Matthew Wand

Matthew Wand
Oregon House of Representatives District 49
Retired
In office
2011-2013
Party	Republican
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 6, 2012
First elected	November 2, 2010
Term limits	N/A
Prior offices
Troutdale City Council
2008-2010
Education
Bachelor's	Portland State University, 1997
J.D.	Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, 2000
Personal
Profession	Founder/Partner, Wand Law Firm, LLC

Matthew Wand is a former Republican member of the Oregon House of Representatives. Wand was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2010, and served until his general election defeat in 2012.

He is an attorney at Wand Maddoux Preston LLC. He is licensed in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. In 2006 he started his own firm, Wand Law Firm, LLC.

Wand graduated from Reynolds High School in 1993 before attending Mt. Hood Community College and then receiving a degree in Political Science from Portland State University. He earned his J.D. from Northwest School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in 2000.

Committee assignments

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Wand served on these committees:

• Judiciary
• Revenue
• Joint Tax Credits, Vice Chair

Elections

2012

See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2012

Wand ran for re-election in the 2012 election for Oregon House of Representatives District 49. Wand was unopposed in the May 15 Republican primary and was defeated by Chris Gorsek (D) in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.

Oregon House of Representatives, District 49, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Chris Gorsek	54.4%	11,459
	Republican	Matthew Wand Incumbent	45.6%	9,602
Total Votes				21,061

2010

See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2010

Wand defeated incumbent Nick Kahl (D) in the November 2 general election.

Oregon State House, District 49
Candidates		Votes
Matthew Wand (R)		8,967
Nick Kahl (D)		7,857

Campaign themes

Wand's campaign website lists several main issues:

• Jobs: "It is critical that our elected representative make certain that the climate for new long-term, family-wage jobs is strong. Higher taxes, more regulations preventing additional industrial construction, and taxes on gross receipts all hamper jobs growth. Virtually every decision made in government should be viewed through a prism regarding whether it will help or hamper jobs growth, and no actions should be taken that hamper jobs growth at this time."

• Fix the Economy: "In addition, the legislature should embark on a top-to-bottom review over the next few years, and compare our legislative framework with the state laws in other states that are not experiencing one of the highest statewide unemployment rates in the country. When the rest of the country is talking about Oregon’s new cooperative attitude towards business development, then we will know we are on the right track."

• Tax Policy: "Taxes change behavior. That fundamental principle will guide my thoughts on tax policy. A tax on gross receipts (even disguised as an alternate minimum tax), drives businesses with high costs of goods sold out of the state (such as manufacturing and car sales)..."

• Small Business: "Our small business owners are struggling with Oregon’s tax code, with the loss of customers as businesses and customers have lost income and stopped purchasing goods and services. It is a downward spiral. It is not enough to say that the higher taxes are directed only at very large businesses. Large businesses often are the largest customers of small businesses."

• Education Spending: "Education is our highest budget priority, and should never be held hostage to tax increases, or anything else... I support charter schools, sufficient education spending to make certain our schools are excellent, but also tied to demonstrable performance to make sure that schools and districts that are failing are held accountable. Accountability is the key to making certain that our tax dollars are well spent, and that will also increase community support for education because our schools’ credibility will be enhanced."

• Measure 11: "As the victim of a serious felony, a measure 11 offense, I support Measure 11 mandatory minimum sentencing because it gave me the comfort of certainty regarding the punishment that society believed was proper for the offense. There was no chance that a judge having a bad day could break faith with society in favor of a personal preference...If the criminal justice system focuses on rehabilitation to the exclusion of punishment, it reduces respect for the rule of law, and encourages first-time criminals."

Contact

Address

21935 NE Halsey Street

Fairview, OR 97024

Phone
(503) 489-2101

Email
mattfriesen@mattwandforeastcounty.com

Campaign donors

2010

In 2010, Wand raised a total of $352,637 in campaign funds. His top contributors were:

Donor	Amount
Promote Oregon Leadership PAC	$66,694
Oregon Beer & Wine Distributors Association	$25,000
Oregon Lodging Association	$15,250
Russell, Bruce	$15,000

Personal

Wand his married to Anne. They have three children -- Adam, Christopher and Julianna.

External links

Suggest a link

• Official campaign website
• House website
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
• Campaign contributions: 2010
• Official campaign facebook page
• Official campaign twitter page
• Official campaign youtube channel

References

Political offices
Preceded by Nick Kahl (D)	Oregon House of Representatives District 49 2011–2013	Succeeded by Chris Gorsek (D)