Friday, October 22, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5
Johnson to run for governor Business Directory
CONSTRUCTION
by next summer to qualify for
the November 2022 ballot.
Johnson has more than
$500,000 in her candidate
State Sen. Betsy
fi nance commit-
Johnson, the infl uen-
tee, which she has
tial co-chairwoman
maintained
for
of the Joint Ways and
her campaigns for
Means Committee,
state Senate. State
is running for gover-
law will allow
nor next year as an
her to transfer
independent.
the account to the
The Scappoose
governor’s race.
Betsy Johnson
Democrat made the
Despite
her
announcement
in
decision to leave
an email to supporters last the Democratic Party, John-
Thursday.
son said “my bedrock values
“Oregonians are eager for will not change. I was raised
a fresh start and new leader- in a moderate Republican
ship,” she wrote. “But having family and became a Demo-
to choose between another crat because the Republican
left-wing liberal promis- Party had moved too far to the
ing more of the same or a right. For 20 years, I’ve been
right-wing Trump apologist an independent-minded, pro-
– is no choice at all. Orego- choice, pro-jobs Democrat
nians deserve better than the proudly serving the people
excesses and nonsense of of Northwest Oregon. This is
the extreme left and radical who I am.”
right. Oregonians are ready
Johnson represents Senate
to move to the middle where District 16, which includes
sensible solutions are found.
the North Coast.
“That’s why I have
Swing vote
decided to run for gover-
A moderate, Johnson has
nor as an independent leader
unaffi liated with any party carved out a leading role in
and loyal only to the people Salem through her work on
the Ways and Means Com-
of Oregon.”
Johnson said in a state- mittee and as a swing vote
ment that she would raise on key issues. She has often
money and start assembling broken with Democrats on
staff and supporters before issues such as gun control
formally announcing her and cap and trade.
Several Democrats have
campaign early next year.
By early March, Johnson emerged in the primary to
will have to give up her mem- replace Gov. Kate Brown,
bership in the Democratic whose fi nal term ends after
Party to run as an unaffi li- 2022.
State House Speaker Tina
ated candidate. Without party
backing, she will need to col- Kotek, State Treasurer Tobias
lect at least 23,744 signatures Read, Yamhill County Com-
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
missioner Casey Kulla and
New York Times colum-
nist Nicholas Kristof have
launched or are exploring
primary campaigns.
On the Republican side,
Salem physician Bud Pierce
— who lost a campaign for
governor in 2016 — Sandy
Mayor Stan Pulliam, Baker
City Mayor Kerry McQuis-
ten, political consultant
Bridget Barton and Med-
ford business owner Jes-
sica Gomez are among the
contenders.
Johnson, 70, was fi rst
elected to the state House of
Representatives in 2000 and
served until 2005, when she
was appointed to fi nish the
Senate term of Joan Dukes.
She was fi rst elected to the
Senate in 2006 and is now in
her fourth term.
Johnson, born in Bend,
comes from a family embed-
ded in Oregon politics and
government. Her father, Sam
Johnson, who died in 1984,
served in the state House as
a Redmond representative.
Her mother, Becky Johnson,
served on the Oregon State
Board of Higher Education
as well as numerous other
boards, according to the Ore-
gon Legislature website.
A graduate of Carleton
College in Northfi eld, Min-
nesota, Johnson also holds
a law degree from the Lewis
& Clark Law School in
Portland.
A licensed fi xed-wing
and helicopter pilot, John-
son has operated avia-
tion-related companies and
also served as manager of
the aeronautics division of
the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
Senate seat
Johnson would be up for
reelection next year in Senate
District 16. Her run for gov-
ernor could create a compet-
itive open seat. In 2020, the
campaign for an open seat
in state House District 32
between Suzanne Weber and
Debbie Boothe-Schmidt was
among the most expensive
in the state. Weber’s victory
was the fi rst time a Repub-
lican won the House seat on
the North Coast in nearly two
decades.
Weber, a former Tilla-
mook mayor in her fi rst term
in the House, announced late
Thursday that she would run
for state Senate to replace
Johnson.
“There are no bigger shoes
to fi ll in Oregon politics than
those of Sen. Johnson. But I
will work every single day
to live up to her legacy as
an independent, nonpartisan
leader here in rural Northwest
Oregon,” she said in a video
posted on Facebook.
