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Timberrr! The election of two new Lane County Commissioners could overthrow the long reign of timber barons controlling county government. Republican County Commissioners Faye Stewart and Anna Morrison, two timber stalwarts, face challenges this election from two pro-livability and environment candidates, independent Bill Fleenor and Democrat Ron Davis.
The Fleenor vs. Morrison race in West Lane County appears the hottest. To hold on to her seat, Morrison reported raising $33,025 by April 10, mostly from big donations from timber, gravel and urban sprawl interests. For example, Seneca Jones Timber gave $2,500, the Timber Products Co. gave $1,500, Murphy Plywood gave $1,000 and King Logging, Cadore Timber, Lost Creek Lumber and timber baron Ehrman Giustina each gave $500. The Delta and Wildish sand and gravel companies each gave $2,000 and Egge sand and gravel gave $1,000. Land speculators and development interests also kicked in big donations including $1,000 from Greg Demers, a major Veneta land holder, $500 from Hult and Associates and $600 from Hamilton Construction. Many of these donors could come before Morrison in high stakes decisions if she's re-elected. Timber and land speculation companies can make huge profits if county commissioners vote to rezone land or waive land use regulations under Measure 37, allowing sprawling development. Sand and Gravel companies routinely come before the commission for large construction contracts and for permits to dig controversial big pits in scenic farm or riverside areas. Fleenor reported raising $52,000 for his challenge, although $31,000 was from loans from himself and his immediate family. Large contributions came from the Lane County Public Works Union ($5,000) and non-cash contributions worth $1,228 from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV). Fleenor's fundraising this year far exceeds that in his 2002 challenge to Morrison, when he was dramatically outspent and defeated by a wide margin. Zero Percent Record For years, Morrison has had a zero percent voting record on environmental issues from the OLCV. In 2004 and 2005, the group recorded Morrison's votes for industrial urban sprawl; reducing forest, riverside and wetland protection; sprawl in Creswell; against Ten Mile Creek restoration work; against adequate wastewater treatment; against wilderness protection; for the West Eugene Parkway; against pro-environment planning commission candidates; for Measure 37 claims to allow rural development in Creswell and Pleasant Hill; and for housing on forest land. Morrison was the only vote against fish improvements on Simmons Creek. Even commission conservatives Stewart and Bobby Green voted for that project. In 2002-2003 OLCV also gave Morrison a zero rating. She was the sole anti-environmental vote four times: supporting gravel mining on farm land and opposing the McKenzie River Trust's efforts to buy Green Island, opposing expansion of the Eugene Ridgeline Trail and opposing allowing county employees to contribute to environmental groups through payroll deductions. Morrison also got a zero percent OLCV rating in 2000-2001. Morrison's far-right positions on other issues have also been controversial. Last year Morrison and other commissioners set off a storm of protest in Florence when they proposed selling off a scenic dune to developers. Morrison also caught sharp criticism last year for unsuccessfully pushing to cut funding for nutrition programs for infants and mothers (WIC), HIV testing, teen pregnancy prevention, sex offender treatment, county extension and 4-H programs, and other popular citizen services. While backing a proposal to put the largest tax increase in county history on the November ballot, Morrison has strongly supported millions of dollars in enterprise zone tax breaks for Hynix and other corporations. Critics have faulted Morrison for meeting behind closed doors with a gravel pit executive seeking a controversial mine, and with Triad officials seeking a controversial sale of the county Fairgrounds. In 1999, Morrison fought against funding for the Siuslaw Area Women's Center. Morrison "can be abrasive" and "doesn't like government in general," said county human services Director Rob Rockstroh at the time. "She's genuinely an ideologue." Morrison touts her work on lobbying for continued federal payments to the county as one of her major accomplishments. "I was pretty instrumental" in getting the funding in the past, Morrison said. She said she's spent three weeks in Washington, D.C., this year lobbying to continue the funding, which is a big chunk of the county budget. Morrison said she's a founding member of the National Forest Counties Schools Coalition that lobbies for the federal payments. Some of the work of the coalition has been controversial among environmentalists who have questioned whether the county and school funding issue is being used to leverage increased logging. The incoming message on Morrison's cell phone concludes, "remember good timber management is a good form of fire suppression," a current leading argument among timber lobbyists. Before her election in 1998, Morrison was involved in the pro-logging group Oregon Women in Timber. Fleenor Fleenor said the federal funding issue isn't up to just one commissioner. He said he'll work with the county's professional lobbyist and congressional delegation to continue the funding. But Fleenor said some of his most important work will be in his district