Political Quotes

“the motto of the State of Oregon is ``She flies with her own wings.'' I can't think of a better description for my State director Jessica Stevens. After more than 12 years with Team Merkley, I have come to the Senate floor today to bid her a grateful farewell. Jessica has spent her career serving the people of our State of Oregon. She fought for working families as the executive director of the Oregon State Council of the Service Employees International Union, SEIU, before joining Team Merkley as director of our field team. I hold a townhall in each of Oregon's 36 counties every year, so leading the field team is a very demanding challenge. For 3 years, she traveled with me across the length and breadth of our State, from big cities to rural communities, from the Oregon coast to the Owyhee Canyonlands, from the Columbia River to Crater Lake. So in 2015, when it was time to hire a new State director, there was no question that Jessica was the right person to lead our State team. For the last decade, she has coordinated between two teams on two coasts, managing six field offices with nearly 20 staff working across Oregon's more than 98,000 square miles. She has overseen more than 400 townhalls with the people of Oregon.”