Farr announces run for House.

Byline: JEFF WRIGHT The Register-Guard

Eugene City Councilor Pat Farr is ready to take the plunge into state politics.

Farr, who has represented Ward 6 in northwest Eugene for nearly eight years, said Sunday that he will run as a Republican for House District 14 in the Oregon Legislature. Farr said he plans to make a formal announcement Tuesday, with stops in Junction City and the Bethel area of Eugene.

The newly reconfigured district covers northwest Eugene with outlying areas north to the Linn County line and west to Fern Ridge Reservoir. The district has no incumbent and, with a Tuesday deadline looming, the only other Republican candidate to file so far is Damon Wilson, a Lane Community College student and single father of three. No Democrats have yet filed.

Farr, who served on the Bethel School Board for two years before his initial appointment to the City Council, said his No. 1 issue is public education.

"That's not something you typically hear a Republican candidate saying, but that's my main platform," he said. "We have to take care of the kids."

Farr said he was disappointed with the Legislature's budget-balancing efforts during the recent special session. But he declined to say whether he felt too little was appropriated for K-12 schools, or whether he would have supported Gov. John Kitzhaber's proposal to raise cigarette, beer and wine taxes.

Property tax limits approved in the 1990s "really sucked the life out of K-12," he said, adding that he wants to work to restore much of the local control over schools that has been ceded to the state.

Farr said he was urged by Republican Party leaders and others to seek the legislative seat. He said he felt better about leaving the City Council after three other candidates filed to represent Ward 6.

Farr said he's been "extremely territorial" in representing Ward 6, which has added a branch library, new fire station and police substation during his tenure. "Seven years ago I had a long list and I look now and there's a lot of checkmarks on that list," he said.

He said he's a good fit for District 14, which includes many residents who've already voted for him on the school board and City Council. He said he sees himself as a fiscally conservative moderate who can "reach across party lines" and help find consensus in Salem.

Farr, 47, is originally from England. He and his wife, Debi, have three children, ages 20, 17 and 14. Farr is general manager of Gray's Garden Centers.

Wilson, 28, said he was challenged by a political science teacher at LCC to seek the office. He said he is serious about his candidacy and, like Farr, considers education his top priority, especially after witnessing budget cuts at LCC and the Eugene School District.

In addition to school and parenting, Wilson works as an assistant cook at Camp Harlow. This is his first bid for elective office.

In other election news, state Rep. Jeff Kruse, R-Sutherlin, will hold a press conference today at 10 a.m. in front of the old Cottage Grove Hospital to announce his re-election bid for House District 7. The new district includes portions of southern and eastern Lane County, including Cottage Grove, Oakridge and Vida.