Retired public health administrator Mary Lou Hennrich and public defender Willy Chotzen will compete in the May 21 Democratic primary to represent House District 46 covering much of Southeast Portland. The seat is currently held by Rep. Khanh Pham, who is running for the state Senate.
Neither candidate has held political office. Hennrich has advocated for health care initiatives in Salem, including a successful multi-year effort for Oregon to boost funding and establish statewide requirements for physical education in schools. Chotzen volunteered on campaigns for former California Gov. Jerry Brown and former President Barack Obama while in college.
Chotzen has received more than $135,000 in campaign contributions this cycle, while Hennrich has brought in nearly $67,000, campaign finance records show. Both candidates have earned endorsements from powerful Democratic lawmakers and groups. Gov. Tina Kotek has endorsed Hennrich, while the Oregon Education Association and the Oregon chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, one of the state’s largest public employee unions, have endorsed Chotzen. Pham, who was elected to the seat in 2020, has endorsed Chotzen.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary in May will almost certainly win the seat in November, as registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans more than six-to-one in the district, which is centered on Southeast 82nd Avenue.
Hennrich, who is retired, worked for years in the Portland area in several public health administration roles and said she would focus on expanding access to equitable and affordable health care in Oregon if elected. She started her career as a nurse for the Multnomah County Health Department in 1969 and eventually moved up to deputy director of the department.
In 1994, Hennrich became the first CEO of Care Oregon, a nonprofit health insurance organization for low-income residents. She later became the first director of the Oregon Public Health Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for public health care access and research.
“I will bring decades of experience and knowledge of health care delivery and public health, including outcomes and costs,” Hennrich wrote in response to an Oregonian/OregonLive questionnaire. “I have spent my entire career strategizing for system-wide solutions that will make quality, equitable and affordable health care for all a reality.”
Mary Lou Hennrich (left), candidate to represent much of Southeast Portland in the Oregon House, poses for a picture with campaign volunteer Runa Sattar.Hennrich campaign
Along with her support from Kotek, Hennrich has received endorsements from former Gov. Barbara Roberts, five Democratic lawmakers, the Oregon Sierra Club and the Oregon Nurses Association. Her biggest single donation is $10,000 from the political arm of the Oregon Nurses Association.
Chotzen said his legal background and experience as a former middle school teacher would qualify him to address some of Oregon’s biggest issues, including addiction, mental health and the state’s public defender shortage.
Since 2020, Chotzen has worked as the manager and chief attorney in the misdemeanor unit of Metropolitan Public Defender, the largest provider of public defender services in Oregon. Chotzen supervises a team of 10 to 15 attorneys in the department, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“As a public defender and former public school teacher, I understand where our systems are failing and how much is at stake,” Chotzen wrote. “My experience working on the front lines of our addiction, mental health, and homelessness crisis gives me a unique insight into how to fix our support systems and get our state back on track.”
Chotzen was born in Ashland and spent three years as a middle school math teacher in California before leaving in 2016 to attend Harvard Law School, according to his LinkedIn profile. He moved to Portland five years ago after graduating from law school.
Chotzen has received $12,000 from the Oregon AFSCME and $25,000 from Nan Fox, a self-employed creative director in St. Louis, who is Chotzen’s cousin. He has also received $8,000 from New York-based civic engagement group Democrats for Equity Leadership and $5,000 apiece from Lake Oswego software developer Mike Perham and the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.
Willy Chotzen, candidate for Oregon's 46th House District, speaks with members of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon at a campaign event.Chotzen campaign
Chotzen has also received endorsements from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, six Democratic lawmakers and the Oregon League of Conservation Voters.
Below are the two candidates’ answers to six key questions posed by The Oregonian/OregonLive designed to help Democratic party voters make their choice in the May 21 primary. Some responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
If elected, which committee would you most hope to serve on and why?
Chotzen: I hope to serve on the Judiciary Committee because I bring a perspective and expertise that is missing and needed. I have spent my career working to expand access to our legal system. Working in a legal aid clinic, I helped families stay in their homes and workers regain stolen wages. Now, as a chief attorney at Metropolitan Public Defender, I see the vulnerabilities and inefficiencies of our criminal legal system and the real-world impacts of our public defender shortage. I will be a strong voice to expand access to justice and to ensure our courts work as they should.
Hennrich: As a nurse and health care reform advocate I hope to serve on the House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee. I will bring decades of experience and knowledge of health care delivery and public health, including outcomes and costs. I have spent my entire career strategizing for system-wide solutions that will make quality, equitable and affordable health care for all a reality. It is not only necessary – it is possible! I also have extensive governmental and private sector budgeting experience and hope to serve on the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.
Oregon lawmakers just passed a massive $376 million package to spur housing creation and reduce homelessness, but the governor and other leaders have acknowledged the job isn’t done. What would be your top two priorities in the 2025 session to expand on these policies?
Chotzen: It will take time for the recent housing policy to produce results, which is expected for such ambitious legislation. Until we construct the amount of housing necessary to meet demand in Oregon, we must continue to work urgently on short-term solutions to reduce homelessness and help vulnerable families from becoming homeless. I believe in an approach that increases our shelter capacity and supports rental assistance for families in order to prevent homelessness. Additionally, I’d support an expansion of the revolving loan fund for local governments to help pay for moderate-income housing.
