Sen. Vicki Walker resigns to lead state parole board
Kari Chisholm
State Senator Vicki Walker (D-Eugene) has been appointed by Governor Kulongoski to lead the state parole board. She starts Monday. From the O:
Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, will resign her legislative seat as of Sunday to become chair of the Oregon Board of Parole and Supervision.Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced Walker's appointment, which is subject to Senate confirmation.
Walker has worked as a self-employed court reporter for more than 25 years. After working as a citizen lobbyist, she won election to the Oregon House in 1998. She was elected to the state Senate in 2002.
She is a long-time member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Joint Ways & Means budget-writing committee. During the 2007 session, Walker chaired the Senate's Education and Government Committee.
In 2008, she ran for Secretary of State. In 2006, she considered running for Governor - but eventually ran for re-election in a hotly-contested race with Jim Torrey, the former Republican mayor of Eugene.
With her resignation, her Senate seat becomes vacant. As usual, local Democratic Party precinct committee people will nominate 3-5 candidates - and the Lane County Commission will select the new Senator. Her seat will be up in 2010, per the regular election schedule.
No word yet on prospective candidates for her seat. Her Senate district encompasses the House districts of Rep. Nancy Nathanson and Rep. Chris Edwards.
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Jul 9, '09
The parole board position is perfect for Vicki, and vice versa. I've always found Vicki to be very personable, competent and compassionate. Good luck, Vicki!
Jul 9, '09
Good for her!
I echo Scott's remarks.
2:33 p.m.
Jul 9, '09
This will be interesting Their is a long history of conflicts between the local party folks and the Lane County commissioners in filling vacancies in legislative seats.
It is rumored that both Nancy Nathanson and Chris Edwards were eyeing the seat if Walker had simply not run for reelection, but now it will be very interesting to see how this might play out.
Jul 9, '09
Replacement conventions and the 3-5 people they send to county comm. are always interesting, regardless of party.
If the people in the room making the decision like one person better than another, want to "make a statement" by choosing one person or another, there can be interesting results. If one candidate called every voting delegate to ask for their vote while the other "assumed " a dynamite speech would make up for being lazy and not making such phone calls, or if one candidate is seen as too young, one candidate in front of commissioners is seen as giving a boilerplate speech more suited to a party convention than to commissioners deciding an appointment (all situations I have seen in such a process over the decades), and another had found out the important issues for each of the commissioners and spoke of them publicly, the result can be unpredictable.
And then if a state rep. is chosen, the process starts all over again to fill the state rep. seat.
Jul 9, '09
It'll be interesting. Val Hoyle (former Lane County Dem Chair) is certainly a possibility. I could also see Nathanson and Edwards too. Although my guess is that if Defazio runs for governor, then Edwards and Prozanski will be duking it out for his seat in congress (not Sorenson - as hard as he will try).
Jul 9, '09
Senator Walker's tenacity will be missed in the Senate. In the go-along to get-along world of politics, she was always willing to tug on Superman's cape. It is the Parole Board's gain the Senate's loss.
Jul 9, '09
She also had a sh*t list a mile long and too often set her voting patterns off of it. You can call that tenacity, you might also call it childish and immature.
Jul 9, '09
She also had a sh*t list a mile long and too often set her voting patterns off of it. You can call that tenacity, you might also call it childish and immature.
Second.
Jul 9, '09
Earlier in her career, Sen. Walker was a decent legislator, if a bit temperamental. But since losing two statewide races, she became bitter and vindictive. Most of her key votes this past session were based on grudges or vendettas. I suspect that most of her legislative colleagues are more than happy to see her leave the Senate. Hopefully, she will be able to get her act together for the serious work ahead.
Jul 9, '09
Sorry, CI, but I remain a fan. I am grateful for some work she did in an earlier session which helped with a problem in our area. She has always been friendly to me whenever I have been in the capitol. That has a lot to do with why I voted for her in the primary last year (although I am sure Kate will be a good Sec. of State).
I think she will do a great job and wish her the best of luck in her new position.
