Meet Richard Riggs (Candidate for House District 20 endorsed by OLCV)

I am a third generation Oregonian, and after serving twenty years in the Navy I chose to return to home because of Oregon’s exceptional quality of life. Oregon is blessed with some of the richest farmlands in the world, abundant wildlife and fisheries, and a diversity of ecosystems in a compact geographic area. An important part our economy and cultural heritage is based on natural resources, including farming and salmon fishing. Protection of riparian habitats is essential to help preserve year round stream flows, maintain water quality, improve salmon habitat all of which benefit our economy, cultural heritage and exceptional quality of life. 

While in the Navy, I lived in eight states and the province of British Columbia, and I have traveled through at least 45 states. I have seen lakes devastated by acid rain, rivers polluted with PCBs, and poorly planned development that resulted in sprawl, urban decay, and traffic congestion.  For more than 30 years, Oregonians have fought to control urban sprawl and worked to improve air and water quality. As a result of our efforts, open spaces and family farms have been preserved, salmon have returned to the Willamette, and Oregon is known throughout the United States for its exceptional quality of life. As more and more people move to Oregon looking for a better quality of life, as they try to escape from the urban decay and congestion of their home states, we must continue to the fight to preserve our quality of life.

As an elected Chemeketa Community College board member, I fully support the college in its efforts towards silver LEEDS certification for the Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry, and all buildings that will be built under our recently passed bond levy. As a legislator, I will continue to support green building standards for state building projects and push for investments in renewable energy technologies so that Oregon becomes a world leader.

Visit www.richardriggs.com to learn how you can join me as we move Oregon forward.