Ivan Maluski
Non-partisan independent candidate for the Oregon State Legislature
I am running because we need an independent voice in Salem
I am Ivan Maluski, a farmer and rancher raising grass-fed beef and growing hay and other crops on my family farm near Scio, Oregon. I believe that freedom, hard work, and community are core values that make America great.
I am running for State Legislature because our current state representative has let us down and it’s time for a new approach. Our rural communities deserve a state government that prioritizes the voices of the people over the influence of corporate lobbyists and other special interests.
My opponent, Jami Cate, has been putting special interests and out-of-state corporations ahead of the people she was elected to serve. That’s not the kind of leadership we need in Salem. I am committed to making sure that independent-minded rural Oregonians have a voice in Salem.
​
​Part of the reason I decided to run for office was to protect the community I live in. A few years ago, a California-based poultry company owned by an East Coast private equity firm announced plans a to bring multiple new industrial-scale poultry facilities to the Scio area. These massive operations threatened the water we use for irrigation, and the health and quality of life for hundreds of local residents in the Scio area. As state agencies were rolling out the red carpet, local farmers, ranchers and community members said 'no.'
Together, our community stood up to these out-of-state corporate interests, and we won. Our victory led to the passage of a bill that not only safeguarded our water, land and independent family farms, but brought back local control to Linn County.​​​
But my opponent fought against us every step of the way, choosing to listen to big money lobbyists instead of local residents trying to protect our community and way of life. When we needed her help, she let us down.
​
But it's not just Scio, my opponent has been letting a lot of people down. She doesn't hold town hall meetings to hear from the people of Linn County. She turns down meeting requests from constituents who need help. But when corporate lobbyists come knocking, her door is wide open. And after four years in the state legislature, her list of accomplishments is thin. And she votes against the interests of our rural district.
​
I have prior government experience serving four years as a Director of the Colton Rural Fire Protection District in Clackamas County from 2010-2014. This gave me a strong understanding of how government must be responsive and accountable to the public while providing effective services within tight budgets. It also gave me tremendous respect for our firefighters and other first responders.
I also know how to get things done in Salem. From 2012 to 2020, I was the policy director for the non-profit Friends of Family Farmers. During that time, I helped create the state's Beginning and Expanding Farmer loan program, worked on bipartisan bills to expand market opportunities for small and mid-sized family farms, helped ensure consumer access to raw milk from local dairy farms, worked to expand in-state meat processing capacity to support independent ranchers, enacted protections for the Willamette Valley's specialty seed industry, and helped protect farmland from development.
I can work with people in both parties for the benefit of rural Linn County. ​​
This campaign is about standing up for values like personal freedom, fairness, local control and community self determination. Let’s work together to keep Linn County the kind of place where people want to live, work, farm, ranch and raise their kids for generations to come.