re-establishing contact and services for constituents that he accuses Morrison of turning her back on. Fleenor, who has a Ph.D. in animal physiology, moved to a house near Mapleton seven years ago. Before that he worked as a research scientist and investor and later ran a 100-employee paper packaging company in California which he sold. He said he quickly "fell in love" with the "spectacular beauty of the Siuslaw river Valley" and the friendly people here and decided to settle. He said he's put 46,000 miles on his car campaigning because he's motivated to "protect and preserve those qualities I fell in love with" here including the clean air and water, great people, minimal congestion and good quality of life. He said such attractions for employers, tourists and skilled professionals are a vital part of a strong and environmentally sustainable local economy. On thorny environmental issues such as the West Eugene Parkway and growth boundary expansions, Fleenor said he would "generally defer" to Eugene and other cities to make the local decisions. He said he "applauds" Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy's efforts to find reasonable alternatives to the WEP that would break the current political logjam. Rather than rushing to raise taxes, Fleenor said the county should wait and see how the federal funding turns out and if new meth-control regulations reduce property crime. Fleenor said he'd also like to see an independent efficiency audit of county government. He argues that crime prevention and drug treatment is more cost effective than expensive jail cells. Fleenor is skeptical that the big tax breaks for Hynix were worth the lost revenue. He said the county should focus on helping small businesses which produce the bulk of employment. Big businesses like Hynix, "can do without our help." Davis vs. Stewart The Davis vs. Stewart race in East Lane County is less intense. Davis has reported raising $1,408 for his campaign, mostly through small contributions. Stewart, who's great uncle is timber baron Stub Stewart, reported $25,970 in contributions, mostly in big checks from logging, gravel and urban sprawl interests. The Swanson Group timber management company gave Stewart $2,500, the Timber Products Co. gave $1,500, and Murphy Plywood gave $1,000. Members of the family that owns the Giustina land and timber companies gave a total of $2,000. Delta Sand and Gravel gave Stewart $3,500 and Eugene Sand and Gravel CEO Mike Alltucker gave $500. Hamilton Construction and developer Donna Woolley gave $500 each. A third candidate, anti-clearcut activist Gary Kutcher, did not file a donation report or a Voter's Pamphlet statement. Stewart has a somewhat more moderate voting record than Morrison. OLCV gave Stewart a 25 percent rating. Stewart voted for fish improvements for Simmons Creek but voted for two questionable Measure 37 claims for sprawl zoning and for allowing sprawl development on a section of forestland, according to the environmental group. OLCV did not have a full voting record for Stewart, who was elected two years ago in a campaign funded by many of the same clearcut, gravel pit and sprawl interests. Stewart says one of his top priorities is finding more funding for a "broken" county law enforcement system. He's spearheaded county efforts to pass a huge tax increase to fund big increases in jail beds, prosecutors and deputies. At the same time, Stewart supports millions in tax breaks for Hynix and other corporations in the enterprise zone. He acknowledges the program isn't perfect, saying, "Some of the companies stay, some companies go." The WEP issue is a "tough one," Stewart said. "I don't know" if the wetland highway should be built as proposed, he said. Stewart was a key swing vote on the commission to support Mayor Piercy's look at alternatives, but Stewart says he's skeptical there are any alternatives out there that would meet state highway officials' requirements. Stewart said he voted for Measure 37, but now recognizes the measure allowing waivers of sprawl regulations needs some fixes. Challenger Davis is a medical lab scientist who has lived outside Cottage Grove for 33 years, worked as a school teacher and helped found the successful EPUD public utility. Davis calls the county's massive tax increase proposal "insanity," given the county's losing streak of 14 straight tax measures. He said he'd like an independent efficiency audit of county government and higher taxes on big corporations, most of whom get away with paying only $10 a year in state income taxes. "Let's go to the deep pockets." He says Hynix's millions in tax breaks are "crazy," and notes how Sony and Symantec took breaks and left. "When the deal's done, they're gone." He said help would better go to existing businesses who employ locals rather than corporations moving here and importing workers who just increase the local population. He'd like to see the county focus its economic development efforts on sustainable industries like bio-diesel and tourism. "You can't cut down all the trees and expect people to travel up to see the clearcuts." Davis calls the WEP a "boondoggle" and opposes expanding growth boundaries and urban sprawl. He's critical of Triad and PeaceHealth moving their hospitals to the edge of town. Serving Triad with needed roads could cost $150 million, he said. "Who's going to pay for this?" Davis knows his "grassroots" campaign faces a tough fight with the timber/developer Goliath that dominates county government. "If we win, it will be a miracle."
