Her personal heroes include Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who spent her life fighting poverty and made history as the United States’ delegate to the United Nations.
And should Democrats achieve a one-seat gain in this year’s state House elections, Oregon Representative Tina Kotek is poised to make history on her own: likely becoming the first openly gay Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives as well as the first lesbian in the country to hold that title.
But to understand what kind of a leader Rep. Kotek will be for Oregon, you need to look at the road she took to get to the legislature.
“Before getting elected, I was a nonprofit advocate working the halls of the Capitol on behalf of low-income Oregonians – fighting to reduce hunger, poverty and social inequality,” she said. “I strive to keep the needs of every Oregonian in mind when I work on legislation or vote on the floor.”
And indeed she has worked diligently to give a voice to people who are often not heard inside the halls of power in Salem.
When asked about her greatest legislative accomplishment, she replied: health care.
“Improving access to health insurance for children and changing the way we deliver health care to our Medicaid population. I played a key role in the creation of the Healthy Kids Program in 2009, which has allowed us to provide health care to almost every child in Oregon,” she explained. “This is a phenomenal accomplishment, especially during the recession. I also led our caucus in negotiating the successful legislation that will transform the Oregon Health Plan through better coordinated, integrated care that focuses on prevention and promoting health.”
And her work paid off. The federal government recently announced that Oregon will receive $1.9 billion over the next five years to help fund this new coordinated system.
She plans to continue to address these issues as House speaker. She sees the underfunding of Oregon’s education system (pre-school through graduate shcool) and income disparity resulting from a lack of living wage jobs as the biggest issues facing the state.
“Achieving a sustainable prosperity for Oregon will depend on improving our investments in education and focusing economic development efforts to create living wage jobs across the state,” she said.
She is not shy to tell how her Democratic colleagues will address these challenges if they regain their majority.
“We will prioritize dollars saved from health care and corrections reforms for education,” she revealed . “We will focus on expanding businesses that make and build things in Oregon. We will expand the use of prevailing wage and protect the rights of workers to organize[, and we] will work to make our tax system more fair and stable by eliminating wasteful tax loopholes.
And she wants to make sure her stewardship leading the Oregon House has a lasting impact. She sees Oregon as a state where people who work hard and play by the rules can get ahead; a state that values equal rights and fairness for everyone; a state that takes care of her most vulnerable citizens; and a state that protects its water, air, and natural beauty for future generations.
Representative Kotek is committed to raising the necessary money and working with candidates so Democrats in Oregon can once again regain the majority in the Oregon House.
She is also reading Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky for further inspiration as she prepares to take on this new role.
But that is not to say it is always politics and business with Representative Kotek
“My favorite way to relax is to go to the movies. I love cinema of all kinds and Portland is a film-loving town.”
And with her experience, her commitment, and her dedication the Oregon legislature is poised not just to make history but also make real achievements on public policy that will benefit all corners of the state.