Hood River Democrat Anna Williams, who has focused on welfare policy for the past four years in Congress, will soon trade the state legislature for a new policy job.
Williams, who was first elected in 2018, will become the new executive director of Oregon’s system of care advisory boards starting Monday.
Established in 2019, the statewide council develops health care policies and governs the various state, local, and federal governments that provide mental, behavioral, and physical health services, educational assistance, and juvenile justice to young people. coordinated with the program.
Williams told the Capital Chronicle that the job is a “perfect fit” after legislative action focused on laws addressing child abuse, homeless youth and provider wage rates.
“There is policy work for government agencies on the ground to be done,” she said. “We need system-level statewide policy work. We need community organizing and capacity building work. You don’t have to run for public office.”
The new position pays him about $150,000 a year, Williams said, far more than the $33,000 per day pay for Congress. Williams and his fellow Democrats Karin Power of Milwaukee and Rachel Prusak of Tualatin have been unable to keep juggling the often unpredictable legislative schedules, parenting, and daily job demands this spring. He announced that he would not seek re-election.
“Back and forth” every day
Williams can now do much of her work remotely from her home in Hood River, and hopes she’ll be well-prepared if work requires her to travel to Salem or other parts of the state. increase. This is in contrast to the legislative branch, where she said sometimes lawmakers only know about midnight only hours in advance.
Along with Rep. Jason Klopp (D-Bend), Williams is one of only two legislative Democrats elected from the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains. Hood River is about 90 miles from the Capitol in Salem, and Williams has tried all sorts of strategies to get the legislative work done for her family’s budget, but balances financial and time commitments. He said he had not been able to find a sustainable way to take
“I rented someone’s apartment for my first long session,” she said. “I used Airbnb when I knew I was going to stay for a week.
Williams and other critics say Oregon needs to raise legislative salaries to make legislative services more accessible to a wider swath of Oregon residents. Although recently represented by women and people of color, the legislature as a whole is older, white, and wealthier than the state’s population.
Beyond salaries, Williams said legislation could be easier, especially for parents and legislators who don’t live in the Willamette Valley, by setting schedules and helping with child care.
“Most Democrats can drive home in the evening, so when it’s a last minute thing that really eats up what little paycheck you have, how much does it cost them to get a hotel, etc. I’m not so worried about ,” she said.
keep insisting
Williams holds a master’s degree in public administration and social work from the University of Kansas and has worked as an advocate for victims of domestic and sexual violence, as a program coordinator for geriatric patients, and at a drop-in center for homeless adults. I was.
Before she ran for the House of Representatives, Williams served on the Local Area Office of the Board on Aging under the State Department of Social Services. Her frustration with DHS and Oregon Department of Health officials who didn’t understand why policies that worked in Portland didn’t work in rural Oregon led her to decide to run for public office.
“There was a lack of deep understanding of the qualitative differences in rural Oregon and how the statewide system actually affects people in rural Oregon,” she said. rice field. “You have to adjust your strategy to make things work in rural Oregon. Conflicts produced by the lack of understanding continue.”
Williams continues the unfinished business by working with Rep. Lisa Reynolds, a Portland physician and new chairman of the House Welfare Committee. More needs to be done to help access care and support domestic violence survivors who have no health care or housing and may have committed crimes to survive.
A bill she introduced in 2021 would have required judges to consider domestic violence as a mitigating factor in reducing sentences.
A change in legislative policy would also help unaccompanied and homeless youth who cannot access the same services as children in adoption or traditional foster care.
In her new role, she will work with a governor-appointed council that can set policy. She will also become more involved in law enforcement and distribution of subsidies to her providers of services.
“It was a great opportunity to stay in the legislative branch where I felt it was really effective and turn this thing in the process of development into something effective and efficient,” Williams said.
Candidates who want to finish their final months in the House of Representatives had until Friday to apply to the Oregon Democratic Party.
Locally elected Democrats planned to select three to five candidates at Saturday’s nominating convention and forward those names to the Multnomah, Clackamas and Hood River county commissioners. Select a new representative from within the group.
— Julia Shumway; jshumway@oregoncapitalchronicle.com
The non-profit Oregon Capital Chronicle focuses on in-depth reporting on Oregon government, politics, and policy.This newsroom helps readers learn how government officials wield power, what happens to taxpayers’ money, and how citizens can play a bigger role in big decisions. We aim to help you understand.I am an affiliate of state newsrooma national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.
