December 16, 2022 11:05 a.m.

Local elected officials are reacting to the announcement by State Senator Dallas Heard that he will resign from the Oregon State Legislature, effective January 1st.

News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN have asked a number of officials for their comment.

Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman said, “Very few people know the difficulty, sacrifice, responsibility and honor of being a state legislator. It is difficult work. I thank and applaud those willing to do that work. I wish Senator Heard well in his future endeavors”.

State Senator Floyd Prozanski said he was surprised, but understood Heard’s need to prioritize his family and their needs. Prozanski said this will create a vacancy on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said, “I’ll be working with the President-elects to determine who will be added to the committee”.

Incoming State Representative for District Two Virgil Osborne said, “I support his decision and wish him well in the future. I am thankful for the years of service to our community he has accomplished already and I’m sure we will see him in public service in the future”. Osborne said, “I trust our PCP’s and our elected officials will do a good job selecting a replacement for appointment and I will be supporting them in their job to do so”.