Dist. 52 candidates make their case

Voters will have their say on the May 17 Primary Election ballot, which is already reaching households.

The Primary Election ballots were mailed last week and should have arrived in each voter’s mailbox by now. If you have not received your ballot, call county Elections at 541-386-1442.

Election Day is May 17 but all voters who mail their ballots are urged to do so earlier than usual — by May 10, to ensure it gets to the county in time. Ballots must arrive at the county — either the drop box at Sixth and State or the one at Cascade Locks City Hall — by 8 p.m. May 17. Postmarks do not count.

Hood River News asked all three candidates — Mark Johnson (R-Hood River), Mark Reynolds (D-Odell) and Walt Trandum (D-Sandy) — why they’re running, why they feel qualified for the job, and what constituents can expect under their leadership.

We asked each candidate the following:

MARK REYNOLDS

(D-Odell)

Bio

I grew up on a farm in the Columbia Gorge and live near Odell with my wife Mary, a kindergarten teacher. After college, I managed Migrant Education and after school programs in Wasco County for 13 years, then taught at Hood River Valley High School and Cascade Locks High School.

WALT TRANDUM

(D-Sandy)

Bio

My wife Karen and I live in a small double-wide on five acres outside of Sandy, Oregon. Married 36 years, we have three children and six grandchildren, two dogs, three cats and several chickens. I discovered I had a talent for caregiving at the age of 19 and have never stopped.

MARK JOHNSON

(R-Hood River)

Bio

As a Hood River native, husband, father and local small business owner, I understand our community —why we love it, the challenges we face, what makes us unique and how we should be represented. My 11 years on the school board have provided me with a depth of understanding of public education that enables me to be an effective policy maker in Salem while advocating for the best interests of our local district. In my three terms in the House I have built strong bipartisan relationships that enable me to be an effective part of the legislative process.