Political Quotes

“I rise today to honor a woman whose remarkable life included decades of service fighting hard for fishers on the Oregon Coast, practicing with distinction as an attorney and together with her husband Bob, raising a family. My friend Michele Longo Eder tackled the many administrative duties in the family's fishing business and somehow found time to serve on numerous advisory boards to protect fishing families' across Oregon and the Nation. In the course of her extraordinary life, Michele was appointed to the National Fishing Vessel Safety Advisory Committee, the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, and the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. My overarching memory of this dynamic Oregonian was her constant presence in my office. She never backed down from advocating for fishers and always tried to find solutions to the challenges they faced. Michele also worked as a trial attorney. In 2004, she and Gerry Spence represented Brandon Mayfield, an Oregonian wrongfully investigated by the FBI for the 2004 train bombing in Madrid. The FBI targeted Brandon because of a mismatched fingerprint, going so far as to arrest him for several weeks, even when Spanish authorities clearly indicated they had other suspects. Michele worked tirelessly and successfully for Brandon until he regained his rights and freedom. Michele also volunteered within her own community, finding multiple ways to be a true public servant in Oregon.…”