(Emerson Levy | Photo courtesy of Emerson Levy)
Community advocate and attorney Emerson Levy (Bend-D) announced that she has filed her candidacy for State Representative for House District 53. HD-53’s borders were changed in redistricting, and it now covers the northside of Bend, Tumalo, Sisters and the southwestern part of Redmond.
Levy announced her intention to run in early October. Due to redistricting rules, candidates were not permitted to file until January 1, 2022.
Since Levy announced in October, her early endorsements include Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, former State Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer, Jamie McLeod-Skinner, Redmond community leader Liz Goodrich and Bend City Councilor Melanie Kebler.
House District 53 has seen significant changes in demographics and in the makeup of the race. The incumbent, Jack Zika, announced that he will not seek re-election in the fall.
“It’s been a difficult two years for people in central Oregon,” says Levy. “I am determined to tackle big issues in the legislature from housing, school safety, wildfires to the addiction crisis. I am also determined to listen to this community and advocate for what we need in Salem. The thing we don’t always get right in politics is really hearing people, especially now.”
In 2020, Levy worked with Representative Courtney Neron (HD-26) on a legislative concept for a school safety bill modeled on Alyssa’s Law, which was developed by the family of a Parkland school shooting victim to improve response times in school emergencies.
Levy is invested in her community as a volunteer on the State Task Force for School Safety, a member of her daughter’s elementary school PTO, a co-host on the civics podcast The State of Bend and as a Democratic Party of Oregon State Central Committee Delegate.
