Former State Legislator Orr Runs For Mccaslin’s Senate Seat

Fri., June 14, 1996

By Brian Coddington brianc@spokesman.com

George Orr, a Spokane Valley firefighter and former state representative, is running for the state Senate in the 4th Legislative District.

The Democrat will focus his campaign on education and protection of natural resources, he told about 25 supporters gathered Thursday at the Valley branch of the Spokane County Library.

“If you don’t screw those two up, the rest of it will be OK,” said the 53-year-old Orr, who is challenging Republican incumbent Bob McCaslin.

Orr, married with two grown daughters, served on education committees in the Legislature and is a former Central Valley School Board member. He is active in several outdoor clubs.

Beginning in 1990, Orr served two terms in the state House of Representatives, but he was unseated by Republican Larry Crouse in 1994.

On Thursday, Orr accused McCaslin and other lawmakers of failing to do their homework, casting votes on issues they don’t really understand.

“I don’t see anybody talking,” Orr said of the legislative process.

He touted the school-to-work transition program, which he pushed while in office, as a positive example of what happens when organizations work together. The program, put together by school and industry officials, helps students follow a path of classes geared toward careers they select.

If elected, Orr said he’ll use that kind of creativity to “mold” issues pertinent to life in the Spokane Valley.

“There is no single issue that makes or breaks a community,” Orr said. “The issue is the entire community.”

, DataTimes

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