Election Endorsements Below are our recommendations for candidates in contested races and one local money measure in the May primary. Ballots go in the mail April 28 and must be received by the Lane County Elections Department by 8 pm May 16. In non-partisan local races, any candidate who gets more than 50 percent of the votes cast goes on to be uncontested in the November general election. Governor, Democrats. Pete Sorenson We endorse Pete Sorenson because we share his positions on all the big issues and because he had the guts to open up this race, taking on an incumbent governor, even forcing him to move to the left. Long before Jim Hill decided to run against Gov. Kulongoski, Sorenson was kick-starting the conversation that people all over this state should be having with their political leaders. He uses humor, often directed at himself — that's rare in modern politics. And he will stick to the right position even if it leaves him at the short end of a 4-1 vote, often the case in the Lane County Commission. Governor, Republicans. No preference With a bias like ours, should we be advising votes for any of the three Republican candidates! Probably not. Mannix, Atkinson, and Saxton are all tilting so far to the right to win in the Republican primary that they escape our radar. But we do have one small suggestion for our 13,000 or so Republican readers. Keep your eyes on state Senator Ben Westlund from Bend. A former Republican, he's running for governor as an independent in November. That way he escapes the primary, saving his more moderate self from the Republican right. Superintendent of Public Instruction. Susan Castillo, nonpartisan Ideal result would be if Susan Castillo would win 50-plus percent of the votes in the primary so she could forget about campaigning and continue her work for "stable and adequate funding for our schools." Her only opponent, Deb Andrews, is not even a close second to Castillo. It's difficult to measure how successful a superintendent of public instruction is in this educationally deprived state, but Castillo is smart, high energy, experienced in the legislative process, respected, and always upbeat for the possibilities of funding solutions. We endorse her again for this spot and hopes she keeps on moving up in public life. Supreme Court Judge, Position 6. Gene Hallman The only contested Oregon Supreme court race, this one is interesting. Oregon is one of only three states without a woman on the supreme court and this time a woman, Virginia Linder, is running. Eugene has a hometown guy, Jack Roberts, going after this seat, and EW is likely to support our locals. But this time, our favorite is Gene Hallman, a Pendleton attorney who would be the first justice elected outside the Willamette valley in nearly two decades. For 30 years Hallman has been working in the trenches representing individuals and small businesses in hu;ndreds of cases. He's not a part of the Salem-Portland legal establishments, but he has bipartisan support from all over the state. As Judy Snyder, past president of the Multnomah bar association, says, "There's no candidate in this race who has done more to advance the cause of women and to fight discrimination and unequal treatment." Lane County Circuit Court Judge. Alan Leiman or Debra Vogt It's a little dangerous predicting how voters will vote, but we'll do it anyway. Four candidates are running to succeed Judge Bryan Hodges on the Circuit Court, so it's likely that none will receive more than 50 percent of the vote, thus forcing a runoff between the top two in November. Based on Bar polls, campaigns, chatter and our own research, Alan Leiman and Debra Vogt are the top contenders. We see strengths in both candidates, and even the "loser" in this election is likely to end up on the bench soon since several judges are facing retirement. We're split at EW, so we humbly suggest that you vote for either Leiman or Vogt in May and we promise to dig for more definition before November. See our story this week for information on all the candidates. County Commissioner, East. Ron Davis Ron Davis's positions on growth, freeways, tax breaks, hospital sprawl, tax increases, crime prevention and other important county issues favor the public interest, the environment and good government. The personable hospital lab scientist has deep roots in Cottage Grove and experience as a teacher and one of the founders of EPUD, a public utility that's saved rural residents millions of dollars. The incumbent Faye Stewart is a timber baron heir heavily backed and beholding to lumber, development and gravel pit interests. County Commissioner, West. William Fleenor Bill Fleenor came to Oregon for the natural beauty and quality of life and wants to serve the public interest by protecting that strong driver of the economy. Fleenor has experience as head of a large business, on the board of the coastal public utility and holds a doctorate in animal physiology. Morrison, who previously lobbied for the timber industry, has a far-right voting record and is heavily obliged to the logging, gravel pit and developer interests bankrolling her election. County Assessor. Anette Spickard Anette Spickard, a Democrat in this nonpartisan race, has the endorsements of the retiring county tax assessor and a diverse array of local officials including all five county commissioners, the