Forgive me in advance if I sound a little nostalgic. Recently, I told the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association Board of Directors I intend to retire at the end of 2027. That may seem like a long way off, but I know the 700 days will go by in a flash.
40 years ago, I started my career working as a legislative assistant for a member of Congress. It was a different era: Politics were tough, but there was a truce at the end of a long day. I witnessed conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats who could not agree on anything in the U.S. House of Representatives come together to play cards and share laughs— and a bottle of whisky.
These days, I suspect there are few bipartisan late-night card games. I did, however, witness a modified version of this bipartisanship last month at our annual Cooperative Legislative Lunch in Salem.
Members of the Oregon Legislature from different parties and philosophies broke bread and shared laughs with the state’s co-op leaders. In a year when bitter politics are sure to follow, it was nice to watch a bipartisan celebration of the state’s cooperatives.
It is imperative that the Oregon Legislative Assembly come together again on commonsense energy policy, too. We need them to come together in support of a federal hydroelectric system that provides affordable, renewable electricity for millions of Oregonians. We need them to come together to support additional power sources to prevent blackouts. And they need to come together to address a wildfire liability issue that has electric co-op leaders wondering if the organizations can stay in existence.
Time is short. I have 700 days to try and convince legislators to do the right thing. After that, there will be plenty of time for card games.
Executive Director Ted Case
