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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW 'Doc' to all ... Democratic convention update: Moro, Moran, Talbert for interim ... Food Bank hosts Community Pie Social ... 'Doc' to all ... Democratic convention update: Moro, Moran, Talbert for interim ... Food Bank hosts Community Pie Social ... POLITICS Joyce Segers to run for Bates' seat Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 16, 2016 at 4:47 PM Updated Aug 18, 2016 at 6:32 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 16, 2016 at 4:47 PM Updated Aug 18, 2016 at 6:32 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Third candidate steps up for Bates' seat • Memorial services set for Sen. Bates • Local Democrats may face three conventions to replace Bates • Grieving party seeks Bates' replacement » Social News Ashland Democrat Joyce Segers, who ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Greg Walden in 2010 and 2012, has declared her candidacy for the state Senate seat left vacant by the unexpected death of Sen. Alan Bates Aug. 5. Segers, 67, said she wants to carry on the work of Bates, especially in health care, where he was a leader. Segers for 20 years owned and operated a medical billing company in Florida and, she noted, “I’m fully in line with what Bates did. He had a real vision, and it’s something we’re still fighting for.” Segers said she supports a woman’s right of choice and recently, while visiting new grandchildren for several months in Colorado, worked with Planned Parenthood on voter registration. Segers attended City College of New York and is on the board of the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission, “so I consider myself a peace activist.” Recognizing the state’s budget challenges in education and many other areas, Segers said she supports a sales tax, something Oregon has voted down many times, and also supports Measure 97, a measure that would increase taxes on large corporations. However, she notes, she would prefer a $15 an hour minimum wage or more instead of a sales tax. Noting her husband, a Korean War veteran, committed suicide in 2004 at the age of 72, she said she would work to increase care and benefits for veterans, adding, “It pisses me off, how we’re not dealing with the vets of Iraq and Vietnam, let alone Korea.” She also supports the recent legalization of marijuana, as it’s been a “wonderful help” to so many veterans. On higher education funding, Segers said her son, 40, is still struggling to pay student debt, as is his wife. “This has to stop," she said. "The nations of Europe and other areas have created free college, with equitable taxation, and this fear (of debt) has to end.” Commenting on the partisan divide common in politics today, Segers said, “There is a way people can talk to each other calmly, without fights. We can create an atmosphere of working together for the good of everyone. I know that sounds naive, but I’m not naive. I lived through two campaigns and use FDR as my guiding light about what’s possible when things are at their worst.” She underlined her environmental credentials, saying she supports a carbon tax and strongly rejects the LNG pipeline proposed through southwest Oregon, though, she says, it is not opposed by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown nor Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley. Segers works full-time at Kixx women’s clothing store in Ashland. Aug. 18: This article has been updated to correct the year of Joyce Segers' husband's suicide and add his age at the time. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Email him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 16, 2016 at 4:47 PM Updated Aug 18, 2016 at 6:32 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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