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Endorsements Candidate Races U.S. President. John F. Kerry (D)
George Bush has shown himself to be unfit to govern. We didn't elect him before and should not do so this time. That makes it easy to vote for John Kerry. Kerry would select credible people to serve with him. The economy, defense, education, human services, health care, the environment and national security would turn around under new leadership. He would nominate judges who should be judges. He would rebuild our alliances with the people of the world. He would bring truth back into our government. He would honor separation of church and state. Kerry is not a perfect candidate. We split with him over the war in Iraq and we regret his vote to give Bush authority to begin this despicable disaster. We have other differences, but they pale when compared with the prospect of four more years of Bush and Cheney. In the next few weeks we hope American voters are savvy enough to see through "stunts" engineered by the present administration to blur the long-term judgment in its disfavor. We salute and join with the thousands of Oregon campaign workers who are urging us to get out the vote for John Kerry and John Edwards.
U.S. Senate - Ron Wyden (D) Ron Wyden's chummy relationship with Republican Sen. Gordon Smith hasn't left us excited about voting for him. But given the Republican choice, we're left biting our lip. Al King is a right-wing cattle rancher who would abolish the U.N. and Education Department. With King posing little challenge for Wyden, some Democrat voters may be tempted to cast a safe protest vote. Nurse practitioner Teresa Keane is the Pacific Green Party candidate with a platform of universal health care, environmental protection and peace.
U.S. Representative, 4th District. Peter DeFazio (D)
For nearly two decades, DeFazio has served his district well as a populist voice for the little guy against corporate profiteers. We only wish Democrats could seize the House to give him the clout to make real changes. DeFazio's opponent, Republican Jim Feldkamp, has run an energetic, half-million-dollar campaign. But we'd be surprised if his calls for more war, tax breaks for the rich and clearcuts find much traction against DeFazio's popularity.
Secretary of State. Bill Bradbury (D) We've always appreciated Bill Bradbury as one of Oregon's finest public servants, and we see no reason to unseat him as secretary of state. Bradbury is strong on the environment, women's rights, campaign finance reform and education.
State Treasurer. Randall Edwards (D) Three candidates running against him, a Republican, a libertarian, and a Constitution Party member, can't find any real issues to go after Edwards after his first term as state treasurer. He's done a solid job as money manager in a state without enough money. He also led the way to the Oregon College Savings Plan , and as he demonstrated in speaking before the Eugene City Cub, he has a plan to improve education funding and other tough Oregon issues. Clearly ambitious for higher office, Edwards is doing a fine job as chief financial officer and should easily win another four years.
Attorney General. Hardy Myers (D)
A low-key guy who is endorsed by DAs, police chiefs and victims-rights proponents around the state, Hardy Myers defines his role as chief lawyer for the government, not as top-cop. That top-cop stuff is the view of Paul Connolly, his opponent who has been chief counsel for the Oregon Republican Party for the last five years. Myers served five terms in the Oregon Legislature and he understands the value of bipartisan support, which he has. He sometimes moves slower than we would like, as in the national tobacco litigation, but in the end Oregon came out millions of dollars ahead. Even his critics admit that he has assembled an excellent staff and that's probably his most important role. No contest here. One more term for Myers.
Oregon Senate, District 4. Floyd Prozanski (D)
District 4 encompasses southern and eastern Lane County and northern Douglas County and Floyd Prozanski was appointed to the District seat last year to fill Tony Corcoran's vacancy. Prozanski has served four admirable terms in the Legislature. His challenger is Republican Norm Thomas who has a strong background in education, but is parroting the conservative party line of less government and less regulation on business.
House District 8. Paul R. Holvey (D) Paul Holvey was appointed to the District 8 seat in January to replace Floyd Prozanski who moved to the Senate. We took a close look at Holvey when he ran in the May primary and he's doing well in the Legislature, providing a solid voice for education, the environment and labor. His opponent is Republican Bill Young, a prominent Eugene veterinarian with no legislative experience.
House District 11. Phil Barnhart (D) Despite what you see in negative TV and print ads from his opponent, Phil Barnhart really does represent his mixed district well. Not everyone in the district likes Barnhart's advocacy for education, the environment and social services, but most of his constituents do respect his integrity, experience, education, competence and energy. Barnhart has both a law degree and a doctorate in psychology, and served six years on the Eugene 4-J School Board. His opponent, retired federal drug agent Michael Spasaro, has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, and has shown poor judgement in his inaccurate attacks on Barnhart. He is also relatively new to the area and appears to have a very narrow view of the complex issues facing the district and the Legislature.