Thank you for your remarks, Posted by: Darrell Fuller | Jul 9, 2009 5:57:16 PM
I wish we had more like Vicki and fewer who seem slick by not willing to discuss things in public (yes, Mark Hass, that means you).
Cool guy, very interesting comment.
Jul 10, '09
Capitol Insider has it right. Walker turned into a bitter, mean person who attacked the incumbent Democratic Governor and voted against the Metolius Bill. She constantly carped about the pay so now that she is on the gravy train maybe we'll hear less of that. This must be the Governor's idea of a joke. Walker's rants are going to get a little more attention now that she's head of the parole board.
Jul 10, '09
Yeah, I think it's a mixed verdict on her tenure. Although she's often very pleasant, she's also been quite reactionary. It wasn't enough that Goldschmidt was (deservedly) drummed from public life, for her, everyone affiliated with him had to be similarly "punished". When SAIF had its problems, reforming it wasn't enough, she had to try to eliminate it (with a private company, no less). When she got mad at the DAs for opposing 3508, which guts M57, she publicly stated that they should be "punished" in budget negotiations. If we want to elevate the level of politics in this State, we've got to get beyond that sort of thinking.
9:08 a.m.
Jul 10, '09
Vicki Walker did her homework and always made sure she had a grasp of details. More than most, she also made sure she understood the views of both sides, even when she might ultimately take one over the other. Many legislators will struggle with a transition to an executive position; I suspect Walker will take to it like a fish to water. Good luck, Vicki!
I second the opinion that Val Hoyle would make a fantastic replacement; also a details person.
Jul 10, '09
She may have been consistent and upfront on certain issues, so it's no surprise that there are some people out there who - based on the one or the few issues they interacted with her on - will be lauding her service. That will be true of any legislator.
But on too many issues (WAY too many issues) her votes were about vendettas and retribution. Rumor has it that certain other legislators even went so far as to attempt to disguise their attachment to their own priority bills lest those bills suddenly die in her committee. That's a petty and ultimately destructive way to legislate, if true.
9:51 a.m.
Jul 10, '09
I'm a big fan of Vicki Walker. Anonymous critics notwithstanding, I know Vicki Walker to be highly motivated in service of basic fairness and the public interest, and absolutely fearless when it comes to standing up for the little guys against the powerful.
I have no doubt that she will excel in her new role.
9:53 a.m.
Jul 10, '09
mlw makes what has become a common confusion between "reactive" and "reactionary." A reactionary is an ultra-conservative who wants reverse major political reforms or revolutions. E.g. those who wanted to go back to the Ancien Régime after the French revolution (and even more so monarchists after the fall of Napoleon II in the late 19th c.), or aristocrats who wanted to reverse the British reforms of 1832, or post-Civil War white southerners who wanted to restore slavery or the nearest thing they could get to it with the 1866 Black Codes & later related attidudes, or current "conservatives" who want to take the U.S. back to 1896.
Reactionary as an adjective means having characteristics associated with reactionaries as a kind of political person.
It does NOT mean tending to act in a reactive or reflexive manner, cf. "knee-jerk" etc. Sometime in the 1990s I started to notice my college students making this mistake in their writings and since most of them must be in their 30s now and some approaching 40, I suppose this may be one of those usage changes that is too late to reverse.
But it really is a problem, because if a left-leaner like Vicki Walker is being reactive rather than thoughtful, that's very different to saying she's gone over to join Grover Norquist or the Council of Conservative Citizens or the Dominionist versions of Christian Conservatism.
It can be even more confusing when talking about a relatively conservative person. Let's say Jack Roberts uncharacteristically lets someone get up his nose about something and responds reactively in an atypical way. It still would be wrong to call him a reactionary. He'd just be having a bad day. Or Kurt Chapman who comments here often in a complex NAV way. Or take Jack Bogdanski, I'd say he's reactive fairly often, but it would be way off base to call him reactionary.
10:31 a.m.
Jul 10, '09
Pretty radical agenda you have there, Chris, trying to preserve the integrity of the language. Next you'll be trying to restore the original meaning of "virtual," which used to mean the opposite of the way it is used now.