district attorney and mayor of Eugene. She has management experience as deputy assessor for the past year, number crunching experience as a trained accountant, and elected and budgetary experience as a 4J School Board member. We hope the experience of chronically underfunded schools impressed upon her the need to not let lax assessments drain property tax revenues. Spickard's opponents are Republicans Gary Cook and Bill Mahn, both of whom have more experience with property appraisal but less of the management and political experience needed for this job. Eugene Councilor, Ward 3. Alan Zelenka Alan Zelenka is endorsed by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and local progressives including Mayor Kitty Piercy and Councilors David Kelly and Betty Taylor and County Commissioner Pete Sorenson. Zelenka has experience as a neighborhood leader and in environmental conservation for the Emerald People's Utility District. He calls for putting the people's interests above special interests. Both Zelenka and his opponent Bruce Mulligan have served as chairman of the city of Eugene Budget Committee. On the committee Zelenka showed a willingness to undertake a much needed examination of the efficiency of the city's exorbitant police department whereas Mulligan couldn't throw enough money at the cops. Zelenka's other opponent, Jana Jackson, appears to be running on a campaign of opposing police reform in the wake of officer sex abuse scandals. Eugene City Councilor, Ward 6. Rich Cunningham Rich Cunningham has experience as a school board member, economic development official, school softball coach and father of disabled kids. The conservative Democrat promises to bring less far right-wing positions to this Bethel-area seat on the City Council. Incumbent Republican Jennifer Solomon is the granddaughter of timber baron Stub Stewart and was one of those people financing the anonymous and divisive attack ads from the Gang of 9. Her election was bankrolled by timber, development, gravel pit and sprawl interests for whom she is a reliable vote. EWEB, Wards 4 & 5. Ron Farmer In challenging an incumbent EWEB commissioner in an otherwise uncontested race, UO student and environmentalist Ashley Miller has her heart in the right place. But in this case, experience counts, and Ron Farmer is simply better qualified to sit on the utility board. His eyes may glaze over at the word "environment," but he seems loyal to EWEB's mission of diversifying renewable energy sources and improving energy conservation. And Farmer, a bank president, has good fiscal sense. He joined the board shortly after the 2001 energy crisis, and was instrumental in getting the utility out of debt and into calmer financial waters. Every board needs its fiscal leader, and Farmer has proven his capacity to fill that role as an EWEB commissioner. Bethel Local Option Levy, 20-109. Yes Bethel School District residents will see a five-year property tax levy on their ballots that would generate about $1.6 million a year to support staffing levels and programs, buy new books and computers, and fund the Bethel Math Project to boost achievement. In our time of crisis in public school funding, districts need all the help they can get. Meaningful action on education by the Legislature is likely still years away.
Green
Values vs. Greenbacks Civic duty called Ashley Miller, a 23-year-old UO student and aspiring environmental lawyer, into the race for Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) commissioner for Wards 4 & 5 (northeast Eugene). She said she hopes to set up an EWEB listserv for customers, sharpen the utility's environmental focus and "shake things up a bit" at board meetings. Miller is challenging incumbent Ron Farmer, 55, a bank president who has served on the boards and committees of nearly a dozen local agencies and nonprofits. Farmer joined the EWEB board in 2002, just after the West Coast energy crisis stuck EWEB with a $30 million debt. He participated in the financial planning that helped the utility get back on its feet and establish $40 million in reserves. Below, we summarize Miller and Farmer's positions on EWEB's major issues. Energy sources. As Oregon's only publicly owned generating utility, EWEB not only buys electricity from existing facilities but also supplies its own. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which operates major hydroelectric dams throughout Oregon and Washington, currently provides about 70 percent of EWEB's energy. EWEB generates the rest from smaller dams and wind turbines. "We're at the mercy of this 800-pound gorilla," Farmer said, referring to BPA. He said he supports EWEB's commitment to diversifying its energy sources — mainly by developing wind, solar and geothermal facilities — and he emphasized the importance of relicensing EWEB's Carmen-Smith dams on the upper McKenzie River. Asked whether EWEB should move away from dependence on hydroelectric power, Miller hesitated. "Until I know a lot more about this, I think we should keep pushing toward the environmental side," she said. Hydropower is renewable and nonpolluting, but dams can degrade salmon habitat and river ecosystems. Electricity rates. The EWEB board recently approved an electricity rate hike, which will fund debt service, rising BPA rates, operational costs and the shift toward wind and geothermal power. Miller