Tomorrow is the big show. With less than 48 hours to go, we need people to turn their ballots back in, and make sure that your friends and neighbors have done the same.

We're asking everyone to open up their personal phone books and call their friends today to make sure they have voted. This election is going to be one of the most important in recent history, and even if you or your friends/family are supporting good candidates, it's all for naught if the ballots don't get returned. The most important support you can give any good candidate is getting your ballot counted.

In our area, here are the places you can return your ballots before 8pm tomorrow night:

Clackamas County Elections Office1710 Red Soils Ct. Ste 100, Oregon City

24-hour drop box available, open til 8pm on election night

West Linn Public Library 1595 Burns Street, West Linn

Box is indoors - they'll be open until 8pm today and tomorrow

West Linn City Hall 22500 Salama Road, West Linn

24-hour drop box located outside

Tualatin City Hall 18880 SW Martinazzi Rd, Tualatin

24-hour drop box located outside

Lake Oswego Public Library 706 4th Street, Lake Oswego

Open until 9pm tonight, and accepting ballots until 8pm tomorrow, indoors

Wilsonville Public Libary 8200 SW Wilsonville Road, Wilsonville

Boxes are indoors, and open until 8pm

So, please forward this to all your friends, get them out to vote. Offer to drive their ballot in for them if they don't have time to get to the ballot return boxes. If we're going to restore balance to our government, it starts with you, and your right to vote!

November 2nd is in just a few short days. When I lobbied the HD37 precinct committee people to choose me as our candidate, I pledged that I would work hard and give the race 100% of my dedicated time and effort. We did not fail that promise.

The campaign has knocked on over 25,000 doors, has made thousands of phone calls, spoken to countless numbers of people in the community, and put up hundreds of signs. We're not planning to stop until election night.

When I'm elected, the hard work will continue. I'll take this same energy and conviction with me to Salem.

Elections are an important part of America's culture. Voting is a direct way to be involved in the outcome of our government. Don't let this chance pass you by; take time out from your busy day and make sure your voice is heard. There are only 5 days left to make an impact for Oregon's future. Don't let this opportunity slip by. If you haven't done so already, please make sure you mail in your ballot. Then make sure ten of your friends do the same.

We are still doing lots of get out the vote efforts....if you can make even just 25 phone calls for the campaign, please let us know and we'll get you a list. Every voter matters this November - we need to make sure they know it!

Come join the campaign at Lee Farms this Saturday as Julie helps people pick their Halloween pumpkins! Julie will be at Lee farms from 11 AM to 2 PM. Also, Julie will be collecting canned foods to give to the Tualatin Food Pantry. This is a great opportunity to meet Julie if you have not been unable to attend previous events. Grab a few pumpkins for Halloween, drop off non-perishable food, and meet the most qualified candidate to represent House District 37, it is a win, win for everyone!

What: Meet Julie at Lee Farms When: Saturday, October 16 from 11 AM - 2 PM Where: Lee Farms, 21975 SW 65th Ave. Tualatin, OR

So if you have some free time available this Saturday, and you haven't gotten your Halloween pumpkins yet, come down to Lee Farms to meet Julie and purchase your Halloween pumkins!

If you have any questions, you may give us a call at 971-227-6541. Happy Haunting!

With just 20 days left til November 2nd, our race is really heating up. This morning, the Willamette Week endorsed Julie for State Rep HD37 saying:

"Parrish may have been the most pleasant surprise we had during our interviews" and that "Parrish, the wife of an Iraq war vet, struck us as genuine, smart and able to empathize with anybody."

It's both humbling and amazing to have their support. The Willamette Week admittedly doesn't endorse many Republican candidates, so it's a particularly meaningful endorsement for our race.

You can read the entire WW endorsement articles and see the videos - LINK

This week, we also received the endorsement from the Oregon Small Business Coalition on the same day that Julie's company was ranked 6th in the US by Startup Nation and the National Association for Moms in Business as a leading mom-owned business.

