Tigard Chamber of Commerce Endorses Candidates for November 2022 General Election
(Tigard, Oregon) – The Candidate Endorsement Committee (CEC) of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce has determined its list of endorsements for the upcoming 2022 General Election. The Committee, consisting of local business owners, community leaders, and members of the Chamber Board of Directors came together to go through a non-partisan process to consider candidates for endorsement who align with the Chambers’ core values and mission, legislative agenda and who support public policy that strengthens the business community and free enterprise system.
“This year’s local and state elections will be one of the most transformational elections we have seen in a while” said Barbara J. Burkart, CEO of the Tigard Chamber. Megan De Salvo, Candidate Endorsement Committee Chair, stated, “Each year we convene as a committee to make the tough choices on who we feel best represents the needs of both businesses and community members to foster a strong and vibrant local economy in and around Tigard. This year we are excited to take our endorsements a step further to the Governor’s race. Please join us in the support of these outstanding candidates.”
The Candidate Endorsement Committee interviewed several candidates in the application process. Those candidates who applied for consideration are Courtney Neron, Ben Bowman, Nick Hess, Jairaj Singh, Yi Kang Hu, Maureen Wolf, John Goodhouse and Heidi Lueb. The Tigard Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce their endorsement of the following candidates for the 2022 General Election to be held Nov. 8, 2022.
Tigard City Council: Yi Kang Hu
Yi is President of Tigard Planning Commission and has served on the planning Commission for nearly seven years. Yi wants to continue his service to the people of Tigard in a position that allows him to blend the experience gained on the Planning Commission, Tigard Transportation Advisory Committee, and numerous other community organizations. Tigard will have a young City Council next year and he believes his hands-on experience working with the city government would make him an asset on the council.
Yi believes that representation matters in government. Yi seeks to be the first person of color and member of the LGBTQ+ community to serve on the Tigard City Council. Yi thinks there is a need for set of diverse lenses to examine our policies and systems to make them inclusive and equitable.
Yi was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was a child. He came to Oregon to attend college in the ’90s and has called Oregon home ever since. Yi and his husband Abram purchased their house in Tigard 16 years ago and share it with their dog Sandy and cat Dottie. They enjoy hiking in the great Pacific Northwest and traveling around the country and the world.
Two- Year Tigard City Council: Maureen Wolf
Maureen Wolf is a former school board member for the Tigard-Tualatin School District and is running for Tigard City Council. Earlier in her career Maureen earned her CPA and specialized in small business practice. Upon completing her MBA, she became a senior finance analyst at Intel. Maureen understands governance in a public system and the critical nature of community engagement in the decision-making process.
Maureen served as the President of the Oregon School Boards Association in 2021 and has been a member since 2014. She currently serves on the Northwest Regional Education Service District’s board of directors as well. Maureen co-founded Packed with Pride, a non-profit that ensures Tigard – Tualatin families have a reliable food source when school buildings are closed. The organization started in 2020 during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maureen believes that Tigard should be a welcoming, walkable, and affordable city with safe neighborhoods that provide easy access to parks as well as reasonable commutes to work and local businesses.
Tigard Mayor: Heidi Lueb
Heidi is a first-Generation American mother, Tigard Community member and business finance leader at her organization. She is dedicated to ensuring Tigard is a community where everyone is welcome, where we take care of each other, and we’re looking to the future. Heidi builds relationships and brings our community together. She will work for all community members in Tigard and believes that local government has a fundamental impact on everyone’s daily life.
Heidi is running for Mayor because she believes that Tigard needs a leader who brings people together, listens to others, and comes from a place of wanting to understand and being kind. Heidi has continued to develop leadership skills through different training sessions that include Verus Global’s Pathways to Leadership and the Tigard Chamber Leadership Tigard Program.
Heidi is currently the Tigard City Council President and has served on City Council since 2019. She is the Head of Finance at Thesis agency and brings her business experience with large budgets to Tigard. Heidi lives in Tigard with her husband, toddler, and two dogs. They love going on walks around their Tigard neighborhood, being outside, and visiting all the local parks. “Heidi has been an involved and active participant at our Chamber events. We look forward to partnering with her and the City of Tigard to create solutions needed by our business members”, said Michelle Cheney of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
House of Representatives District 25 Ben Bowman
Ben Bowman grew up in Tigard, Oregon and he went to school in the Tigard-Tualatin School District. His mother was a high school English teacher and his dad worked for the post office. Ben is a 7th generation Oregonian with deep roots in Tigard. After graduating from Tigard High school in 2010, Ben earned his bachelors from the University of Oregon and his master’s degree from Stanford University.
He serves as Chair of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board which was one of his most challenging and rewarding roles. Ben is passionate about public education and the impact on schools and teachers. Ben was drawn to politics because he knows how important political decisions are for the everyday lives of people and he is acutely aware of how fragile and vulnerable our political system is. Ben previously worked for former Representative Margaret Doherty, who represented Tigard in the legislature for over a decade.
Bowman sees the top issues that affect Tigard and communities across Oregon are a lower cost of living, the need to build a world class public education system and the need to invest in affordable housing and to address homelessness. Ben seeks to have a close working relationship with the leadership of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce to help stay informed about challenges, opportunities and priorities of the business community.
House of Representatives District 26 Courtney Neron
Courtney has been in the legislature for 2 terms and serves on the House Education Committee on Early Childhood and the House Committee on Housing. She looks forward to collaborating with colleagues in a third term. Courtney understands how difficult the past few years have been for families, individuals, and community well-being. She is seeking reelection to continue her work rebuilding and investing in a healthy safe future for all Oregonians to thrive.
Courtney is an educator by training and a mother raising her children in Wilsonville with her husband Joe who is an Optometrist. Courtney grew up in Metzger and Tigard. She attended University of Oregon and Pacific University before becoming a French and Spanish Teacher in the Tigard-Tualatin School District. Courtney brings a compassionate, collaborative, and responsive approach to her legislative work. She understands the importance of a strong public education, affordable housing, accessible healthcare, and environmental stewardship.