Sonya Fischer Attorney

State can punish undocumented worker employers

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Douglas Dispatch is not liable for messages from third parties. * Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in douglasdispatch.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Douglas Dispatch. The Douglas Dispatch does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Douglas Dispatch spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

Lake Oswego attorney joins Clackamas County commissioners

A Lake Oswego woman with experience funding nonprofit organizations, affordable housing and giving legal advice has been chosen as the fifth member of the Clackamas County Commission.

Ann Lininger received a unanimous vote from the four seated commissioners, according to Chair Lynn Peterson, because the commissioners were focused on searching for a person with different skills than the other commissioners.

Since Clackamas County is expecting to have its state funding reduced for human services, the commission was looking for someone who could assist with that issue.

“We have had a lot of great people apply (for the position),” said commissioner Jim Bernard. “We all had people that we supported, and (we) worked together to come up with somebody we thought would complement the needs that we are facing — which is in human services. That’s why (all five finalists) had human service background.”

The other four finalists included Sonya Fischer, a lawyer whose practice focuses on family special education and juvenile law; Judie Hammerstad, a former Lake Oswego mayor who has served as a Clackamas County commissioner and state legislator; Linda Moraga, a board member for the North Clackamas School District; and Carol Sturman, chair of the Oregon City school board.

The four commissioners conducted an exhaustive survey of 130 candidates, finally interviewing five finalists last week and reaching a decision Thursday, Jan. 29.

Since 2004, Lininger has been with the Meyer Memorial Trust in Portland, where she manages the Program Related Investment Fund, leads the Meyer Trust’s Affordable Housing Initiative and analyzes funding requests from grant seekers.

“This (commission) is a logical extension of what I have been doing,” she said in a telephone interview Monday night. “At the Meyer Trust (foundation), we try to steward scarce resources and deploy them strategically so we can do a lot of good in the community – and that is analogous to what government is trying to do.”

From 2001 to 2004, she was co-director at the Community Development Law Center, a non-profit business that provides real estate, employment and corporate law advice to tax-exempt entities throughout Oregon.

West's Pacific reporter

The University of Chicago magazine

Bowker's Law Books and Serials in Print 1992, A Multimedia Sourcebook

The American lawyer

Journal of the National Association of Referees in Bankruptcy