As a child, Oregon State Sen. Rod Monroe showed a deep interest in politics, and by his teens, was so well read on the subject that he would tell his parents how to vote, until eventually his parents, and even his community, began to listen.
“I had a strong interest in politics since I was in grade school. When I was 12, I read the voter’s pamphlet from cover to cover,” said Monroe, a Portland State alumnus.
After beginning his career as a teacher, he continued his work with education through his position in the state legislature.
He is currently working with the university, specifically ASPSU President Jonathan Sanford, and TriMet to reduce the price of the FlexPass, a pass that gives Portland State students access to TriMet services at a reduced cost.
Monroe is faced with a challenging time as senator during this economic recession.
“Our community colleges are seeing a spike in enrollment, due to loss of jobs, but at the same time, schools are fighting for more money,” Monroe said.
But the senator wants to continue to work toward more job development and strengthening education—two factors he sees as the keys to recovering from the recession.
He also chaired the Board of Mt. Hood Community College. During that time, he was responsible for funding the Head Start program at MHCC, which allowed parents to take classes while having childcare provided on campus.
His fascination with politics continued on through high school and into college. He studied both history and political science at Warner Pacific College and then graduated from Portland State with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree.
Before becoming a senator, he was a high school teacher in advanced history and government classes at Tigard High School. He also served on the David Douglas School Board. He taught similar subjects at Portland Community College and George Fox University as an adjunct professor.
But by the late 1970s, his political career came calling.
“When I taught in college and high school, it just increased my interest in politics,” Monroe said.
Monroe was elected as an Oregon State Representative in 1976 and re-elected in 1978. After that, he was elected Oregon senator in 1980 and 1984.
He was re-elected in 2006 after the then-senator Frank Shields had planned to take time off, and asked Monroe to step up to the plate.
“The state senator asked me to come back because of health reasons,” Monroe said.
During Monroe’s time in office, he has been behind sponsoring many notable laws in Oregon.
Some highlights include the Child Restraint Law, the Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act in 1981 that banned smoking in most public places, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. School Holiday Bill, which made MLK, Jr. Day a recognized holiday for schools.
Besides his political life, Monroe is also very active in his church of almost 30 years. He has served on the deacon board since 1995.
Monroe is also an avid runner, and has participated in over 20 marathons. He also keeps busy with other physical activities such as hiking, golf and bicycling.
“I still run, but not as much as I used to,” said Monroe, who during his marathon days would dutifully knock out five miles a day.