The Good

D-NORTHEAST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

7.69

8 INTEGRITY

8.16 BRAINS

6.92 EFFECTIVENESS

A phlegmatic former community college English professor, Dembrow, 71, chairs the Senate Education Committee. “His humor is so dry it would kill a cactus,” says one staffer. “Wonderful person,” says a business lobbyist. “Has learned how to compromise to get results.”

Now in his 15th year in the Legislature, Dembrow passed a bill that expanded the opportunity to expunge juvenile convictions and another that aimed to improve drug treatment for inmates. A strong environmentalist, he also co-chairs the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources. A zenlike presence amid a needy group, he channeled his inner academic in a widely read newsletter. “Absolutely devastating when he leaves, as his newsletters were all some of us had to show employers and clients that we were ‘in the know,’” says one longtime lobbyist.

D-NORTHWEST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

7.51

7.6 INTEGRITY

8.07 BRAINS

6.86 EFFECTIVENESS

An intense family practice physician, Steiner, 60, like most of her medical colleagues, catches flak for reminding colleagues regularly of her credentials, but even her detractors consider her among the most intelligent lawmakers. “Book smart—did you know she’s a doctor?—but not street smart in terms of in-the-building skills,” says a lobbyist. As co-chair of the budget-writing Joint Committee on Ways and Means, she’s also among the most powerful and has enjoyed no longer having to share her gavel with Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose), who left the Legislature to run for governor. “Hardworking and detail oriented—perfectly suited to crafting state budgets,” says a business lobbyist.

7.12

6.98 INTEGRITY

7.54 BRAINS

6.83 EFFECTIVENESS

A former auditor who brings an analytical mindset to lawmaking, Taylor, 56, fell short in a bid to replace Peter Courtney as Senate president. Already feared by many lobbyists, she became even tougher to approach. “Isolated from her caucus after a failed bid for president,” says a longtime observer. Taylor chaired the Senate Committee on Labor and Business effectively, although she infuriated many employers by unilaterally amending a bill that would have allowed hiring bonuses and put Oregon on an equal footing with other states. “Worst move of the session,” says a lobbyist. “Both public and private employers begged for it with strong real-world evidence.”

She led passage of Senate Bill 594, a labor-friendly bill that requires demolition jobs with more than $750,000 in public funding to pay union wages, and a bill that prohibits lobbyists from leading work groups that shape legislation. She also helped persuade Senate Republicans to return. “Can be tone deaf on some subjects and brilliant on others,” says a lobbyist.

D-NORTHEAST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

7.05

8.4 INTEGRITY

7 BRAINS

5.73 EFFECTIVENESS

In his second long session, Jama made the difficult transition effectively from advocate to lawmaker. Born into a nomadic family in Somalia, Jama, 49, fled his home country as a refugee and landed in Portland 25 years ago. He founded the social services nonprofit Unite Oregon and was appointed to his seat after his predecessor, Shemia Fagan, won the secretary of state’s race in 2020. This session, he chaired the Senate Committee on Housing and Development, which required him to mediate between an industry hellbent on meeting Gov. Tina Kotek’s goal of producing 36,000 new housing units and environmental and land use advocates determined to protect the state’s natural resources. He won over some skeptics. “How he handled the explosive topic of statewide rent control, via Senate Bill 611, was demonstrative of true leadership,” says one business lobbyist.