Vote Hege for District 52
Hank Sanders is the current recipient of an effort to turn his youthful lack of experience into a
story of impressive achievement and deep experience. Hank is a good guy. I encourage him to
pursue his interest in politics. We need more young people like him to get involved. But enthusiasm is not experience.
Right now, Hank is like a promising young baseball player asking us to fund his tryout for the
Boston Red Sox before he has proven himself in the minor leagues. I admire the ambition, but
Oregon’s District 52 State Representative seat is not a training ground.
Hank’s professional background includes two journalism fellowship programs with respected
media organizations. Those are worthwhile experiences, but fellowships designed to develop
young journalists are not the same as a full time job and years of professional, managerial, or
governmental experience his opponent has.
It also appears that Hank has never supervised employees or held political office. Yet, from day
one, a member of the Legislature faces enormous responsibilities involving staff, legislation,
state agencies, budgets, constituents, and difficult policy decisions.
His recent campaign material also identified the Friends of Tina Kotek PAC as a significant
source of financial support. Oregon voters can decide for themselves if we need to increase
Tina’s super majority in the legislature and how well that has gone for Oregon.
This is not about bashing a young man with ambition. It is about whether his experience matches the responsibilities of the office he seeks. Oregon faces serious challenges. We need young people preparing themselves to lead. But we also need substantial experience in positions carrying enormous responsibility. I encourage Hank to get involved in the community, build his knowledge base, gain experience, and keep pursuing public service.
For District 52, with over 30 years of qualified experience, Scott Hege will have my vote as a proven leader. Oregon does not need to take chances right now.
-Terry Turner, The Dalles
