Sen. Rick Metsger runs for Secretary of State

By Mark S. Cogan
April 30, 2008

People on the South Coast might not be too familiar with State Senator Rick Metsger, but they might recall that he's the guy who in January decided to ask the state's Attorney General Hardy Myers to sue the federal government for failing to "meet its historic responsibility" to rural communities. So far Myers hasn't done anything.

Now Metsger's hatched another plan: a run for Secretary of State.

Metsger said that the state's second highest office is the right position to help him fight for rural Oregonians, a task he said he's been doing since he first got elected several years ago. His senate district encompasses the Mt. Hood area all the way to the Wasco County line.

To get that seat, he'll have to battle two other well-known Democratic foes, fellow State Senators Vicki Walker of Eugene and Kate Brown of Portland. The winner will face Republican Rick Dancer in the November general election.

"The job of the Secretary of State is to advocate the issues that are important to the people of the state. I think economic development and the creation of good jobs are important. Whether it's in Gold Beach or anywhere else, you have to have revenue. And that's created by having those good jobs," Metsger said.

Metsger said that his work on the Business Transportation and Workforce Development Committee has prepared him to best relate and identify with rural voters. He said that committee has worked on securing funding for rural transportation infrastructure, including the recent upgrade to the Coos Bay/North Bend airport.

"I co-authored all of the transportation bills that brought a lot of the infrastructure to rural Oregon. As Secretary of State, I can continue to do that, particularly with the State Land Board," Metsger said.

On the county payments issue, Metsger said that as Secretary of State, he would continue to be outspoken about the reauthorization of the county payments legislation.

"I've been advocating for this for quite some time. I think from a secure rural schools standpoint, the ability of communities to provide for themselves is important and in order to do that they have to be able to use their natural resources so they can generate jobs," Metsger said.

"I think we need to continue to pressure the federal government on this."

Both political parties have accused one another of abusing the state's initiative process, from Republican claims that Measure 49's ballot title was misleading to repeated Democrat rhetoric about Bill Sizemore initiatives in the 1990s.

Metsger doesn't see any need to reform the state's initiative process, as long as there's no outside interference.

"We have to make sure that it's an Oregonians only process. We have to make sure that outside influences aren't using Oregonians as puppets for their own agenda," said Metsger.

Metsger would like to see further steps to ensure fairness, from "spot checkers" to make sure signature gathers are following the law, to providing additional information to voters about the potential cost of each proposed initiative.

He would also like to see a more narrow definition of free speech in Oregon's constitution to limit the rights of corporations, who he said has the same rights as individuals.

Metsger said that the biggest example is the maximum allowable contribution by a corporation. Individuals are limited to just $2,300.

"But that's a conversation I'd like to have with Oregonians as Secretary of State."

Recently Dancer, his potential Republican opponent was tripped up on a syndicated radio program about the prospect of illegal immigrants being allowed to vote in Oregon and the lack of accountability and enforcement in state election laws. Republicans have raised the issue of inaccuracies in voter registration to the Secretary of State's office.

When asked about his own stance, Sen. Metsger deferred to the "other side" of the issue: voter apathy.

"But on the flip side we have thousands of people who are registered to vote, but don't. I think it is incumbent upon the Secretary of State to reach out and engage the electorate on why their voice is important," said Metsger

Metsger hopes to create "democracy centers" in public universities to help combat this problem although he'd like to get some help from his colleagues.

"We also have about 5,000 public officials in this state who could be mentors to young people who could be helpful in that endeavor."

Metsger used to be a teacher at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, but spent most of his professional career as a television anchorman at KOIN-TV. He was elected to the State Senate in 1998 and has been re-elected twice.

He is currently chairman of the Interim Senate Committee on Transportation. His wife Kay is an open-heart surgery nurse at Providence St. Vincent Hospital.