Yellott refuses to comment multiple times

George “Sonny” Yellott has run for public office before, but this time he is also running from the media.

Yellott, an unopposed candidate for the District 4 seat on the MHCC District board on the May 21 ballot, refused a telephone interview request from The Advocate on three separate occasions and abruptly hung up on the second try.

During a brief phone exchange, his reasoning for refusing an interview was his skepticism of the media.

The media prints lies and quickly becomes hostile after appearing cordial at first, Yellott said.

Asked again for an interview on Thursday morning, Yellott said he did not wish to be exposed to what he called a “lying media.”

“The media has not been comporting itself properly over the last 10 years,” said Yellott. He called the media a lying and corrosive entity.

Yellott cited this reason for his reluctance to speak with any member of the media, including The Advocate.

Lisa Anderson, a reporter from The Outlook, Gresham’s twice-weekly newspaper, contacted Yellott Thursday with a phone call during which he told her “the media is a radical organization” that he does not trust to report the truth, she said.

Anderson had previously tried contacting him three times with no response.

Yellott did tell The Advocate that he wanted to run for the board to continue the traditions of MHCC.

Yellott ran as a Republican for the Oregon House of Representatives District 48 seat against Democratic candidate Jeff Reardon in 2012, and was defeated in November, 5,343 votes to 1,755.

Yellott was previously a precinct committee person and District 48 captain for the Multnomah County Republican Party, according to his campaign filing documents.

His statements say he has experience as an associate member at Pacific Northwest Paralegal Club, Oregon Citizens Lobby and Americans for Prosperity.

According to Yellott’s filing information, he has been a casino employee, a bartender and a truck driver.

Yellott wrote that he attended the Maywood Park Campus to take computer classes on two separate occasions.

His statement said, “I will research ways to enable the board of MHCC to continue in the quest for excellence and to develop ways to enhance building the stellar image of this fine institution.”

Yellott is running to replace two-term MHCC board member Rod Monroe, who chose not to seek re-election this year.