Vicki Berger
Vicki Berger | |
---|---|
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 20th District | |
In office 2003–2015 | |
Preceded by | Jackie Winters |
Succeeded by | Paul Evans |
Constituency | Marion County Polk County |
Personal details | |
Born | 1949 (age 71–72) Salem, Oregon |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Jerry Berger |
Children | 3 |
Residence | Salem, Oregon |
Alma mater | University of Wyoming |
Profession | Business person |
Vicki Berger (born 1949) is an American businessperson and politician in the state of Oregon. A native Oregonian, she is a Salem civic leader and a former Republican member of the Oregon House of Representatives. Her father, Richard Chambers, came up with the idea for the Oregon Bottle Bill.
Early life[]
Born Vicki Chambers in 1949, she was the youngest of three children of Richard Chambers.[1] In 1967, she graduated from South Salem High School in the state's capital city before she married Jerry Berger in 1969.[2] The couple would have three children, and she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology in 1974 from the University of Wyoming.[2]
From 1972 to 1975, Berger worked as a bailiff for the county court. She would teach racquetball at Chemeketa Community College in the early 1980s and then as a project manager for a local manufacturing company from 1988 to 1995. That year she became a franchisee of a Lazerquick copy shop in West Salem, retaining ownership until 2000.[2]
Civic leader[]
In 1985, she joined the board of the Salem YMCA where she remained until 1998.[3] From 1995 to 1998 she served as that organization's first female president.[2] Berger was on the Salem-Keizer School District board from 1988 to 1992 and helped lead the campaign for a bond measure for capital improvements in what is the state's second largest school district.[3] In 2001, along with her husband, she shared the award as First Citizens from the local chamber of commerce.[2]
Political career[]
In August 2001, Berger announced she would run for a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives.[2] In the May 2002, primary she defeated Greg Warnock and Irv Blake to win the Republican nomination.[4] Berger defeated Democrat Lloyd Kumley in the November general election with 13,408 votes to 7,884.[5] She joined the House beginning with the 2003 session representing District 20, which spans parts of Polk and Marion counties.[6]
After running unopposed in the May 2004 primary,[7] she beat Democrat Jeanne E. Deane 17,595 votes to 11,400 votes in general election.[8] Berger again ran without competition in the Republican primary in 2006,[9] and then beat her Democratic Party opponent Connie Garcia, collecting 13,382 votes to Garcia's 9,040.[10] During the 2007 to 2008 legislature she served on the Revenue Committee.[11] In 2007, she worked to pass legislation to amend the Oregon Bottle Bill to require deposits on water bottles.[12][13] Her father, Richard Chambers, was the person responsible for proposing the original bill that passed the Oregon Legislature in 1971.[13]
She was the first Republican in the House to vote in favor of an increase in the tax on cigarettes to pay for more health insurance of children in 2007.[1] Seeking a fourth term in 2008, Berger was unopposed in the May primary,[14] and then defeated Richard Riggs in the November election to win another term. Her district covers parts of Salem, Independence, and Monmouth, and switched from a primarily Republican district to a primarily Democratic district in 2008.[15] Berger is considered a moderate Republican whose votes are occasionally inline with the Democrats.[1] Berger calls herself a fiscally conservative and business-oriented politician.[16] In 2008, she became the first person in the Oregon House to be cross-nominated by the Independent Party of Oregon.[citation needed]
Berger did not run for reelection in 2014. Her seat was the only one to change party control in the Oregon House of Representatives that year, with Democrat Paul Evans, a former mayor of Monmouth, defeating Republican candidate Kathy Goss.[17]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Cole, Michelle. "In Salem, moderate + Republican = power", The Oregonian, March 5, 2007, A1.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Wong, Peter. "Berger to run for seat in House", Statesman Journal, August 21, 2001, p. 3C.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Vicki Berger", Statesman Journal, October 11, 2004, p. 4C.
- ^ Election Division: May 21, 2002 Primary Election. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
- ^ Election Division: November 5, 2002 General Election Abstract of Votes. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
- ^ 2003 Regular Session (72nd). Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
- ^ Election Division: May 18, 2004, Primary Election Abstract of Votes. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
- ^ Election Division: November 2, 2004, General Election Abstract of Votes. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
- ^ Election Division: May 16, 2006, Primary Election Abstract of Votes. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
- ^ Election Division: November 7, 2006, General Election Abstracts of Votes. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
- ^ Wong, Peter. "Forecast: No kicker in' 09, but no budget cuts either", Statesman Journal, May 30, 2008, p. 1.
- ^ Mooallem, Jon. “The Unintended Consequences of Hyperhydration”, The New York Times, May 27, 2007, Magazine, p. 30.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Casper, Beth. "Governor signs two bills to keep Oregon's 'green' reputation intact", Statesman Journal, June 8, 2007, p. 1.
- ^ "Oregon primary election results", Statesman Journal, May 25, 2008, p. 10.
- ^ Wong, Peter. "Democrats have edge in race for District 20", Statesman Journal, September 28, 2008, p. 1.
- ^ Wong, Peter. "House District 20 candidates focus on education issues", Statesman Journal, September 28, 2006, p. 1.
- ^ Hoffman, Hannah (November 4, 2014). "Evans leading Goss in House District 20 race". Statesman Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
External links[]
- Vicki Berger – Oregon House of Representatives
- 1949 births
- Living people
- Politicians from Salem, Oregon
- University of Wyoming alumni
- Members of the Oregon House of Representatives
- Oregon Republicans
- Women state legislators in Oregon
- South Salem High School alumni
- Businesspeople from Oregon
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians