HD 41: Carolyn Tomei retires; Kathleen Taylor and Deborah Barnes jump in

The big political surprise of the weekend is that Rep. Carolyn Tomei (D-Milwaukie) has decided to hang it up after seven terms in the Oregon House. Along with Rep. Phil Barnhart, she's the longest-serving Democrat in the House.

The district, HD 41, includes Milwaukie, Oak Grove, and the Sellwood and Eastmoreland neighborhoods of southeast Portland.

And already, we've got ourselves a contested primary. Two candidates are already in:

Kathleen Taylor: Kathleen has been an auditor in local and state government, a court-appointed special advocate for at-risk children, a member of the PPS budget review committee, and a volunteer staffer for Rep. Tomei.

Deborah Barnes: Deborah has been a teacher in the North Clackamas schools, a broadcast news reporter, and a member of the Milwaukie City Council. (She's also been a BlueOregon contributor.)

Unless I'm forgetting something, this race also marks the first time that two Emerge Oregon graduates will face off against each other -- a milestone for Emerge, to be sure. (Correction: This is actually the third time that two Emerge Oregon alums have faced off against each other.)

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In other news, Rep. Greg Matthews (D-Gresham) also announced his retirement from the legislature. Appointed last year as the interim fire chief in Gresham, Matthews intends to continue serving in that role. He immediately endorsed Carla Piluso, a former Gresham police chief, as his successor. Learn more at the Portland Tribune.

March 09, 2014