Woman on a Mission (Barbara Ross)

Corvallis Gazette-Times:

[Barbara] Ross also became active in Democratic politics. In 1976 she led the search committee to draft a candidate for Benton County commissioner, but “we couldn’t find anybody but a bunch of droopy old men.”

So Ross tossed her own hat into the ring.

Conventional wisdom at the time said a social worker — especially a female social worker — could never win the election. Not only did Ross win, but she held onto her seat on the Board of Commissioners for the next 10 years.

The Oregon Legislature had recently passed the state’s groundbreaking land-use planning laws, which meant Ross had a hand in crafting the county’s first comprehensive plan. She also helped forge a solid partnership between county government and the city of Corvallis.

Read the full article here. Discuss below.