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Bruun’s Views: Vic Gilliam, We Salute You

Wednesday, December 09, 2015

 

Vic Gilliam; via Vic Gilliam's legislative website

Vic Gilliam had nothing to gain by helping a young, naïve and woefully outgunned, outspent and out-strategized candidate. Yet he helped me anyway.

It was 1996 and I was a twenty-something Republican running against Earl Blumenauer in the most liberal U.S. House seat in America, Oregon’s Third Congressional District. Honestly, the chances of a long life for a snowman in Hawaii were better than my chances of beating Blumenauer in CD3. Which is exactly why my little bit of support came almost exclusively from family and close friends. 

Exclusively, that is, with one exception: Vic Gilliam.

Vic Gilliam had spent years working for Oregon’s venerable senator, Mark Hatfield. When I met Vic, he was doing good work at Oregon Health Sciences University. This background, combined with his exuberant personality, made Gilliam well-connected. Connected to just the sort of people a novice candidate needs. Gilliam - without reservation or reward – went out of his way to help that novice candidate with referrals, calling-lists and fundraising ideas.

He took a little bit of time with a guy he barely knew. And in doing so, earned that guy’s lifelong devotion.

Years later, when Vic Gilliam and I served together in the Oregon legislature, I reminded him of the help he’d once given me. He had totally forgotten about it, then laughed and shrugged once I connected the dots for him. That he forgot was not surprising. You see, doing acts of kindness and grace for people is standard operating procedure for Gilliam. There’s never been a need for him to keep score because he’s never expected favors in return.

If more of us were able to consistently put the needs of others ahead of ourselves, as Vic Gilliam has always done, our world would be a much better place.

Gilliam’s public disclosure last week that he may be one of the thousands of Americans suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease came as a shock to those of us who love and admire him.

Upon hearing this, I can convey two reactions. The first is anger. Anger that a brutally unfair disease like ALS still exists in our world. Anger that federal resources have been slow and insufficient to fund the R&D needed to cure diseases like ALS, diabetes, cancer and multiple sclerosis. Anger that our federal leaders cannot seem to find the discipline or slightest degree of entitlement reform in order to avail resources to do those things – like funding disease research – that only the federal government can do.

Yet in thinking about Gilliam, that anger gives way to hope. If anyone has the faith, the good cheer, the good humor and the love of life to fight a dread disease like ALS, it’s Vic Gilliam.

No one who has ever served in the Oregon legislature had a better sense of humor than Vic. His one-on-one interactions, committee comments, practical jokes and laugh-until-you-cry floor speeches are legendary. 

He’s always been a ham for the spotlight. But that is also what makes him one of the most effective, constructively bipartisan legislators in Oregon. His personality has allowed him to work well across party lines, which in turn - through his legislative work in family services - has helped Oregon’s most vulnerable citizens.

It didn’t dawn on me until I began thinking about this piece, but Vic Gilliam has many of Ronald Reagan’s most admirable qualities. Both Reagan and Gilliam were actors. Gilliam did commercials and smaller roles in TV series like Leverage. And while I’m sure Vic would have loved to have made it big in the movies, Hollywood’s loss was Oregon’s gain.

Like Reagan, Gilliam is a rock-ribbed conservative but never an ideologue. Leaders on the left, most famously Speaker Tip O’Neil, could vehemently disagree and argue with Reagan publicly, yet could never dislike him. It was this bond of good-natured competition, easy humor and comradery that allowed our nation to make bipartisan progress in key areas like taxation and defense. 

Gilliam has the same ability to keep a smile on his face and help put a smile on the face of others. In the legislature he brings out the best in others, even during contentious debate. This is perhaps the greatest skill any legislator can possess.

Finally, both Reagan and Gilliam faced their challenges with public courage and grace. Both wrote public letters explaining their disease. Both reverently named their wives, Nancy and Becky, as bedrocks of strength. Both expressed their high honor in publicly serving our people and our nation. And both named God as their ultimate source of faith and optimism. 

In his letter, Gilliam wrote that he will “enjoy the years God gives me pursuing meaningful opportunities including and with your support, serving you in the Legislature.”

