Corey Buchanan, Pamplin Media Group, November 01 2021
Wilsonville Planning Commissioner Aaron Woods plans to announce that he will run for state Senate District 13.
Along with serving on the commission, Woods, who has lived in Wilsonville for 25 years and is a retired Xerox executive, is on the Clackamas Community College Board of Directors and was a finalist for the Rotary Club of Wilsonville’s First Citizen award given to an exemplary volunteer.
The Senate District 13 seat currently is held by Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, but redistricting means that Thatcher will occupy another district and a new senator from Tigard, Sherwood, King City and other areas will be elected next November.
West Linn-Wilsonville School District Board Chair Chelsea King, who works with Woods on the Wilsonville Alliance for Inclusive Communities, also announced her candidacy for that seat. They both are running as Democrats. In a news release, Woods said vying for a Legislature seat is a logical next step after many years of working to improve his community.
“I am proud to announce my candidacy for state Senate District 13 and humbled by the tremendous support I have already received,” Woods said in the release. “I bring my more than 30 years of business and technology services experience to our Legislature. I know that for our businesses, students and the community at large to be competitive in the future, we must ensure we have equal access to affordable high-speed broadband services, expanded career and technical education programs, and affordable housing opportunities so our children can afford to live in the communities where they were raised.”
Along with serving on the CCC board, Woods is an executive board member for Digitunity, a nonprofit organization that works to provide technology to those who don’t have access to it. He hopes to use these experiences to bolster technological access.
“Through my work with Digitunity and as a board member at Clackamas Community College, I have seen firsthand the disadvantage of not having access to high-speed internet service and the incredible opportunities that come with it. Oregon hasn’t moved quickly enough on reaching this goal. I believe my expertise and understanding of technology can be immensely helpful in bringing this change about.” Woods said.