MHCC provides common thread for three state representative candidates

Three candidates for state representative share common campaign themes, such as job creation and bettering the economy, as well as a common relationship with MHCC.
Maggie Nelson (R.), running 47th district, Matthew Wand (R.), running for 49th district, and Chris Gorsek (D.), who is also running for 49th district each have ties to MHCC.
Nelson is currently serving as an MHCC district board member, Gorsek is a geography and criminal justice instructor at MHCC while Wand who was a student at MHCC for two years before transferring and graduating at Portland State University with a political science degree.

Maggie Nelson

Nelson, currently serves as an MHCC district board member, a position she has held since last year.
Though this is Nelson’s first time running for a state legislative position, she is confident in her success in the fall.

I believe I have a great chance of winning because I am committed to doing the hard work it will take to win the race. There are dedicated volunteers working with me on the campaign and together, with teamwork, we can move mountains,” she said.

When asked her reasoning is for running, Nelson said, “As I wound down my career as an educator and gained knowledge serving on the Board at Mt. Hood

Community College, I began to think of ways that I might further apply my experiences and knowledge in service to others.”

I have always been interested in the health, welfare and industry of our state,” she said.

In regards to her priorities should she get elected, Nelson said, “Jobs creation and a healthy economy is the first priority in Oregon. We need to target ways to cut taxes and regulations on business with a focus on helping business succeed.”

As an advocate of education I will work for stable school funding at all levels. Oregonians need a strong educational climate with career pathways, which prepare students to participate on a global level,” she said.
As a child, Nelson was raised on a wheat farm. That, along with spending her adult years in the urban Portland environment has given her an “appreciation for the needs and concerns of both the rural and urban citizens of Oregon,” said Nelson.

Matt Wand

Wand has previously run for city council in Troutdale twice, served as Troutdale city councilor from 2009 through the end of 2010, and also ran for state representative in January 2011, a position he has since held.

In response to what he aims to achieve and the focal point for his campaign, Wand said,

“My main focus is bringing in jobs to the Troutdale industrial area and to Fairview and helping redevelop Rockwood with local jobs,” he said, adding that his reason for running is to “help make east county more prosperous and help us be more self-sufficient.”

Wand emphasized the need to battle unemployment in the current recession.
“It’s imperative that we make sure that we’re providing an atmosphere for jobs for our young people, because if we don’t, the best and brightest will move away and we want the best and the brightest to stay here in the community,” he said.

His said that the more people that are put back to work, the more tax payers there are and more revenues are obtained.

Chris Gorsek

Gorsek, who also has experience with governmental work, served as Troutdale city councilor from 2003-06.

Gorsek also ran for Oregon State Senate last year where he accumulated approximately 18,000 votes to the winning candidate’s 24,000.

As for his reasons for running, “There’s a lot going on nationally and in the state and local situations and it seemed like a good time to step up and see if I can help with some of the real serious situations that we face…also public service is very important to me,” he said.

“I like to, in the various things that I do try to give back to the community, and this is one way to do that,” said Gorsek.
Being a teacher, it may come to no surprise to some that the focus of Gorsek’s campaign is to revamp and help create more funding for the educational system.

“One thing would be to deal with the somewhat uncertainty related to education funding,” said Gorsek of his priorities. “I think we really need to find a long term stable way to fund education. We can talk a lot about restructuring, but at the root of everything it’s the amount of funding.
“Education is just so important, it’s really the base of everything else within our society,” said Gorsek

Gorsek also sees job creation as a priority. “We want good solid jobs that help people raise families and to get their kids to good schools,” said Gorsek.
“We have the land and I think if we all work in a coordinated fashion I think that we can bring some really good jobs to east county,” he said.

“This district has a lot of people that are hurting, so job creation is especially important.” Said Gorsek.