Derrick Wright is running for a four-year position on the Tigard City Council because, although he is already a city volunteer, he wants to do more.
Now in his second year on the Town Center Advisory Commission, Wright said, “I love the work that I do on the commission, but I feel that I have more to offer our community, and that is why I am running for City Council.”
A third-generation Tigard resident, when it was time for Wright to open his first business, Senet Game Bar, “Tigard was my first choice,” he said. “I opened my bar on the same street (where) my grandmother went to high school, and my grandfather opened his first business, and in the same building (where) I bought my first bicycle. Since the beginning, Senet has raised money for local charities, and I’ve been able to get to know some amazing organizations in our community that are doing great work. This experience has brought me a much stronger tie to the community… ”
As a city councilor, Wright said that “it isn’t enough just to build buildings for housing and business,” and that “we must ensure that what we are investing in is reasonable and supported adequately.”
Another area he would focus on is keeping the community safe, “whether you’re walking, bicycling, driving or at work and home,” he said.
According to Wright, this includes working with city and state officials. “Safety is more than a single topic buzzword,” he said. “It means being able to enjoy your community without fear in a multitude of ways.”
Wright also would focus on keeping Tigard affordable, saying, “I would focus on scrutinizing projects that ask our homeowners and businesses to pay more in fees and taxes, work with non-profit organizations to assist community members in need and solicit our state representatives to bring federal funds to assist in paying for projects around the city.”
