A Quiet Life in the Town He Loves
Will and his partner Trevor put down roots in Lake Road, where the work of being a good neighbor and a good councilor are basically the same thing.
Most mornings you'll find Will walking his neighborhood; he sets a daily goal of 12,500 steps and rarely misses it.
Ask Will what he's doing on a Saturday night and the answer is probably hosting a game night or serving up dinner for friends in his backyard.
He bikes everywhere — to City Hall, to the farmer's market, around town — and will happily drag any guest onto an ebike to show them why he loves this place.
Most evenings end the same way: curled up watching Survivor with a scoop of Luna's ice cream.
Will believes in a simple idea: if you want a village, you have to be a villager. That's the kind of leader he wakes up every day determined to be.
Where It All Started
Will’s story begins in Bend, in an adventure-loving, middle-class family that shaped his curiosity, and drive.
Will grew up in Bend, Oregon, spending weekends hiking and developing a love for Oregon's open spaces that never left him.
Will’s second grade teacher, Mrs. Price, changed the trajectory of his life. He left her class convinced that learning was the most exciting thing a person could do.
After his uncle passed away, Will's father founded Camp Tamarack in his brother's honor. Will spent his summers there teaching fifth graders and discovering a passion for working with students.
Coming out as gay in Central Oregon wasn't easy, but Will has been unapologetically himself ever since. It taught him to stand up for himself and others, a lesson that guides his leadership today.
Learning the Human Side of Policy
At 18, Will earned a scholarship to attend Stanford, where he studied political science and started figuring out exactly what kind of difference he wanted to make.
When the Supreme Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges, Will felt called to public service like never before. He saw firsthand how the law could transform a person’s life.
A class on state and local politics, taught by a former Democratic state senator and a Republican advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger, convinced Will that local government was the most direct path to meaningful change.
On campus, Will put his convictions to work organizing voter registration drives of Stanford students and helping young people find their voice in the political process.
Will graduated early and moved back to Oregon, ready to get to work.
Starting a Career of Service
Will came back to Oregon, moved to Milwaukie, and built his career in state politics, always with an eye toward delivering results for real people.
Will worked on Democratic campaigns across Oregon, learning how to build coalitions and turn ideas into action.
As communications director for Rep. Karin Power, he fell in love with Milwaukie, its neighborhoods, its people, and its potential.
In 2023, Will was hired as chief of staff to Rep. Ben Bowman. Together, they passed legislation to give every Oregon child a book each month and to rein in corporate profiteering in healthcare, while delivering local wins like funding for street repairs.
When Rep. Bowman became Majority Leader, Will stepped into a role as policy strategist, translating campaign themes into legislative action.
His Own Civic Leadership Begins
After years of making systems work for others, Will realized he had the tools, and the responsibility, to lead in his own community.
Appointed by the Governor to the Oregon Transportation Safety Committee and the Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee, Will helped push for safety investments that protect families across the state.
He got involved in local efforts in Milwaukie, including the campaign for a mixed-use path on Stanley Avenue and his own Lake Road Neighborhood District Association.
When Councilor Desi Nicodemus left the City Council, he encouraged Will to run for his seat. In May of that year, Will was elected to serve as his successor.
