(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
We told you so.
Remember our profile and video on Portlander Michael Trimble? When I went on a ride with him back in March he made an interesting announcement: That he wanted to be Governor of Oregon. Trimble is quite a talker and I wasn’t sure if he was serious.
Turns out he was.
Trimble has launched a campaign for Oregon’s highest office. His campaign logo includes an icon of his custom bike that allows him to steer using the small nub of his arm. You’ll recall that Trimble was born without arms due to his mother being exposed to the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Russia in 1986. Despite having no arms, Trimble is an avid cyclist who does long rides on a near daily basis using a highly customized bicycle.
One his website, Trimble says he’s running for Governor as a Democrat because, “This state needs and deserves a well-informed, ambitious individual willing to advance Oregon through present-day obstacles towards a reinvigorated identity.” Here’s more from Trimble’s platform:
With an all-hands-on-deck attitude, Michael plans to be a leader of bold action. His plans for upgrading Oregon’s infrastructure are transformative and progressive. Once in office, his list of priorities includes working towards expanding OHP to all Oregonians making under $93,600, and negotiating rent caps to reduce cost of living for Oregonians spending greater than 50% of their hard earned income on housing, as opposed to reinvesting it in our state’s economy.
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Beefing up Oregon’s cycling infrastructure will be one of his focus areas:
His plan to fortify the cycling pedestrian infrastructure, making it easier and safer to commute within our urban communities by bike or walking, has the aim of incentivizing Oregonians to reduce their reliance upon gasoline-powered vehicles, as well as mitigating traffic on our highway systems. With new rent ceilings, zoning overhauls and tax code restructuring, he will make Oregon the first state in the union to eradicate homelessness.
Learn more about Michael and get plugged into his campaign on his website or follow him on Instagram and Twitter @Trimble4Gov.
And don’t forget to (re)watch our video of him below…
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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