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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2021)
8A | DECEMBER 2, 2021 | GOWING from A1 Those challenging the re- districting seemed to have since dropped their efforts, which would clear the way for the process to continue. The map will take effect for Oregon’s 2022 congressio- nal elections. Locally, HD 12 will in large part encompass what was previously HD 7, rep- resented by Republican Representative Cedric Hayden. Hayden announced this week he will seek election in the newly-configured Senate District 6, leaving the House seat open. The new HD 12 map dif- fers from the current HD 7 in that it will extend much farther to the east — as far as Waldo Lake. Cot- tage Grove and Creswell squeeze into the western end of the district, which will also cover the towns of Oakridge, Lowell and Pleasant Hill. Northward, the district wraps around the city lim- its of Eugene/Springfield and encompasses the towns of Junction City and Co- burg. Gowing’s run for the House seat is part of an ef- fort to shift some focus of Oregon’s legislature down to the rural level. He said he has noticed that since many meetings have gone virtual, there is no longer an excuse for representatives, even if they live far away, to not at- tend events like city council meetings. During a virtual chat with governmental officials for this year’s “City Day at the Capitol”, he said there was a noticeable lack of leg- islators. “And that just was a big eye-opener for me that we’re not getting the sup- port that we need,” he said. Among issues he wants addressed is a “one size fits all” approach he has seen come out of the capitol. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in Elkton or Port- land, you’ve got the same [policy],” Gowing ex- plained. “Cottage Grove and Eugene are two entire- ly different cities and what works there doesn’t work here. We shouldn’t have the same guidelines to go by. So there needs to be a lot more local control.” Gowing is also hoping to work toward eliminating unfunded mandates hand- ed down from above. His roots in a small town are what part of what can set him apart as a legislator, he said. As mayor, he noted that people sometimes refer to him as a politician, but he corrects them. “I always tell them — and I’m going to keep to this — that I’m not a politician; I’m an elected official,” he said. “The politician’s doing it for the wrong reasons. They’re doing it for the fame and glory and whatever can get them ahead. An elected of- ficial’s doing it for the peo- ple and representing the people.” Part of his approach in public office, he said, has been to allow personal opinions to take a side seat in order to do what’s best for the community. “I’d rather be hated for what I am than loved from what I’m not,” he added. On this point, Gowing has some experience. He first took a seat on the Cottage Grove City Coun- cil in 2009. Born and raised in Cottage Grove, Gowing had come to appreciate community building and felt he had something to add to the way city business was conducted. Though initially setting his sights on the mayoral seat, chats with the mayor at the time Gary Williams and others on council con- COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL vinced him to instead opt for a council seat which was being vacated. Eventually, in 2016, Gowing won out in a three- way race for that mayoral position. It was early in his coun- cil experience, though, that Gowing ran into one of his first difficult decisions. Around 2010, he recalls, the Village Green was ask- ing the city for a loan of $250,000 to offset losses during the recession. All but one other coun- cilor was on board with the loan. “I had business own- ers calling me and having meetings with me to try to convince me to vote to sup- port this. And I just had a really hard time with it,” he said. One business owner gave him some advice, though, which steered him toward his decision. Gowing pored over pa- perwork to find some plan that the Village Green could present which would make the loan pencil out. He couldn’t find it. “And in my gut, I couldn’t do it. And so, I voted no,” he said. “And I really thought, ‘I’m the new guy. Every- body’s gonna hate me.’” His worries turned out to be unwarranted, howev- er. Though the vote passed with a majority in favor of the loan, Gowing received no blowback, confirming to him that it was possible to make a principled stand in public office and main- tain respect. Ultimately, the loan was never completed as an agreement could not be reached on the stipulations. “And so, I lost the vote, but I won in the end be- cause of the way it played out,” Gowing smiled. Gowing also took an iso- lated stand on the contro- versial Main Street Refine- ment Plan years ago, voting against it. One strong influence on the decision, he said, was the time he spent face-to- face with several down- town business owners who were critical of the plan. In the end, he went with what he felt was the community’s voice. Gowing also recalled a time as mayor when Cot- tage Grove’s state repre- sentatives were holding a town hall. The mayor used the opportunity to push back against a bill at the time which would do away with recreational immuni- ty. His position found sup- port among groups on both sides of the political aisle within the town, which he said exemplified the kinds of solutions which can be unearthed in small com- munities. Finding these solutions can in part be helped along by enhancing communica- tion channels with public officials, Gowing stated, pointing to his own habit of giving out his personal cell phone number. As a state representative, he hopes to find ways of overcoming social division by opening up these chan- nels and simply being more present, especially when the legislature is out of ses- sion. “We’ve got such a divided country right now,” he said. “If you show up and make that effort, I think that it would do a lot for the peo- ple.” Though the role would take him to the capitol, Gowing emphasized his love for small-town com- munity would not wane. “I look forward to con- tinuing to serve my com- munity, along with the oth- er parts of the district,” he said. Cottage Grove Sentinel Introduces... GUARANTEED GARAGE SALES We know how much work you put into preparing for a garage sale. Then it rains! We want to help you with our new... Garage Sales Insurance Package! 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COTTAGE GROVE: 6th & Gibbs Church of Christ 195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822 10:00am Christian Education: Pre-K through 5th Tim Baker, Senior Minister www.6thandgibbs.com First Baptist Church 301 S. 6th st • 541-942-8242 Pastor: David Chhangte Sunday School 9:30am Worship Service 10:30am Youth Wednesday 6:30pm cgfi rstbaptist.com Calvary Baptist Church 77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290 Pastor: Riley Hendricks Sunday School: 9:45am Worship: 11:00am The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm First Presbyterian Church 3rd and Adams St 541-942-4479 Rev.: Karen Hill Worship: 10:00am Sunday School: 10:00am fpcgrove.com Church of Christ 420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565 Sunday Service: 10:30am Hope Fellowship United Pentecostal Church 100 S. Gateway Blvd. 541-942-2061 Pastor: Dave Bragg Worship: 11:00am Sunday Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday www.hopefellowshipupc.com “FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE” St. Andrews Episcopal Church 1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050 Rev. 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