House District 13. Bob Ackerman (D) Bob Ackerman has served us well in this mostly north Eugene district after taking over the job from Kitty Piercy in 2000 when she was term-limited out. Ackerman has a long history of public service on local and state boards and councils, including three terms on the LCC Board. He also carries a wealth of legal experience fighting for the interests of citizens. His priorities are stablizing funding for public education and preserving farm and forest lands. His well-funded Republican opponent is banker Gary Pierpoint, who offers solid business experience, but a distinct conservative viewpoint that is already over-represented in the Legislature.
House District 14. Bev Ficek (D)
Bev Ficek's values are reflected in her campaign finances. Unlike her opponent, Debi Farr, Ficek refuses to accept contributions from special-interest groups. Instead, her campaign is primarily financed by small donations from individuals and nonprofits. By contrast, Farr has accepted tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from special interest groups such as the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association ($2,500), the Oregon Forest Industries Council ($2,000) and the Oregon Business Association ($3,000). Ficek says that investments in public education save taxpayer dollars by preparing our children to become well-informed, productive Oregonians. Ficek pledges to make health care a priority by supporting legislation that would reduce premiums and lower prescription drug prices. And Ficek proposes to shift more of the tax burden to businesses without raising taxes on middle-class families. In action as well as in rhetoric, Ficek rejects special interests to stand up for working-class Oregonians.
Lane County Commissioner, East Lane. Don Hampton Don Hampton is a political moderate with more than a decade of experience spurring economic development as a mayor and city councilor in Oakridge. A former school teacher, he has served on a host of governmental committees and community service groups. For the past year, he has served as a county commissioner. Hampton's opponent, Republican Faye Stewart, is a timber heir who doesn't have anywhere near Hampton's qualifications. What Stewart does have is big money from lumber and land barons who hope to cash in by buying a key swing vote that will push the county to the far right in terms of environmental destruction and urban sprawl.
Eugene Mayor. Kitty Piercy (unopposed)
Kitty Piercy surprised (some say shocked) conservatives in the May primary by getting more than 50 percent of the vote, which eliminated a run-off in November. She's the only name on the ballot, but we need to mark our ballots for her anyway. She deserves our continued support, particularly since an underground write-in campaign to retain Torrey might still be brewing. A low vote for Piercy could also be used as an argument in a future recall campaign. Likewise, let's mark our ballots for unopposed council candidates Andrea Ortiz and Chris Pryor. We haven't seen how Pryor will vote, and he ran unopposed and undebated, but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt, for now.
State Ballot Measures Measure 31. Postponing elections. YES This common sense, non-controversial constitutional amendment would allow a major election to be postponed if a major party candidate dies with in 30 days of a vote. Under current law, a dead candidate means either the incumbent wins or the office is filled by appointment. Measure 31 would help assure untimely deaths don't spoil democratic elections.
Measure 32. Double-wides aren't cars. YES A double-wide manufactured home isn't going anywhere fast. But that doesn't keep the state from requiring such fixed homes to have license plates from the DMV. To solve that absurdity, the Legislature wants to transfer mobile home licensing from the DMV to the building codes department. But that requires a constitutional amendment to get around the ban on using fees for non-car related spending.
Measure 33. Medical marijuana. YES In 1998, Oregon voters approved a ballot measure to allow qualified patients to posses, grow and use medicinal marijuana. Now, Measure 33 asks voters to make the medicine more accessible to patients. The measure would: create state-regulated, nonprofit dispensaries where patients could buy medicinal marijuana; increase the amounts of marijuana that patients may possess or cultivate from three ounces of usable marijuana and seven plants to one pound and 10 plants; add naturopathic doctors and nurses to the list of physicians who can prescribe medicinal marijuana; decrease the annual application fee from $150 to $20, and fund medicinal marijuana research. More than 1,300 Lane County residents hold medical marijuana cards — many with serious conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, and HIV — and this measure would mean easier access to their medicine. The state would benefit, too, since dispensaries would pay 10 to 20 percent of their gross revenues to the state medicinal marijuana program. Let's make medicinal marijuana more accessible.
Measure 34. Management of state forests. YES The state Board of Forestry has proven that it cannot be trusted to conserve our state forests for the "greatest permanent value," as state law now prescribes. Instead of protecting recreational values, wildlife habitats and vital waterways, the forestry board made side deals with the timber industry, resulting in a forest management plan that allows logging on more than 85 percent of the Tillamook and Clatsop state forestlands. The consequences: ugly clearcuts, weakened ecosystems, and the degradation of streams that provide drinking water for one in 10 Oregonians. Measure 34 calls for balanced management of the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests to give conservation and sustainable timber harvesting equal priority. The measure specifies that only 50 percent of the forests can be logged; the other 50 percent must be managed for conservation. An independent science team would make management recommendations to the forestry board. It allows for timber revenue to be shared by all Oregon public schools while ensuring continued funding for local schools. Finally, the measure guarantees family wages for employees harvesting timber and doing restoration work. It makes sense.
