidate on the Republican side.

I’m running for governor because I believe Oregon is not in normal times. In years past, we’ve had a certain amount of economic stability, like you could get a degree in college and then expect to work in that field for decades or even for your entire career.

Today, we are facing such revolutionary advances—in particular, artificial intelligence—and the increasing wave of automation that this is driving.

Now these waves, this wave of change can either be a wave that Oregon rides or a wave that crashes over us.

We ride that wave through focusing on deregulation, on getting new businesses started through the new business incubator that I’m proposing, and through the state itself, stepping up to simplify and automate its regulatory and enforcement actions.

Presenter: What is the most important issue facing Oregon, and how would you address it? Brad Peters:

Brad Peters: The most important issue facing Oregon in this election is the division, the lack of unity that we are currently seeing between Oregonians, but those that are more easily addressable by a governor.

I’m going to say housing affordability, homelessness, as well as recently, the one that’s come onto my radar, which is our election system itself: mail-in voting.

So I’ll address housing affordability in this question. So first about 20% of the price of a home in Oregon is directly attributable to the permit requirements and fees: things like system development charges, back payments for local school support, traffic impact assessments, grading permits, etc.

So a couple of my proposals are: I would like to make it so that if a home plan has been reviewed and approved by any Oregon jurisdiction, then that same home plan can be used by anyone without additional approval for 10 years. That right there cuts permit prices by about 50%. 

Second, I would make optional all non-safety permit requirements for owners/builders.

So if somebody wants to build their own home that they can afford, then, in my opinion, that is a human right and they should be allowed to do so on land they own, of course.

Third, I believe the urban growth boundaries should expand algorithmically as population grows to keep home prices in balance with need, and I would direct growth where biodiversity is low.

Presenter: How do you differ from your opponents? 

Brad Peters: I am not a politician, I’m a platform engineer—I have 19 years of experience between IBM and Intel, so I build systems that solve problems. I don’t talk to hear the sound of my own voice. I speak to achieve objectives and I work to analyze real data that then informs my decisions, rather than turning to an ideology or a political stereotype.

I believe my approach is the only approach which can take Oregon into a more prosperous future, as well as bring Oregonians together to work towards a better vision for tomorrow. 

I want to support the growth of businesses, the success of domestic businesses here in Oregon, and I’m the only candidate who has recognized that Oregon’s taxation permit and fee structure is really woefully noncompetitive with our neighboring states.

Presenter: Is there anything else that you’d like to add? Brad Peters:

Brad Peters: Yes, I led Oregon’s open source software security efforts through 2023. Now, using my background, I conducted a formal assessment of the security of Oregon’s election systems. I just published that and am going live with it the 29th, the day that the Oregon secretary of state is mailing ballots out to Oregonians. 

So the key that I want to bring Oregonians’ attention to is the vulnerabilities that we have inherent in Oregon’s election systems. I am hoping that this analysis will spur a discussion and action to secure our elections before the November general election.

My formal vulnerability assessment can be found on my website at BradPetersForOregon.com/election-security. 

Presenter: Meet The Candidate visits with Brad Peters, seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Oregon.