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72 chapter ten County Commissioner Roberts After the 1977 legislative session ended I found I was struggling with some medical challenges, not serious ones, not new for me, but challenges none the less. My physician felt the time had come for major female surgery. She scheduled a hysterectomy for early February of 1978, after the Christmas holiday season. My sons were both in their early twenties, so permanently ending my childbearing years was not an emotional adjustment for me. Once the surgery was completed, I returned home for a period of recuperation. I had lots of time for reading and resting and talking with friends and family. Every day I read the newspaper from cover to cover, digesting national, state, and local news. Political articles were of growing interest to me, and I read those stories down to the last paragraph. In mid-February, a story hit the local papers and also the television news: the appointment of Multnomah County Commissioner Mel Gordon to a federal agency position as chair of the Pacific Northwest River Basins Commission. A new County Commissioner would be appointed to fill the vacancy. As local government went, this was a big political announcement … a paid political office in the state’s most populous county—my home county. Over the next few days I scoured the newspaper for the small stories containing the names of those candidates who were seeking the appointment. One evening, I complained to Frank about the list of names; I had expected stronger, more prominent applicants for the job. Frank turned to me and said, “If you don’t like the list, add your name to it.” I laughed out loud. Here I was, recuperating from major surgery, a school board member, with no thought of ever running for higher office … ever. Plus, I was already on the spring ballot, running for the board at Mt. Hood Community College. Two offices ought to be enough for me. Frank made his case about my elected and community credentials, my potential support base, and my speaking and people skills. But I still laughed at the idea. We went off to bed. Frank fell asleep. I lay in bed with my thoughts racing and my eyes wide open. As the night hours passed I watched headlights from the freeway just below our back yard as the lights crawled up the wall, across the County Commissioner Roberts 73 ceiling, and disappeared. In the quiet of the night I weighed the “silly” idea, rejected it several times, and finally fell asleep as dawn approached. When I opened my eyes the next morning, Frank lay next to me, face to face, and smiling. “Well, Commissioner,” he chortled, “what can I do to help with the campaign?” Frank had planted the seed. I had nurtured it through a long, restless night. By morning it had definitely taken root. I was feeling amazed, but Frank didn’t seemed at all surprised. My husband, lover, and best friend was also a skilled and experienced mentor. He knew I was ready for this next step even when I couldn’t yet see it myself. How fortunate I was to have him in my life. My decision to seek the appointment to board position number five on the Multnomah County Commission might send me down a challenging path. The four current board members had determined that whoever they appointed would have to agree not to file for election to the full four-year term. The closing deadline for that filing was still days away and that would have been possible. Looking back, I am not certain that the board could have legally prevented the newly appointed commissioner from filing, but this was an understood “gentlemen’s agreement.” The side effect of that policy was that the already-announced candidates for the full-term vacancy would not be involved in the short-term appointment process. They would certainly not be willing to give up a four-year opportunity for a nine-month appointment. I was still recuperating from my recent surgery, so some of my efforts to gain support for the appointment would be done from my home telephone. The first important call, however, was made by Frank, who called his old Portland State teaching colleague and friend, Ben Padrow, who was now chief of staff to County Chairman Don Clark. Frank informed Ben that I had decided to seek the appointment and then inquired about the status of other potential appointees. Ben was...

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