“I really like people, and I find their everyday problems, and the solutions to their problems, interesting,” said Judge Karen Ostrye, in describing her decision to pursue a vacancy in the Seventh Judicial District.
“My first question was, ‘Is it a good fit for me?’ My second was, ‘Are my skills a good fit for the needs of the court?’” Ostrye arrived at a “yes” to both questions, and continues to feel she is on the right path. “So far I love it, (serving as judge) is what I thought it would be.”
Ostrye, a Hood River attorney, was appointed by Governor John Kitzhaber in June to fill a vacancy on the Circuit Court for the Seventh Judicial District created by the retirement of Judge Paul Crowley. Ostrye was sworn in Aug. 1 after wrapping up her practice. “Once you take the oath you are not authorized to practice law,” she explained.
She is now running for the position. Her opponent is Timothy MB Farrell, also of Hood River.
The district encompasses Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Wheeler and Gilliam counties. The Judges of the Seventh Judicial District spend time as needed in all five counties, and voters in all five will choose between Ostrye and Farrell.
Ostrye believes her skills are a good match for the court.
As an attorney in Hood River, Ostrye’s practice focused on family, juvenile and criminal law. “I practice those areas because I love them,” she said. All her experience in those areas has been in Oregon, which makes her uniquely suitable to serve as judge for the district, she added.
The court has a lot of strength in criminal law, and her experience in domestic relations, family and juvenile law will strengthen the court, she said.
“The domestic part that I bring is a perfect fit,” she explained.
She has worked with all kinds of people, she added, and has represented most positions involved in cases.
“Because I have advocated for such varied positions, I can be completely unbiased and have an open mind with regards to both sides of the issue before me.”
“My experience is in Oregon, mostly in this judicial district,” she noted.
Her opponent has claimed she inflated numbers relating to her experience, which Ostrye hotly denies. “He has inaccurate information,” she said. Any judge or the trial court administrator will tell you his numbers are not true, she said. “What he is putting out there is reckless.”
She added that she has put out no negative information in regards to her opponent.
“If you look at my campaign, I’m qualified and I’m right for this position,” she explained.
“I bring the support of all sitting and retired judges (of the District) and 51 of 57 lawyers (of the local bar) who voted in the bar poll.” The poll was conducted by the Oregon State Bar.
The Oregon Judicial Department is currently moving all Circuit courts to an e-court system, Ostrye noted.
“It is a dynamic time to be on the court, I like that,” she said. The role of a judge as the transition occurs is not technical, Ostrye noted, but a matter of providing leadership and recognizing the changes staff is going through. The seventh district will not be the first to make the change, but somewhere in the middle.
“All the kinks will be worked out by then,” she said, and will streamline much of the work of the court.
She added that she has a background of community service as well as law. “Judges are public servants, that should be a strong part of the background for anyone looking to sit as a judge,” she said. She has served on boards of the Hood River School District, the Hood River Education Foundation, Columbia Gorge CASA and the Mid Columbia Bar Association.
She is currently a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters in The Dalles.
Ostrye holds a degree in Business/Finance from Portland State University and received her law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland. She has lived in Hood River since 1994 with her husband and two sons.
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