Oregon Public Broadcasting

The elderly icon of Oregon's property rights movement has died. Dorothy English died yesterday at age 95, after serving as the  public face for campaigns in favor of property compensation initiatives, Measure 7 and Measure 37. Rob Manning has this brief rememberance.

Dorothy English was the feisty widow who appeared in radio and TV  ads to push for changes for people like her, whose property value had been reduced by government rules. Her own story dated back to the 1970s, when state land-use rules and local   plans, limited development on her property. In this 2004 interview with OPB, English said she hoped Ballot Measure 37 would help her win a  decades-long battle with government officials.

English: "Well, number one, I don’t appreciate them putting their foot on my neck like they did in '73. And have been doing ever since, and adding more, every two or three years, we get a new code, new zoning. To me 'when do you own your property?' I’ve got twenty acres, and I’m allowed one house. Why? It’s ridiculous as far as I’m concerned."

Dave Hunnicutt with Oregonians in Action credits English's plain talk with helping pass Measure 37. And he says he's disappointed that the English family is still in court with Multnomah County over their property outside Portland.

Hunnicutt: "Well I think the thing that makes me the saddest is that we weren’t able to get the relief for her, while she was still with us, so that she could see the results of all the hard work she’s put in, not just in the last ten years, but really the last 30 years."

Multnomah County commissioners  approved English's Measure 37 claim, but the two sides are still fighting over remaining rules and financial damages. English also saw the initiative she helped pass get scaled back last year, when voters approved Measure 49, the initiative referred by state lawmakers.

Dorothy English is survived by her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. She died after a few weeks of illness.