A Spooooooky Update

 

Michael

Rep. Michael Dembrow 
NE Portland, Maywood Park & Parkrose

District Phone: 503-281-0608

Email: rep.michaeldembrow@state.or.us 
Website: http://www.repmichaeldembrow.com  

Twitter: @michaeldembrow

E-Newsletter                              

Friends and Neighbors,

Though it’s Halloween as I write this, I’ve tried to keep this week’s newsletter free of the bizarre and the terrifying.  Instead, I want to fill you in on some recent events, including an uplifting ceremony at PCC, and invite you to come to my regular first-Saturday-of-the-month coffee this weekend to hear the latest news from the Legislature.

I hope the trick-or-treaters treated you kindly on this perfect Halloween eve.

Tomorrow Morning: Constituent Coffee

November's constituent coffee will be tomorrow morning, Saturday November 2nd.  We'll convene at 10am at the Hollywood Senior Center (1820 NE 40th Ave).  You bring yourself; I'll bring the coffee!A

The Latest on the SD23 Replacement Process

The timeline for finding a replacement for Jackie Dingfelder’s Senate seat is becoming clearer.  The first stage in the process, the nominating convention with the neighborhood Democratic PCPs (Precinct Persons) from SD23, will be held next Friday, November 8, at the Multnomah County Democratic Party headquarters on NE Sandy.  The nominees must be elected by Democratic activists because the incumbent is a Democrat.  (By the way, this Sunday, November 3, will be Jackie’s last day as our senator.)

Those of us who are throwing our hats into the ring to succeed her will be there at 5:30 to introduce ourselves and answer questions generated by the PCPs.  Then, at 7:00 pm, the voting by SD23 PCPs will begin.  By the end of the evening, anywhere from three to five names will be forwarded to the next stage.

For further details about the nominating process, go to the Multnomah Democrats website.

The next stage in the process will occur on Monday, November 18, when the Multnomah County commissioners will interview the nominees during their regular meeting time and will then vote on the appointment.  The person selected will be sworn in within the following couple of days.  If I’m the person appointed, that will create a vacancy in HD45, and the process will repeat, with a final deadline to fill my seat somewhere around December 20.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Oregon League of Conservation Voters “Century Club”

Last week the OLCV released its legislative “scorecard” for 2013 at an event that also turned out to be a farewell to two environmental champions, Rep. Jules Bailey and our own Senator Jackie Dingfelder.  I was proud to be recognized as one of only four legislators (together with Jackie in the Senate, and Carolyn Tomei and Ben Unger in the House) to have a 100% voting record for the year.  You can see my votes on the bills considered to be priority measures by the OLCV here.

What makes this award particularly special to me is that it follows on the heels of a similar 100% rating from the AFL-CIO.  All too often there is a perception that activism on behalf of the environment and activism on behalf of labor are mutually exclusive.  I believe strongly that Oregon’s future lies in our ability to find common ground between the two.  The pursuit of high-quality jobs and fair employment practices does not mean we have to sacrifice our commitment to the environmental health of our region.  

Celebrating PCC and Its New President

I had the pleasure this Wednesday of joining other Portland Community College faculty, staff, students, alumnae, and supporters to give the college’s newly-appointed president, Jeremy Brown, his official “investiture.”  The ceremony turned out to a celebration of PCC and its history of providing education to more than 1.3 million students over the years, providing opportunity to all and transforming the lives of many in this large district that is the size of Rhode Island.

We heard a wonderful poem by my colleague, the poet and teacher Michael McDowell; fantastic performances by the Jefferson Dancers; choral performances by PCC faculty and students; and speeches by a variety of individuals whose lives were deeply affected by the college, including PCC’s current student leader, Rachel Black Elk (from my own Cascade Campus).  It was all very moving.

Dr. Brown comes from a working class family in Manchester, England.  He taught college physics (he trained as a nuclear physicist) before going into academic administration.  A thoughtful, very genial man, he has obviously falling in love with Portland--our brewpubs, our landscape, our diversity, and our beautiful weather (OK, he started during the summer!)—and the complex community college mission.  Dr. Brown asked me to serve on his community advisory committee, and I found myself unable to say no. 

I look forward to working with him as a faculty member and as a legislator.

Hope you can make it to this weekend’s coffee!

 

 

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your User Profile Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support@govdelivery.com.