There will certainly be no stronger advocate for Oregon's business community in the next session than Julie, so we need to continue to work hard for the next few weeks to get her elected!

This week we're crossing the 18,000 door-mark. There is no way we could have gotten this far if it wasn't for the wonderful group of volunteers that have helped the campaign over the last three and a half months. District 37 voters are very engaged right now, and they are definitely aware an election is happening. We'll continue to work this race until the last possible minute via doors, phones, mailboxes and the airwaves.

Spend an afternoon at Sandelie Golf Course and launch pumpkins from our fire engine cannon. Enjoy a local, seasonal fruit tasting and light refreshments. Carving pumpkins will be available for sale.

Visit with State Representative Matt Wingard, and Julie Parrish, candidate for State Representative in House District 37 as they talk about the tax increases that happened in the last legislative session, and what they’d like to do to get Oregon back on track for our community.

Where: Sandelie Golf Course, West – 3030 SW Advance Rd, Wilsonville

When: Saturday, October 9th from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Cost: $20 per car-load; $10 suggested donation to launch the cannon; $3 for carving pumpkins

For more information, call Sandelie West Golf Course at 503-682-2022.

Click here to download the flyer.

For Immediate Release- September 22, 2010

Contact: Ian Tolleson- 971-227-6541

West Linn- Democratic groups desperate to distract voters from their abysmal handling of Oregon's economy struck again today with false attacks over a red-herring sales tax. This time, West Linn businesswoman and candidate for state representative Julie Parrish was their target.

In a mailing to local voters, a political action committee headed by Democratic legislative leaders claims Julie Parrish wants to "add" a sales tax. The false attack was leveled by the same Democratic leaders who passed $1.6 billion in new taxes and fees on Oregonians last year.

"I don't support adding a sales tax and I've repeatedly said so in no uncertain terms," said Parrish, who is campaigning on a platform of fiscal responsibility. "Oregonians are taxed enough already. I do not support a sales tax or raising taxes on Oregonians."

Like Future PAC has done in other districts throughout the Portland area, they have attempted to raise an issue that no one is talking about or even proposing. Click here for more coverage on this issue.

"It's seems to me that the only person who's brought up the issue of a sales tax is John Kitzhaber," noted Parrish in reference to a debate last spring between Kitzhaber and his primary opponent Bill Bradbury. "Oregonians have rejected a sales tax multiple times and if the issue of adding a sales tax came up again, I would stand with them in opposing this issue."

Julie recently had the opportunity to publish an op-ed article in The Portlander. You can read a snippet below or click here to read the whole article.

There’s a common theme this election season amongst voters. As I knock on doors of potential constituents, it’s like a mantra that echoes from one street to the next. It’s coming from people in all parties, across all ages. It’s delivered with a frustrated sigh by mothers upset about lost school days. It comes with some pretty colorful words from disgruntled homeowners on the verge of foreclosure. It’s whispered quietly by public employees who fear for their jobs if they speak too loudly. It’s bemoaned by business owners who worry about having to lay off staff to keep their doors open. The mantra is very simple, but it’s growing louder. “Something’s got to give!”

Oregon’s budget situation is one of the most untenable in the country. State revenues are consistently falling; unemployment is hovering around 10.6%. Oregonians I’ve spoken to believe the Legislature’s failure to plan, inability to budget, and propensity to spend have put Oregon on a destructive financial path. While many voters believe that something does indeed have to give, they are worried about just what that “something” is...

click here to read the whole article.

The Willamette Week recently published an article on their news and culture blog featuring a video of Julie talking about her past. The video was recorded during Julie's editorial endorsement interview with the Willamette Week.

You can read the article and view the video by clicking here.

Julie recently had a guest opinion featured in the West Linn Tidings. You can read it below or by clicking here.

