Go, Lew, Go! You're exactly the kind of person I want to see serving in the State House: experienced, independent and deeply tied to the district. I've been honored to work with you as an activist and have you serve on the Bus Project Board of Directors.

We've got an embarrassment of riches competing for HD 43 and I'd be honored to be represented by many of them, but with 35 years in the district, decades directly serving the community and many election cycles as a tireless activist, it's Lew's time.

Dave and Lew,

Your efforts (Dave on Mandarin, Lew on elementary schools) are well intentioned. But just talking about them doesn't get there.

There are programs like AVID which teach "middle" secondary students (the ones with the 2.5 gpa, perhaps in a family which has never had anyone go to college) how to set goals and achieve them, as well as providing intellectual rigor. One main component is a plan--steps to a goal. Have you worked out those steps yet?

What role do excellent principals and vice principals play in excellent schools? To my mind the best are worth their weight in gold. They are very practical, have good people skills, and can motivate and inspire staff.

How many Oregonians live in school districts where school board members are willing to engage in dialogue with ordinary folks, in person or by email? How many board members, superintendents, and others in district management have an imperial attitude as if citizens have no right to question them? Do school board members act as the supervisors of the Supt., or as that person's subordinates?

First, after stating the goal, you need to have the basics in place. Our district had a Chalkboard Project audit which came out very well in many areas. But, what would have been no surprise to many living here, their HR process is a mess. Regardless of whether the position open is certified (teacher, etc.) or classified (classroom or library asst., school secretary, computer expert, etc.), if qualified applicants take the attitude "why on earth would I want to apply there?", how does a school hire the best possible employees?

For too many years there has been an attitude in this state that the pay packages and job performance of teachers (and other frontline workers) should be a topic of public discussion and microscopic examination.

Administrators above the principal level, however seem to be exempt from that scrutiny--"gotta pay well to attract good people" approach which sounds like "whatever the market will bear". Management is infallible but front line workers must be watched like hawks? Hardly an atmosphere which rewards education as a profession!

A local example is this. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090929/NEWS/909290328/1001&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

WESD Supt. fired for, among other things, what look like financial improprieties.

Do schools have the staff and funding to put your programs into place? I talked with a friend at the end of the summer who said an extra program was offered to the school where she works and staff reaction was "hours of support staff cut but you want us to get excited about a new program?"

Mentorship is a great program. How many districts currently have that?

About this: "It means making the internet accessible even to our poorest students, outside of school. It means removing barriers to participation in sports, music, and other after school activities that engage students."

Exactly how do you hope to provide that? I have worked in YMCA before/after school care. There is tremendous turnover. Tough to find high quality people willing to work at low pay, dealing (at best) with high energy kids who have just gotten out of school, working as an afternoon assistant for just a few hours a day or the before/after shift which amounts to a split shift over roughly a 12 hour period. (arrive at 6:45 AM, leave after school starts, go about 2:30 or so tobring snack from the Y, set up before school gets out, last students go home about 6pm). And that was just snack, homework/quiet time, and then organized playtime indoors or playground time in good weather.

Some schools are lucky to be walking distance from a Boys and Girls Club, but not all. (There is one in Salem)

Dave, is there currently a teaching certificate endorsement for Mandarin? Outside of private concerns (like ELCI in Monmouth) how many Mandarin speakers are there in Oregon? Without adequate funding, how many Oregon schools currently teach more than one foreign language?

Goals are great, but logistics are where the "rubber meets the road".

I am a Professor Emeritus of Anthropology from Stanford University, an Oregonian by choice for 19 years, and a former Member of the Metro Portland Future Vision Commission (1993-95). I am writing in strong support of Lew. I have known him for five years. Since we hang out in the same weekly conversation group, I would estimate that I have had, over those years, perhaps fifty hours of conversation with him. I know him well. I find him to be very well read and well informed on a remarkably wide range of issues, a determinedly dedicated educator, an authentic liberal in his political center of gravity, and a thinker who concentrates on practical ways to get good things done for all Oregonians, short-run and long-run. I don’t live in the 43rd District, so will not try to comment on specific issues there. But, with respect to Lew’s being able to understand, and work for, what’s good for people of Oregon, I find him to be top notch. I strongly support his appointment to the present vacancy, and will support his election thereafter. All Oregonians will be lucky to have him in our Legislature.

