Senators Kate Brown, Brad Avakian and Ben Westlund were on campus Thursday afternoon for a collective Democratic rally. The affair was intimate with a small student turnout. The small setting allowed candidates to relax and answer students’ individual questions, an unusual occurrence during robust campaign interactions.
The rally commenced with the candidates introducing themselves and explaining what their position meant to students.
Brown opened by explaining the secretary of state position. The job, she said, includes auditing the state budget and closely examining the needs of citizens in relation to the budget. The secretary of state is responsible for monitoring initiative fraud, an issue Brown has already begun working on by voting to pass a law to keep people convicted of fraud, forgery or identity theft from getting ballot measure signatures.
The secretary of state is also responsible for running elections, an issue that is close to Brown’s heart. She won her seat in the Oregon Legislature by only seven votes.
“Every vote counts – believe me, I know,” she said.
The secretary of state’s office is also key to creating new jobs in Oregon, especially during these difficult economic times.
Westlund spoke next about the treasurer position. He challenged students to throw out their preconceived notions of the position as boring and irrelevant, and encouraged students to see how the job applies to them.
Avakian spoke about how important it is to restore career training programs to high schools and community colleges in order to graduate a successful work force from Oregon schools.
The remainder of the rally was open to student questions and concerns, which included questions about liquefied natural gas, dependence on foreign oil and alternative energy options such as geothermal, wind and wave power. There was also open discussion about Oregon’s labor unions and the success of voter registration programs on campus.
The candidates say visiting the University is critical to their campaigns.
“It is important for candidates to get out, not just to look and listen and learn but to put a face behind issues discussed,” Westlund said.
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