By Julia Shumway
State Sen. Bill Hansell, who has been a fixture in eastern Oregon politics for more than 40 years, will retire in 2024, he announced Thursday.
Hansell, R-Athena, is partly through his third four-year term representing a rural district larger than nine states. He was a Umatilla county commissioner for 30 years before his election to the state Senate in 2012 and served as president of the influential lobbying group, the National Association of Counties and the Association of Oregon Counties.
Hansell said in a statement that he plans to finish his term but is announcing his retirement now to give people in his district time to decide if they want to run. He doesn’t plan to endorse anyone prior to the May 2024 primary, he said.
“There is a time for everything, the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes states,” Hansell said. “Now is the time, I believe, to give someone else the platform and opportunity to serve in the Oregon Senate, just as the great people of Senate District 29 have enabled me to do.”
The 29th District, the second largest in Oregon, includes Gilliam, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco and Wheeler counties, as well as portions of Clackamas, Marion and Jefferson counties. .
Hansell said that a senator who previously occupied his office left behind a written note with the advice to be a statesman, not a politician. He strove to do that during his time in office, he said.
“Using government to help others provides the motivation and the joy for what I do,” he said. “For example, I received as much satisfaction helping a widow lady save her chickens by having the government trapper spend some time near her home as I do serving on the Joint Semiconductor Committee tasked with bringing billions of federal dollars and thousands of jobs to Oregon.”
And while who might run to fill Hansell’s seat isn’ clear, State Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner) said he would not seek Hansell’s seat in the Senate.
“l would like to acknowledge Sen. Bill Hansell’s exemplary service to the state of Oregon,” said Smith in a statement release on Thursday. “For the last 10 years, I had the distinct honor to work alongside Sen. Hansell in the Legislature. Prior to his election to Legislature, he honorably served as a Umatilla County Commissioner for over 30 years. I would also like to make it clear that I will not be seeking election to Senate District 29 in the 2024 election.” (The bold underline was in Smith’s release)
This story first appeared in the Oregon Capital Chronicle.
