Mike Ashland

VPS - General

Occupation: Minister, Santa

Occupational Background: Most of my jobs have been in business managing people, budgets, and commerce including steel company executive, newspaper founder and owner, book publisher, teacher, radio talk show host, and service in the Air National Guard. All of these have allowed me to serve as a minister for over 40 years.

Educational Background: I have a non-traditional educational background. My lifetime of skills and experience come from attending and teaching at various colleges, from climbing corporate ladders, and through small business ownership.

Prior Governmental Experience: I have not held elective office. I have served on many community committees and boards, including in Silverton.

I have served in leadership for schools on boards and committees since my first child entered kindergarten in 1977. Most of the challenges were about budget, maintenance and growth. Funding for schools began to fail in the 80’s. Now my granddaughters are in schools and education finances are a disaster—especially for rural schools. I’m running to return our schools to full funding.

I want my kids and grandchildren to be able to buy a house close enough to ride their bikes here. Tortured state and local zoning and building regulations require new solutions at the state level.

District 9 sits on the urban/rural divide. The Oregon government has a Democratic majority. For 12 years District 9 has suffered from minority representation. We have common issues: homelessness, crime, mental health, poverty, housing, inflation and, of course, education.
There’s a better option to represent the district than having your Senator flee to Idaho. My singular goal is to listen to and represent everyone, recognizing differing opinions and finding compromise.
Let’s work together to improve every Oregonian’s quality of life.

(This information furnished by Mike Ashland for Senate.)