It figures.

Lew is not in my district, but it shows that the springboard to good Oregon politics somehow starts in the TV newsroom.

McCall and Metzger come to mind...

As a largely retired educator but someone still involved in educational issues, I welcome Lew's candidacy and his observations on education.

I'm concerned about the less than adequate public education available to Portland students. I applaud Lew's caution about "innovations" when we have solid research-based conclusions as to what "works." Reasonable class sizes and teaching loads can help teachers provide the individual attention students crave. I worry that such advantages (including others, eg. early foreign language instruction, physical education, the arts) are unevenly distributed and largely available only to those who can afford a private school or to those who, by chance,get their children into a charter school. Lew's experience as an educator reveals a sensitivity to the necessary conditions for teaching and learning, conditions which have been seriously compromised in the Portland Public Schools.

The last issue of the NYTimes (9/27)Magazine is devoted to education. It's a good read, and a sidebar mentions programs like EDUCARE in Chicago that are worth emulating. "What works," again, is no secret. The problem is how we can have a revolution in our values so that we truly invest in the education we pretend to "value." I believe Lew is the sort of person capable of carrying such a revolution forward.

The 43rd district would be fortunate to have Lew as our advocate in Salem. We know he is committed to our community, having lived here for three decades. We know he has the experience and expertise to advance solutions to our greatest challenges - our health, our schools, our environment and economy - and we demonstrated that confidence in 2006, when the 43rd voted for Lew to be county comissioner.

There are some solid candidates in this race, and perhaps more to come, but we need an advocate in Salem who is more than up and coming. We need someone who understands the history of N/NE Portland, who has the skills to listen to diverse stakeholders with equally diverse interests, take all those into account, and then go down to Salem and do the righ thing for us, no matter the financial and political pressures.

The only candidate who I am confident can do that is Lew Ferederick, and that's why he has my full support.

Dave, bill numbers please:

"Yes, you are right about logistics. That's why there were five bills in the 2009 legislative session to get the state moving on more Mandarin programs, bills to begin to put logistics into place."

And unless things have changed drastically in the last several years, having a majority of the legislature vote on your bills without a certificate endorsement for teaching Mandarin (or Asian languages or whatever) would mean that instruction could not happen until the endorsement existed.

That was part of what I meant by logistics. That sort of thing doesn't have much of a following, but last I heard someone must be certified with an appropriate endorsement to teach any subject.

Lew is a hack. Is now, always was. He'd be perfect for the legislature. Total captive of the usual Democrat interest groups who he has sucked up to for years.

with Lew over my years in Oregon politics, I am thrilled that he is running to be my state rep. True, there are other great candidates. But, Lew has decades in the district, decades which he has spent as an advocate with a clear commitment to public service. This matters to me. Having an education expert serve our district (especially our district) matters to me. Having someone familiar with the ins and outs of Salem matters to me. I am torn - as a young woman, I love the idea of another young woman in Salem (we only have one woman under 40, the indefatigable Rep. Sara Gelser) and there is certainly an intelligent, passionate young woman running for this seat. But, Lew's state policy experience matters a little bit more in an appointment process, without the arduous campaign to get to know the issues and the players. So, go Lew! Thank you for stepping up.

Hmm. Not sure what happened to the first few words of my post, but they were "Having met many times..."

Lew would make the Legislature a better place, that's for sure.

Yes! I agree that Lew would be an excellent addition to the legislature, and I am glad he had decided to pursue this position. As a staunch Democrat (and, of course, District 43 is overwhelmingly Democratic) I am thankful to Lew for the tremendous work he has done in organizing in North and Northeast Portland to help get Democrats elected statewide, and to help pursue critical issues important to us in North and Northeast Portland.

It's important to remember too that Lew has already proven that he has voter support in District 43. When he ran for County Commissioner, even though he was defeated in the larger County Commissioner District, he won the votes in the precincts that make up House District 43.

You know Dave, why the push for Mandarin when the majority of Oregon public school children are failing basic English, Composition and Math?

