Annabelle Jaramillo

Annabelle Jaramillo is an American politician from the state of Oregon, of Latina descent. She currently serves as the Chair of the Benton County Board of Commissioners. She was first elected to the County Commission in November, 2000 and has served on the board ever since.[1][2]

Annabelle Jaramillo
Benton County Commissioner, Position 3
In office
January, 2001 – January, 2017
ConstituencyBenton County, Oregon
Personal details
BornColorado
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Richard Medley[1]
Alma materPortland State University
ProfessionCounty Commissioner and Forester

Career and Volunteerism

Jaramillo has been employed in a number of managerial positions in Oregon's state government. Prior to her tenure as a Benton County Commissioner, Jaramillo served as Citizens' Representative for Governor John Kitzhaber's, from 1995-2000. Additionally, she served as the Executive Director of the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs. Prior to working in state government, she was employed as a research botanist for the Forest Service.[2]

Jaramillo has also been a member of numerous public and nonprofit boards. She served as president of the Oregon Women's Political Caucus. She also served on the Oregon Progress Board, the Oregon Sustainability Board and the Federal Forestlands Advisory Committee.[3]

Equal Rights Advocacy

Growing up as a Latina in Colorado, Annabelle Jaramillo experienced the fight against discrimination first-hand. After Jaramillo was enrolled in a segregated grade school, her mother pushed the school to integrate. Annabelle became the first student of color in her classroom. This experience inspired Jaramillo to support civil rights and LGBT rights throughout her life. In 1991 in Corvallis, where she managed a successful campaign to defeat a discriminatory charter amendment promoted by the Oregon Citizens Alliance. As a Benton County Commissioner in 2004, Annabelle again found herself on the front lines of the struggle for LGBTQ rights. The Benton County Commission decided to stop issuing all marriage licenses—straight and gay—in response to a demand by Attorney General Hardy Myers that they not issue licenses to same-sex couples. Jaramillo stated that, "If we were going to end up with discrimination, we weren't going to issue marriage licenses to anyone." [4]

References
  1. Hall, Bennett (October 19, 2012). "Position 3 commissioner candidates". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  2. "Annabelle Jaramillo, Benton County Commissioner, Chair Biographical Summary". Benton County, Oregon. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  3. "Annabelle Jaramillo". Democratic Party of Oregon. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  4. "Voices for Equality: Annabelle Jaramillo". Basic Rights Education Fund. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
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