I have mixed emotions with the kids going back to school this week. On one hand, I feel like the dad in Staples’ back-to-school commercial. He dances down the aisles buying school supplies for his very unhappy children. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” plays in the background as he frolics with glue sticks and pencils.

We had our ice cream social at the kids’ school on Sept. 2. Their crayons and spiral notebooks are tucked safely in the classroom. It is indeed a wonderful time at the Parrish house. Our oldest is headed into his last year of primary school. As excited as I am that another school year is kicking off, I have to wonder what’s going to happen moving forward.

At the back-to-school event last week, my son’s teacher informed me that cutting 15 school days from the academic calendar was the final outcome of a long summer vacation filled with discussions about budget cuts, the superintendent’s retirement package and schools that failed to meet academic benchmarks. With my oldest just a few short years from high school, and given the recent round of cuts, I’m no longer certain our children will be ready to go out into the world beyond public schools.

What does a 15-day cut for schools really mean? It’s more than just a loss of instructional time.

Oregon tends to be short sighted in its thinking when it comes to education. A 15-day cut in West Linn-Wilsonville’s school district calendar is about 158 instructional days. Compared to other states that have protected instructional time, ninth-graders entering high school this year will lose nearly 100 days over a four-year high school career. We’ll be graduating students who are only halfway through their senior year. This means our kids won’t be able to compete with kids from other states for college entrance and scholarship dollars. This is unacceptable.

This decision doesn’t just affect students; it affects families and the businesses that employ parents. The unintended consequence of this decision is that parents without vacation time or a back-up daycare plan will call in sick, costing both lost wages for the family and loss of productivity for employers.

During this next legislative campaign cycle, you have the opportunity right now to engage candidates with the question, “How will you fix education?”

Short, quipped answers like “we need more money for schools” or “we have to think about education reform” are not the answers you should accept. Legislators need to be ready to address the elephants in the room – and there isn’t just one elephant, there’s a herd of them!

The key element to education reform is accountability; for costs, for outcomes, and for the stewardship of our resources. We need to devise a plan around reform that addresses accountability head on.

First, we must rethink the value proposition for schools. If we invest $100 this year, and we only get $50 back, would we make the same investment the next year? Of course not!

Yet we do this every year in education. We invest the money, but across the state the return on investment is low as students fail standardized tests, they don’t graduate on time, teachers don’t have the tools they need to do their job and little more than half of our tax dollars ever hit the classroom. This has to change.

Merit pay and holding teachers accountable is a solution we hear bantered often in the media. I want a system that addresses ineffective teaching, but the problem doesn’t always lie with the teacher. It’s hard to hold the teacher accountable for failing to educate kids when he never had a say-so in the education plan. We need to return more autonomy back to the local buildings before we can even start engaging in conversations about a merit-based system.

Lastly, we need to make sure that we question where our tax dollars are being spent. The bulk of a school’s budget needs to go towards core education functions.

The playing field should be leveled so that schools can rely on funding sources and plan accordingly. And if legislators and candidates are going to use education as a platform, they need to be willing to address the education inequity that happens in our rural communities where local option and capital bond tax measures rarely pass.

As summer fades, my kids are getting back into their fall routine. Without strong advocates in the next legislative session though, my kids and Oregon’s students are in for a long, dark winter.

Julie recently had a guest opinion featured in the Tigard Times. You can read it below or by clicking here.

Summertime means many things to each of us, depending on how you fill your days. For some, it’s watching our children playing in park fountains on hot afternoons. It’s weekend trips to our beautiful beaches, or camping in Oregon’s forests. You might be working in your yard on a Saturday afternoon, or visiting with neighbors on your back deck in the evening. This month, your summer days might have been spent at the Crawfish Festival in Tualatin, Music in the Park in West Linn, or one of the county fairs nearby. No doubt about it, summer in Oregon keeps us all busy.

One of the things we don’t usually associate with summer is hunger. Harvests across the state are in full swing, packing farmers’ markets with customers. Oregon is an agricultural state, producing more than 220 agricultural products, many of them edible.

