Sen. Mark Meek, D-Clackamas, on the Senate floor during the special legislative session at the Oregon State Capitol, Aug. 29, 2025.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A Democratic lawmaker who criticized the Oregon Senate president as his party weighed a high-profile transportation bill was removed from a legislative committee last week.
Sen. Mark Meek, D-Gladstone, was stripped of his role as chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue. Sen. President Rob Wagner replaced him with Sen. Anthony Broadman, a Bend Democrat.
“I am disappointed,” said Meek, who was on the committee for three legislative sessions. “I feel like I’ve been given nothing but positive remarks.”
Meek made headlines in June when he bucked his party’s efforts to pass a road funding bill as the Oregon Department of Transportation faced what it said was a budget crisis.
A moderate Democrat from a politically purple district in Portland’s southern suburbs, Meek contended that the bill’s proposed taxes and fees were too steep for Oregonians struggling with the high cost of living, among other issues.
His opposition in the session’s final weeks prompted Wagner to personally replace him on a legislative committee to advance the bill to the chamber floor. The bill died after failing to get a vote.
Meek was ultimately a key vote in passing a pared-back version of the transportation bill in September, having changed his stance partly due to the bill’s lower price tag. Some Republicans are now hoping to refer the bill to voters, but Gov. Tina Kotek might put off signing the bill to avoid that.
But Meek’s comments, including calling for Wagner’s ouster this summer, were sure to rankle leaders of a Democratic party that often prizes loyalty. Asked if his removal feels like political retribution, Meek told OPB: “It seems like it, but I don’t know for sure.”
Wagner’s spokesperson said it is Senate practice not to comment on committee assignments.
Meek was elected to the Oregon Senate in 2022. He prevailed in a narrow race for Senate District 20, located in Clackamas County.
He was assigned a job as chair of the new Senate Interim Committee on Commerce and General Government. He said he looks forward to working with his party to make the state more business-friendly and more affordable for families.
“I’m hopeful that I can take something positive out of this,” said Meek.
He’s not the only lawmaker to recently face pushback for their stance on the transportation bill.
Rep. Annessa Hartman, another Clackamas County Democrat, has said she was bullied by party members for opposing the transportation bill that passed last month. She decided not to seek reelection and is now vying for a position on the Clackamas County commission.
Former Republican Rep. Cyrus Javadi, of Tillamook, decided to switch parties after he faced pushback because he supported the transportation package.
OPB noted Meek’s removal last week. Willamette Week also reported on it.
