Two enter the race for District 7 post

A dentist and a former mayor have filed for the Oregon State House of Representatives seat that Bruce Hanna will be vacating next year. Cedric Hayden, of Fall Creek, is a licensed dentist, business owner, and heavy equipment contractor. Gary Williams served as mayor of Cottage Grove and has been a local small business owner and operator for over 35 years.

 “It would be an honor to serve my community in the Oregon Legislature,” said Hayden. “I have been encouraged to run by neighbors, friends, family, and business associates who are concerned about the direction of our state.”

“Governments should be in the business of helping us thrive, but rather they continue to produce overbearing regulations that hurt us,” said Williams. “We must create a business environment that encourages our agricultural and timber industries and cuts the red tape on job-crushing small business regulations.  I’m about keeping families together—our children should not have to leave our community to find work.“

“There are many reasons why someone can run for elected office,” according to Hayden. “For me, a pivotal moment came while trying to provide children free dental care through my nonprofit. When looking for a location for our mobile dental unit, Caring Hand to Mouth was impeded by layers and layers of government bureaucracy. Why should it be so prohibitively difficult to provide free medical services when Oregon has one of the country’s highest rates of childhood dental diseases?”

Williams points out that he served as mayor of the largest city in House District 7, Cottage Grove, for six terms starting in 2000. Prior to serving as mayor, he was a city councilor representing Ward 3 for four years. Mayor Williams’s local roots trace back to a pioneer family from 1850. He is married with two grown sons—both recently serving our country in the military. He says that his experience as both a small businessman and mayor give him a unique insight into the challenges facing rural communities as they fight to grow and create new jobs.

Hayden graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry and was an undergraduate of Walla Walla University (formerly Walla Walla College). He spent 20 years doing hospital-based special needs dental surgeries. He is the son of Cedric Hayden Sr., a former 14-year member of the Oregon legislature.

House District 7 encompasses the communities of Blue River, Cottage Grove, Drain, Elkton, Fall Creek, Glide, Lowell, McKenzie Bridge, Oakland, Oakridge, Pleasant Hill, Sutherlin, Vida, Westfir, Winchester, and Yoncalla.

McKenzie River Reflections