SALEM, Ore.— On September 8th, while at a Salem Chamber Oregon Legislature Candidate Forum, State Sen. Deb Patterson (SD-10) downplayed the impact of Intel choosing to build a warehouse in Ohio over Oregon. Patterson said: “What I really am more concerned about though is ensuring that members in this room are secure and growing rather than corporations who are already succeeding like Intel and might be competing against our local businesses here. I don’t want companies like Intel to be able to play by a different set of rules than our small businesses, which puts members of this Chamber and other chambers across the state and Oregonians at a disadvantage.”
Sen. Patterson is out of touch with what’s best for Oregonians. With the current condition of the economy and soaring inflation, Oregonians need to know their state legislature is looking out for their best interests and promoting economic growth here at home. Intel’s decision to build a factory in Ohio over Oregon will have a significant economic impact. The $20 billion investment by Intel to build a chip manufacturing facility will create 7,000 construction jobs and 3,000 full-time jobs when it opens. President Biden called the facility “one of the largest investments in semiconductor manufacturing in American history.”
Just last week, Amazon announced it would not continue forward with a major warehouse in Oregon. The Oregonian: “Amazon has indefinitely shelved plans to develop an enormous, 517,000-square-foot warehouse on a 47-acre property in Canby. The online retailer announced plans to build the project a year ago, promising 500 jobs paying an average wage of $18 an hour.”
During the forum, Patterson was pressed on the question of what is going well in Oregon in light of recent issues, and she responded: “I think we need to work towards solutions to the problems that there always will be everywhere, but I do feel very positive and hopeful that our communities will be safe and strong and thriving. I have a lot of hope in the future.”
Bryan Iverson: “Having served in our legislature, Sen. Patterson has already had the opportunity to fix the problems facing our state. Similar to Gov. Kate Brown, Patterson has been in leadership and is incapable of making Oregon a safer, thriving, more business-friendly state. We need change in Salem so all businesses—both large and small—can succeed here and contribute to the health of our economy.”
