John Heylin
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jheylin.bsky.social
John Heylin
@jheylin.bsky.social
Entrepreneur, Represent Deschutes Director, YIMBY Lead, Central Oregon Tool Library Co-Founder, RPCV, Kei Truck advocate, Father's Group board, Core Area Advisory member, Accessibility and Advisory Committee member, and family man.
One of the most significant problems we will face in our rural community is this: how to prepare for a post-insurance future that is already emerging.

What's clear is that we cannot expect a taxpayer-funded option to appear.

#deschutescounty

youtu.be/56gqlO6eKOE?...
youtu.be
October 26, 2025 at 3:37 PM
The lesson here is that people cannot take words and promises at face value. Elected officials need to get their gloves on, hold their breath, and peel back the layer no one else wants to, even if it makes them puke.
I’m curious where this claim came from: “CET projects that fareboxes will bring in $1.5 million in annual revenue.”

Actual projections are that it will gross less than a third of that figure.

Net revenue will barely pay for the cost of operating the fare system, much less “balance the budget”
opb.org OPB @opb.org · 24d
Central Oregon's public transit system is reinstating fares for the first time since 2020, when it and transit agencies across the country went fare-free.
October 25, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Even someone half paying attention to our public transit system would quickly realize that something was off. They are going to be charging fares soon for worse service. I'm down to pay bus fares as long as it means better service.

bendbulletin.com/2025/10/18/c...

#deschutescounty #PublicTransit
Column: Bus fares may kick in just as winter cold hits
The fares will be like a wall preventing some people from riding the bus.
bendbulletin.com
October 19, 2025 at 10:37 PM
As a voter, you should ask yourself two important questions about political candidates:

- Do they have a concrete policy, or are they simply asking you to "trust me"?

- Do they have a proven track record, or are they only reaching out because they want something?

bendbulletin.com/2025/10/17/g...
Guest column: It's time to reform the property tax system
We should reward full-time residents and landlords who rent long-term by giving them property tax discounts, the author writes.
bendbulletin.com
October 17, 2025 at 6:55 PM
The situation in Central Oregon is worsening. Bend alone needs 15,700 more homes in 8 years to keep up, and the way it currently stands, I do not see that ever happening. Until we make a fundamental shift in, it will continue to worsen.

#deschutescounty #election2026

www.opb.org/article/2025...
City housing and economic reports show yawning inequality in Bend
Wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living and first-time homeownership is out of reach for most households, according to a recent report commissioned by the Central Oregon city.
www.opb.org
October 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
It's time to remember the people we've seen forced out of their homes because of the high cost of living here.

This Monday, the 6th, at 6pm, at Bevel Brewing. Let's pour one out for those who have been forced to move away.

#yimby #bendoregon
October 2, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Local media needs your help! The staff at The Bulletin are in contract negotiations with the out of state owners who are trying to make them sign on to worse working conditions. Flight!
September 21, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Tough medicine to kick off the housing conference.

"We are marching toward an uninsurable future." -Dave Jones

"There will be huge areas of the US where you will be unable to get a mortgage due to lack of insurance." -Heather Clark

#yimby #deschutescounty #yimbytown2025
September 14, 2025 at 2:49 PM
$30,000 a summer for a death sentence at age 25 and crippling medical debt for the family. This is unsustainable. We must ask ourselves, are we willing to sentence our children to this? #wildlandfirefighter #deschutescounty

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/u...
‘If I Live to 25, I’ve Lived a Good Life’
www.nytimes.com
September 7, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Service industry workers are paid minimum wage plus tips and deal with angry and irrational people daily. Cliff Bentz is paid $174k a year and can't be bothered.

When was our last town hall with members of the Deschutes County Commission?

ktvz.com/news/2025/09...
#townhall #deschutescounty
Rep.Cliff Bentz explains why he's not holding in-person town halls
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz says his in-person town halls have increasingly been disrupted by organized opposition groups, leading him to shift toward telephone town halls — a move he s...
ktvz.com
September 6, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Literally the easiest thing to get active locally as a registered #Democrat in Deschutes County is to sign up as a PCP. One hour of work a year and you can choose who gets the party endorsement. #deschutescounty

deschutesdemocrats.org/pcp/
August 23, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Who knew ocean spiders could be so delicious? #juneau #kingcrab
August 17, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Proud to announce the future launch of the Central Oregon Tool Library! We found a home at the Bend-Redmond Habitat ReStore and are opening for business September 5th. Check out www.cotool.org to sign up for updates, find out more, or support this awesome project. #centraloregon #bend #toollibrary
Central Oregon Tool Library – Central Oregon's only tool library
www.cotool.org
August 11, 2025 at 9:42 PM
I would love to see a copy of this business's agreement with the City of Bend. Specifically, I want to see what sort of language around the ADA exists. I am seeing these in sidewalks and curb cuts all over town. #ada #bendoregon
August 6, 2025 at 1:07 AM
My name is John Heylin, and I’m running for Deschutes County Commission, Position #1.

It is time to have leadership that listens to all of Deschutes County and actively addresses the problems we face. We need a Commission that leads with action, not excuses.

www.voteheylin.com
July 29, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Central Oregon deserves better transit than what current CET leadership is providing. When will the COIC Board take action to fix this mess?
July 26, 2025 at 4:24 AM
What do you do when you have a cheap worker shortage? Arrest the poor, throw them in private prisons, and let the companies that run them farm them out for $$$.
aclu.org ACLU @aclu.org · Jul 24
BREAKING: President Trump signed an executive order directing states to criminalize and institutionalize people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health disabilities.
July 25, 2025 at 4:17 AM
Big news coming August 4th. I can't wait to share what me and a BUNCH of others having been working on in our spare time. Central Oregon is about to get an upgrade 😁

#local #centraloregon
July 16, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Don't take democracy for granted. It requires constant work, constant refinement, and vigilance. Even taking just 5 minutes to write a letter to the editor is civic action. When the default action for many is to do nothing, any action becomes meaningful.
July 11, 2025 at 3:29 PM
This is not the future I want for my kids. This is not the future I want for anyone's kids. This is not an America I can accept.

youtu.be/6BuxaVdv7po?...
Masked, Armed, Forceful: Finding Patterns in California Immigration Raids
YouTube video by Evident Media
youtu.be
July 10, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Yes!
Oregon's legislature just passed HB 2138, removing remaining barriers to starter homes:

- up to 4 homes on all urban lots, attached or detached in any combo
- up to 6 homes with accessibility or affordability
- simpler lot splits
- strikes bans on such housing out of pre-2019 HOA rules
June 26, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Info on the next Engage #Deschutes night in #Bend
June 9, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by John Heylin
Every dollar invested in the CTA directly causes $13 of economic activity, if the CTA is forced to cut 40% of its budget because Uber killed the transit funding bill it will shrink the Illinois economy by over 9 billion dollars.
F*ck Uber
How Uber killed the future of transit in Illinois, and what you can do about it.
open.substack.com
June 3, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Shout out to @broadmanfororegon.bsky.social for filing a bill to legalize #keitrucks in the state of #Oregon! olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/M...
SB1213 2025 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System
olis.oregonlegislature.gov
June 4, 2025 at 7:57 PM