According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon ranks No. 1 in production of blackberries, Dungeness crab, hazelnuts, and several other food-based crops. Six of the top 10 highest grossing commodities we produce in Oregon are items for consumption. These include wheat, dairy, and pears. Oregon agriculture generates over $4 billion in annual sales.

Given food production outside of the Portland area is one of our strongest industrial sectors, it’s disconcerting that almost 20 percent of Oregonians are receiving Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In May 2010, SNAP, still commonly referred to as food stamps, had 706,000 participants statewide. That number jumped by 100,000 Oregonians in just one year. As we move deeper into joblessness and foreclosure, the increase in need has put pressure on non-profit and church-based organizations.

In our communities, we have two food pantries that do a very good job operating on shoestring budgets, yet feed hundreds of families each month. The West Linn pantry specifically receives no government commodities. They have learned to stretch a dollar. You might see Jenny Loney, one of the volunteers in West Linn, at the grocery checkout using a stack of coupons to buy needed items that didn’t get donated this week.

Both Loney and Tracy Smith, program coordinator at the Tualatin School House Pantry, will tell you that in the summer need is high. One reason is that children who would normally be eligible for free or reduced lunch are home from school with empty cupboards. Their access to nutritious foods is reduced dramatically in the summer.

Having personally worked to start a summer lunch program in Wilsonville, I’ve seen firsthand how something as simple as a baggie of carrots or sliced apples goes a long way for a hungry child.

In summer, donations are harder to come by. With no clear call to action to donate (like Thanksgiving or Christmas), donating food falls off the radar. Civic and community groups are aware of this, working to fill the gap. Rotarians in West Linn are actively trying to collect food at Music in the Park on Thursday nights. Local businesses are stepping in to offer leftover baked goods and other food products, although pantries continue to need people committed to picking up those goods.

Sadly, those efforts fall short of keeping the pantries stocked on a consistent basis. High need items like canned fruit, personal hygiene items, and cleaning products are in constant demand. Cash donations to meet overhead and fill holes are always needed.

Long term, the health of the people in our communities is going to rely on our ability to support each other through hard times. Sometimes, people just need a hand up. The families accessing the pantries are trying to get their lives back on track after losing a job, an illness, or family tragedy. When we donate, we’re also helping homebound seniors, or people on fixed incomes who are struggling to afford food in the face of rising costs.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, we’re offering a fun way for the community to come together and fight summer hunger. Local businesses Lee Farms and Bulls Eye Coffee are partnering with me to connect families to food. We’re encouraging you to bring your families to Lee Farms, 21975 S.W. 65th Ave., Tualatin, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to enjoy the farm activities. The suggested donation is two cans of non-perishable food per person, but you’re welcome to bring more. It’s an opportunity to stock pantry shelves, connect to where our food comes from, and support local businesses. All of these things combined make our community strong and vibrant.

Please join us in helping our community members in need, and the local food pantries that have made feeding people their mission. They deserve our support.

Julie recently appeared on the Victoria Taft Show and spoke about her campaign. Victoria and Julie talked about Julie's plans for getting Oregonians back to work, creating a skilled workforce, and putting the brakes on government spending. You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

Be sure to catch The Victoria Taft Show weekdays on KPAM 860 from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

Harvest Season Can Be Hunger Season:

Lee Farms and Julie Parrish, Candidate for State Representative in House District 37, to Host Fundraiser to Benefit West Linn and Tualatin Food Pantries

West Linn- House District 37 candidate Julie Parrish is joining Bulls Eye Coffee and Lee Farms in hosting a special fundraiser on Saturday, August 28 to benefit the West Linn and Tualatin Food Pantries.

The event will feature free farm activities as Parrish and other volunteers collect food and cash donations. A portion of proceeds from items purchased at the farm that day will be donated by Lee Farms to the food pantries.

