Oregon Public Broadcasting

Many cities in Oregon's 1st Congressional District enjoyed relative economic security during the recession. But much hangs on the region's continued prosperity. 

Jonathan Schleuter directs the Westside Economic Alliance - a business group representing companies in Multnomah and Washington counties.

"So there are 36 counties in Oregon, but one  of every six dollars used to run our state comes from a job and a payroll in Washington County.  So if you value public education in Pendleton,  or if you agree that public health care is good to have in Burns, realize it's a job in Washington County that makes that possible," Schleuter says.

Democrat Suzanne Bonamici and Republican Rob Cornilles are campaigning on their long-term economic visions for the district. A special election comes at the end of the month.

April Baer reports on what the candidates are saying about the long view of growth.

Dean Gehnert is one of those people who's been doing okay the last few years. He owns a Beaverton software company. Some big firms urgently needed his work as a contractor as they laid off internal staff.

April Baer / OPB

Dean Gehnert, in green shirt, runs a Beaverton software company and his wife Lucy, to his right, runs Puparazzi, a dog daycare business with the help of Risë Quay, and Charles Glasby.

His wife's dog training and grooming business is slow but steady. That doesn't mean he doesn't worry about the economy.

"I see our government trying to move forward, but there's a big group of people saying we don't want anything new. We don't want to invest. We don't want to do anything. We just want to sit here and hold off 'til election," Gehnert says.

And by "people", Gehnert means both large corporations and the lending institutions who serve them.

The leading candidates for the 1st District agree completely.

Republican Rob Cornilles owns a business himself.

"The reason I hire is because I see certainty down the road."

He's said repeatedly on the campaign trail that, as a congressman, he'd focus on reigning in federal spending as a way of building public confidence. He also proposes some changes to the tax code -- the rare Republican who talks about closing tax loopholes on extremely large businesses.

"There are about 30 mega-corporations in this country, that over the past three years, that have actually profited from the tax code," according to Cornilles.

Cornilles has consistently argued for more engagement in foreign markets. He says he'd not only vote for more trade agreements across Asia. He says he'd fight to see those agremenbts are policed properly. And Cornilles' speeches on long-term economic development also include suggestions on education policy.

"I used to teach in the Japanese school system. My wife and I taught in the 80s in Japan. We've seen how dedicated they are to educating their kids. We see how their kids leave high school either to take a job on the trades or into university."

Cornilles says he'd like to see more policy focus on the success of teachers -- both in terms of training and evaluation. Cornilles said he'd prefer teachers be evaluated, but wants it to happen at a local level.

Democratic nominee Suzanne Bonamici also places education as a priority for long-term economic success. As a state senator, she's had a role in school policy, voting with the majority recently to overhaul K-12 education. 

Bonamici says she sees room for work at the federal level, "Making sure we aren't cutting programs like Head Start, to make sure all children can succeed. I've talked about changes to No Child Left Behind, so we are educating students to be creative, critical thinkers, get rid of the over-reliance on standardized testing."

Bomanici has also promised to further extend support to community colleges, as a bridge over the skill gap that exists in many communities.

Bonamici frequently says it's time to get America's fiscal house in order to stabilize the economic climate. She often speaks about the need to renew infrastructure.

While planning for the Columbia River Crossing is well underway, Bonamici says her attention has been focused on  the aging electrical grid supporting tech and manufacturing businesses, the jetties of Clatsop County at the mouth of the Columbia River, and river dredging to keep shipping channels viable.

Bonamici's background as a lawyer lies in consumer advocacy. She says the subject has particular relevance, both to trade and in the wake of the financial crisis.

"Consumer protection can rebuild consumer confidence. That's really important, and it happened after the stock market crash in the Great Depression. Consumer protection, when done properly, is really good for business. It protects those who are following the rules, and doesn't give those who are misrepresenting an unfair advantage," Bonamici says.

For all it's wealth of economic diversity, the First District's voter registration leans Democratic, with some independent influence. That may help explain why the candidates talk about the issues in similar terms. Their next opportunity to lock horns comes at the City Club of Pfortland this Friday.

This story was produced with help from our Public Insight Network. To share what you know, go to http://news.opb.org/pin/about/