Esterman for governor?

Like many people in Sisters Country, Richard Esterman is troubled by the condition of his country and the State of Oregon. But Esterman has taken a long step beyond talking about it in the coffee shop with his buddies.

The Sisters photographer has launched an effort to qualify for the ballot as a nonaffiliated, individual candidate for governor. To do it, he must obtain 18,279 petition signatures - and he's committed to doing it.

"I'm not asking for people's votes right now, I'm asking for signatures," he said. "I'm doing it the hard way; I'm doing it the way I believe in. I don't believe in parties. My goal is 20,000 signatures by June 2."

Esterman recognizes that his quest is quixotic. The governor's race has already attracted heavyweights like former Democrat governor John Kitzhaber and Republican Allan Alley, both of whom have substantial war chests.

Times are hard and his own business has suffered.

"Business is down," the photographer said. "Last year it was down 50 percent. I should be focusing on my business."

But Esterman is troubled that money and name recognition drive a process that he believes keeps regular folks out of the running and shuts off the voice of the people. Therein lies the origin of his tag line: "Commoner for Governor."

"I'm pissed off," he said. "I'm fed up."

Esterman first dipped into political waters last summer with a photo shoot at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds titled "Listen to the People," which drew a substantial nonpartisan turnout in an effort to send a message to legislators in Washington, D.C.

"This didn't happen until December," said Esterman of his decision to try to crash the ballot. "The 'Listen to the People' just seemed to be something that needed to be done. I had no idea that I'd be taking on this venture."

Esterman's platform is as individualistic as his bid for the ballot. He wants to eliminate job outsourcing outside of Oregon.

"We need to bring jobs back," he said. "That's the main issue right now."

He also wants to initiate tort reform and create effective fee oversight to reduce health care costs and reform education to produce leaders "who can think for themselves."

He believes funding to state agencies such as ODOT and the Department of Motor Vehicles should be reallocated to eliminate waste.

Above all, he wants to see an end to politics as a career and for the government to "listen to the people."

Esterman is adamant that his effort is not a stunt. He has a campaign manager - Gary Dale of Tumalo - and is recruiting signature gatherers.

"I'll tell you right now," he said, 'I've got a 1 percent chance because I'm trying. I'm going to give it my all. If anything else, maybe I can get my point across, and my views."

For more information on Esterman's efforts to secure a slot on the ballot in the race for governor, e-mail [email protected]

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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