Frank, McDonald vie to take on Girod

Despite the Republican edge in the district, two Democrats are seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Fred Girod—appointed to succeed former Sen. Roger Beyer in January—in State Senate District 9.

Steve Frank, who was elected to the Stayton City Council in 2006, will face off against Dr. Bob McDonald in the May 20th primary, and the campaigns are as different as the candidates.

Frank won his council seat “running against the way things were being done” and is taking the same tact in his bid for the Senate. “It has been demonstrated to me that it is as important to stand up to government when it is wrong as it is to work with government when it is right,” he writes on his campaign website.

Frank, a substitute teacher who retired after 23 years with the U.S. Postal Service, claims he “will not accept contributions from anyone expecting a payback,” and is seeking a “New Direction” for the people of the district and all Oregonians.

This “New Direction” involves quality education, balancing property rights with protecting working farms and ranches, and freedom from dependency on foreign oil.

On his website, which is more of a lengthy conversation with voters as opposed to an issue brief, Frank discusses his contemplating the legacy of former Governor Tom McCall, and his creativity in regard to energy conservation measures, while out fishing.

Dr. McDonald’s campaign sports a more conventional approach, as evidenced by the website. McDonald, a volunteer physician for the uninsured at the Silverton Community Outreach Clinic, focuses on health care.

McDonald claims he will be “your family doctor in the Senate,” and also highlights his plans for the economy, the environment and education.The candidate accentuates his experience aiding in the establishment of the Mount Angel Community Foundation. “From its humble, but inspired beginning 12 years ago, the Foundation has grown and is now responsible for almost $900,000, for community benefit,” according to McDonald.

Even the fundraising links speak of the contrast between the two; Frank includes a lengthy letter which claims that asking for funds is “perhaps the toughest of all the writing I have to deal with as part of my campaign,” while McDonald, in the tried and true fashion, solicits donations via Act Blue.

Be it Frank or McDonald, the Democratic nominee will be faced with a Republican district, which elected Sen. Beyer with over 80% of the vote in 2004. Although Beyer was an incumbent, recent data indicates a GOP registration edge, at 43.2 percent to 32.7 percent.