Pete Sorenson
Encyclopedia
Pete Sorenson is a County Commissioner in Lane County
, Oregon
. Born in Washoe County
, Nevada
, Pete is a lawyer
and a progressive member of the Democratic Party
.
From 1977 to 1979, Pete was a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture during the Carter Administration
.
While in private law practice from 1982 to 1995, Pete also served as a member of the Board of Education at Lane Community College
in Eugene
Oregon. During his tenure at Lane Community College, Sorenson advocated strongly for dislocated workers' retraining programs and for childcare for staff and students.
In 1993, Sorenson was appointed to the Oregon State Senate
, and was elected to a full Senate term in 1994. He was elected Assistant Minority Leader during the 1995 session.
Instead of running for reelection as a State Senator, Sorenson choose instead to run for County Commissioner in 1996 and was elected to his first term. Pete ran successfully for reelection as a County Commissioner in 2000, 2004 and 2008; in 2008 he ran unopposed. In 2009 he was elected by the four other commissioners as Chair of the Board of Commissioners, a position he has held before.
Sorenson has always run on a "pro-environment, pro-education, pro-senior, pro-regular taxpayer, pro-child, pro-civil rights
, pro-civil liberties
, and pro-people" platform.
In January 2005, Sorenson announced he would challenge incumbent
Governor
Ted Kulongoski
, also a Democrat. Sorenson was defeated in the May 2006 Democratic primary for Governor, receiving 16.27% of the vote.
In July 2007 Pete Sorenson and Kim Leval were married. Kim is the Executive Director for the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. Pete has two grown children: Jennifer, a child welfare investigator for the state of Oregon, and Erik, an accountant for Bell Micro.
Lane County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siuslaw National Forest *Umpqua National Forest *Willamette National Forest -Government:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Born in Washoe County
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 421,407 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.-History:...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Pete is a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and a progressive member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
From 1977 to 1979, Pete was a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture during the Carter Administration
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
.
While in private law practice from 1982 to 1995, Pete also served as a member of the Board of Education at Lane Community College
Lane Community College
Lane Community College is a two-year college located in Eugene, Oregon. Its slogan is "Transforming Lives Through Learning."-Education:Lane Community College offers a variety of Associate's Degrees, such as:...
in Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
Oregon. During his tenure at Lane Community College, Sorenson advocated strongly for dislocated workers' retraining programs and for childcare for staff and students.
In 1993, Sorenson was appointed to the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
, and was elected to a full Senate term in 1994. He was elected Assistant Minority Leader during the 1995 session.
Instead of running for reelection as a State Senator, Sorenson choose instead to run for County Commissioner in 1996 and was elected to his first term. Pete ran successfully for reelection as a County Commissioner in 2000, 2004 and 2008; in 2008 he ran unopposed. In 2009 he was elected by the four other commissioners as Chair of the Board of Commissioners, a position he has held before.
Sorenson has always run on a "pro-environment, pro-education, pro-senior, pro-regular taxpayer, pro-child, pro-civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, pro-civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
, and pro-people" platform.
In January 2005, Sorenson announced he would challenge incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Governor
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
Ted Kulongoski
Ted Kulongoski
Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski is an American politician, who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon. A Democrat, he has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as the state Insurance Commissioner, the Attorney General, and an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court.-Early...
, also a Democrat. Sorenson was defeated in the May 2006 Democratic primary for Governor, receiving 16.27% of the vote.
In July 2007 Pete Sorenson and Kim Leval were married. Kim is the Executive Director for the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. Pete has two grown children: Jennifer, a child welfare investigator for the state of Oregon, and Erik, an accountant for Bell Micro.