Oregon will miss our friend Rick Metsger's fair minded and independent, yet compassionate influence in the Oregon Senate. We had thought some day Governor Metsger would be elected from our area, but that is not to be, at least yet. Rick has the political moxie for this, as well as for many other roles he will now have time to consider.
        Having grown up in Sandy (his dad was long time postmaster) and Gresham (graduated from Centennial), Rick went on to varied careers with many challenges and achievements. (He was fired from KOIN TV in '90s for vigorous pursuit of on site information about leaking nuclear waste tanks at Hanford, for which he was later awarded Best Investigative Reporting by The Associate Press Broadcasters Association.) Several continuing family tragedies slowed life down but didn't eventually interfere with his countering party officials to challenge for the state Senate in yet another of continuing oppositions to establishment norms.
        He has handily won each reelection. In '06 against a prominent Hood River opponent in a vigorous campaign, he demonstrated his well known decency in not countering the unfair, untrue and completely unsubstantiated smear campaign tactics leveled at him, even winning Hood River voters over. His Senate career has consistently demonstrated this decency, in thoughtfulness to others including legislative aids. Rick helps them initiate and carry through their own measures, sometimes with all the difficulties frequently experienced in legislative attempts. This former teacher at Sam Barlow High School (one of his varied professional vocations) just can't quit teaching.
        Since Rick will not be seeking reelection to a fourth term and the leadership position in which he has worked tirelessly for Oregon and the Gresham-Boring-Sandy areas, we might ask, why leave now? So now may also be a good time for we constituents to pause and ask just why someone would want to sacrifice so much to serve in a position of considerable influence that takes so much time and energy, and down right physical effort, and at a considerable financial sacrifice ($20,000/year salary for elective legislative positions)? And then to keep it up for 11 years under conditions with often nearly intractable problems requiring compromise among widely divergent individuals and groups with different and frequently opposite opinions about just what should be done. Then with mostly an only superficially attentive public with our own strong and impatient (often poorly informed) opinions, and all in all you have what makes for a very frustrating position. Only those like Rick, and our other fine local representatives to Salem such as State Representatives Suzanne VanOrman Greg Matthews, Brent Barton and Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson seem up to this type of (shall we call it) challenging exhilaration. (Others might call it abuse!)
        I have watched Rick vigorously engaged in Salem this past session leading efforts to help restore Oregon's economy. I was focused on health care, and was watching several selected health care bills intensely, and found that Rick was instead even more intensely focused on dozens of others (under his committee responsibilities) among the 1500 bills being considered. That's part of what legislators must deal with, e.g. constituents, each with an usually narrow focus expecting their representative to yield to this special interest. In fact economic development (Rick's main responsibility) and health care are joined at the hip, as are education, environment/energy, electoral reform and transportation (not to speak of budget balancing) and many other factors, all of which Rick has played important roles in influencing. Rick and Senator Monnes Anderson were also among the leaders crucial in helping new arrivals including Nick, Suzanne, Greg and Brent take their places in moving into their respective leadership positions dealing with a vast number of these and other issues.
        So thank you, Rick (and all you others from our communities who are wiling to serve those of us who are unable, or unwilling to do so). It will be good to have you back more casually as a friend and neighbor. And we wish for you some restful reprieve and down time with wife Kay at your wonderful home in our nearby mountains as you take stock of events, your family and other personal obligations and contemplate what life brings next for Kay and you.
        Dick McQueen,
        P.O. Box 264, Wildwood—(503) 622-0162.