Ashland Councilor Pam Marsh leads race for House seat
Pam Marsh of Ashland confirmed today that she is running for the Oregon House of Representatives seat currently held by Peter Buckley, who announced his retirement late last year. No other candidate has yet filed for the position.
Currently serving a second term on Ashland’s City Council, Marsh is co-owner of Green Springs Inn & Cabins, a popular destination in the mountains east of Ashland. She also manages Ashland Emergency Food Bank.
“Ashland has a long tradition of strong, principled legislative leadership in Salem, most recently exemplified by our extraordinary Rep. Peter Buckley. I hope to carry forward that legacy,” Marsh said.
Marsh brings a lifetime of public service to her bid for Oregon’s legislature. Before moving to Ashland from Palo Alto, CA, in the early 1990s, she worked as an aide to California Rep. Byron Sher, the author of that state’s groundbreaking Clean Air Act. She also served as Executive Director of the Santa Clara County Cities Association and as a member of Palo Alto’s Planning Commission. More recently, she chaired Ashland’s Planning Commission before taking a seat on the City Council.
“Oregon is in transition to a future that is still not defined. Most fundamentally, our climate is changing. We must adapt our economy and our institutions to a new set of circumstances.” Marsh said.
“I am hopeful that our legislature will enact the Healthy Climate Act, for which we must thank Rep. Buckley, during the current short session. If that happens, a door will open to creation of a new energy economy based on renewable resources and emerging technologies. Our lawmakers will need to work for years to define and apply that law.
“Meanwhile we need to strengthen public education and our health care delivery system. Oregon will need healthy, well-educated people to cope with the challenges that lay ahead. Smart policies and strategic investments will help us strengthen our most important resource: the young Oregonians who will lead our state tomorrow.
“We must also create opportunities for Oregonians of all backgrounds to prosper and contribute to our mutual success,” Marsh continued.
“This means that we must address the availability of affordable housing and the minimum wage along with and access to excellent public education, including early childhood development and higher education.