In the course of my reporting here at BikePortland.org, I don’t usually come in contact with the Oregon Attorney General. But I was surprised to find out this morning that Oregon top lawyer, John Kroger, is something of a bike lover.
In an AP story I read via the Seattle PI, Kroger was made out to be “tough on polluters”. Why is he so concerned about the environment? Here’s one reason, according to the article:
“…He attributes his interest in environmental issues to his love of hiking and bicycling. He discovered Oregon at the end of a cross-country bike trip.”
A bit more looking and I dug this up from Mr. Kroger’s Wikipedia entry:
In 2000, Kroger had an eight-week period blocked out for an upcoming drug kingpin trial, but when the trial schedule was moved back, Kroger took a three-month vacation. He bought a $350 Trek bicycle and started cycling west across the country, from New York to Oregon.
It’s not quite to the level of U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio’s job as a bike mechanic or Rep. Blumenauer’s daily D.C. bike commute, but I’d say it ranks a bit higher than Governor Kulongoski’s recent, SUV-escorted bike ride into work.
Regardless, it’s great to know that yet another high-ranking elected official in Oregon has had a meaningful relationship with two-wheeled travel.