Meet Jules Kopel Bailey (Candidate for House District 42 endorsed by OLCV)

I am running for State Representative because I believe confronting global warming is the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced, and we need legislators who have the vision, courage, and know-how to do our part and create a sustainable economy for Oregon. I have spent my entire professional life fighting for the environment - from protecting rivers and coral reefs in Vietnam and China, to researching marine reserves, to meeting with Oregonians in all 36 counties to build strategies for urban-rural partnerships for sustainability. I know how to build a broad coalition that will work to make Oregon a national leader in developing an integrated, system-wide solution to climate change. Now, as an economics and sustainable development consultant to local governments around the U.S., I am working to bring my skills and experience to Salem where I will work to protect our environmental legacy. I understand that there will be no quick fix.

We must look ahead to where we need to be by 2050 and work backwards to implement conservation, renewable and distributed energy, strong land use policies, green and living buildings, sustainable transit and transportation, river ecosystem and old-growth protection, and strategies for threatened and endangered species.

Our environmental challenges are also our greatest opportunity. We can build our economy and create "green collar" jobs in Oregon while establishing our state as the center of environmental innovation.

We're off to a great start, but it is only just the beginning. The advances we made in the last legislative session don't even keep us on track with other areas of the U.S. that are looking to take our sustainability title away from us. We need to tax carbon and create incentives and penalties to reduce our carbon footprint and create buildings and infrastructure that restore our environment. We need to remove the constitutional restrictions on gas tax revenue and create a system that favors transit and compact development with affordable housing over road building. We must protect our water resources, track and reduce toxins and pesticides, and increase ecosystem protection to provide a buffer as climate change increases volatility. And we must finally establish marine reserves and keep our oceans from turning into ecological deserts. I look forward to being the leading environmental advocate and champion in the legislature and to taking this message to all areas of our state. With your help, we'll get there.

To learn more about me, visit my website www.julesfororegon.com.