Measure 35. Caps medical liability. NO This is an outrageous measure which should be opposed by every responsible Oregon doctor concerned about the quality of care in his/her community. Much of the media casts the debate between doctors and lawyers. Not true. It's a fight between the insurance and drug industries and the consumer. Note that drug giant Pfizer tossed in $180,000 late in September to help pass the measure. Read the measure carefully. It's a constitutional amendment, a mistake regardless of the merits of the measure. It protects health care providers' "negligence or recklessness" in treating patients. Is that what our Constitution should be doing? Hardly. The voters and the medical profession should be doing everything possible to remove "negligence or recklessness" from the system. We should bury this measure and then urge our legislators, governor, doctors and lawyers to curb the insurance and drug industries. That would be real progress.
Measure 36. Ban same-sex marriage. NO
Put simply: Discrimination has no place in the Oregon Constitution. Measure 36 seeks to amend the constitution to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman, forever banning same-sex couples from legally marrying in the state. If passed, the measure would deny committed same-sex couples more than 1,000 rights and responsibilities that married heterosexual couples automatically receive — things like family health care coverage, inheritance rights and the ability to make emergency medical decisions. Measure 36 also infringes on freedom of religion by prohibiting the legal recognition of same-sex marriage ceremonies performed in progressive congregations. Oregonians deserve a continued civic discourse about marriage. Reject legalized discrimination. Measure 37. Bankrupt or destroy Oregon. NO This radical measure is the scariest thing on the ballot. It would require state and local governments to waive regulations or pay developers and land speculators for any reduction in property values from those regulations. If Measure 37 passes, the timber barons and land speculators bankrolling the measure will cash in, but the state could be left bankrupt or its livability, beauty and nature destroyed.
Measure 38. Abolish SAIF. NO Oregon's State Accident Insurance Fund, established in 1914 to provide workers' compensation insurance, has been under attack for years for questionable management practices, including the 1989 fiasco of canceling policies on 10,000 small businesses, and more recent scandals involving high consulting fees and destroyed public records. But these problems can be fixed. Gov. Kulongoski has replaced several top executives, including SAIF's CEO. Meanwhile, SAIF is continuing to help Oregon maintain its relatively low workers' comp costs. Who's behind Measure 38? SAIF's primary competitor, Liberty Northwest. All things considered, let's keep SAIF intact.
Local Measures Measure 20-88. Eugene Police Station. NO This measure would raise taxes to help build a $36 million police station that has already lost twice at the polls. To help sell the lavish new digs for Eugene's scandal-ridden police department, the city shrouded the measure in confusing language that seeks to hide what the vote is really about — taxpayer money for an unpopular new police station. The city has a lot better things to do with its money such as supporting schools, buying parkland, fixing potholes, paying off police lawsuits, running the library, refunding taxpayers and giving grants to hire more domestic violence counselors.
Measure 20-90. Eugene school levy renewal. YES A yes vote renews 4J's local option property tax levy for another five years. Without the levy, local schools will have to cut $6 million a year and about 70 teachers. To preserve local quality of life, reduce crime, retain and attract new businesses and give our kids a future, our schools need more funding, not less.
Measure 20-91. Springfield jail. NO This measure would increase taxes to pay for a new $29 million jail/police station in Springfield. Money for the police station would be better spent on hiring more officers to patrol the city and fight crime directly. Money for jail beds is better spent on crime prevention programs for drug treatment and domestic violence that strike at the root causes of crime. It's crazy for Springfield to build a big new jail while taxpayers have already paid to build jail beds at the county juvenile and adult jails that aren't being used because of a lack of operations funding. Springfield doesn't have a clue how it will pay to operate the jail it now wants taxpayers to build.
Measure 20-92. Glenwood tax diversion. NO This Springfield measure would set up an urban renewal (UR) district in Glenwood. UR districts divert property tax revenue from city, county and state services and from funding for schools and increase taxes only a little. Such a diversion can be justified for a very noble public purpose. Getting rid of the ugly junk in Glenwood along the riverfront to build a public park and a bike trail would be a great project that would revitalize the area. But that's not what the money will be dedicated to. Springfield's vague UR plan for the area runs the risk of having scarce taxpayer money diverted to line the pockets of a few private developers.
Measure 20-100. Willamalane Community Center. YES The measure would fund a $4.5 million new recreation center in Willamalane Park. The new center will provide a gym, preschool space, teen center, fitness room and other amenities. Giving kids a place to play is a much kinder and cost effective way of preventing crime than expensive jail beds.
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