About ONA's Political Action Committees
ONA maintains two Political Action Committees (PAC) to best serve our members’ interests. The Oregon Nurses Political Action Committee (ON-PAC) is focused on candidate work. Through ON-PAC, ONA interviews, endorses, and supports candidates for office who share our vision and, where applicable, have a record of supporting our legislative agenda. ON-PAC organizes grassroots activities to support endorsed candidates, including member communication, phone banks, and canvassing.
The Nurses United Political Action Committee (NU-PAC) is dedicated to advancing ONA policy priorities through Oregon’s ballot measure system. NU-PAC makes it a priority to defeat ballot measures which seek to limit the rights of employees to actively participate in union activities. NU-PAC also supports many initiatives related to health policy, or revenue measures for programs important to nurses. Like ON-PAC, NU-PAC organizes and supports grassroots activities including voter contact, member outreach, and coalition building.
PAC Officers
Both ON-PAC and NU-PAC are governed by a board of directors, which includes elected officers.
- President: Jayesh Palshikar, RN, BS
- Vice President: Sarah Mittelman, RN, CEN
- Treasurer: Brian O’Connor, RN
- Secretary/Staff Member: Paige Spence
- ONA Board Liaison: Allison Seymour, RN
- ONA Board Liaison: Natasha Schwartz, RN
- Director: Amanda Fritz, MA, retired RN
- Director: Kate Ballard, BSN, RN
- Nancy MacMorris-Adix, CNM
- Linda Ramsey, retired RN
Candidate Endorsement Process
Candidates for the Oregon Legislature or statewide office must complete an interview with a group of nurses in their area, or with ON-PAC members. Following the interview with local nurses, ON-PAC will make a decision on an endorsement based on the interview, the candidate’s past voting record, and the candidate’s viability. Candidates running for re-election may receive an automatic endorsement based on their voting record and past support of ONA’s legislative agenda, or may also be asked to go through the interview process.
For more details on our endorsement process view flowcharts for your situation here.
Ballot Measure Support
The Oregon Nurses Association Cabinet on Health Policy may take positions on any statewide ballot measures that affect nurses’ ability to collectively bargain, organize or participate in the political process; or on any health related measures that affect their patients’ ability to live a healthy life. NU-PAC acts to support ONA’s positions on ballot measures by allocating financial resources, and participating in or organizing grassroots campaign efforts. The Cabinet on Health Policy and NU-PAC prioritize ballot measures that adversely affect nurses’ ability to collectively bargain, organize or participate in the political process.
Local Candidate Races and Ballot Measures
ONA members
interested in ON-PAC support of a local area candidate or NU-PAC support
of a local area ballot measure, please click here to learn more.
Interested in Joining ON-PAC and NU-PAC?
All active ONA members are eligible to serve of the PAC Boards per the ON-PAC and NU-PAC bylaws. If you are interested in joining ON-PAC and NU-PAC or want more information, please contact ONA’s Government Relations Staff.
Endorsements
Bylaws
