User:Stephen L. Bates/sandbox

Stephen L. Bates, known as Steve Bates, is a retired business owner and resident of Boring, Oregon USA.

He founded Oregon Fire Equipment Co., Ltd. and Stephen L. Bates Enterprises, LLC.

He located his family in Boring, Oregon USA in 1977.

He served as Chair of the Boring Community Planning Organization from 2011 - 2014.

He was a candidate for the Board of Clackamas County Commissioners in 2014 and 2016.

In 2014, he narrowly lost to Jim Bernard the incumbent by 763 votes. In 2016, he lost to the incumbent Martha Schrader by a much larger margin.

During his tenure as Chair of the Boring Community Planning Organization he oversaw the pairing of Boring, Oregon and Dull, Scotland in 2012. In 2013, he sought House Bill 2352 which was sponsored by Oregon State Representative Bill Kennemer to establish every August 9th as Boring & Dull Day. The Oregon State House of Representatives passed the bill unanimously in February and the Oregon State Senate passed the bill in April. The bill was signed into law by Governor John Kitzhaber.

In 2013 he lead a group of nine people with Boring roots to Dull, Scotland where Boring met Dull. At that time he proposed that Boring and Dull establish the League of Extraordinary Communities and make Bland, Australia the first member. Later that year, the Dull and Weem Community Council agreed and the Boring Community Planning Organization conformed the formation of the League of Extraordinary Communities making Bland, Australia the first member.