Vic Gilliam’s constituents could not be better served than by taking him up on this.

Scott Bruun is a fifth-generation Oregonian and recovering politician. He lives with his family in the 'burbs', yet dutifully commutes to Portland every day where he earns his living in public affairs with Hubbell Communications. 

 

Related Slideshow: Slideshow: Five GOP Leaders to Follow in 2015

As the Oregon GOP works to build their place in the state after their heavy losses in the 2014 mid-term elections, they will look toward members who can help lead the party. Check out five Republican politicians who are becoming the new faces of the GOP. 

Prev Next

Knute Buehler

Buehler is new to the Oregon House, winning by a wide margin in the Bend district over his Democratic opponent Craig Wilhelm. He took 54 percent of the vote in the district left open by Republican Jason Conger. 

Buehler, a knee surgeon, is not new to politics, however. He ran for Secretary of State in  2012, getting 43 percent of the vote and losing to Democrat Secretary of State Kate Brown. 

Bergstein said Buehler’s statewide campaigning experience makes him a potential player for Republicans. 

Lee said Buehler is on the moderate side of the party which could cause rifts with some members but that he has potential to lead in the Oregon GOP. 

“He’s, I think, obviously someone for the future,” he said. "Buehler is an advocate for finance reform and touts himself as someone who can cross party lines to get things done."

Photo credit: ballotpedia.com.

Prev Next

Dennis Richardson

Though he lost his run for governor, some say Dennis Richardson’s political future could still be bright. 

The race between Richardson and Kitzhaber was much closer than expected, likely in large part because of the scandal surrounding the governor’s office that broke just weeks before the election. 

“I would certainly support Dennis Richardson in another run. He would win with proper funding and coordination of campaign resources with the state party,” Currier said. 

Lee said the best thing Richardson did when campaigning came from an answer to a debate question about what he would say to a recently wed gay couple and he responded “congratulations.” 

Lee said it’s important for the Republican Party to move on from issues when they are already determined. “When law is the law then let’s worry about those things where we can make difference.” 

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Mike McLane

State Rep. Mike McLane was re-elected last week as the Oregon House GOP leader. 

He has served the role since 2012 and has gone unchallenged in his leadership. McLane was elected to the House in 2010 and re-elected in 2012. He then rose to leadership. He represents District 55 in Central Oregon. 

 McLane has served as a leader in the House in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 sessions as well as the 2013 special session. He gets ready to lead again in 2015.  

Photo credit: courtesy of the Mike McLane Facebook page

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John Davis

State Rep. John Davis was recently appointed assistant House Leader. 

Bergstein said Davis is “as good as they get in the legislature.”

Davis was elected in 2012 and was noticed for co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill in the last session that cemented the Urban Growth Boundary.  

Davis bumped state Rep. Julie Parrish’s out of her position in House leadership earlier this year. But Lee says don’t discount Parrish, who was re-elected last week to a third term in the West Linn district. 
“She gets a lot of non-affiliates,” Lee said. 

Photo credit: courtesy of the John Davis Facebook page.

Prev Next

Tim Knopp

State Sen. Tim Knopp was elected in 2012 with nearly 60 percent of the vote in the Bend district 27.

This summer he moved into a leadership role, serving now as deputy caucus leader of the Senate Republicans. Knopp has a long history in Oregon politics. He served in the House from 1995 to 2005, serving as House Majority Leader in 2003. 

He’s oft-quoted in the media, works on recruiting candidates and is often in the forefront of public issues. 

“Knopp can come across as neo-conservative, but his reputation inside the Capitol would be better described as a business conservative. His manner is direct and his approach to issues leans more toward getting something done than toeing an ideological line,” Oregon Insider, a blog for state lobbying firm CFM, stated in July. 

“When he was elected to the Senate, there was little doubt among political insiders that Knopp would ascend in the GOP leadership. Some speculated he might try to elbow out Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli. Instead, Knopp has bided his time and accepted a role — recruiting candidates — that usually is rewarded with the top job if your candidates win,” the blog statees. 

Photo credit: courtesy of the Tim Knopp website

 
 

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