ORA Member Jim Weidner Wins GOP Primary Nod

Jim Weidner, ORA member and owner of the Lago de Chapala restaurant in Yamhill, secured the Republican nomination for District 24 State Representative during Tuesday’s primary election. Facing opponents Jim Bunn and Ed Glad for the Republican nomination, Weidner took home over 3800 votes, or 54 percent of the District 24 Republican electorate.

As a restaurateur and consultant, Weidner believes he has the overlapping skills and knowledge to make a difference in Salem. Said Weidner, “I think running a restaurant teaches you to watch your books and bottom line very closely,” something he believes is necessary right now in regards to state spending. Weidner’s background as an efficiency consultant will also be very helpful in his candidacy since he sees both sides when it comes to the impact spending has.

Weidner plans on working toward getting more incentives to help restaurants get off the ground during their first year, since this is such a difficult and expensive time for start-up establishments. Educating Salem on the difficulty of starting up a small business, especially in the first year, is one of Weidner’s top priorities. In addition, Weidner plans to push for a tip credit which will benefit the front end of the restaurant as well as deep-dive into taxes once he can see it from the inside.

Weidner will face Democratic candidate Bernt “Al” Hansen in the November general election.