Program date: April 19, 2024
Air date: April 22, 2024
From the City Club of Eugene:
Three candidates running for two Lane County seats in the Oregon State Legislature will be featured in a candidate forum at City Club this Friday. Incumbent Charlie Conrad, R-Eastern Lane County is running for his second term. His Republican opponent in the May 21 Primary did not respond to invitations to participate. Two Democrat candidates are seeking to fill the open seat created by the retirement of Rep. Paul Holvey.
House District 8
Two Democrats, Doyle Canning and Lisa Fragala, are running in the Primary to fill the House District # 12 seat currently held by Rep. Paul Holvey. Although he handily survived a recall attempt in 2023 with overwhelming support from voters (only 10% of those who voted support recall), Holvey is not running for re-election. He was first appointed to the legislature in 2004 and is recognized for determination and patience in getting legacy legislation such field burning bills through the Oregon legislative process. Holvey has served in the Oregon Legislature for the past 20 years. His retirement leaves an open seat that statistically will go to another Democrat. Essentially, the May 21st primary election will determine who fills this seat.
House District 12
The only Republican representative in the Lane County legislative delegation, Rep. Charlie Conrad is running for a second term. Conrad was elected in 2022. Commonly referred to as “primarying,” Conrad has been targeted by some conservative groups for being the only member of his party to vote yes on a bill related to reproductive rights and healthcare.
MODERATOR: Rebecca Hansen-White, KLCC Reporter moderates.
Speakers:
Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading
Rep. Charlie Conrad-R, Oregon House Dist. 12 – Eastern Lane County, served his first term in the Oregon legislature in 2023. He describes himself as a moderate Republican. Some of his priorities are to improve the juvenile and mental health systems, improve emergency response, and increase the number of volunteer firefighters in rural areas. He has been a Lane County Corrections Officer, Springfield Police Officer, and a researcher for the League of Oregon Cities and worked for Lane County Parks and Lane Events Center. He also served on the Lane County Planning Commission. He and his family are residents of Dexter.
Doyle Canning, South Eugene mom, small business owner, attorney, and Legislative Director in the Oregon House of Representatives, Doyle lives in Friendly/Amazon with her family and is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law. She is a 4J public schools parent and co-chair of Yes for 4J Schools. Working in the Oregon legislature, Doyle has crafted and helped to guide bi-partisan legislation for climate, abortion rights, addiction treatment, and housing successfully into law. Doyle advises labor unions on clean energy jobs and advocated for essential workers through the pandemic.
Lisa Fragala has called Eugene home for 30+ years. After earning her M.Ed at OSU, she taught in local schools for close to 25. She worked with statewide coalitions to pass the Student Success Act resulting in historic investments in Oregon’s schools. Now she is preparing the next generation of teachers at Pacific University. Since 2018, Lisa has served on LCC’s Board of Education. During the Pandemic, she helped transition the college to online classes ensuring students had access to an uninterrupted education. Lisa has overseen investments in Career Technical Education and workforce development such as LCC’s nursing and paramedic programs. For six years, Lisa has served on the City of Eugene Planning Commission.
About the City Club of Eugene:
The mission of the City Club of Eugene is to build community vision through open inquiry. The Club explores a wide range of significant local, state, and national issues and helps to formulate new approaches and solutions to problems. Membership is open to all, and Club members have a direct influence on public policy by discussing issues of concern with elected officials and other policy makers. The City Club’s mailing address is PO Box 12084, Eugene, OR 97440, and its website is cityclubofeugene.org.
Video and Broadcast
This program will be live streamed, and the videotape will be made available on the City Club of Eugene’s Facebook page and You Tube Channel, in addition to our website. It will be broadcast on Monday, April 22 at 7:00 pm, on KLCC 89.7 FM.
Contact: For more information, visit CityClubOfEugene.org.