Andy Davis, the chairman
of the Clatsop County Dem-
ocratic Party, said the orga-
nization has not yet crafted
a statement about Johnson’s
run for governor or her deci-
sion to leave the party.
“Betsy is an important
member of the caucus at the
state Senate level,” he said.
“Obviously, she’s had an infl u-
ential voice, within the com-
mittee structure especially, at
the Senate, and those are big
shoes to fi ll and an important
vote on some issues.”
Weber announces state Senate bid
be, Weber said, “Continuing
to make rural Oregon and
the coast an integral part
of decision-making in our
state.”
Andy Davis, the chair-
man of the Clatsop County
Democratic Party, said that
although there has been
talk among Democrats of
who the party might put up
to challenge and replace
Weber, no names have been
decided on.
“Obviously, since (Weber
is) in the opposite party from
us at the moment, we’ve
been thinking about it since
she was elected,” he said.
As for who Weber would
like to see replace her, she
said she will not be giving
endorsements.
However,
she said, “I have a list of
people that I will be talking
to, to encourage them to
move forward and decide to
run.”
Weber said she intends
to serve out her fi rst term.
“I will continue to represent
this area to the best of my
ability until my term is up.
I do not intend to resign,”
she said. “There is so much
work that needs to be done.”
Trail’s End Art Associa-
tion Gallery present two fea-
tured artists Nov. 5 to Nov.
28.
Richard Newman pres-
ents his series of black and
white fi ne art photography
featuring bridges and trans-
portation. Also featured are
the imaginative and colorful
fused glass work by Carolyn
Myers Lindberg. Join them
at the Nov. 6 Gearhart Art-
Walk from 2 to 5 p.m., with
refreshments served.
Newman is the current
President of Trail’s End Art
Association.
Lindberg is a life-long
artist, who has worked in
glass for over 25 years and
recently moved to Seaside
from Portland. This show
is a collection of functional
forms she’s created over
the past several years that
employ a wide variety of
glass types and techniques.
Trail’s End is a non-
profi t art association that
has been in existence over
70 years and welcomes
new members. To learn
more about the gallery, visit
trailsendart.org or call at
503-717-9458.
The gallery is located at
656 A Street, Gearhart.
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Newman, Lindberg exhibit
at Trail’s End show
inc .
S
to get the solutions that are
appropriate for the problem
rather than the party,” Weber
said.
State Rep. Suzanne
Weber has lived in Til-
Weber,
the
Tillamook lamook for more than half
Republican who represents a century. A former Tilla-
state House District 32, mook mayor and city coun-
will run for state Sen. Betsy cilor, she said that her long-
Johnson’s seat.
term
knowledge
Johnson, a Scap-
of the region has
poose Democrate
helped her under-
who
represents
stand what her dis-
Senate District 16,
trict needs.
announced
last
She said that
Thursday that she
state agencies and
will run for gover-
departments need
nor in 2022 as an
to be upgraded to
indpendent. Weber Suzanne Weber handle events like
announced
her
the COVID-19 pan-
campaign in a Face-
demic and its fall-
book video.
out, such as evictions and
Weber edged Debbie landlord reimbursements.
Boothe-Schmidt, an Astoria “All of those things need a
Democrat, for an open House person who is going to be
seat in 2020. It marked the there to continue to work to
fi rst time a Republican had improve those agencies and
won the North Coast district those systems,” she said.
in almost two decades.
A retired elementary
“I think that there needs school teacher, Weber said
to be continued represen- voters have recognized her
tation from this area from dedication to issues like
someone who is deeply education and housing. “I
invested in this area, and I think that they can trust me
feel that I am that person,” to be able to do that, to rep-
Weber said in an interview.
resent them,” she said.
“And Sen. Johnson and I
“I know the people in the
have been talking about this area. I know the conditions
for quite some time,” she that we live under in rural
continued. “You know, a lot Oregon,” she said, “and
of people have been urging I think I have a real good
her to take this step.”
grasp of common sense and
Weber, who called John- common-sense solutions.”
son a “local hero” and her
Once Johnson declared
governorship
aspirations her
candidacy,
Weber
“game changing,” said she started discussing her cam-
had been thinking about this paign with her staff . “We’ll
move for a long time in the be coming forward with
event Johnson decided to plans and ideas very soon,”
run.
she said.
“I feel it’s really import-
Asked what her priori-
ant to work across the aisle ties as a state senator would
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
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