As a lead organizer of the event, Parrish is no stranger to hunger. Growing up, her family was on food stamps and there were many times food wasn't available in the house. "I look back and am very grateful that there were people like Jenny Loney, who helps facilitate the West Linn Food Pantry, when I was growing up.

"Without people like her and Tracy Smith, who coordinates the Tualatin Food Pantry efforts, we wouldn't have survived. I'm hoping this event is not only successful this year, but that we can make this an annual effort. Not only are we helping people in our community, we're supporting a local family farm in the process."

Parrish added, "Oregon has over 706,000 families receiving SNAP benefits for food- that's nearly 20% of our state. Yet Oregon is a breadbasket state - we produce nearly 200 types of edible agriculture products - we shouldn't have hungry citizens. We should be working hard to get more fresh goods to people in need, educating families about how to maximize their benefits, and making sure that kids in our communities don't go without enough food to have well-balanced meals at home."

What: Local citizens are invited to a fun fundraiser for the West Linn and Tualatin Food Pantries. Farm activities will be free (suggested donation is 2 cans of food per person) as we collect food and cash to help our neighbors. 10 percent of all proceeds from shopping the farm will be donated by Lee Farms to the food pantries.

Where: Lee Farms; (21975 Southwest 65th Avenue; Tualatin)

When: Saturday, August 28; 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Who: Lee Farms Bulls Eye Coffee Julie Parrish, Candidate, State Representative in House District 37

Why: Summer hunger is at an all-time high. These two food pantries serve a combined 700 local families, who can only visit the food banks once per month. Summer and early fall are tough times for hunger in a community. There is no event-based call to action to donate like during the holiday seasons, and kids often go hungry when school cafeterias are closed. Seniors in need are also prone to hunger due to lack of transportation when many stay indoors out of the weather.

More Information: High need items are personal hygiene items, canned fruits, fresh produce, staple basics like sugar, flour, and seasonings, protein items like tuna or other canned meat items. The Tualatin pantry also does a birthday bag for kids being served by the pantry, so items like cake mixes, frosting, sprinkles, and birthday party items (candles, etc) are accepted as well. The West Linn Pantry is accepting school supply donations as well.

· The West Linn Pantry is at Willamette United Methodist Church (1683 Willamette Falls Dr, West Linn) and serves families on Thursdays from 3-7pm.

· The Tualatin Pantry is at Rolling Hills Church (3550 SW Borland Road) and is open on Mon. from 3 - 8 p.m. and Wed/Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Wilsonville Spokesman recently joined in the coverage of West Linn-Wilsonville School District Superintendent Roger Woehl's retirement package. Julie was featured in the article which we've reproduced below and you can read the entire article in the August 18th issue of the Wilsonville Spokesman.

Yellow-shirted picketers. Television cameras. Rising public discontent.

The summer continues to provide controversy for the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, as a string of district residents took to the microphone Monday to protest the inclusion of $30,000 in deferred compensation in district superintendent Roger Woehl’s new contract.

Board members voted 4-0 to approve the 17th amendment to Woehl’s contract, which calls for a base salary of $135,200, the same pay rate as the 2009-10 school.

Afterward, however, they came under pointed questioning by district residents, many clad in yellow t-shirts emblazoned with slogans supporting the district’s now-suspended Spanish Immersion program. Some even called for Woehl to return any money beyond his base salary.

“I understand that bonuses or stipends are built into contracts far in advance sometimes,” said Wilsonville resident Deborah Arthur. “But in the toughest of financial times that our district has faced, I wonder if you’d be willing to give that back to the children.”

Making things more awkward for the board, many who spoke out also pointed to the board’s June 16 decision to suspend Spanish Immersion for primary students as evidence that such a bonus now is fiscally inappropriate. At the time, board members backed by Woehl cited finances as the main reason for cancelling the popular program.

“Now we’re hearing about a $30,000 bonus for the superintendent,” Wilsonville resident Nathan Knight told the board. “And those two things obviously don’t match up.”

