Yes, you read that correctly. Take a look at this picture. It was taken in the Spring of 1970 at Faubion Elementary School in Northeast Portland. The woman in the foreground is Connie McCready, who had been appointed to the Portland City Council to fill a vacancy and was running for election to a full term. She went on to win the election and stayed at city hall long enough to be appointed mayor in 1979, when Neil Goldschmidt was named Transportation Secretary.
See that little guy with the serious expression, dorky glasses and haircut? Yep, that’s me, and I’m the reason that Oregonian photographer David Falconer was there to record it all.
The teacher, Mrs. Bennett, had her fifth-graders bring an article from the newspaper every day to present to class. One fine January morning a member of the class brought in an article about Governor Tom McCall announcing that he would run for a second term. No, it wasn’t me, but I did raise my hand and ask, “Why couldn’t we have an election of our own?”
To my surprise, and maybe Mrs. Bennett’s as well, the class responded with a round of enthusiastic “Yeah!” So it went forward, with me as the registrar. Each class member invited candidates to our classroom, and several accepted. Among the more memorable visitors was a 30-year-old, amazingly intense young man seeking his first office—Neil Goldschmidt, Portland City Council candidate. We also had a visit from Gracie Hansen, queen of the Roaring Twenties room at Portland’s Hoyt Hotel and candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. I still remember her sweeping into the classroom, feather boa wrapped around her neck, and absolutely charming us all. She didn’t talk down to us; she charmed us, and treated us as equals.
It was a great experience; not only did we meet dozens of candidates, and get a visit from The Oregonian, we also were filmed for a TV story, back when hauling out the film cameras was a big deal.
Was a seed planted that spring? I think so. This is a big reason why I always answer letters and emails, accept invitations from school groups, and do everything I can to encourage young people who show an interest in our honorable profession, public service.
Contributed by: Bill Hall, AOC President