David Wu and his tiger suit are gone from Congress, and the people of Oregon’s Congressional District #1 are left to find a replacement. On November 8, Democrats Suzanne Bonamici, Brad Avakian, and Brad Witt will be fighting it out in a special primary before the general election on January 31, 2012. (Ron Cornilles doesn’t face a primary challenge, so he’ll be the Republican candidate for the seat). We took a few minutes to talk with Brad Witt after a candidates forum in Beaverton…
Brad was born in rural Barre, Massachusetts, where he learned the values of hard work and dedication that led to his Eagle rank in Boy Scouts. He worked in sawmills to pay his way through the University of Massachusetts Amherst and complete his teaching credentials. His first posting was teaching a year of high school economics in a class on the verge of failing, but by the end of the year Brad made sure that each one had passed. He returned to school and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in economics, then moved to Eugene, Oregon and enrolled in the University of Oregon’s Labor and Industrial Relations program. He again worked his way through school in sawmills and construction sites, this time to a Master’s degree in Labor and Industrial Relations. Brad’s next move was to Clatskanie, Oregon where he settled on a farm to raise his family and enjoy music, hiking, mountain biking, and hunting.
From 1993 to 2005 Brad served as the elected Secretary-Treasurer for the Oregon AFL-CIO. In 2005 he was appointed to the Oregon House District 31, covering the lower Columbia River and Multnomah Channel, a position he has been returned to three times. These were busy years for Brad, as he worked to expand health insurance for Oregon’s kids, increased access to low-income housing, provided care for homeless veterans, protected our environment and coastline, and much more.
Now Brad is running for Congress because (from his website) “… he believes Americans and the citizens of Oregon’s First Congressional District are ready to break through the barriers that divide us. Brad is dedicated to finding commonsense solutions to the challenges that face not just Oregon but the nation. He believes everyone should be treated fairly, and that representation should not be available only to those who can afford to buy the best lobbyists”. Impressive resume and impressive rhetoric, but does it stand up? Here’s what we got from our conversation with Brad Witt…
Your opponents seem to have a money advantage in this primary. What role does money play in politics?
Money definitely has a role in getting your message out, and a bigger campaign chest means a larger role. The Republican Party is better situated for money, and one of my Democratic opponents is better funded. That will play a role, but I don’t think it has to be the deciding factor.
The political process seems to corrupt just about everyone who enters it. How would you avoid this problem in office?
Avoiding corruption requires a respect for the office, and respect for the people I’m representing. I would avoid any action that brings disrespect to the office, my family, and the people who elected me. Many politicians get into office and their moral compass can get off-track. The low opinion the public holds of the current Congress means future Representatives will have to deal with that and rebuild trust. A real leader in politics is a person their constituents can be proud of.
What would be your three biggest priorities in Congress?
First, our country needs a massive investment in infrastructure, to rebuild as well as to create jobs. Not just roads and bridges, either, but energy systems, transportation, communication, and modernization of public buildings.
Second, I would work to rebuild a sustainable social safety net, especially Social Security and Medicare.
Third, it’s time to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Strong goals, but they’ve been on the table for a while. What would you do differently than other Representatives to accomplish those goals?
My background as a negotiator leads me to look for the commonality between people. I am absolutely convinced that everyone has an interest in getting out of the doldrums we’re in, and that commonality can bring them together to solve their problems. Every individual is motivated by something different, whether it’s keeping their personal job or protecting their business. These are two sides of same coin; workers and business owner have a mutual interest in making sure the economy is rejuvenated. Rebuilding our infrastructure appeals to this commonality; roads, bridges, air and sea ports are the ways that business owners conduct their business, and they mean jobs to many others. Finding the commonality motivates people to address the issues you think are important.
How do you balance the needs of the environment and business?
My state legislative district closely tracks the Columbia River, so it’s frequently called the “River District”. Fully one third of the money in the Oregon economy, directly or indirectly, comes from the Columbia River. Taking care of the river takes care of us, and when we don’t care for it we lose opportunity and options. The same is true for all our environmental resources.
That’s how I would balance business and the environment in general. Any business use of an environmental resource should add value for EVERYONE: environment, society, business, and others. The idea of sustainability enables each of us to promote our own interests, not at the expense of anyone else’s, but for us all to grow mutually.
Green jobs are an ideal example of a sustainable, win/win opportunity for us all. There are strong jobs to be had in Oregon and across the country environmental enhancement and restoration. We can fix the environmental problems we’ve lived with for decades, and then we can continue moving forward in a green and sustainable way. This is the type of environmental/business/social partnership that adds value across the spectrum.
Sustainability means thinking for the long term, and that also applies to the middle-class lifestyle we all take for granted. Good living means not only for this generation, but for the next. Only by sustaining each other’s interests do any of us advance our own.
There’s been some criticism of your position on the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal on the Lower Columbia River. Could you respond to that specifically?
On the LNG facility, the proposal I voted for was one out of six that were proposed; I opposed the other five, each for a different reason. Each had some benefits, but weren’t beneficial across the board. One was just a land-grab. One might have been good for jobs but hurt the environment, another might be good for the companies involved but bad for the community. I voted for the one because it had payback for all. LNG would have dropped carbon output 30-40%, in line with our regional environmental goals. It would have enhanced salmon habitat. It would have been the largest project ever constructed on the Columbia River, generating about $8 million per year in local economies hit by hard by the collapse of the timber industry. These would have been premium jobs, about 450 jobs in construction alone. When the LNG project died, we lost all those opportunities.
…and that’s about as far as we got before Brad had to move on to another event. The Democratic primary is on November 8, and ballots for the all-mail special election will go out beginning October 21. The winner of the primary will advance to next year’s special general election on January 31 against Rob Cornilles, who doesn’t face a primary challenge from the Republican Party. All the candidates, Brad Witt, Suzanne Bonamici, Brad Avakian, and Rob Cornilles have their own websites where you can get their details straight from their mouths. We encourage you to take the time to study their positions and philosophies, and then cast educated votes in November and again in January. One of these people will be our Congressional Representative, and we all deserve the best representation we can get.