Woehl did not comment during the board meeting or afterward about his contract, which will cover his 17th and final year in the district. He took over as superintendent in 1993 and announced on June 30 that the 2010-11 school year will be his last.

Since 2004, the district has given Woehl annual payments of $10,000 into a retirement account as part of a program to encourage him to stay with the district. His most recent contract also reflects an amendment made to pay an additional $20,000 during the third and final year.

Magnifying the matter were the television cameras and other media attention paid to Monday’s meeting, in part because of the attention given to the issue by Julie Parrish, a former West Linn-Wilsonville School District food services director and current Republican Party candidate for state House District 37 Representative.

Afterward, many parents continued to express their dissatisfaction. Some even confronted board members as they tried to leave the West Linn High School auditorium, leading to several heated conversations in the aisles.

“In no place does the contract reflect some sort of deferred compensation,” said Wilsonville resident Brandon Gessler. “And, the use of the words ‘further incentive’ and ‘additional compensation’ are synonymous with ‘bonus’ if you ask me.”

Read the complete story in the Aug. 18 issue of the Spokesman.

Julie recently appeared on Fox News to talk about her campaign and what made her run for office.

You can view the video below, or view it directly on the Fox News web site by clicking here.

Cliff Newell at the West Linn Tidings wrote an article on Julie receiving national exposure for her Campaign.

When Fox News called, Julie Parrish answered.

Not that she was seeking any controversy.

The West Linn Republican, who is running for the District 37 seat in the Oregon House of Representatives, appeared last week on a segment of Fox News & Friends on mothers who are running for office this year.

While Parrish has done TV appearances such as “Super Shopper” in Portland, this is the first time she has gone national.

“It was different,” Parrish said. “It was live TV from a satellite studio. At the same time I felt confident that I got my message across.”

Parrish’s national splash was due to Fox spotting an article about Parrish’s candidacy in the West Linn Tidings. Since the network is well-known for being on the ultra conservative end of the political spectrum, it caused some question about where Parrish stands.

But she is not a part of the Tea Party movement, she said. Parrish said she is receiving a cross section of support, and her endorsements are very much from the mainstream.

“After being on Fox News, I was contacted by a couple Tea Party people wanting to be volunteers,” Parrish said. “But I’ve been receiving cross-party support, and I knew we would. They like what I’ve said about education and kids and the state budget and job creation.

“It’s not only people in Oregon and Washington. People across the country have reached out to me.”

Endorsements for Parrish have come from Republican congressional candidate Scott Bruun, Tualatin Mayor Lou Ogden, Marylhurst University MBA department director Alain Gracianette, and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Alley.

Besides going on Fox, Parrish also picked up national publicity by being featured in the AARP monthly magazine, in which, among other things, the mother of three sons advised people what socks they should buy for their children.

Parrish is hitting the candidate trail hard over the next few weeks. Tonight she is having a major fundraising event at Oswego Hills Winery from 6 to 8 p.m.

Next Thursday, Aug. 12, she will meet up with her Democratic opponent Will Rassmussen at a candidate open house at the McLean House, starting at 5:30 p.m. No debate is planned, but an interesting exchange of opinions is quite possible.

The odds are also strong that voters can meet Julie Parrish up-close-and-personal right on their own doorstep.

“In two and a half weeks I’ve already knocked on 1,000 doors,” she said. “Including my volunteers, we’ve knocked on 3,500 doors.”

The Oregonian recently featured an article about West Linn-Wilsonville School District Superintendent Roger Woehl's retirement package. Julie was featured in the article which we've reproduced below:

Not long after butting heads over a recently-suspended language immersion program earlier this summer, a number of West Linn-Wilsonville School District parents finally found themselves united on one issue: outrage at Superintendent Roger Woehl’s retirement package, which includes a $30,000 payout after Woehl wraps up his career at the end of the upcoming school year.

Several parents turned out to the school board’s Monday night meeting to challenge the contract that was approved Monday night, which keeps his salary at $135,200 and provides a $758 per month expense account during the 2010-11 school year.

