Now I know why they call this "Running" a Race.  From Brookings to Winston and Bandon we have been on the run.

The Fundraiser hosted by Mary Jane Labelle and David Pesonen went very well. Senator Wyden was very gracious and supportive of me even though we don't agree on every issue. I am so very grateful he took the time to attend and give us all the opprotunity to talk with him one on one. He is truly a great legislator.

I spent last week in Curry County. We started out the week with nearly no name recognition even after the walking I had done previously. By the end of the week we were running into people who had already been canvassed and/or heard about us and people were honking and giving the thumbs up. We have three new canvassers who are experienced and dedicated and several phone bankers who are very good as well. They continue to canvass in my absence.

I did a TV interview which was mainly focused on salmon fisheries and marine reserves but seemed to go well.

I spoke with both the recently retired Warden and current Warden of Pelican Bay Super-Max Prison. The retired Warden, Bob Horel, is now canvassing for me and has become an avid and vocal supporter of my education-to-avoid-incarceration position.

I have met two Dr’s. of education John Daggett and Barbara Hilyer who are also great canvassers and strong supporters of my vocational education position.

The Curry County Brookings office is manned by many active supporters including Tom and Linda Bozack who not only run the office but run the “Goche Hostel and Eatery” where I am welcome day and night. Tom is a superb researcher and has never failed to respond quickly to my requests for information.

Tom Buell is a volunteer whose house has been open to me when he is in town but he is out jetting around an awful lot for man of his age!

I did not get to spend much time talking with Anne Odell since she was off to Greece the day I got to town.

We spoke at forums in Gold Beach, Port Orford and Brookings on consecutive nights. The response was very encouraging. There were good questions and it gave me an opportunity to clear up some of the misinformation out there regarding several of my positions. My recently posted position on marine reserves can be read by going to the “issues” link on this website.

I stayed after each night to watch the County Commission and City Council forums and to get to know more about the local issues and candidates.

I spent yesterday in Douglas County knocking on every door including R’s. I got only a few undecided’s and a few maybes and the rest were decidedly “yes”. The people in Winston, Tenmile and Camas Valley and the surrounding areas have been very inviting and I have enjoyed immensley meeting those neighbors to the East.

Richard Chasm is doing a fantastic job with signs in Douglas County. There are so many signs in Winston I feel like a rock star driving through town. Some of the 4 x 8 signs are virtual monuments to the campaign. Maybe that is why the response at the door in Winston is so positive...He is using a lot of lumber in a big mill town.

Speaking of signage, Brian Howard has been carpet bombing Coos County with signs big and small. The new sign at the Whitsetts car wash and laundy in Bandon is some of his work. I wonder how he accomplished that alone.

Many thanks to Katie Ericson and Shawn Jennings for holding down the fort while I have been on the camapaign trail. If you want to know where I am or where I'm going do what I do to answer those questons. Call Kate or Shawn.

And, as always, Robin is my safe harbor no matter where I am or what I am doing. And, if you get an overwhelming urge to make a cash contibution to our campaign she can help you get that off your chest.

As the back stretch comes into view I want to thank all of you who have and continue to support our camapign in so may ways and ask you to not let up yet. We have many more neighbors to talk to and we still need to get the vote out from those we have already spoken with.

Let's continue to Chart Our Common Course.

Rick, Leah and Kate attended the annual Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) picnic at Tugman Park and had a great time. There was food, sun and lots of fun with friends. Leah enjoys picnics just as much as her dad and had just as much fun. Kate enjoyed learning so much about the salmon and what is being done to restore the fish to the rivers. 

STEP was founded in 1981 as a program of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) that was designed to achieve recovery and sustainability of the state’s Native Salmon and Trout. Their main job is to bring the salmon and trout populations back to our area. 

One of the problems that has held us back from full salmon recovery is the distinction of “wild” fish and hatchery fish. The debate here is whether human intervention is sustainable and whether it is proper to interfere in the process of filling our rivers with salmon again by humans. 

 Rick Goche has a plan. He wants to amend the Wild Fish Policy. 

First off, there is no genetic difference between the native fish and the hatchery fish. Second, Rick would match appropriate stock to the streams where the fish are released. Any fish that is not fed by humans and released as a fry and returns to the river to spawn should be included as a “wild” fish. “This is how we will bring fish back to the region,” says Rick. “Volunteer STEP programs are an inexpensive and practical way to implement the unfed fry release program.” 

Rick spoke to the group at the picnic and sent out a strong message. “When elected I will work to ‘open the tap’ to allow STEP programs access to whatever eggs they need to bring salmon back. We need to recognize salmon restoration not just as a natural resource project but as the economic development it should be.”

