Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Huhtala Opts Out Of State House Race Against Witt To Run For Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners - District 3 Seat


To: All Media FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2010 Contact: Peter Huhtala (503) 468-8038
Press Release
Huhtala opts to run for Clatsop County Commission over House Seat

Astoria, OR. Native Astorian Peter Huhtala announced Tuesday that he will run for Clatsop
County Commissioner in the third district instead of pursuing a race for an Oregon House seat.

“The reality is that my heart is right here in Astoria and it’s where I think I can do the most
good,” said Huhtala, Executive Director of the Columbia River Business Alliance and a longtime
river and fisheries conservation advocate.

“For the last several months whenever I talked to people about the matters that were important to them it kept coming back to local issues. Unemployment, affordable housing, and the
environment are major concerns. These are things I know how to do something about at the
County level.”

Huhtala is running for the Commission with the primary goals of focusing attention on both
increasing jobs in the County and preserving the quality of life that makes this area a great place
to live and raise a family.

“The future of our economy is directly linked to our respect for the variety and abundance the
region affords its people,” said Huhtala, who has been an outspoken opponent of proposed
Liquefied Natural Gas terminals on the Columbia River.

“If the County just jumps on board with projects that would put jobs related to fishing, recreation and tourism at risk then we are damaging the long-term future of our economy.

We need to have a jobs strategy that is both aggressive and smart.”

The group of volunteers that were supporting Huhtala as a House candidate expressed support
for his decision to run for the County Commissioner position. “Peter’s experience and passion
makes him perfect for the County Commission,” says Phyllis Cook who is Peter’s volunteer
campaign coordinator. “I fear that some decisions made by the Commission in recent years,
however well-intentioned, may have unfortunate consequences.

We desperately need a vision for the future.

Peter has the temperament and integrity to bring transparency and a breath of
fresh air to County Government.

He will be responsive to the community.”

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