Across the political spectrum, Central Oregonians have commonalities in their perceptions of how government serves us. They generally want the government to support workforce development, mental health, child care, housing affordability, water management and lowering the cost of living.

In the race for Oregon House District 59, incumbent Vikki Breese-Iverson, a Republican from Prineville, faces off against challenger Brian Samp, a Democrat, also of Prineville.

Breese-Iverson has five years of experience as a state representative and is running on her record of serving rural areas. Samp is a political newcomer and is running on a promise to provide honest answers to constituents.

Vikki Breese-Iverson

Raised in Prineville, Breese-Iverson attended Central Oregon Community College and Oregon State University and now runs several businesses in Central Oregon, including a real estate agency. She describes herself as a voice for rural Oregon in Salem.

When asked by The Bulletin about her priorities if elected, Breese-Iverson identified homelessness and a housing shortage in Central Oregon as a primary concern. She said her legislative experience in addressing the problem is beneficial for finding solutions.

This experience included her participation in a shelter workgroup, which focused on placing homeless people into shelters and engaging them with services to keep a roof over their heads. Breese-Iverson said she is committed to making housing more accessible and affordable for people statewide.

“There are many reasons contributing to high housing costs,” Breese-Iverson said. “The Legislature can make a difference in cutting red tape, allowing houses to be built and giving local governments the ability to do what their community needs.”

She said responding to housing concerns requires broadening the focus beyond “tiny homes” and apartments and should include making single-family homes more affordable. She said her work in the Legislature allows communities to “work through red tape” to allow for more growth.

Breese-Iverson blames high living costs on Democratic leadership at the state level while adding that the problem is also “nationally inflicted.” More Republican representation will help turn the tide, she said.

“We must have balance in Salem to keep these regulations from strangling free enterprise in our state,” she said.

Breese-Iverson also mentioned water conservation as a critical area of focus and said resolving water problems is best done locally to avoid “cookie-cutter” policies that may not work for the region.

She cited juniper trees as a local problem because of their ability to absorb vast quantities of water and said her work brought in state money to have many junipers removed from the Deschutes Basin.

“We need a strong voice, looking for new ways to bring year’s old problems to the front of the conversation and stand up for our communities and the Western way of life. Our small communities are the foundation of Oregon and I proudly remind every legislator of that fact and look forward to continuing to do so,” she said.

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Breese-Iverson said she is proud of the work she has done to maintain accountability with state agencies, highlighting that she has worked to ensure agency operations extend to rural communities in Oregon.

She specifically cited her work with the Oregon Department of Transportation to service roads in rural areas and keep DMV offices open.

Brian Samp

An electrician by trade, Samp belongs to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 280. He went to high school in Agoura Hills, California, and has traveled widely throughout the Western states during his career.

Samp holds engineering technology and sociology degrees from Pierce College (Puyallup, Washington) and College of the Redwoods (Eureka, California). During his career, he has served as a deputy sheriff, a probation officer and a civilian service technician at a jail.

He has also worked as a scuba instructor and spent 12 years on a sheriff’s department search and rescue dive team.

Samp says he is running for the Oregon House of Representatives as a “change candidate” and aims to be a voice for rural Oregonians in Salem. But he adds that even in this capacity he would not disregard anyone.

“We all live here, let’s work together,” said Samp. “I will have a conversation with anyone that actually wants to have a conversation and solve problems.”

Samp said he is motivated to run for office because of a town hall encounter with Breese-Iverson and Oregon Sen. Lynn Findley. During the meeting, Samp said he questioned lawmakers about health insurance and Medicare.

“They gave an answer that was totally made up and false,” said Samp.

Samp says the lawmakers gave him misinformation about his mother’s Medicare situation and caused his family concern over her coverage. While he was able to rectify his personal situation, his encounter with officials caused him to lose confidence in his elected leaders. His campaign promise to voters is to respond truthfully to questions presented by constituents.

“Communication is key. Open dialogue is key,” said Samp. “So many people don’t know we have a representative at the state level, let alone who they are or where they stand on issues.”

Samp announced a raft of issues that he believes need urgent attention in District 59. He lists water availability and water quality as critical issues.

“Polluters need to be held accountable,” he said, referring to reports of groundwater contamination in Crook County. “This is a problem leading to a lot of finger-pointing and no solutions.”

He also mentions Central Oregon’s housing shortage, access to health care and assistance for seniors as matters to address.

Samp says he advocates for more affordable housing and believes there are opportunities to find housing for homeless people. He said his goal is to coordinate between different agencies and organizations to find solutions.

“There are several properties that could be repurposed if the community is on board to work on solutions because there is not just one quick fix,” Samp said.

If elected, Samp says his first priority would be to visit all parts of District 59. “The goal is to be prepared for the start of the session as your elected representative,” he said.