As I knock on doors and talk with our neighbors I am sometimes asked about welfare. Welfare has its place and from what I know there is room for some common sense to be inserted in the programs that are there to help us out when we have some bad luck. The bigger issue, as I see it, is that:

Those who have everything, want those of us who have something, to blame those of us who have nothing for all of our problems, to distract us from the fact that those who have everything got what they have from us.

The weekend of July 26th was a busy campaign weekend. We spent Friday at the Coos County Fair meeting people and talking...you guessed it, politics! On Saturday morning we walked in the Coos County Fair parade then zipped down to Gold Beach to the Curry County Fair to talk with people for the afternoon. It is interesting how people seem to  think along a certain theme during a given time. That weekend it was localizing the economy. Every one who I spoke with about my "Local Producers Catalog" idea was excited about it. The idea came to me at the Brookings Azalea Festival.

I was talking to the vendors at the Festival and came to realize that virtually all of the necessities of life and many of the comforts are produced within the state. In conversations with the people I found that they all agreed they have the potential to produce far more than they currently sell but don't have an affordable, effective way of marketing their products. I know from my own business experiences that a good idea and the ability to produce it is only part of the equation of success. Marketing your idea is where the money comes from.

For those of you I haven't talked to about it the program would look like this:

The State would initiate and facilitate a county by county or regional Local Producers Catalog. Any producer in the area could be included for a minimal printing fee. The catalog would be mirrored on a website that the producer could modify themselves for basic price or availablity changes. The online component would also give the producers credit card acceptance capability without having to individually set up a merchant account. This would work similar to Act Blue which, coincidentally, you can experience by making a conrtibution to our campaign on this website :) The State would advertise the catalogs and educate the people to the wisdom of buying locally.

Then, when it's time to get mom and dad that anniversary present, instead of running to This-Mart or That-Mart people would first reach for the catalog and see what their neighbor is making. Imagine how many people would be encouraged to really start making that widget they have been thinking about if they could cheaply and easily begin marketing it. Imagine being able to hire your neighbor to help because you can't keep up with orders. Imagine...

Below is a press release we sent out to all of the papers in the district. To my knowledge only the Coquille Sentinel printed it. Thank you Jean Ivey.

So, I am posting it here so that you will know what has been happening with the grass roots, face to face contact part of the campaign.

Rick Goche knocks on Door 2500

On Wednesday July 16th Rick Goche will knock on door 2,500 of his campaign.

“If I want to represent the people I need to know what the people think. I already know what I think.” Goche says.

So far Rick has knocked on doors in the communities of Brookings, Gold Beach, Port Orford, Bandon, Coquille, Myrtle Point, Green Acres, Powers and Winston. He will soon be including the communities of, rural North Bend, Ten Mile, Camas Valley and others.

Goche, a commercial fisherman by trade, says he will only be making a short shake down and orientation tuna trip this year before he turns the boat over to his crew. No commercial ocean salmon fishing this year “certainly simplifies the campaign scheduling conflicts” Goche says with a shrug.

Rick Goche juggles a schedule that includes not only campaigning and fishing he has also been working with Wyden, DeFazio and Smiths offices to get disaster relief for the commercial and charter fishing communities in Oregon; working as a member of the Southern Oregon Ocean Resources Committee, The Klamath Common Ground Alliance, and a member of the Oregon Albacore Commission.

Knocking on 2500 doors in as rural a district as House District 1 is “a lot different than walking districts in the cities where you can easily walk from door to door” Goche says. “Most of the time I spend driving around in the nooks and crannies of our communities”.

When he does get to the door Goche introduces himself as a commercial fisherman who has “had enough, so I’m gonna go do it myself!” He doesn’t only talk about fishing issues. He tells the potential constituent about what he considers to be the “Four cornerstones in the foundation of our future: Education, jobs, natural resources and healthcare”. “These four issues are so interdependent, on the South Coast; you can’t talk about one without considering the others.” Goche explains.

“I am fascinated by the stories and ideas our neighbors tell me about,” Goche says. “But no one prepared me for the emotional aspect of grass roots campaigning”, Goche continues. “I have sat with a mother, whose son was bound for Iraq the next week, as she cried to think he might not make it back to see the baby his girlfriend carries. I have watched educators tremble with frustration over the injustices they see in the education system, and I have listened to proud parents share their joy over the accomplishments of their children who made the most of the sacrifices their parents made in order to send them to college.” “I have heard heartbreaking stories of medical disasters turning into financial disasters way too many times,” Goche continues.

“These experiences strengthen my resolve to do what I can to help out.” Goche says. “Knocking on our neighbors doors is my favorite part of the day.”

Rick Goche is a salmon and tuna fisherman, small business owner, and has a small tree farm where he and his family live in Coquille. He has worked in the seafood business from research to retail for most of the last 40 years. He has also served on several state fisheries commissions. He looks forward to serving the community as your state representative.

For more information, contact Rick Goche at 541-396-6886 or rickg@ari1.com