By: Tia Politi, ORHA President
Date: 06/06/2022

Astoria Palooza!
We had a great time at last month’s Astoria Palooza! The North Coast Property Management Seminar was well attended and favorably reviewed. We had local attendees, but others came from around the state, including Eugene, Bend, Medford and Eastern Oregon. With instructors (Christian Bryant, Violet Wilson and I) donating teaching time, along with assistance from Ben Seamans at the office and Cloud Miller and Veda Bell helping with set-up and registration, the Clatsop County ROA reaped some good proceeds to help with their growth.

After committee meetings on Friday, Cloud Miller, Ben Seamans, and I met with CCROA reps, Rick Newton, Nancy Boozer, Harry Grass, Royce Kenoyer, and Dillyn Sardiff to assist with ideas and ways to grow their association. After the mentoring session, a few of us climbed the Astoria Column for a gorgeous view before our delegates’ group dinner at Mo’s on the waterfront, where 17 of us gathered for dinner overlooking the Columbia. Then on Saturday night after the board meeting, several of us visited the historic Liberty Theatre for stand-up comedy. Work and play are a great combination.

I’m excited to continue with longer meetings every May when we visit a ‘far-flung’ area of the state. It’s a great opportunity to support our smaller county associations by spending quality time with them and our other ORHA leaders. There’s strength in numbers; we all benefit by helping our smaller chapters grow. 

New Deputy LD
Congratulations to our new Deputy Legislative Director Ben Seamans, who was voted to the position at the May board meeting. Since Ben took over the office functions of our association, he has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the group. His incredible work ethic, professionalism and tech knowledge have impressed us all and we look forward to seeing his impact in Salem. And certainly, Legislative Director Jason Miller will appreciate the assistance, especially as we head into next year’s long legislative session.

Survey Results
Survey Committee Chair Alex Wilkins knocked us out with his committee’s first survey results. Not only did he and his team ask the right questions, they also synthesized the data and presented it in a visually pleasing way! Check out the results in Alex’s Survey Committee Report in the newsletter.

Moving Forward
It’s been a tough slog re-creating our association to a virtual presence and relying only on independent contractors. I feel blessed to have the right people stepping up to help at just the right times, as well as the always-dedicated faithful like Dennis Chappa, Cloud Miller, and Violet Wilson who are always ready to pitch in. Longtime delegate Kathleen Ashley of Salem is picking up and forwarding our mail, which is a big help. And two newer delegates from Klamath Falls, Lance Leseuer (president) and Jason Brush (vice president) are also making a huge difference. Lance is an insurance agent/broker and is providing us with invaluable direction for our insurance needs. Jason is very involved with the Forms and Survey Committees, and both have volunteered to join the Finance Committee. Chuck Deseranno has stepped up his involvement with the Legislative committee to include Finance as well.

A little less than a year ago I didn’t know how we would deal with the loss of our employee and our physical office. I’ve been gratified for the support and truly amazed at how far we’ve come in such a short time. Thanks everyone! I look forward to seeing our fantastic ORHA delegates again at the July Board meeting in Salem at the beautiful Oregon Gardens Resort.