For immediate release:

Pat Zimmerman of Scappoose has announced she is running for County Commissioner.  She will be seeking the Democratic nomination for seat 3, currently held by Republican Tony Hyde, who is expected to run again.

"It's time for a change.  County government has become remote from the people it's supposed to serve.  It should be accessible and accountable to the county's citizens.  Their issues and problems, and suggestions for solutions should be listened to and made first priority"  Zimmerman said.

"As commissioner, I would work hard to open up our government. Decisions made by the Board of Commissioners have a huge impact on our quality of life, so everyone should have the opportunity to be heard, not just the small group of "usual suspects".  Current policies make it almost impossible for even an experienced citizen activist to get information, much less someone trying it for the first time.  This has to change."

"Another priority will be job creation - but jobs that don't do more harm than good.  We need to grow our jobs base, but not at the expense the community.  I would ask the hard questions, as I did at the Port when I challenged the assumption that a handful of jobs near Clatskanie were worth 110-car trains (bringing corn from the Midwest) cutting south county towns in half."

"The US 30 commute problem is very serious.  The costs in gas, family and societal disruption, contribution to global warming and other factors are huge.  We need to make it easier to work close to home, and easier to commute.  The county can and should support van and car pooling; telecommuting and other innovative solutions.  We also should look at controlling growth."  she said.

Zimmerman believes that her work as a Port Commissioner, chair and member of the state Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee, active SHIBA volunteer helping seniors with Medicare issues, engineering manager at Intel and other high tech companies, and participation in many other civic and land use organizations will allow her to "hit the ground running" if she is elected.

"I've managed 55-engineer departments with annual budgets of $80 -$85 million.  At the Port, I learned the arcane government budgeting and spending system. I think the county's current budget problems will continue, so business as usual isn't an option.  We need to really examine what spending is unavoidable, and how to use the money more effectively.  There are possible savings through better use of technology and the web.  Using Zero Based Budgeting would also help."

"Of course, all the research and ideas in the world are useless without good people to carry them out. As a successful manager in high tech I learned that treating people well and expecting the best of them results in good working relationships.  Mutual respect is absolutely critical - there is no room for arrogance or power plays if you want a successful outcome.  Generally, no individual can make something happen - it takes a team"  commented Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, 62, lives with her husband, Paul Dinu, west of Scappoose.  She's lived there for nearly 30 years, and has watched the community grow.  She has worked for Tektronix, Intel, various high tech startups and other local companies.  Before moving to Oregon, she was on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University's medical school, staff at University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine and several computer-related jobs.  She started her career as a data entry operator in Rochester, NY. 

She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Rochester and a Ph. D. in Information Science from Case Western Reserve University.  She retired from Intel at age 49 in 1995.  Since then, she's been busy as a SHIBA volunteer, member of numerous local and state land use committees and workgroups, columnist in the local paper, Humane Society activist and handweaver.

For further information please contact:

Pat Zimmerman
503-543-3485
patz99@centurytel.net
52057 Rabinsky
Scappoose, OR  97056
FAX:  503-543-8347