Beerchaser's advice for Sizemore and Gomez
Latest installment of where gubernatorial candidates should visit.
In this installment of Thebeerchaser’s recommendations for bars and breweries for Oregon Gubernatorial candidates, we’ll look at suggested watering holes for two Republican candidates – Bill Sizemore and Jessica Gomez.
One might question why with nineteen (or for that matter any) Republicans vying, a candidate with the following record would file:
· In 2000, a jury found his organizations guilty of civil racketeering and they were fined $2.5 million.
· In 2008, he spent a night in jail for contempt of court.
· In 2011, he pleaded guilty to three counts of felony tax evasion.
That said, self-awareness has never been Bill Sizemore’s strong suit and as such, he should pay a visit to Church Bar in Southeast Portland for a campaign stop (and reflection). The bar’s motto is “Eat, Drink, Repent.” The latter of which is especially relevant since the Oregonian in a three-part article about Sizemore’s “Trail of Debt” he allegedly left behind, stated it included an outstanding loan from a fellow church member. Sizemore said he repaid it….
One of the bar’s nice features is a photo booth – a “confessional” in which a high-quality digital camera takes photos of the “penitents” and through a custom-made software program transmits them to social media. He would not have to pay for this service as his multiple mug shots have been seen by thousands of Oregonians through the years.
I visited Church in 2013 with my former law firm colleague, John Mansfield – a bright intellectual property lawyer. I tried to get John to cause a stir and gain some publicity by emulating 16th century theologian, Martin Luther, and tacking 95 patents to the door of Church to commemorate Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses at the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg in 1517.
Sizemore could commemorate his questionable legacy by posting the texts of eight of his initiative petitions ranging from property tax, insurance and light rail and let voters see how they comport with his future vision for Oregon.
And since he earned a theology degree from Portland Bible College and then taught Old Testament History at his alma mater, perhaps a visit to Church Bar would let him reflect on the God of mercy and forgiveness in the New Testament rather than the God of Wrath and Fury in the Old!
Jesse Gomez is one of the less known Republican candidates, but one who is impressive. At age nine, she transitioned into the role of caregiver for her three younger siblings in New York and experienced homelessness when she was a teenager after her family moved to Oregon and her parents divorced.
Gomez lacked a secure place to live for a year while a teenager in Oregon. She then moved to the East Coast to live with her grandmother, finished high school and then graduated from community college and worked at a semi-conductor company.
In 2003, at age twenty-six, she and her husband founded a micro-chip manufacturing facility in Southern Oregon. She’s now CEO of Rogue Valley Microdevices which has 26 employees, 14 of whom are women and 11 are persons of color. Her civic and charitable activities are admirable.
Gomez should visit the Tide Pool Inn in Depoe Bay where, besides tasting the best pizza on the Oregon Coast, she would relate to Vicki, the quirky and personable owner who told us about going to “Take Your Kid to Work Day” in Iowa when her dad worked in a beef slaughterhouse.
And given Jesse’s on-time struggle for survival, she would also appreciate the “Tank of Death” as described by Matt Love in his Letitpour.net blog:
“a salt-water glass coffin – It’s packed with all manner of marine creatures caught by local fishermen who bucket in their curious finds and dump them in. Eels, crabs, sea bass, perch, Dick Cheney, octopi and urchins all end up in the mix……….
According to the bartender, aquatic creatures regularly stage a battle royal to the death and the tank serves as a Roman arena of savagery and merciless predation – with bets slapped down and accelerated drinking when the water turns a creamy, cloudy red.”
And given her entrepreneurial instincts, she should interact with voters at the Caldera Brewery – only fourteen miles from her residence in Medford. Founded in 1997 as a small ten-barrel brewery, by Jim Mills, it has expanded its brewing capacity and has a taphouse which is one of the largest restaurants in Ashland. The company employs over 100 people and ships its award-winning beer internationally.
They were the first craft brewery in Oregon to brew and can their own beer and ship their cans and bottles to seventeen states and six countries. Their sustainability practices are also admirable.
Any Oregon voter would be well-served to chat with Jessica Gomez, Jim Mills from Caldera Brewing or Vicki from the Tide Pool – small business owners who are the lifeblood of this state.
Don Williams is the creator of Thebeerchaser.com. Former Chief Operating Officer of Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt.
"Beers and Glassware" by Cambridge Brewing Co. is marked with CC BY-ND 2.0.
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