Jul 10, '09
What can I say Chris, I'm a complex NAV type of guy ;-).
12:29 p.m.
Jul 10, '09
Does Val live in that district? I, too, think she would be a fair, compassionate legislator beholden only to the people who have her show up on their doorsteps year after year. I've known her through that last doozy of an election cycle, and she has the chops to bring some serious action to Salem.
The comment I posted on Mapes' coverage of this was: "NANCY NATHANSON." I think Nancy would be an unbelievably effective senator, but only if she wants it for the long haul and isn't planning to run for mayor in 2012.
And yeah, I've gotten the sense that Chris Edwards has his eyes on Congress, but he would very naturally ascend to the Senate, as well.
Lane County has a deep bench to fill that seat, even with some folks I know have no interest in running for the legislature, but certainly have the KSAs.
As a Lane County Democrat until a very recent move, I'd say Val or Nancy should be backed up with some PCPs who have no interest, then send that to the commission to get one of those two dedicated women into the Senate.
Jul 10, '09
I have known Vicki for a long time and find her frank honesty to be a breath of fresh air in the legislature where the biggest concern is not what is good for Oregon but how do they get elected to their dismal paying positions. I love her uncompromising positions on issues that matter to her.
I am a little worried that she may be too vocal for the Parole Board and could compromise what must be a rational and throughful decision to release some real serious bad offenders or to leave them behind bars.
There can't be a lot of press for the Chair of the board or it will become the defense bars dream come true. Maybe that will work out ok though.
Good luck Vicki You have earned your place in the sun.
Jul 10, '09
Whether you liked her or not, she always seemed to me to go with her gut, rather than whatever group of lobbyists were hottest on an issue. That her gut may sometimes have been listening to her resentments or desire to retaliate, may be true...but it also was much of the time clearly listening to her personal values and political philosophy. I really wish her well.
Jul 11, '09
After Kelly the meth-head Wirth resigned in discrace, Walker moved up on the list as the most crazy legislator on the D side (on the R side there is just too many to pick from). It is a great thing for our party to have her gone and in a dead end job like the - yawn- parole board.
Jul 11, '09
Vicki Walker leaving the Senate will be a real loss to Lane County. She did many good things for people and her office was top notch when it came to service.
Either Nathanson or Edwards will do a good job in the Senate seat. I kind of give Edwards the edge.
Jul 12, '09
Let’s not forget Ms. Walker was the only Dem with the ovaries to expose Goldschmit’s sexual abuse of a minor.
While others were happy to keep quiet so as not to disturb the power paradigm in state government she had the courage to put principal first.
For this she deserves the respect of all Oregonians.
Jul 12, '09
Capitol Insider has it right. As a child of abuse, she learned from the best, and became an incomparable, abusive bully. Her stupid rants and crybaby meltdowns coupled with vindictive and behavior toward anyone who voted against her blemished government process. Her spiteful "leadership" will not be missed. What a brilliant move to get rid of her, and do everyone (except those on the parole board) a favor.
Glad she's off the pony!
Jul 12, '09
OK, I stand corrected on my grammar. Let me put it more clearly - she reacts inappropriately personally in far too many circumstances. A few times, it has worked out well for the State. More often, it makes her look petty and diminishes the Progressive cause. The Parole Board is not the place for someone who makes quick, irrational decisions and has demonstrated very little real leadership.
Jul 13, '09
Sadly, for no clear reason Walker worked against protections for the Metolius River not only this session but in 2007 as well. She was completely and totally out of step with her district on this and other issues.
She will not be missed.
More importantly, her district will have the opportunity to elect a more effective senator.
Jul 15, '09
Interesting that many of you have referred to Vicki's "grudges or vendettas." Prior to last week, I'm sure those same people would have included the Gov. on that list as well. Perhaps the rest of that "list" is inaccurate as well.
Having visited her office many times last session, I can assure you she was always fair and honest. Even if we didn't always agree, I appreciated that I always knew where I stood.
<h2>I'm sure the residents in SD 7 were well-served by her presence.</h2>