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ISSUE #34.25 • SPECIAL SECTION •

Oregon House District 38


Lake Oswego, Southwest Portland


BY WW EDITORIAL STAFF | 503-243-2122

[April 30th, 2008]

Chris Garrett

Democrat

Tattoo he’d get: A musical note on his left arm. “I lean left,” he says. And his parents are musicians.

There are two credible candidates in this primary, which seeks to fill the spot vacated by Rep. Greg Macpherson, who’s running for AG. There’s Chris Garrett, a business litigation lawyer for Perkins Coie and a former aide for 18 months to state lawmakers such as Senate President Peter Courtney and state Sen. Richard Devlin. And there’s Linda Brown, a Lake Oswego School Board member and longtime school-funding activist.

We’re going with Garrett as the one who’s a better combination of experience inside the Capitol and guts. (He also reminded us a little of Macpherson, a well-respected legislator whom we’ve endorsed in the Democratic primary for AG.) Garrett, 34, is concerned about revenue and says he is willing to begin new conversations about finding ways to invest in higher education and health care for our neediest citizens. He’s even open to a sales tax.

He also wants to talk about raising legislators’ salaries. We’re not sure everyone will agree, but at least he’s brave enough to mention it.

Brown, who also ran a business helping new companies settle in Lake Oswego, is plenty brave, too. As a volunteer School Board member working to curb her district’s transportation spending, she supported a plan to lay off the school’s bus drivers. She says she wants to go to Salem because “schools shouldn’t have to make that decision.”

We agree. But Garrett swung our vote during their joint endorsement interview with his promise to take bolder measures to pay for programs both Democrats say they want.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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



Comment on Oregon House District 38   Comment RSS feed

Adam Robins  writes on May 3rd, 2008 11:52pm

Chris Garrett is the right choice for District 38. His experience is solid, having worked for both Richard Devlin and Peter Courtney. He has both bold ideas and a solid understanding of the legislative process. He provides both leadership and a listening ear.

His commitment to the district is long-standing. I should know. He was the second kid each day on the bus to kindergarten. (I was the first.)

Brandon Thornburg  writes on May 19th, 2008 9:50pm

Chris Garrett, among other things, came back to our elementary school as a sixth-grader and led my discussion group about "what it will be like in Middle School." I knew right then I'd vote for him someday.

Hey, Adam.

Comment on the "Oregon House District 38" article
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WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Democrat
U.S. Senate (D)
WW EDITORIAL STAFF
U.S. Senate (R)
WW EDITORIAL STAFF
U.S. House District 1 (D)
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Downtown Portland, Northwest Oregon, Pacific Coast
U.S. House District 1 (R)
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Downtown Portland, Northwest Oregon, Pacific Coast
U.S. House District 3
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | From East Portland out to Government Camp
U.S. House District 5 (D)
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Clackamas, Marion and Polk counties and the Central Coast
U.S. House District 5 (R)
WW EDITORIAL STAFF
Oregon Secretary of State
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Democrat
Oregon Attorney General
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Democrat
Oregon Senate District 23
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Northeast Portland
Oregon House District 38
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Lake Oswego, Southwest Portland
Oregon House District 42
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Inner Southeast Portland
Oregon House District 45
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Northeast Portland
Oregon House District 49
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | East Multnomah County
Oregon House District 52 (D)
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Parts of Clackamas and Multnomah counties and all of Hood River County
Oregon House District 52 (R)
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Parts of Clackamas and Multnomah counties and all of Hood River County
Measure 51
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Yes!
Measure 52
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Yes!
Measure 53
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Yes!
Portland Mayor
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Nonpartisan
Portland City Commissioner, Position 1
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Nonpartisan
Portland City Commissioner, Position 2
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Nonpartisan
Portland City Commissioner, Position 4
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Nonpartisan
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 1
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | A slice of inner Southeast Portland and everything west of the Willamette River
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 3
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Most of inner Southeast and a slice of inner Northeast Portland
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 4
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | East Multnomah County
Metro District 2
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Clackamas County and Southwest Portland
Metro District 6
WW EDITORIAL STAFF | Southeast and Southwest Portland
 

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