Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton. (Courtesy/Oregon Senate Republicans).
Earlier this spring, Marion County saw its political profile rise when Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, was elected to lead the Senate Republican caucus.
Girod, a dentist who was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1992, comes to the position at a particularly challenging time for legislative Republicans. Democrats currently hold supermajorities in both chambers, and Girod is tasked with picking up Senate seats for this party in the November election.
Relations between the parties have been particularly acrimonious in the State Capitol after Republicans staged a walkout to block a controversial cap-and-trade bill from coming to a vote during this year’s regular legislative session.
Lawmakers met again last month for a special session to consider measures on the coronavirus pandemic and police accountability. But Girod said that the most recent session didn’t heal rifts between the two parties, but instead made them worse.
In an interview with the Salem Reporter, Girod discussed the Senate Republican’s messaging going into the election, why the walkout is still on the table and why he wears a mask. His remarks have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Salem Reporter: Why did you want to run for Senate minority leader?
Sen. Fred Girod: I feel very strongly that the Republicans needed a voice that could resonate with the business community and with the population in general. And I felt that I could do the best job doing that.
SR: Anything in particular that made you think you were the guy for the job?
Girod: Probably the fact I’ve been around the longest and I have the most relationships. Anytime you run for an office like this the number of relationships you have is a huge asset. For me, it’s pretty easy to call some government agency or walk into some Democrat’s office. I kinda transcend all the different levels.
I have good relationships with pretty much everyone in the building, with a few exceptions. So that pays dividends in getting information. It also pays big dividends down the road when you’re trying to fundraise.
SR: So what are your top goals for this position?
Girod: Everything is based on the campaign. In the Senate, there’s three, possibly four, key positions (on the ballot this November). One is based in Bend, (Sen.) Tim Knopp, (Sen.) Dencyc Boles in Salem.
Those two we, have to defend and then we’re hoping to pick up one on the coast. And then there’s also one we have a chance with up in Gresham.
SR: On that note, what is your strategy? What message will the Senate Republicans use to get out of their superminority status?
Girod: I think the simple message is that we’d be a counterweight to Gov. Kate Brown. Basically, she has been such, I hate to use the term, but just a really poor governor. And by being a counterweight to her, I think that will pay dividends.
SR: Any specific things you can point to that you think she could have done better?
Girod: I think that the way she handled the virus could have been better. She definitely could have handled the riots up at Portland a little bit better. I think the cap and trade she could have handled better. She could have treated the Legislature a little better, and one of the big ones is the handling of unemployment insurance.
SR: What about the virus that you could have done better?
Girod: If you look at where the outbreak started, it was in the state of Washington. If you would have limited travel from the state of Washington down here, that would have paid a lot of dividends early.
The thing is the death rate has dropped dramatically. Now, I think that we can start opening things back up, have people wear masks with social distancing. And I think that that is probably on the right track. But she’s just been heavy-handed with all these groups of people.
SR: What’s your take on this special session that concluded recently? Was it productive?
Girod: It was absolutely terrible. The public wasn’t really invited into the special session. We depend on the public to vet bills or get better bills. And so there were a lot of bad bills that made it through.
Nobody from the minority party could write a bill. So to think that it was somehow a democracy was a joke.
SR: Do you think that relations between both parties improved during the special session?
Girod: No, I think it got worse.
(Brown) is on record saying that “revenge is a dish best served cold.” She’s the one who has the animosity toward the minority party.
SR: Did you consider doing a walkout at any point? Was that discussed?
Girod: It was. But the reason that we didn’t do a walkout was there was no bill that was anything like cap and trade. Cap and trade is a monumental bill that impacts everything around you from the clothes you wear to the gas that you pump.
SR: So, you think the walkout should be reserved as a tool for really monumental bills that rise to the level of cap and trade?
Girod: I think it has to be something so dire that it’s worth doing. It isn’t something that you should do on a daily basis. I think that would be counterproductive.
Just for the record, I came here 15 years ago. Cap and trade is the worst bill I’ve ever seen, bar none.
SR: You mentioned that social distancing and wearing a mask are important to getting the virus under control? Do you wear a mask?
Girod: I do.
SR: It’s kind of become a culture war issue. What do you make of that? Where does that come from?
Girod: Well, I don’t know. Here’s the thing, it’s the same issue for the people who don’t want to get vaccinated. You have a right as an individual to determine what you’re going to do for your whole body.
I was a dentist. I couldn’t go in and treat a kid without having the parent’s approval or anyone else’s approval. So, I think people have the right to disagree with that.
SR: Last regular session, you sponsored a bill that would have extended unemployment insurance for NORPAC employees. That bill didn’t go through because of the walkout. Have you heard from NORPAC employees? Is that still a problem with them getting unemployment?
Girod: Most of it was before the virus so most of them got reemployed. There’s been very little impact. There were a few on the higher end for the labor force that was skilled that were having more trouble getting employed.
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Contact reporter Jake Thomas at 503-575-1251 or [email protected] or @jakethomas2009.
