Dear Neighbor,

When I asked for your vote in 2010, I pledged that I would go to Salem and work to bring back Oregon.

I ran because our communities need leaders working to renew job growth and promote economic recovery. We needed legislators in Salem to stand for fiscal responsibility and promote personal accountability. We needed to get serious about creating jobs for all of Oregon.

Voters across the state sent a clear message to Salem politicians by delivering a 30-30 tie in the Oregon House for the first time in history. The tie forced House members to work together, and stopped one party from ramming through tax increases and unnecessary regulations that strangle business.

Instead, the 2011 legislature passed a balanced budget with no new taxes, reformed education by increasing parents’ options and choices, and renewed enterprise zones, allowing counties to continue to recruit companies like Facebook to their communities.

As a member of the budget-writing Ways & Means Committee, I scrutinized budgets and fought to cut wasteful spending on projects like “Drive Less, Save More.” In my roles as co Vice-Chair of the Ways and Means subcommittees on Natural Resources and Transportation and Economic Development, I fought to assure the proper stewardship of resources and the efficient delivery of services.

I’m proud of the work we did. But there’s much more to do.

For example, rural Oregon still has high unemployment. Agencies are still spending money on wasteful advertising programs. Bureaucrats in Salem are still on the backs of privately owned businesses and hurting job growth.

I’m running for reelection so I can go back to Salem and continue working for you. I ask for your support in 2012.

Sincerely,

Mike McLane