Rick Metsger

Rick Metsger
Member of the Oregon Senate
from the 26th district
In office
1999–2011
Preceded by Ken Baker
Succeeded by Chuck Thomsen
Personal details
Born August 16, 1951
Corvallis, Oregon
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Kay
Residence Welches, Oregon

Richard Thomas "Rick" Metsger (born August 16, 1951) is a Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Oregon who served in the Oregon State Senate from 1999 to 2011. He was also a candidate for Oregon Secretary of State and Oregon State Treasurer. Prior to his political career, Metsger was a sportscaster in Portland, Oregon.

Early life and career

Metsger was born in Sandy, Oregon, where he attended elementary school. He graduated from Centennial High School in Gresham. In 1972, he earned a bachelor's degree in communication from Lewis & Clark College, where he also earned a master's degree in teaching in 1975.[1][2]

Metsger taught at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham from 1973 to 1976 and was an assistant basketball coach at Lewis & Clark during that same time.[1]

Sports anchor

In 1977, Metsger was hired as a sportscaster for Portland television station KOIN,[3] eventually working his way up to sports anchor and sports director. In the early 1990s, Metsger was moved to a combination news and sports role.[4] In August 1992, hours after completing an investigative report about leaking nuclear waste tanks at the Hanford Site, Metsger was fired from the station. The report aired three weeks later (narrated by another reporter), and later won the Best Investigative Reporting award from the Oregon Associated Press Broadcasters Association.[5][6]

Political career

In 1998, Metsger sought his first political office, running as a Democrat for the Oregon State Senate in the 14th state senate district (later renumbered the 26th due to redistricting). He was unopposed in the Democratic primary, and in the general election, defeated former Oregon House member Jerry Grisham, who had defeated incumbent Ken Baker in the Republican primary.[7] Metsger was re-elected in 2002 and 2006.

In 2008, he became a candidate for Oregon Secretary of State, running to succeed incumbent Bill Bradbury, but lost the Democratic primary to Kate Brown. Metsger sought the Democratic nomination for Oregon State Treasurer in the special election to replace Ben Westlund, but lost to fellow Democrat Ted Wheeler.[8] His candidacy had been endorsed by the Oregon Progressive Party.[9]

Metsger became a member of the National Credit Union Administration Board on August 23, 2013.[10] He had previously been a consultant for credit union trade organizations.[11]

Personal

Metsger is a principal at MetsgerForbes LLC, a strategic issues management firm. He and his wife Kay, an open heart surgery nurse, live in Welches, Oregon.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Senator Rick Metsger". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  2. ↑ "About Rick". RickMetsger.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Walton Becomes Chairman for Rick Metsger's Political Campaign". salem-news.com. January 10, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  4. ↑ Baker, Jeff (January 25, 1992). "Metsger shuffled at KOIN". The Oregonian.
  5. ↑ Schulberg, Pete (March 31, 1993). "There's nothing fun about newest family feud". The Oregonian.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Senator Rick Metsger". Oregon State Legislature. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  7. ↑ Kohler, Vince (November 9, 1998). "Lokan retains Oregon House seat by 93 votes". The Oregonian.
  8. ↑ "Oregon 2010 Primary Results: State Treasurer". The Oregonian. May 18, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  9. ↑ http://progparty.org/node/101
  10. ↑ "Metsger Takes Oath of Office" (Press release). Alexandria, Virginia: National Credit Union Administration. August 23, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  11. ↑ Wagner, Daniel (December 11, 2013). "New credit union cop tight with industry". The Center for Public Integrity.