[April 30th, 2008]

Jackie Dingfelder

Tattoo she’d get: A peace sign on her ankle.

After four terms in the House, environmental consultant Jackie Dingfelder wants to replace the retiring Avel Gordly in the Senate.

In our biennial, unscientific evaluation of lawmakers, “The Good, the Bad and the Awful,” Dingfelder usually scores better than average. She’s plenty smart, works like a demon and is hamstrung only by her sometimes excessive intensity and desire to tackle too many projects simultaneously.

She’s been a leader in nuking payday lenders and updating the Bottle Bill. And as chairwoman of the House Environment Committee, she’s second to none in her focus on getting Oregon to face global warming.

Dingfelder also would bring some energy to the sometimes sleepy Senate. Her opponent, Sean Cruz, has served as Gordly’s aide for six years. He’s passionate about improving access to health care but just cannot compete with Dingfelder’s breadth of legislative experience and work ethic.

Video of WW endorsement interview (thanks to Portland Community Media)