Republican Emerges to Challenge Stiegler in HD 54

For 2010 elections, voters here already have some suitors
by Nick Budnick
The Bulletin (Bend)
September 12, 2009

SALEM – This year’s election season isn’t even over, but next year’s is already heating up.

In a prelude to the November 2010 election, candidates for the May state and local primaries have already begun throwing their names into the mix with elections officials in Salem and Central Oregon, following the opening of the filing period on Thursday.

Even though most candidates haven’t filed yet, two legislative seats in particular already look to get interesting in the coming months.

First, 41-year-old lawyer and real estate investor Jason Conger, of Bend, says he will file in the next few days to run for the Republican nomination in state House District 54, a seat currently held by Rep. Judy Stiegler, D-Bend. Stiegler was elected last November.

Conger, a Harvard Law School graduate, says he worked for former Northern California Congressman Frank Riggs in the 1990s, but has never run for elected office before.

He said he is running because “the 2009 Legislature scared me to death, and I think they are taking us in the wrong direction.”

Bend City Councilor Jeff Eager said he is also considering a run for the Republican nomination in the district, though a bid for higher office next year does not sound likely for the first-year elected official.

“One of the primary considerations for me is my position on City Council right now and wanting to be sure I do the right thing with regard to that,” he said.

Stiegler said she will run for re-election in the hopes of tackling some unfinished business, such as in providing stable funding for education.

“I think I have a good record to run on,” she said, adding that she is ready for the challenge. “I was not expecting a free pass here.”

The race for Stiegler’s seat could draw attention from outside Central Oregon as well. Nick Smith, a spokesman affiliated with the Oregon Republican Party, said the district ranks “number one, or top three” on the party’s list of seats it hopes to take from the Democrats.

In another race likely to be contested, two candidates say they intend to seek the Republican nomination for House District 55, which includes part of Deschutes County as well as all of Crook County. Incumbent Rep. George Gilman, R-Medford, first elected in 2002, has said he’ll step down at the end of his term.

Mike McLane, 44, a Redmond lawyer and education curriculum entrepreneur, filed on Friday for the race.

“I know how hard it is to run a business, and I don’t want to see a Legislature that keeps throwing roadblocks in front of businesses,” he said.

Also, 39-year-old Prineville Mayor Mike Wendel, who was elected in 2005, is expected to file for the seat. In an interview, he largely declined to comment other than to say he’ll make an official announcement in the next couple of weeks. Asked if McLane’s filing would dissuade him from entering, he responded: “No.”

Rep. John Huffman, R-The Dalles, filed on Thursday for re-election to House District 59, which includes Jefferson County.

Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, whose House District 53 seat will be on the ballot next year, had not filed by the end of the day Friday. He did not return a phone call.

Several local seats will also be on the ballot next year, including positions in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson county governments.

In Crook County, the positions of assessor, clerk, sheriff and commissioner – the position currently held by Lynn Lundquist – will be on the 2010 ballot. Already, Sheriff Rodd Clark has filed for re-election.

In Deschutes County, the positions of assessor, clerk, prosecutor, treasurer and two commissioner’s seats – positions currently held by Dennis Luke and Tammy Baney – will be on the 2010 ballot.

In Jefferson County, the seats for sheriff, county clerk, county assessor and two commissioners – positions currently held by Mike Ahern and John Hatfield – will be also be on the ballot.

The deadline to file for the May 2010 primary falls on March 9.

Comments are closed.