U.S. Representative Val Hoyle is Laser-Focused on Bringing Jobs to Her Coastal District & Believes Electric Co-Ops Are Part of the Solution.
By Ted Case
After nearly a year in office, 4th District Representative Val Hoyle (D-Eugene) is settling into the life of a freshman member of Congress.
While Hoyle was a fixture in Salem as both a state legislator and as Oregon’s labor commissioner, there is still a transition to the unglamorous 10-hour-long trips back and forth from her district to Washington, D.C.
Then, there are grueling days on Capitol Hill full of votes, committee hearings, and endless meetings with constituents, such as the electric co-op leaders she met in April.
Not that she’s complaining.
“It’s a great honor to be here,” she said, noting she is serving during a difficult time in our country— perhaps an understatement in a time of extreme political polarization, dysfunction in the House leadership, and conflicts abroad.
While this acrimony can serve as a distraction, Hoyle operates on an edict sent straight from the voters.
“They sent me back there to get stuff done,” she said.
That path starts with committee assignments seemingly tailor-made for the 4th Congressional District: Natural Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure, where she picks up the reins from Representative Peter DeFazio, who chaired the powerful committee before retiring.
The redrawn 4th District—a unique combination of major universities and struggling timber towns— is more coastal than the 1 served by Representative DeFazio. It now covers ⅔ of Oregon’s coastline which— while magnificent—is also historically a difficult place to make a living.
Hoyle is working hard to change that history by expanding the Port of Coos Bay into a major distribution hub. She believes this expansion will revive coastal communities still recovering from the downturn in the timber industry.
“If we can bring prosperity to the south coast, it would be a game-changer,” she said.
Jeff Anderson, a Salem Electric director and labor union advocate who worked closely with Hoyle in the Oregon Legislature, said the congresswoman is up to the challenge.
“She has the rare ability to bring together divergent opinions and seek consensus around legislation,” he said.
Hoyle also believes electric cooperatives can play a key role in this district’s economic renaissance. She has taken an interest in electric cooperative history, particularly its role in bringing vital services to places that may only dream of them. In the 1930s, it was electricity. Today, it is broadband.
“Congresswoman Hoyle understands our region, its needs, and its people,” said Paul Recanzone, general manager of Beacon Broadband, a subsidiary of Port Orford-based Coos Curry Electric Cooperative.
Recanzone noted Beacon Broadband is not only building a fiber network but also is deeply engaged in building regional vitality.
“In that effort, we are grateful to have a partner like Val Hoyle,” he said.
Hoyle knows from experience the best way to get things done is to forge bipartisan coalitions. In Congress, she’s reached across the aisle to find unlikely supporters on legislation to benefit her district, sometimes to the surprise of fellow Democrats. She mentioned partnerships on targeted legislation with Republican members of Congress, such as Garret Graves of Louisiana, Doug LaMalfa of California, and fellow Oregon Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
While her success may depend on relationships in the halls of Congress, Hoyle understands the most important relationships are in her district. J. Ingrid Kessler—a veterinarian and Lane Electric Co-op director—is impressed with her new congresswoman’s focus and relentless schedule.
“Even though she’s working hard in Washington, D.C., Val always makes time for us here at home,” Kessler said.
