Why I Support Ellen Rosenblum for Attorney General
By Kate Wilkinson of Brookings, OR. Kate is a practicing lawyer and former President of Oregon Women Lawyers.
I support Ellen Rosenblum for Attorney General because she is the best candidate for the job. She has the professional experience and personal attributes to make the Oregon Department of Justice the nationa s leader in protecting our citizens and in ensuring that our state agencies function within the law and in a way that encourages business growth and serves the public. She is running (and running very hard) for this office because she loves this state and because she views this job as part of her life-long commitment to public service.
As many of you know, Ellen has a long and varied career here in Oregon. She spent 5 years practicing law as a small-firm attorney in Eugene and 8 years as a US Attorney in both Eugene and Portland. She went on to the Multnomah County bench and served for 16 years. She was then appointed to the Oregon Court of Appeals and spent 6 years on that court. She has been a practicing lawyer, a prosecutor and a judge. All of these roles have given her a deep understanding of our state and its legal system.
Despite a full professional and family life (she is a mother of 2), Ellen has always been highly involved in our community and in our profession. She has served on many Boards and Commissions and has been a dedicated advocate for diversity and access to justice both locally and nationally through the American bar Association. Ellen has shown her commitment to our profession and to our state in too many ways to count.
On a personal level, Ellen has been a friend, mentor, and champion to countless law students and lawyers, many of those from diverse and non-traditional backgrounds. She is never too busy to teach and to mentor. Ellen is intelligent, savvy, ethical and dynamic. She brings people together, and she is a tireless worker.
Ellen has a long history of supporting women and minority lawyers in our state. In 1989, she was a founding board member of Oregon Women Lawyers and, years earlier, she helped started Lane County Women Lawyers. She has guided and nourished OWLS in numerous ways over the years. As a former OWLS President, I am particularly proud to support Ellen in this race. Numerous other former OWLS Presidents join me in supporting Ellen, including our founding President Katherine Oa Neil (Portland), Agnes Sowle (former Multnomah County attorney), Helle Rode, Phylis Myles (Salem), Patricia Heatherman (Bend), Debra Pilcher Velure (Eugene), Lori E. Deveny (Portland), Elizabeth Schwartz (Portland), Sarah Crooks (Portland), Norma Freitas (Salem), Heather Van Meter (Portland), and Heather Weigler (Portland).
I hope that you will join us in our support for Ellen and help elect her as our first female Attorney General. Please visit EllenRosenblum.com to learn more.
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April 18, 2012
Posted in guest column. |
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11:31 p.m.
Apr 18, '12
I am more than happy to join in the support of Ellen, as an appointee for the past 7 years of a State Agency the Oregon Medical Marijuana Progam. The conflict of interest created by the Attorney Generals Office over the State/Federal clash of law has caused the undue hurting of the ill who utilize this Program. Decisiveness aside Ellen will be a breath of fresh air as the new AG who understands the will of the voters and plight of the sick. A trait of compassion in law enforcement that can save our State millions.
Jim Klahr www.jimklahr4rep.com
12:06 a.m.
Apr 19, '12
I am an OMMP patient who also supports Ellen. Dwight has clearly shown his federal background makes him unacceptable as our AG.
Dwight and some members of law enforcement have long bemoaned the scant checks they are permitted to conduct on growing facilities. They feel hamstrung by laws that turn regulatory authority to the OHA, arguing that the police should be able to check into legal operations where there is even the slightest suspicion criminal activity might be happening.
Dwight wants to bypass key phrases guaranteed in our Constitution, like probable cause, and specific descriptions. He feels the ‘troublesome’ requirement that police convince a judge to grant a warrant before they violate an individual's person, papers, property or privacy needs to be changed.
On her website, way down below under issues, Ellen wrote “The priorities of the next Attorney General need to be wisely using our limited tax dollars - protecting consumers and prosecuting dangerous criminals. I do not believe that prosecuting people for possessing small amounts of marijuana represents the best use of our resources. A better use of those resources is providing more treatment options for people with drug and alcohol addiction. As Attorney General, I will make marijuana enforcement a low priority, and protect the rights of medical marijuana patients.
That alone should convince you to vote for Ellen Rosenblum for the first female Attorney General in Oregon.
11:20 a.m.
Apr 20, '12
I am impressed with her message and those who support her. It is also clear that we need more and more progressive women in positions of political leadership in the wake of the GOP war on women. What we do need is real public safety, safe streets and neighborhoods, and not more war on marijuana.