The News Review Endorses Tim Freeman
The News-Review
Editorial: House District 2
October 16, 2008
After the primary election eliminated one Republican candidate who wanted to fill the popular legislator’s shoes, Douglas County voters now must now make their choice between the victor of that primary race, Tim Freeman, and Democratic candidate Harry McDermott.
In a News-Review editorial board meeting with the two candidates for House District 2, it was clear both have a desire to represent the best interests of Douglas County residents in Salem. While both lean toward the philosophies of their chosen parties, they recognize their mission is to improve the lives of local residents regardless of party affiliation.
Some areas they agree on, such as the importance of providing a good education and adequate public safety through the Oregon State Police. They disagree, however, on the role of job creation.
While Freeman, the owner of the Garden Valley shell station in Roseburg, sees creating jobs as a key factor in strengthening the state economy, McDermott, a self-employed real-estate appraiser, dismisses that idea as being too simplistic, believing growth cannot be unlimited.
Both Freeman and McDermott come to this race following experiences in public service. Freeman spent five years on the Roseburg City Council, three of those years as council president. Before that, he was on the city’s budget committee. McDermott focused on education and is in his second four-year term on the board of the Douglas Education Service District. He’s chaired the board for two years.
We recognize both unpaid positions come with a lot of homework and tough decisions on how to spend the public’s money while effectively operating either a city or an education district. We appreciate the time both men have put into those positions and their willingness to serve in what can be thankless jobs.
Freeman has an edge in the race for the state Legislature, however. He’s gone beyond the local level to serve as the general government committee chairman for the League of Oregon Cities, giving him more familiarity with what he will see in Salem.
He also faced a tough primary opponent leading up the May election, which means he’s spent more time walking the neighborhoods of his district to meet people and hear their ideas. He’s also had more time to develop his priorities and platform. He’s written a position paper on the state’s transportation system and another on health care. He has a long list of endorsements from local and statewide groups and gained the support of legislator Morgan as well.
While on the City Council he learned some tough lessons about the importance of listening to others and learning to get along with a diverse group of people. He understands that building relationships is an important step in achieving goals.
Simply put, Freeman has done his homework to prepare for serving in a statewide office, and he has earned our endorsement for House District 2.
