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City Club of Eugene: The Short Session: Legislators' Preview

From the City Club of Eugene:

Just three days before the legislative short session begins in Salem on February 3, two legislators will answer some important questions. What can be accomplished in the legislature before the constitutionally set ending date of March 8?  Will there be chaos or cooperation? Will the Senate even meet?  Will there be any climate legislation?  Gun safety legislation? New initiatives?  Budget adjustments? Two local legislators will describe their expectations of what can be accomplished. Join us for the latest updates before the session starts.

Speakers:

Senator Lee Beyer

After military service, Lee Beyer attended Lane Community College and the University of Oregon, financing his education with the GI Bill and working the swing shift at a local mill.   He graduated with a degree in management and started his first professional job in Corvallis, managing vocational training programs.  During that period, Lee assisted the Linn, Benton, and Lincoln County Commissions in establishing the forerunner of today’s non-profit Community Services Consortium, Inc.  In the mid-1970s, Lee accepted a position as a management analyst with the Oregon Executive Department, and in 1978, he began managing one of the largest employment and vocational training programs in Oregon.   In 1983, Lee joined the Eugene Business Assistance Team, formed in the midst of the 1980s recession to help promote economic recovery.  Lee worked as a small business advocate and development consultant through 1997 when he was hired as the Executive Director for the Metro Partnership, Inc.

In 1978, Lee was appointed to the Springfield City Planning Commission.  That appointment led in 1986 to his first election to the Springfield City Council, where he remained until 1993.  In 1991 he entered the Oregon Legislature as a state representative and in 1998 Lee was elected to the State Senate. In 2001, Governor Kitzhaber asked Lee to join the Oregon Public Utility Commission., a consumer protection regulatory agency that oversees all private electric, telecommunications, natural gas, and water utilities. The Commission protected ratepayers from over $600 million in requested rate increases, and Oregon became a national leader in pursuing energy efficiency and shifting to renewable energy resources.  Lee returned to the legislature in 2011. He currently chairs the Joint Transportation Committee and the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources and is a member of the Senate Health and Human Services policy committees.   Lee is also an elected member of the Willamalane Parks & Recreation District board of directors.

Representative Marty Wilde

Marshall (Marty) Wilde grew up in rural Oregon.  After graduating from the University of Maryland, he began his public service by joining the Oregon Army National Guard and later the Air National Guard. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his work in Afghanistan as the leader of the NATO Rule of Law team.

While in the Oregon Guard, Marty finished Law School at University of Oregon. Later, he completed masters degrees in medical law from the University of Houston and Healthcare Administration from the University of Maryland. Between his deployments, he volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate.

After completing full-time military service, he moved back to Eugene in 2010 and began to work more directly to improve the community. He served as President of City Club of Eugene for two years, as a member of the Eugene City Budget Committee for three years, and as a Long Term Care Ombudsman for senior citizens. He also volunteered in support of survivors of domestic violence and with the Senior Law Service, while working in a family law practice.  He transitioned to the position of Executive Director of the Lane County Medical Society, where he helped improve access to care for patients on the Oregon Health Plan, unionize physicians, and organize a Women’s Circle to help female physicians network and support one another. In 2018, he was elected as the representative for Oregon HD11, covering areas of Eugene, Springfield, Creswell, Marcola, Brownsville, and Halsey.  He serves on committees dealing with issues related to the environment, veterans’ rights, and water.

Copyright KLCC, 2020

Love Cross joined KLCC in 2017. She began her public radio career as a graduate student, serving as Morning Edition Host for Boise State Public Radio in the late 1990s. She earned her undergraduate degree in Rhetoric and Communication from University of California at Davis, and her Master’s Degree from Boise State University. In addition to her work in public radio, Love teaches college-level courses in Communication and Public Speaking.