Conservative or liberal?

LEABURG: Two candidates - Michelle Emmons and Darin Harbick - are vying to represent the 68,000 residents of Oregon’s House District 12. Each had an opportunity to outline their background and plans for governing during a McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event last Thursday at Ike’s Pizza.

An Oakridge resident, Emmons said she’s been involved in outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship for the last 40 years. Part of her resume includes working on a national level for the outdoor equipment company REI and as a consultant for nonprofits, including the McKenzie River Trust. Currently, she’s currently the deputy director for Willamette Riverkeeper.

Harbick, a native of the McKenzie area, graduated from McKenzie High School. He and his wife went on to own five local businesses, ranging from Harbick’s Country Store to a residential treatment home. Over the years, he’s employed over 80 people, including McKenzie graduates who he said, “We were able to mentor and show how to work.”

Crafted after the 1980 census, the area once known as the “helicopter district” now covers 1,180 square miles that includes rural areas, small towns, and parts of Springfield.

Both candidates stressed their small town connections. Emmons talked about some of her frustrations with insurance companies in getting coverage for her property that she says is already “firewise.” Harbick said he’d seen firsthand how government could step in and “try to shut down my business” during COVID.

Despite their differences in political affiliation, they also appear to agree on some core issues, including public service. Harbick talked about his 14 years as a member of the McKenzie School Board. Emmons noted that she served as the president of the Oakridge/Westfir Chamber of Commerce and the city’s economic development committee.

Supporting local communities was another area of common interest, with the candidates agreeing on the need to boost economic opportunities in rural areas.

Emmons said she’s experienced in “small business development and regional hubs for emergency services.” Harbick said he’s interested in resiliency after wildfires and “the core things that’s causing these things to happen.”

Voters are likely to consider reproductive rights, healthcare, and environmental policies when deciding how to vote.

Emmons said, “Personal freedom is a core value for me, and it’s also a core value for our state, especially when it comes to reproductive rights. Harbick, she said, is “the only candidate in the legislature endorsed by Oregon Right to Life. He’s made it clear in interviews that he would work to repeal our constitutional right to abortion.”

Calling parental rights a “key priority,” Harbick said he opposed House Bill 2002 because it “says at the age of 15, your son or daughter can get puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, or transgender surgery without parents even being told about it.”

Their opinions also clash over environmental policies.

Harbick noted he’d taken his log truck to Salem to protest the state forester’s plans to set aside 50,000 state-owned acres. The program, he said, creates “no logging, no reducing fuels, no roads, but many dollars to collect samples and watch birds and environmental studies for the next 70 years.”

Emmons voiced support for eco-friendly economic development and sustainability. “As an outdoor advocate I can help to address the climate crisis by upholding Oregon’s state resilience plan, which lays out a strategy for improving infrastructure to withstand natural disasters like wildfire,” she said.

Both had an opportunity to tell people why they had decided to puursue placing their names on the ballot.

Emmons said she was running for Oregon House District 12 “because I do believe in a future where everyone has the freedom to make their own choices. I believe in strong public schools and the separation between church and state.” She added, “ I don’t want to see a voucher program come into our public schools.”

Harbick has aligned himself with conservative values while calling for a shift in the balance of representation that today favors Democrats in Salem.

“There are 30 senators in Oregon, 17 Democrat, 13 Republican, and one governor. Those 91 people make all the rules and regulations that you and I have to live by,” he said. “We need to get the balance back in the legislature, and I’ll continue to work hard for you guys and listen to your needs and values,” he added.

As of October 2024, Darin Harbick has raised over $115,000 for his campaign for Oregon House District 12. Michelle Emmons, who entered the race through a write-in campaign, has raised less in comparison, but specific figures for her 2024 campaign were not readily available.