Conventional wisdom doesn’t always apply for college football or politics. People re-learn this every fall. As a thought experiment, why don’t we look at the 4th Congressional District race. I want to look at the Fourth Congressional District, and ask, “Who would best represent our interests in Washington?”

Peter Defazio

After thirteen terms in Congress, Rep. Defazio may have lost the fire to represent us. He hasn’t even officially announced if he is running for the 4th Congressional District. For months, he has been calculating the risk of losing if he runs for Governor. Nothing great ever was accomplished by the timid or the indecisive. I like my political leaders willing to take political risks.

A few years ago, I learned that Springfield hired a congressional lobbyist, and I assume other cities in the Fourth District have them as well. I was shocked. I was under the impression we elected congressmen to lobby for our communities. After a quarter century, is it possible that Defazio is more in touch with the beltway than with Southwestern Oregon? Maybe, we need elect someone to Congress that would lobby for his or her constituents. Hiring a lobbyist is expensive and lobbyists don’t vote in Congress.

The Fourth Congressional District spans the political spectrum. It’s tough for any leader to represent all of its citizens. Ask yourself, what has Peter Defazio done to grow the economy? What has he done for the fishing communities and timber communities? I admit he has landed a lot of federal aid for these areas, but aid is a safety net. We need jobs.

Rep. Defazio has the seniority that gives him a powerful position on the House Transportation Committee. While that is a benefit to Rep. Defazio, it hasn’t changed the over 12% unemployment in the district and it hasn’t fixed our crumbling infrastructure.

Sid Leiken

Sid Leiken is the three term Mayor of Springfield. For the record, he has officially filed for the Fourth Congressional District. Irregardless of if Defazio decides to run, Leiken is committed and passionate about improving conditions in Oregon. Personally, I like his innovative streak. It always seems like he wants to raise his hand when it comes to trying new things. He reminds me of a boss I used to have. Every time that I came to this boss, and told him I couldn’t get something done. He would give me a suggestion, and send me back to try it again. The important thing was that he wouldn’t accept “no” for an answer.

As a mayor from Southern Oregon, Leiken has been in the trenches. He is better placed to be an advocate for local business and local communities. He understands the daily battles that cities go through to keep the library open and the lights on. Leiken understands that there needs to be a balance in the management of public lands. This means that you manage lands to reduce fire danger, create jobs, and protect lands for future Oregonians. Leiken represents a shift to the political middle on these issues which will create jobs and ensure that all voices on the issue are heard. This isn’t about how much money he can shake down from Washington for us. It is about how he can influence policy that will promote job creation.

Conclusion

I wrote this because of an article that appeared in the Register Guard about fund raising activity by both campaigns. It pointed out that conventional wisdom said that Leiken’s campaign would lose because they didn’t raise enough in one quarter in 2009. A single finance report doesn’t make a campaign, and a single finance report doesn’t change that Sid Leiken is the best person to represent our interests in Washington. Now, I need to go to his website to donate some money to help prove conventional wisdom wrong…