Ignorant in your own language will not lead to accomplishment in another language.

I have known Lew since I was a junior in high school, when I became involved in SUPER-SAC, the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. Lew was the liaison between the students of Portland Public Schools and the district.

I could transcribe pages of stories of what Lew has meant to me and how he has impacted my personal and professional lives. More importantly though, I know that Lew has impacted so many other young people in similar ways. Lew simply cares about his community and the people in it.

I have had the opportunity to learn even more about Lew during the last few months. I have seen first-hand the good work that Lew has done with our students and schools, but it has been a fascinating experience to learn even more about Lew's impact in his local community and in the entire community of Oregon. Take, for example, his experience negotiating a contract for employees of KGW. I never knew that Lew was a union guy, but it doesn't surprise me that he would work so hard to ensure that employees and their families were treated fairly.

Lew's broad range of skills and experiences set him on an entirely different level than typical political candidates. Lew is experienced and is ready to serve his community and state in this capacity.

I don't live in HD 43, so I won't get the privilege of voting for Lew. But, I will be offering my evenings and weekends to make sure that we get Lew in the legislature where he belongs.

Go Lew, Go!

Reasons to support someone for the legislature: 1. Bright 2. Caring 3. Knowledgable -- both in general, and on issues affecting his or her constituents and the district 4. Straight (I refer to character, not orientation) 5. Progressive 6. Hard working 7. In touch with constituents 8. Free from control by any single issue group or orga- nization 9. Open to new ideas 10. Works well in groups 11. Courageous 12. Articulate That's a partial list...and I could go on. Lew comes up a ten on each one of those. It also is worth noting that in his run for the County board he knocked on over 2000 doors in District 43, and actually carried district 43 against Cogan, which gives him a huge head start in knowing and understanding me and my neighbors. (Yes, I live in 43.) He also isn't a ____-come-lately to supporting the Democratic Party, as an organiztion, and it is that organization whose support candidates now seek. He's an ideal choice.

I'm in 43. Who else is running, and who is the most progressive? There has to be someone to the left of Lew...

I believe Lew actually lost count around 3214 doors when he was getting out to talk with people during the '06 race - which translates to more than three pairs of shoes!

When I was a canvasser, I'd be very pleased to hit 100 doors in a shift.

Lew's commitment to hearing people out shows through in everything he does - whether it's the way he ran his campaign, the way he operated at PPS, his work on the school board, or anything Lew's been involved with - when he's on a team, you can rest assured that everyone's view will be taken into account, and he'll help the team find the best path forward.

That's what we need in Salem.

Lew has long been an effective advocate and spokesperson for the district. Informed, engaged, inclusive, and insightful - the 'go-to' guy for perspective and advise. We need someone like him in the legislature.

Having been a lifelong resident of NE Portland myself, I am proudly supporting Lew for HD43. He has lived in N/NE Portland for over 35 years and knows the people and their issues intimately. As others have noted before, Lew carried HD43 during his run for county commissioner in 2006. As a PCP in 43, I look forward to giving Lew my vote this month!

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Lew is good.

When it came to the serious barricades and trench warfare in Oregon politics Lew was always there.

He handles himself quite well and I doubt anyone will run against him with half the resume.

Good luck!

Thank you Lew for throwing your hat into the ring. Your tenacity, your energy, your compassion, your knowledge and your skill set will all be assets to the Oregon State Legislature. You have a way of looking at all sides of an issue, and you are never too busy to help others out when they are in need. I am proud to call you my friend, and I hope that you will be successful in this race.

Interested in learning more about Lew Frederick? Visit his new site.

"If we are going to be effective, it is time we address the 80% of inmates in our criminal justice system who suffer from mental illness and drug-related problems."

"Improving public safety means a lot more than hiring more police officers – it demands that we change the way police relate to the community." --From Lew's website - http://www.lewfrederick.org/

Lew's sentiments here are spot on! Oregon's poor, disenfranchised, mentally ill, incarcerated, and young people need Lew's voice in Salem. Everyone, let's get out there and show our support for this champion of human rights, and Oregon prosperity!

In Solidarity, Mark Kimbrell