Hennrich: I will prioritize sustaining and expanding rental assistance for those who face eviction and housing instability. Prevention – keeping people in their homes and avoiding houselessness in the first place is key. This is not just for humanitarian reasons, but also makes economic sense. I will also advocate making more investments into health care access and public health – addressing the Social Determinants of Health that contribute to people becoming houseless due to economic circumstances and/or mental/behavioral health issues.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is currently working to reestablish the state’s signature Climate Protection Program that a court invalidated last year. Do you support those efforts by the agency? What additional steps do you believe lawmakers should seek to combat climate change?
Chotzen: I support significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon, including the efforts of the Department of Environmental Quality. We should also seek to address the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions – the transportation sector. The Legislature has the opportunity to adopt bold policies that promote sustainable public and active transportation, and renewable energy adoption. I also support fully funding the electric vehicle rebate program and programs that help Oregonians make their homes more energy-efficient.
Hennrich: I am a supporter of the Climate Protection Program and its current restart – thanks to the rule making the agency has undertaken. I believe in aggressively meeting the challenges of climate change, including areas where it worsens inequity. Oregon should be making the shifts to a green economy with a just transition, so we can live up to our hundred percent Clean Energy for All law passed in 2021 along with other legislative achievements in recent years. We should do this in a way that is union-powered or prevailing-wage powered. It can be a win-win for jobs, individuals, families and communities.
Transportation will be a top priority for the 2025 legislative session. Gov. Tina Kotek indicated that lawmakers will have to explore all options for transportation funding, including tolling. What solutions would you propose to increase the state’s transportation fund? Would you support tolling, and if so, where and when would you propose tolls?
Chotzen: Our infrastructure faces increasing capacity constraints. Many of our bridges, dams, and pipelines are long overdue for repairs. In order to sustainably increase the state’s transportation fund and account for shrinking gas tax revenue, we must pursue a comprehensive approach that combines multiple avenues for revenue. If the Legislature is going to explore tolling as an option, we must ensure impacted communities are heard in a real and authentic way and that all other options are being considered. We need to focus on equity and address tolling’s disproportionate impacts on low-income communities.
Hennrich: Progressively raising revenue as sustainably as we can, must be our north star as we face down years of underfunded transportation needs and budget shortfalls in projects of enormous importance to our state. What we ask of transportation has changed over the past decades. We now ask our transportation infrastructure to be a climate policy winner as opposed to being an afterthought, at best. Therefore, transportation funding must definitely undergo change. Tolling is a flashpoint that I am skeptical of and may lead to unintended consequences – driving traffic into neighborhoods – increasing traffic fatalities and air pollution, especially in already marginalized communities.
In the wake of the Portland teacher strike, Gov. Kotek called for an update to the State School Fund formula, which has not been revised in 30 years. What specific changes, if any, would you suggest? Do you think Oregon should place more guardrails around how districts must spend state funds?
Chotzen: We need to update the State School Fund formula to get students and teachers the support they need. As a former public school teacher, I have seen firsthand how educational needs have evolved. Our students are dealing with rising mental health challenges and an increasingly technological world, and our education funding formula should reflect updated research-based understandings of how students learn best. I support building on last year’s early literacy investments and funding strategies to combat rising absenteeism. We should ensure that state funds are maximized to directly support students’ education by investing in teachers and classrooms.
Hennrich: Any “formula” that has been in effect for three decades should be revisited. After careful consideration with input from stakeholders including teachers, school administrators, local school boards, parents and community members, changes should be considered but not just “for changes sake.” My daughter is a special education teacher and I will challenge the “11% cap” on funds being used for [special education]. The numbers and needs of students have definitely increased – the 11% “cap” needs increasing. For many years, the state has mandated requirements of local districts without allocating additional funding. This is not helpful to districts’ and students’ needs.
What is one fundamental problem or need in our state or your district that you don’t think the Legislature has adequately addressed in recent sessions? How would you tackle it?
Chotzen: Oregonians are struggling to access child care. Nearly every Oregon county is currently designated as a child care desert for infants and toddlers. As a parent of two young children, I have experienced this shortage firsthand. The most impactful time to invest in a child’s life is from birth through five years, but this is when we provide families the least amount of resources. Despite recent investments in early learning and care, families need more support. I will advocate to increase funding to support access to child care and to invest in workforce development to expand capacity.
Hennrich: There isn’t nearly enough attention to the issue of human trafficking. It is rampant in Portland, and I am not sure why it isn’t making the news in a more regular and in-depth way. I hear about it from people working with vulnerable communities of color and have also heard from many of the construction trade unions I have recently met with. I need to learn more specifics and bring the issue more to the forefront with implementable remedies. Especially as we pour millions of public resources into building more housing, we need to eradicate the current abhorrent practice.
— Carlos Fuentes covers state politics and government. Reach him at 503-221-5386 or cfuentes@oregonian.com.
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