The Oregonian: Boston for the House

The Oregonian
Thursday, April 17, 2008

It's a hopeful sign that the races for seats in the Oregon House are drawing a bevy of well-qualified candidates, almost all of whom can make a good argument for their election. In particular, Democrats are blessed with four strong contenders for the seat vacated by Diane Rosenbaum in District 42 and three more for Jackie Dingfelder's seat in District 45. No Republicans have filed for either district, so the winner of the primary will go to Salem. We urge Democrats to send Jules Kopel-Bailey and Cyreena Boston to the state House to represent Districts 42 and 45, respectively.

It's a hard-fought race in District 42, the close-in Southeast Portland district. The contest features three well-funded, committed Democrats, and a fourth, Gordon Hillesland, who is sincere and experienced but is running on a shoestring and the belief that government could solve many of its revenue problems if it would simply collect the taxes owed it.

The race is among Teddy Keizer, 36, Regan Gray, 29, and Jules Kopel-Bailey, 28. Each has raised significant campaign contributions, although Gray is the leader by a considerable margin. Each has drawn key endorsements, ranging from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (Kopel-Bailey) to former Secretary of State Phil Keisling (Keizer).

Gray served as Rosenbaum's chief of staff and touts her knowledge of the legislative process and the relationships she built as a behind-the-scenes operative. Keizer, whose ancestors gave their name to the town on the Willamette River, is a mountain climber, a thoughtful analyst of Oregon politics and has useful connections to rural Oregon.

Kopel-Bailey is an energetic specialist in sustainable development at a respected economics consultancy (EcoNorthwest). He has experience ranging from making microloans in Vietnam to working on the Sunnyside Neighborhood Energy project. He speaks of climate change as a critical challenge and an opportunity to build a vigorous new business cluster in Oregon. He has the potential to be a key player in a "freshman revolution" that could accomplish meaningful things in Salem for the entire state, not just Southeast Portland.

House District 45 has been held by Northeast Portland Democrat Jackie Dingfelder, who's running for the state Senate. Voters in her district, which takes in Maywood Park and much of Northeast Portland north of I-84, face a difficult choice, but we're placing a bet on Cyreena Boston's potential, just as we did two years ago when we endorsed rookie Ben Cannon against a set of more experienced opponents.

Michael Dembrow, 56, is a longtime community college teacher, president of Portland Community College's faculty union, and a member of the State Board of Education. He has won respect for his low-key integrity and such accomplishments as helping part-time community college instructors win health benefits. The engaging Jon Coney, 37, has seen the Legislature inside and out and speaks candidly of the prospects of real revenue reform in Oregon. His vigor and experience make him an appealing candidate.

Yet Cyreena Boston, 27, has an inspirational personal quality and an impressive resume that includes teaching and mentoring children and organizing Democrats in the field. Ask her what she thinks has been wrong with Salem in recent years and she offers a refreshing answer: Too many people don't have enough manners or reverence for the legislative process.

Democrats in Districts 42 and 45 almost cannot go wrong, no matter how they vote, but we urge them to elect Kopel-Bailey and Boston.