The $30,000 payment will be added to an already-existing post-retirement fund, which will total $70,000 after this school year. The cash-strapped district, which planned to eliminate up to 35 teaching positions before the next school year, will also pay Woehl $500 a month for four years and fund his health insurance under Medicare until he is 72.

One parent held up a poster on Monday night that announced details from Woehl’s contract, accompanied with the single question: “What about the children?” Another asked Woehl to return some of his compensation to the district during the meeting’s open comment period.

“I understand that bonuses or stipends are built into contracts far in advance sometimes,” said Deborah Arthur, who used Monday to again voice her support about the language immersion program cut in June because of budgetary concerns.

“However, in the toughest financial times of our lifetimes that our district has faced, I’d wonder if you’d be willing to give that back to the children.”

But board member Mary Furrow believed those parents misunderstood Woehl’s contract, which was not changed Monday night: the $30,000 shouldn’t be considered a “bonus,” but "deferred compensation," she said.

The school board voted in 2004 to start an incentive retirement account to persuade Woehl, who has just wrapped up his seventeenth year at the high-achieving district, to stay. In 2006, the district began adding $10,000 a year to the fund until the 2009-10 school year. This year, it will receive its scheduled $20,000 bump to $30,000.

“We have to compete for CEOs,” Furrow said. “We have to compete with the private sector.”

She added that the contract was on par with other area districts.

Woehl refused to comment on the issue: “I’m not going to talk .. about a personal contract,” he said after the meeting.

To parents who watched members of the school board eliminate the Spanish immersion program because it appeared unsustainable in dire economic times, news of Woehl’s retirement package added salt to the wound, according to Arthur.

At least 10 of those parents showed up Monday night in matching yellow shirts labeled "Children Over Politics," holding up signs that questioned the board's decision-making process and accused the district of misrepresenting the program's costs.

But language immersion supporters weren't the only ones who raised their eyebrows at the contract.

Julie Parrish, who called for the program's suspension, wrote about Woehl's contract on a “West Linn-Wilsonville Parents” blog in a post partly-entitled “If you’re not mad, you should be.” The former district employee and Republican state representative candidate for District 37 harangued the decision, saying some of the package was, “at best, in poor taste given the budget climate and the cuts the Superintendent has handed to classified and teaching staff throughout the district.”

“This has always been about questioning the accountability of the district on their spending decisions,” Parrish said, adding that she is concerned other area districts may be approving similar contracts for their superintendents as myriad teaching positions disappear.

“There’s definitely a perception about management taking something that should be going to the kids,” she said.

Furrow was not without sympathy. She could understand that concern, Furrow said, “but Roger does actually do a very important task.”

Still, it’s an answer that does not quite satisfy some parents.

"I've seen other administrators take pay freezes or cuts," Arthur said. "It sure would be nice if Mr. Woehl would chip in, instead of taking more."

Julie is running for State Representative because she sees so much potential to get Oregon back on the right track. From creating local jobs, to supporting our local schools — Julie will bring focus to the important issues facing our families.

Please join her team today.

OregonLive.com By Jessica Van Berkel, July 7, 2010

Julie Parrish, an entrepreneur and community organizer from West Linn, was selected as the Republican candidate for Oregon House Representative in District 37.

A precinct committee selected Parrish as the party nominee over the expected candidate Aaron Crowley, a Tualatin businessman who announced his plan to run for representative in June.

Crowley had already initiated his campaign and hired political consultants. It had been conventional wisdom that he would get the nomination, said Greg Leo, an Oregon Republican Party spokesman.

About 36 committee members attended the grassroots convention where they posed questions on topics like illegal immigration, health care and the budget deficit, and voted on candidates, Leo said.

The committee had to enter a second round of voting because the first ended in a "dead heat," Leo said.

Parrish emerged as the "clear choice," Oregon Republican Party Chairman Bob Tiernan said in a press release.

