What Commercial Lending Taught Me About Serving the Public

In 2023 I took a job as a commercial loan consultant. It took me nine months to earn my first check.

Nine months is a long time to keep showing up without a paycheck. But that job taught me something I still use every day: most people are not looking for a miracle. They are looking for someone who will explain the process, tell them the truth about it, and help them take the next step.

A lot of the business owners I worked with were stuck on hard-money loans. Those loans can keep a business running, but they cost a lot. Part of my work was helping owners move to traditional lines of credit instead, so they could put more of their money back into their business. Some of those owners were right here in Central Oregon, and the financing helped them grow.

Here's what stuck with me. The owners who struggled most weren't the ones with bad ideas. They were the ones nobody had walked through the paperwork. Lending has a lot of forms, deadlines and rules. If you don't know the system, it can feel like a locked door.

I've seen the same thing in other work. When I managed housing, I helped residents find local programs that might help them pay rent. When I led a 15-person sales team, most of my people had never sold anything before, so I taught them the whole process from the start. Every time, the job was the same: make an unfamiliar process clear enough that a person can act on it.

That is a big reason I'm running for Deschutes County Clerk.

The Clerk's Office runs elections. It also records property documents, issues marriage licenses, keeps public records and archives, and helps with passport applications. For most residents, a visit to the Clerk's Office is a paperwork moment. It might be a deed, a license, or a ballot question. Those moments should feel clear, not confusing.

My priorities, as I wrote them in the voters' pamphlet, are:

  • Secure and transparent elections
  • Easier digital access to public records and licensing
  • Clear, responsive communication with every resident

Lending taught me that a clear explanation is a form of respect. When people understand a process, they trust it more, and they get where they need to go faster.

I'm a third-generation Bend local and a small-business owner. I've worked on the fireline, in housing, in sales and in lending. I'd like to bring that habit of explaining things clearly to the Clerk's Office.

The general election is November 3, 2026. If you have a question about the Clerk's Office or my priorities, leave a comment here. I'd be glad to answer it.

— Jonathan Curtis

Learn more: jonathancurtis2026.netlify.app

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