HD38: Chris Garrett and Linda Brown
In HD 38, two Democrats are competing to replace Rep. Greg Macpherson in the Oregon House. The district includes Lake Oswego and parts of Southwest Portland.
Linda Brown is a member of the Lake Oswego School Board and is endorsed by Congresswoman Darlene Hooley, L.O. Mayor Judie Hammerstad, the OEA, and others.
Chris Garrett is an attorney and former aide to State Senator Richard Devlin (whose district includes HD38) and Senate President Peter Courtney - and has been endorsed by Attorney General Hardy Myers, OLCV, Sierra Club, and others.
Garrett recently released this campaign video:
Willamette Week interviewed the two candidates for their endorsement:
Watch and discuss.
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April 19, 2008 |
in the news | Comments (23 so far)
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Comments
Posted by: Brian | Apr 19, 2008 12:51:22 PM
I agree that both candidates are strong progressives and will be great representatives in Salem. I am going with Linda because she has been a superb chair of the Lake Oswego School Board and she has been an active community volunteer for more than a decade. I am also impressed with her deep support in the disctrict, including our new county Chair Lynn Peterson (in addition to the list above). If Chris wins the primary, however, I will be happy to support him in the general as I have heard good things about him.
Posted by: Andrew Simon | Apr 19, 2008 1:25:35 PM
I just watched the WW endorsement video. Wow, what contrast between the two candidates!
Chris is extremely articulate on a wide range of issues and it's clear that he has the experience that will make him one of the most effective legislators in Salem. Linda seems nice but once the conversation moves beyond education, she seems pretty lost. It's great she's running on a platform of stable and adequate funding but so does almost everyone, Democrat and Republican.
There will be a wide range of issues that the legislature will address in the '09 session and we need legislators who are not one-issue and who can think beyond the sound bites. I don't live in District 38 but if I did I'd vote for Chris in the primary.
Posted by: Jack Bog | Apr 19, 2008 1:37:25 PM
My good friend Steve Griffith is the bluest Republican you're ever going to meet. Check him out.
Posted by: tb | Apr 19, 2008 2:09:34 PM
Jack,
Steve may be a great guy and a blue R, but Speaker Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) has a bad ring to it.
Posted by: Jack Bog | Apr 19, 2008 2:13:57 PM
Boy, if the House speakership rests on District 38, the party is in real trouble.
Posted by: tb | Apr 19, 2008 3:04:08 PM
Jack,
The house is 31-29 presently, so an open district in a wealthy suburban area may well hold the balance of power.
Posted by: tb | Apr 19, 2008 3:50:21 PM
Also, Orestar shows the Friends of Bruce Hanna PAC gave Steve $2000, so let's not kid ourselves that this race won't play a role in deciding who controls the House.
Posted by: MCR | Apr 19, 2008 5:45:49 PM
tb--
If the Rs are really trying to play in 38, it will take a lot more than $2k...
Posted by: tb | Apr 19, 2008 5:58:00 PM
MCR,
Griffith has raised $36K so far, $10K of which is his own money. Given that he's a partner at Stoel Rives, he can surely afford to keep writing himself checks like that. But, I think you're right that 38 is overall favorable to Dems.
Posted by: PatriotNW | Apr 19, 2008 9:04:54 PM
Chris Garrett has my vote. I agree, Linda Brown looks lost once she gets out of her education background. After all, that's all the experience she really has. It scares me to think someone so one-dimensional would represent my district. She seems phony. Chris is well-rounded, has experience in Salem and dealing with legislation, and has strong Democratic values. What more could you want? He also has great ideas about where to go from here.
Posted by: Miles | Apr 19, 2008 11:28:52 PM
Chris Garrett would be a phenomenal representative for HD 38. He's a smart, young progressive who, despite his age, brings remarkable experience to the job. And he's the best candidate to defend Macpherson's seat in November against Steve Griffith.
Posted by: Randle McMurphy | Apr 20, 2008 9:04:56 AM
Linda Brown would be a good representative, but Chris Garrett presents the voters of HD 38 a special opportunity. He is a rare talent and has the potential for greatness.
