Bernard Seeger
Candidate for:
State Representative - HD 52
What drives me to seek an elected position
I’ve been an elected official a a council member in my home town and absolutely love the work. As a West Point graduate and US Army infantry veteran I have deep patriotism for my country, state and community, and its clear to me that things are not well. I’ve also spent last 20 years doing governing and management work at the city and county level in the Pacific Northwest. Given these challenges, my passion and skills developed over this career, I think I’m an excellent fit for this work in the state legislature.
The first three priorities or issues I want to tackle
My top three priorities are
1. tackling mis- and disinformation
2. housing/affordability
3. economic development
Mis- and disinformation is harming Multnomah County residents in myriad ways. When the public doesn’t know what’s true or false, public policy development becomes extremely challenging, and false ideas like “vaccines cause autism” and “climate change is a hoax” have real impacts on public health and energy policy. Next is housing and affordability. Lack of affordable housing has a cascading societal impact. First it harms wealth creation and keeps low income residents in poverty and next it exacerbates homelessness. It also harms job creation and school enrollment because businesses won’t locate to a place that lacks housing. Finally, it’s an environmental/quality of life issue because residents take on longer commutes and waste more energy just trying to get from home to work. Finally, we need more economic development. If we want robust services we must have a prosperous economy. We should play to our strengths by capitalizing on our abundant clean energy resources and profiling the incredibly high quality of life Oregon provides.
The experiences and insights I will bring to the office
My life includes an 11.5 wrestling career that taught me grit, resilience and the importance of fair play. Next as a graduate of West Point and eight-year US Army infantry officer I learned discipline, leadership and how to overcome obstacles and challenges, regardless the source. Finally, my formal education of a Master’s in Public Administration, 18 years in city and county management and 18 months as an elected official have taught me how to solve public policy challenges of all stripes including infrastructure, finance, public safety, economic development, conservation and others. I understand that the importance of building relationships, creating trust and always demonstrating curiosity can achieve breakthrough solutions and improve the communities we serve.
What being a Democrat in Multnomah County means to me
It means championing the critical values we all hold dear like being pro-choice, welcoming of immigrants, engaged in our communities and acknowledging the urgency of climate change while also towing the line on being frugal, fiscally responsive and virtuous in our governing principles. A good example is recent work I’ve been doing with my Democratically aligned volunteers. I’ve asked them to join me in picking up litter along I84 and around our various cities, and they’ve jumped in with both feet. This act shows our commitment to community, reducing pollution and creating a more beautiful Oregon. If elected, I want to grow this civic connection to many more areas of societal needs and I believe Oregonians of all political affiliations will be inspired to join us.