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David Hedges for State Representative

Candidate's Statement, 2000 Oregon Voter's Pamphlet

Occupation: Poet and writer.

Occupational Background: Free-lance writer; Vice President, Cap Hedges & Associates, Portland ad agency; Press Relations Manager, Boise Cascade Corp.; Public Relations Manager, Dawson Turner & Jenkins, Portland ad agency; Public Information Director, First National Bank of Oregon; Assistant Director, Reed College Information Services; reporter and columnist, Oregon City Enterprise-Courier.

Educational Background: West Linn High School, 1950-51; Lake Oswego High School, graduated 1954; Oregon State University, 1954-57; Portland State University, B.S., 1959; University of Oregon Division of Continuing Education, 1960-62.

Prior Governmental Experience: Member, Metropolitan Human Rights Commission Diversity Committee, 1993-94; Assistant to Portland City Commissioner Dick Bogle, 1986-93; Assistant to Majority Leader Ed Lindquist, Oregon House of Representatives, 1975-76; Assistant to Majority Leader Les AuCoin, Oregon House, 1973; Assistant to Multnomah County Commissioner Mel Gordon, 1971-72; Assistant Director, Oregon Travel Information, 1960-61.

Community Involvement: President, Oregon State Poetry Association; board member, Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission; charter member, Alternatives to Growth Oregon; past board, Bolton-Cedar Oak Park PTA, Portland Youth Advocates, McLoughlin Memorial Association (McLoughlin House), Albina Art Center, Portland Opera Association, Portland Poetry Festival; much more!

Sick of slick politicians? Me too. How can one poet effect change? Walt Whitman wrote of "passion, pulse, and power." Send me to Salem and watch the sparks fly!

I will not compromise my integrity. Thorn promotes growth at any cost. Krummel buckles under pressure and breaks his word. Peas from the same pod. Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Tom McCall is my guiding light. I share his passion for preserving this special place we call Oregon, his vision of a livable future for our children.

Kids first! As your State Representative, I will hold every action to the yardstick of how it affects children, now and for generations to come.

A popular revolution's afoot. Join! Give me your vote. Make "Kids first!" the District 27 battle cry.

Let's go get 'em, people!

[All right, maybe it was too big a bite for voters to chew on, much less swallow. But I was sincere. Problem was, the Democratic Party was obliged to endorse my Primary opponent because she was the County Central Committee chair, and the long-time Mayor of West Linn. The main reason I filed for office was to present an alternative. My opponent talked out of both sides of her mouth on growth issues. I pointed that out. The only group that had the courage to endorse me was the Clackamas County chapter of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, 9-0, after asking themselves the question, "What would we do if John Muir sat here asking for our endorsement?" They called me an "environmental warrior," the highest compliment I've ever received. But the OLCV's silk-suited lobbyist, Stephen Kafoury, convened a meeting on behalf of the state board to talk some sense into their heads, and, under heavy pressure, they un-endorsed me. Actually, they co-endorsed me and my opponent, and I declined, even though I knew the OLCV would then be free to throw its resources, including phone banks and mailings, against me. The OLCV's credibility dropped to zero in my eyes. Several other special interest organizations found me to be 100 percent on their issues, whereas my opponent was 50 percent. So why did they endorse her? She had money in the bank, and I didn't. No one would give me money because I didn't have money in the bank. Yossarian would have chuckled over that one. The Oregonian editorial board could spare only a wet-behind-the-ears intern to interview me. I was described in the editorial endorsing my opponent as "a former advertising executive," but there was no mention of my wide political experience, including work as a paid professional on more than 60 political campaigns dating back to 1968. With less than $2,000 to spend, and no rich friends to tap, I still managed to grab 40 percent of the vote. My opponent was stunned, expecting nothing short of a landslide. She was wiped out in the General. I felt great. Democracy in action!]

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