County commissioners in Multnomah and Clackamas counties in a joint meeting on Wednesday appointed labor advocate Lamar Wise to finish the remainder of the late Rep. Hòa Nguyễn’s term.

Nguyễn, a Democrat first elected in 2022, died Oct. 9 at age 41 after a months-long battle with advanced stage cancer. The 48th House District she represented spans East Portland and Damascus.

Wise, the former political director for one of Oregon’s largest unions and former executive director of the Oregon Student Association, said he would focus on improving housing and uplifting Oregon’s economy, while also carrying Nguyễn’s legacy of advocating for education and reducing Oregon’s chronic absenteeism.

Wise was previously the political director of Oregon’s American Federation of State, County and Mun

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