Exploring the city with joy: come ride bikes with us
#BeavertonCityCouncil
When I started campaign for Beaverton City Council near the end of 2021, I did not yet know many of the people I would come to consider as friends. Campaigning is a brutal challenge, but with it brings the opportunity to create meaningful change through the building of relationships.
One friend, Tina, saw that I was running for office and invited me for a bike ride along the Waterhouse Trail in northwest Beaverton. She wanted me to see some of the existing problems on one of our best trail facilities. Later, another friend, Rick, invited me to ride bikes with him along the Fanno Creek Trail in Raleigh Hills to see the potential for expansion of walking and biking paths.
I didn’t know it then, but these rides formed the foundation of monthly group rides around Beaverton where we talk about policy and how to advocate for better transportation options and land use development.
As we ride and enjoy our community, we are exploring the next steps for our growing group. We want more housing in Washington County. We want better walking and rolling paths that are safe from the danger of speeding drivers. We want more sustainable development. We want racially equitable neighborhoods. And fortunately, many people in the group know public policy well, and so we can talk about practical solutions that we can implement locally.
Policy advocacy can be hard. Its progress can be slow. And yet, we want to have fun doing it. We want to build relationships. We want our families to connect. This is grassroots work at its finest.
And you can join us!
Our bike rides are meant to be family-friendly and casual. If you are new to riding bicycles, we can help you get more comfortable and show you the ropes. If you just want to come out and have fun without diving into policy, you can do that too. And if you really want to sink your teeth into local community activism, you can help us build this movement in Beaverton and the greater Washington County area.
We don’t have an online presence for our group of neighbors yet, but you can message me on my website (www.kevinteater.com) or social media channels so that I can connect you. Also, keep an eye on the www.shift2bikes.org calendar for the rides we post each month.
See you soon!
Kevin Teater
About Kevin Teater: Kevin Teater is a Beaverton City Councilor-Elect, whose term starts in January 2023. He currently serves on Beaverton Planning Commission and was previously the executive director of the Beaverton Downtown Association.