Parrish, a community organizer for the West Linn-Wilsonville School District where her three sons go to school, said in the release, "I think it's time for some more moms in tennis shoes to get into politics, and I believe right now that will resonate with our community."

Attorney Will Rasmussen won the Democratic nomination following a competitive three-way primary.

The two Republican candidates were vying for the position left open by Chael Sonnen, a mixed martial arts fighter and Realtor who won the May primary and dropped out of the race in June. Sonnen cited a legal issue as his reason for leaving the race.

The West Linn Tidings By Cliff Newell, Jul 8, 2010
Julie Parrish of West Linn is bringing no political experience of any kind into the race for state representative for District 37.

 But she may have an excellent ally in her quest for victory: Fate. It is almost like the Republican nomination went looking for her.

 It was only last Thursday night Parrish found out she had been chosen by the Republican Party Nominating Convention as their candidate to run against Democrat Will Rasmussen. 

“I was first interested in becoming state senator when Scott Bruun announced he was running for Congress,” Parrish said. “In my heart I thought, ‘Oh hey, this could be interesting.’”

 But on second thought, Parrish realized she was raising three children by herself while her husband Mark was serving with the Oregon National Guard in Iraq, as well as running her business and starting a community food access project. 

“It didn’t make a lot of sense to run,” Parrish admitted.

Then Chael Sonnen suddenly dropped out as the Republican District 37 candidate two weeks ago. The party needed a candidate with only four months to go.

“That instinct came back,” Parrish said. 

In fact, her commitment to run and serve so impressed the Republicans that she was chosen over a worthy candidate, Aaron Crowley, as the state senate nominee for District 37. The prospect of running for office makes Parrish’s eyes light up and sparkle. 

“I’m here, I’m running and I’m excited,” she said with a big smile. “On our wedding anniversary, I told my husband, ‘Guess what I just did?’” 

Julie Parrish is as American as apple pie, maybe even more. She worked to pay for her own education. She started her own business. She is the wife of a soldier. She is the mother of three boys.

 She has worked hard to make her own good life. She has proven the American Dream comes true if you work hard enough.

 However, it is Parrish’s commitment to community, especially the education of children, that is the driving force behind her political ambitions. The phrase she uses again and again is, “I want to reach out.”

 Parrish said, “I see the budget cuts for our schools, I see 1,200 soldiers coming home without any jobs, I see the hunger and the foreclosure rates rising. I think people are looking for fresh voices and fresh perspectives. It’s not about the Republican or Democratic party.”

 Parrish is young, fresh, energetic, intelligent and idealistic. And totally inexperienced when it comes to the mean street of politics. Still, she fully realizes what may be ahead for her over the next four months.

 “I’m aware (that) politics isn’t fair,” Parrish said. “I would hope this will be a positive race, but it’s a risk I was ready to take. If I feel in my heart that I’m the best candidate, I’m willing to have some rocks thrown at me. I’ve not led an easy life. I have a thick skin.”

 Parrish’s life story includes a broken home, poverty, homelessness and hunger. She lived on the streets of Seattle, “where you learn to trust your gut and not live in fear.” 

In comparison, a political campaign will be a cakewalk.

 “What I bring to the table is a lot of compassion,” Parrish said. “I know what the average person is going through. People are asking, ‘Where is the candidate that looks like me?’”

 Parrish thinks that candidate is herself. So she will be “reaching out” over the coming months with a wide-open, transparent campaign, she said, where she will encourage voters to contact her via the Internet or just walking up and knocking on the door of her house in West Linn. 

“It will be the one with the big yard with the trampoline and too many kids running around,” Parrish said. 

Much more can be found out about Julie Parrish and her candidacy for District 37 on Twitter (@hotcouponmama), Facebook (Julie Parrish for Oregon District 37) or simply by phoning her at 503-432-9707.

She will soon have a campaign website at www.julie4oregon.com.