Bernard Shaw, influential playwright and political activist, once said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Change is that ever-present little monster, which every so often rears its head and pulls us out of our comfort zone. There are only ever two outcomes to that scenario — down and out, or we come out on top.

Presently, the COVID-19 virus has presented itself as not a little monster, but more as a Godzilla-like monster of change. One area in particular that this has affected is the political arena, more precisely, the upcoming primary election for our Umatilla County commissioner. I truly believe this pandemic has proven to be a litmus test for our candidates. It has tested their ability to react and adapt. It has provided the opportunity to really serve their community and it has tested their ability to navigate technology.

Of the five candidates in the running, Jonathan Lopez has stood out and shined during this crisis. I have seen his platform move from the typical campaign meet and greets, door-knocking strategies to embracing innovative means to reach the public. He has been creative in his approach to connect to our communities by organizing teams to reach out and help those in need, while respecting our need to socially distance. His social media pages have come alive with relevant informational videos and content — not only in English but also in Spanish, which has been so beneficial to our Hispanic families that make up a large portion of our county.

Umatilla County is changing. It is growing at a rapid rate. Its needs are changing and the demographics are changing. Our county needs a leader that can react and adapt to these new needs, one that can connect on a personal level with the constituents through mediums that they utilize every day, one that serves the need of every demographic group within the community and not serve the only needs of the elite. We need a leader that can think outside of the box and be creative, one in touch with today’s Umatilla County.

Our history is rich and it has given us a strong foundation. We will forever hold it close and honor it, but as our county grows we must work off of this foundation and progress and make Umatilla County a place that our future generations will be proud to call home. The man of the hour, the man for this job, is Jonathan Lopez.

Jasmin Ramirez

Hermiston

The East Oregonian will not run candidate endorsement letters of more than 400 words.

The East Oregonian will institute a deadline for letters to the editor, so we can be fair with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if necessary.

We run the letters on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please submit your endorsement letters to the editor by noon Wednesday, April 22. You can email them to editor@eastoregonian.com, or mail them to East Oregonian, c/o Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, 97801.

We will publish our last letters on Saturday, April 25. Any letters received after the deadline will not run. Election Day is May 19.