LA GRANDE — Mark Simmons wants Union County’s economy to expand to the point that many local high school graduates are no longer compelled to go elsewhere to start their careers.

“I don’t want kids to have to leave so they can find their way in the world,’’ Simmons said. “I want them to have the option to stay if they want to.’’

Simmons, who is running for Union County Board of Commissioners, said that a portion of the economic growth he would like to see could be provided by the addition of more midsize production companies like Barreto Manufacturing, which employs about 230 people in Union County. Simmons said he is thrilled that companies like Barreto Manufacturing are committed to staying in Union County.

Simmons also said the local economy could also be furthered by taking steps to significantly boost the amount of water farmers can use for irrigation.

“That would allow agriculture to expand. It would have a huge impact,’’ Simmons said.

Local proposals for boosting water availability he believes have promise include one in which calls for water to be pumped into the ground during late fall and the winter, water which would be released in the summer when stream flows are low.

Affordable housing

Simmons said he believes the shortage of affordable housing Union County suffers from is something cities and the state can address by changing zoning ordinances and regulations. He noted that the Oregon Legislature has passed legislation in recent years which makes some land-use regulations less restrictive for those trying to get housing built. Simmons said that as a county commissioner he would work to make sure that city leaders are aware of this legislation.

However, he said he would be opposed to major changes in land-use rules and laws which would allow large expanses of land to be filled with homes.

“Love them or hate the, land-use laws are the reason we have many of our open spaces today,’’ said Simmons, a 1975 graduate of Elgin High School.

Simmons’s run for a position on the Board of County Commissioners is essentially the second phase of his political story. The first started in 1996 when Simmons was elected to represent District 58 in the Oregon House of Representatives. Simmons took office in 1997 and served through early January 2003.

Along the way he made history when he was elected speaker of the House in 2001, becoming the first and only person from Union County to serve in that position, which he held for two years.

Three years after leaving the Legislature, Simmons returned to public service when he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the director of Oregon’s USDA Rural Development program. Simmons helped rural Oregon communities get funding for infrastructure projects, including the building of water and sewer systems during his four-year tenure in the position.

Simmons believes that his experience in the Legislature and working for Oregon’s USDA Rural Development program provide him with an understanding of how the state and federal government works, which would serve him well as a county commissioner. He explained that the job gave him an inside look at how the federal government works, one which would help as a commissioner striving to land additional federal funding for Union County.

“My experience working in government would help me hit the ground running,’’ Simmons said.

Greater Idaho

Simmons has mixed feelings about the Greater Idaho movement, which seeks to move Idaho’s west border into Eastern Oregon.

“It is a protest movement,’’ he said.

Simmons said the movement is a symptom, one reflecting how upset many Eastern Oregonians are with leaders on the west side. He said the movement is the result of a 1964 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that reduced the representation of lightly populated areas in state legislatures. This is largely responsible, Simmons said, for the gulf between the east and west sides of the state.

“There is definitely a urban-rural divide,’’ Simmons said.

He said that as a county commissioner he would work to explain this to west side legislators so they would have a better appreciation of the frustration felt by many people in Eastern Oregon.

“It is important that they understand this,’’ Simmons said. “It would help them have more empathy for our situation.’’

He said he does not believe that the Greater Idaho movement will result in Eastern Oregon becoming part of Idaho, but he does believe it could result in this portion of the state being granted greater autonomy, one free of certain state laws.

Simmons has mixed feelings about Greater Idaho, but not about the need to maintain public access to public land in Union County managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

“I think this is very important. The land belongs to the people,’’ he said.

Future access over the next two decades will be determined in a big way by how the revised version of the Blue Mountain Forest Plan turns out. The plan, the first version of which was completed about 30 years ago, states how the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests are to be managed by the Forest Service.

Regardless of how the election turns out, Simmons said he’ll be watching the development of the revised plan closely and providing input when possible.

“We need to be engaged. I feel very strongly about that,’’ he said. “I want access to be retained. I don’t want any more restrictions.’’

Age: 67.

Residence: Elgin.

Occupation: Owner of Simmons and Co., a firm that negotiates sales between seed dealers and farmers.

Related political and other experience: Simmons served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1997 through 2002 and was its speaker the last two of those years. He served as one of Oregon’s two USDA Rural Development directors, from 2006 to 2010.

Family: Simmons and his wife, Joni, have two daughters and 11 grandchildren.

Hobbies: Fixing items on his family’s ranch, shooting sports and reading.