Tour guide Jason Atkinson at the Supreme Court library |
A video recommend: An Oregon state capitol mall, done in a nicely personal fashion by state Senator Jason Atkinson, R-Central Point, on occasion of the state's 150th birthday. (You can see it on a page of Atkinson's campaign web site, but scroll down the page a bit until you get to "Happy 150th Birthday Oregon! (Historical documentary of the Oregon Legislature)." You'll learn a bit about Oregon and the building, and that's just a part of it.
Atkinson's affection for the Capitol and the mall area runs clear, and he makes for a good tour guide. That's true even though the job of walking around some of the vertical areas was a little tougher in this season than in most previous years, since he's using a cane, aftermath of an accidental gun shooting last year, which he briefly remarks on. At one point he mentions of a climb to the top of the statehouse, "It's 120 stairs, which is easy if you haven't been shot."
He talks a bit too about the refurbishing of the statehouse, still underway, and some cleanup projects he has worked on. Some of that got an impetus, he recalled, when he first came to the legislature and brought his two grandmothers (of opposing political persuasions) to the building. Both quickly pointed out things that were varyingly unkempt, and remarked to him, "We're so proud of you but you are going to get this cleaned up, aren't you?"
Atkinson's enthusiasm bespeaks the worthiness of the goal.