Like fathers, like son

Greg Macpherson grew up around politics. His father was a state senator, and his grandfather served as a state legislator.

Because of this upbringing, the attorney general candidate thinks he has the insight to serve the needs of all Oregonians.

Macpherson is running against fellow Democrat John Kroger. Since no Republican has filed, both are vying to take the position on the May 20 Oregon primary.

First elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2002, Macpherson said he helped develop and pass the country’s toughest restrictions on pseudoephedrine, the raw material used to make methamphetamine.

In addition to his efforts to decrease drug use, Macpherson said he helped push legislation to crack down on Internet sex predators.

While Macpherson believes those issues are important and require immediate attention, he said that understanding the importance of proper money management is one of the keys to being a successful attorney general.

One of the leading problems facing Oregon right now is underfunding, Macpherson said. “We are a low-resource state and we are constantly struggling in paying for basic necessities. We can not afford to overspend on things we don’t need.”

A way that Macpherson believes he has helped alleviate this problem is by increasing funding for renewable energy–lowering the overspending on gas while protecting natural resources.

“What I bring is a long, deep perspective about what is happening in Oregon,” he said. “By lowering gas emissions and creating more sustainable avenues, I believe we will be creating more job opportunities.”

Born and raised in Corvallis, Ore., Macpherson spent much of his youth working on his family’s 300-acre farm. Macpherson said this helped instill in him the importance of preserving natural landscapes and gave him a unique perspective on rural life in Oregon.

“I believe that as state attorney general it is their duty to be the chief advocate for all Oregonians,” Macpherson said. “They must stand up for environmental protection and landscape development. This is a position of advocacy, not prosecution.”

Because of his father’s and grandfather’s direct involvement in politics, Macpherson said he had no choice but to become active in public service. His father, state Sen. Hector Macpherson, was a leading activist in helping to develop and protect Oregon farm and forestlands from uncontrolled development.

“What those men taught me is vital to where I am today,” Macpherson said. “If it were not for the farm, or their direct involvement with farming, I wouldn’t carry such a deep care for our environment.”

If elected, Macpherson said he would make Oregon’s jail system a top priority. Overcrowding of jails, he said, is taking money away from higher education.

Oregon is one of only five states in the United States that spends more money on jails than its education system, according to Macpherson.

“It’s easy to say we should do this and that,” Macpherson said, “but we need to look at what we are doing now, how effective that current system is working and what steps we can take to improve upon them.”