2010: Brian Clem's listening tour heads to Southern Oregon
Kari Chisholm
State Rep. Brian Clem (D-Salem), who is considering a run for Governor, did a swing through Southern Oregon on Friday and Saturday. From the Medford Mail Tribune:
On Friday, Clem, a Democrat who was raised in Coos Bay, pulled into Medford during a listening tour, sounding very much like he is running for the state's top office."Now is the time for somebody to step in who 'gets' rural and urban Oregon," he said.
He also did a six-minute interview on Medford's NBC affiliate, KOBI-5.
Finally, there's coverage of the emerging 2010 gubernatorial field from the Associated Press.
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4:30 p.m.
Aug 1, '09
Full disclosure: My firm built Brian Clem's campaign website, but I speak only for myself.
6:09 p.m.
Aug 1, '09
If Clem were a serious candidate, wouldn't he be walking across Southern Oregon?
(Sorry, Allen. Just kidding.)
Aug 1, '09
LOL Jack!
Aug 1, '09
If Bryan CLem were serious about running for governor, he wouldn't wait for Kitzhaber to make up his mind--which Kitzhaber studiously isn't doing--before deciding.
Aug 1, '09
I hope Clem stays in the race regardless of Kitzhaber. JK shouldn't run. His last term didn't end well and Oregon needs to move forward not backward. It is time for a new generation of leaders and JK's day has come and gone. Can you say "no fire in the belly"?
9:38 p.m.
Aug 1, '09
I like Rep. Clem. I'm glad he's testing the waters. He did a good job with the interview. But "listening" and using local ideas, while good, especially as first steps, are neither going to win the election or provide Oregon with the leadership its needs. He'll need to do more.
As a second step, and continuing to listen, he might ask local people some hard questions. Like: if 80% of global economic growth in the next few decades is going to be in emerging markets (think China, India, Brazil, Russia), what does that mean, if anything, for your community's economic future? Or similarly, if China's economy will be twice the size of the US economy in 2050, what does that mean, if anything, for your community's economic future?
Aug 1, '09
Myranda-- Did you read the article? Doesn't look like Clem is sure he's dropping out for Gov. Kitzhaber. Backpedal?
4:18 a.m.
Aug 2, '09
Good turnout at the gathering for Brian Clem Friday night in Medford. Seen wondering the streets in Ashland this weekend, Kari, Ben Unger, Steve Novick, and more......
Aug 2, '09
Rep. Clem has a lot going for him, and I'm glad to see he is contemplating a run for Governor. He deserves kudos for both the Metolius bill and the farm-to-school bill that he mentions in this interview. I especially appreciated his direct and unassuming manner in the conversations I had with him last session in Salem.
But I sure didn't see much sign of interest in bridging the urban-rural divide on the issue I was following most closely last session, the management of the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests. As Chair of the Ag committee, Clem moved and voted for a bill to make timber harvest the primary purpose of the state forests, thereby increasing the pressure to gut the science-based and consensus-approved plan that took years to develop and implement -- a plan which has produced very high harvest levels while also providing some pretty good environmental protection.
In the interview above, Clem mentions his desire for a "greater role for wood products." If that means more bills to make timber production the primary purpose of public lands like the Tillamook Forest, he won't be doing anything to bridge the urban-rural divide, he'll be making it worse.
We are in desperate need of a new conversation and new way forward on our forests. Oregon has the world's premier forestry school at OSU, highly productive timber lands, a big pool of skilled workers in the forest products industry, and a penchant for sustainability and the environment. How about some more creative thinking on this one, Rep. Clem?
Disclosure: I've done some part-time work on forest policy for conservation groups, though I'm only speaking for myself here.
Aug 2, '09
Choosing to get on out there and mix it up while Achilles sulks in his tent makes Clem a even more attractive as a candidate than he has been up 'til now........
2:00 p.m.
Aug 2, '09
Paddy,
<h2>Rep. Clem will either smoke out other candidates or clear the field leaving him Jason Atkinson (please no) or Allen Alley who could be formidable. Feels like a poker game with the players waiting to call each other's bluff.</h2>