Posted by: Laura | Apr 20, 2008 10:07:37 AM
Linda Brown seems like the stronger candidate because of her long history of activity in the community. She has worked not just with the school board, but also with environmental and health groups. She seems articulate and prepared.
Posted by: bluegirl | Apr 20, 2008 2:16:38 PM
Watching this interview, I found Chris Garrett to be disingenuous and superficial. The only way in which he does not represent politics as usual is his youth. He lacked a depth of understanding of issues. Linda Brown, on the other hand, demonstrated an understanding of the complexities of education, healthcare and the state of our state. Her analysis of the partisanship in the Legislature is spot-on. Linda Brown has tackled tough issues - she has real life, hands-on experience. Chris Garrett says his strength comes from working for people who have tackled issues and I found his second guessing of, for example, the Lake Oswego School District budget & the pooling of health insurance benefits, to be arrogant and ill-informed. Chris Garrett worked for people who represented people. Linda Brown has represented a constituency. She has a track record of being responsive to the people who elected her. Chris Garrett is entirely untested.
Posted by: Andrew Simon | Apr 20, 2008 3:39:45 PM
Chris lacked a depth of understanding of the issues? What video did you just watch!?
Also there's a pretty big difference between serving in on a school board and serving in the state legislature. Linda's service on the Lake Oswego School Board is laudable but it hardly qualifies her to serve in the state legislature where she will have to deal with a vast range of complex issues. And yes, legislators should be responsive to their constituents but they should also be astute and creative.
Chris has Salem experience. That means he knows the issues and he knows how things work. After watching his campaign video and the WW video, it looks like he's running to make things work better.
Posted by: Frank Lee | Apr 21, 2008 6:28:37 AM
Can anyone tell me why the ad flashes "burdensome taxes" sandwiched between "Schools Need Funds" and an increasing counter of uninsured Oregonians? If schools need funds and we have too small of an Oregon Health Plan, why would the candidate be sending a "cut taxes" message?
Posted by: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici | Apr 21, 2008 8:18:51 AM
Frank -
It doesn't say "burdensome taxes." It says "burdensome tax system." There's a big difference.
Posted by: Taxes Schmaxes | Apr 21, 2008 10:09:12 AM
Burdensome taxes means taxes are too high. Burdensome tax system means the system itself (rather than the level of taxation) has problems. Ya?
Posted by: Frank Lee | Apr 21, 2008 11:16:13 AM
In what dictionary does "burdensome" = "problems"?
Burdensome means "onerous," "oppressive," etc.
A tax system with "Problems" on the other hand could include "not fair," "not adequate," "tiltled toward the rich," among others, or burdensome.
Posted by: Lee | Apr 25, 2008 8:20:13 PM
As one of Linda Brown's earliest donors and supporters, I'm obviously biased. I support her because I served with her on the board of Tualitin Valley TV, a 6-channel community cable access entity, and I know she's got a great grasp of issues and of Oregon's problems. I know that she is a warm and positive person who cares a lot about those issues.
Her opponent in this primary meets the description laid out by Bluegirl above and so I quote her statement: "[He is] disingenuous and superficial. The only way in which he does not represent politics as usual is his youth. He lacked a depth of understanding of issues."
I also agree with Bluegirl when she writes: "Linda Brown, on the other hand, demonstrated an understanding of the complexities of education, healthcare and the state of our state. Her analysis of the partisanship in the Legislature is spot-on. Linda Brown has tackled tough issues - she has real life, hands-on experience."
Posted by: PatriotNW | May 12, 2008 7:10:08 PM
Linda Brown has pretty much done jobs that anyone else could have done if they had the time. The only real job she's really had is a dental assistant. Anyone who thinks she has qualifications for a State Representative needs a reality check. Come on... the school board? Neighborhood associations? Lake Oswego "welcome wagon"? These aren't very demanding tasks. That's what marrying a wealthy guy allows you...
Posted by: mrfearless47 | Apr 19, 2008 10:22:20 AM
This is my district and it is a tough call here. Happily either candidate would do an outstanding job. And the best news is that Macpherson won't be back no matter what. Personally I'm endorsing Garrett, but won't be disappointed if Linda gets the nod.