Kitzhaber visits Sisters students

Cylvia Hayes, former Governor John Kitzhaber, Cindy Glick and David Glick. photo by Charlie Kanzig

Dave and Cindy Glick are firm believers in community involvement and volunteerism and have passed those values on to their three children.

Not long ago, Cindy decided she wanted to give her eldest son Casey, a college sophomore, a chance to meet adults who have made a career of activism. She arranged to have Casey meet Cylvia Hayes, the director of 3E Strategies, who, despite having no political experience, ran against Ben Westlund in District 53 for the Oregon House.

The arrangement eventually blossomed into a meeting at the Glick's home in Plainview on December 20 that included 25 high school and college students, Hayes, and a surprise visit by former Governor John Kitzhaber.

Kitzhaber was in the area to spend time working on a book he is writing.

"I was amazed that John agreed to join us," said Cindy Glick.

After a down-home potluck meal, each participant was asked what legacy they wanted to leave, which set the stage for a lot of idea-sharing, philosophizing and debate.

Hayes talked about her experience in running for state office and the work she is now doing at 3E to promote "sustainable living."

"I knew I had no chance of winning, but I will never regret the experience of knocking on over 2,000 doors within the district and talking to people about what was important to them," she said.

She went on to explain that her "three Es" are eco-logy, economy, and equity. Her website is [email protected]

Kitzhaber, who spent eight years in the House of Representatives, 12 in the Senate, and eight years as governor, gave the participants a lot of encouragement and insight.

He began by saying, "You are truly the future leaders of the state of Oregon."

He explained that he became active politically in 1968 as a junior at Dartmouth as young people began to protest about not being old enough to vote, yet old enough to be drafted into Vietnam.

Kitzhaber believes that the reason only 14 percent of the people aged 18-34 years in Oregon vote is because they don't feel they have a real impact in government.

"Lawmakers are elected, but many of the problems and issues in our state are handled by a third party, which is all the bureaucracies, which aren't necessarily equipped to solve the problems," he said.

"Take for example Governor Tom McCall's clean-up of the Willamette River in the 1970s," he said. "Direct pollution was stopped by the state at the sources of pipes running into the river from sewage and industrial waste, which was effective. But to go a step further and control the pollution caused by run-off requires that individual citizens take action to use biodegradable soap when they wash their cars (and use) less fertilizer on their lawns."

Jamie Cundiff, a sophomore at Stanford, concurred: "It's about living it, not just about what you say."

The students were inspired with the notion that individuals living committed, purposeful lives can make a difference and that it is possible to make a career out of what you are passionate about.

Hayes said, "I am working my passion today after doing many different kinds of work, including working heavy equipment, but you have to sometimes work hard at making it happen."

Dave Glick offered words of encouragement: "Be involved in your community however you can, and be a good neighbor."