After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley and receiving a Master's degree in communication from San Francisco State, I moved to Portland for a position as the Director of Portland Community College's Speech and Debate Program. Under my leadership, the debate team was recognized as the top community college team in the nation four times, and we competed at the prestigious World Debate Championship tournament overseas twice. In 1999 I managed to co-author the first North American textbook on parliamentary style debate.

After 10 years directing the debate program, I've transitioned to teaching at the Sylvania Campus in the fields of communication and journalism. I'm currently a doctoral candidate at PSU's School of Urban & Public Affairs where I'm working on a dissertation about Oregon's initiative system.

In 2004, I intensified my dedication to the community by running for state representative. After knocking on over 6,000 doors and speaking face-to-face with approximately 10,000 people in our district, I was elected state representative in 2004.

Previously in this space I spoke about the 2005 session. Below are some thoughts on the most recent, 2007 Legislative Session.

2007 SESSION
The 2007 Legislative Session was one of the most productive and efficient sessions in recent memory.

I was honored to serve as Chair of the Ways & Means Education Subcommittee, which is the committee in charge of all of the education budgets from kindergarten through university. Following a decade of neglect, we reinvested in public education at all levels. We increased pre-kindergarten funding by $39 million, thus providing 3,200 Oregon children with a meaningful Head Start on their education. We increased K-12 funding by 18%; and reinvested in community colleges and Oregon's Universities for the first time in over a decade. In addition, we doubled student aid, making college more affordable for Oregonians. As an educational professional for 15 years, I'm especially aware of the need to continue to strengthen public education in Oregon going forward.

In addition to chairing Education, I served on the Full Ways & Means Committee; Consumer Protection; and the General Government Ways & Means Subcommittee.

Perhaps one of the most significant achievements of the 2007 session, was the creation of an economic stability or "rainy day" fund. Oregon's heavy reliance on the income tax, combined with an active initiative system, means that we have greater economic instability than most states. Therefore, it was imperative that we created a rainy day fund by suspending the corporate kicker (80% or so of which goes to out-of-state corporations), and placed over $300 million plus 1% of the ending fund balance in the stability fund. Oregon's bond rating improved almost immediately.

Other major victories in the 2007 session included: increasing by 100 the number of Oregon State Troopers on patrol; expanding the prescription drug purchasing pool thereby cutting drug costs for some Oregonians by 40-60%; strengthening protections against identity theft by permitting Oregonians to place a freeze on their credit reports and mandating timely notification for corporations and state agencies that have experienced a security breach; cracking down on payday and title loan lenders; expanding the bottle bill for the first time in decades; positioning Oregon to take a leadership role on renewable energy and biofuels; strengthening civil rights protections for sexual minorities and creating domestic partnerships; in addition, we made certain that emergency contraception would be made available to women who have been victims of sexual assault; and we cracked down on internet sexual predators to help parents and protect Oregon's children.

Overall, it was a gratifying 2007 session, yet there is a great deal left to do.

That is why I have decided to run for re-election for a third term. It has been a privilege to represent the people of House District 35, and it is my hope that I will have the opportunity to represent all of you again.

I remain committed to strengthening our investment in K-16 public education; working to significantly reduce the number of Oregonians without access to health care; and protecting the safety of our citizens and Oregon's environment.

I'm asking for your support, and I hope I have the opportunity to visit with you during the 2008 campaign.