Why Bend Is Still Home

In 2023 I was in Houston, and I ended up telling people there about Central Oregon.

I told them you can be skiing or snowboarding about 15 minutes from Bend. That we have mountain biking, and hot springs less than an hour away. That our rivers are clean enough to swim in, and that there are hundreds of lakes and waterfalls. That people float the river right through town. And that Bend was once called the most dog-friendly town.

Seeing somewhere else

Travelling shows you how other people live, and it makes you notice things about home you'd started to take for granted. For me, it made one thing clear: I'm a mountains person. Flat country just doesn't feel like home.

I'm a third-generation Bend local. My family has been part of Central Oregon for a long time, and seeing other places only made me more sure that this is the best place to live.

Why it matters for this race

I'm running for Deschutes County Clerk because I care about this place and the people in it. The Clerk's Office runs our elections and keeps the records families depend on. I want it to be open, easy to use, and worthy of a county this good.

The general election is November 3, 2026.

— Jon Curtis

Learn more: jonathancurtis2026.netlify.app

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