has criticized the EWEB board for decreasing electricity rates for two years in a row and then planning a rate increase for May. She said that if she were a board member, she might have opposed the original rate decreases to prevent the pending increase. "If she did that, she would be flying in the face of what every commissioner has done throughout the history of EWEB," Farmer retorted. "It has always been a historical precedent at EWEB to pass on rate increases and decreases from BPA to the customer." Miller noted that the rate hike will not affect wind power rates. That may motivate more EWEB customers buy wind power, which she supports. Water. The McKenzie River currently supplies more than enough water for Eugene's population. But in the near future, EWEB — the only entity with water rights on the McKenzie — may have to decide whether to sell water to neighboring municipalities. EWEB staff is "planning to take the lead and have a plan of our own in case the municipalities fall through" on the Region 2050 planning process, Farmer said. Miller did not comment on future water supplies, saying she needs to learn more about the issue. But she took issue with the fact that, due to less-than-expected water use in the past few years, the EWEB board recently increased water rates. "That's not a good way to reward conservation," she said. "Conservation isn't free," Farmer responded. While decreased water use did play some part in the need to raise water rates, conservation will ultimately save EWEB money by eliminating the need to build new water facilities, he said. Relocation. EWEB, now located on the riverfront near the Ferry Street Bridge, has proposed to relocate its industrial operations to 43 acres on Beltline Highway and Roosevelt Boulevard. EWEB's administrative offices would remain on 26 riverfront acres. The environmental implications of the move are two-fold. Moving industrial operations off the downtown riverfront may free up space for a less polluting development, but the move could affect the wetlands that occupy half of the Roosevelt property. "I personally don't believe that truck shops and pole-yards are best suited for the downtown Eugene riverfront," Farmer said. "I've been at the forefront of planning this move, financially and operationally, and I want to see it through." Miller said she supports EWEB's planned move and hopes it can be done in a way that minimizes costs and environmental impacts. The five EWEB commissioners serve four-year terms, unpaid. At-large commissioner Sandra Bishop is not seeking re-election; real estate broker John Brown is running unopposed for her seat. The other three commissioners' terms will end in 2008. Miller can be reached at ashley4eweb@yahoo.comFarmer can be reached at Ronald.L.Farmer@bankofamerica.com
Local
Judicial Races Four candidates are competing for Circuit Court judge in a race that is so rare many voters are unfamiliar with the issues. Judges often run unopposed, or leave their posts mid-term, leading to gubernatorial appointments. It's been 14 years since a Circuit Court ballot has had more than one candidate.
The contenders for Position 14 to succeed Judge Bryan Hodges on the court are Debra Vogt, Alan Leiman, James Chaney and Beverly Anderson. The four spoke before the City Club of Eugene March 17, and information about them is available at www.osbar.org and at their individual websites, listed at the Oregon Bar website. In mid-April, 313 members of the Oregon Bar in Lane County voted for their favorite candidate in a Judicial Preference Poll, based on "history, scholarly ability, judicial temperament, and ability to be fair and balanced in a judicial setting." Vogt got 139 votes, Leiman 104, Chaney 56 and Anderson 14. Ethics rules prohibit candidates from campaigning for votes in the poll. Debra Vogt has been a member of the Bar since 1994 and except for two years as a judicial clerk for the Lane County Circuit Court, she has worked as a deputy district attorney and senior prosecutor for the DA's office. She prosecutes cases involving domestic violence, elder abuse, animal abuse, child sexual abuse and major violent felonies. She has been an instructor and guest lecturer at the UO Law School, and since 2001 she has served on the board of the Child Advocacy Center. She has also been involved in numerous charities for children and Special Olympics. "I have spent my entire legal career in a Lane County Circuit Court courtroom," she says in her statements. "I have seen the lives dramatically affected by our legal system. I have seen the importance of every citizen having their 'day in court' and the need for that experience to be a positive one." She says the greatest challenges facing judges are, "overwhelming caseloads with increasingly complex cases, judicial budget cuts, under-funded public safety programs, violence and security issues." Alan Leiman is an attorney who started practicing in Florida in 1992 and moved to Oregon in 1998. He is currently a judge in the Eugene Municipal Court, presiding over misdemeanor criminal prosecutions, ordinance violations and traffic cases since 2002. Previously, he was city prosecutor for three years. Before that, he was in private practice in civil litigation at the state and federal court levels, and spent time as a public defender in Miami. Leiman is an adjunct professor of law at Lewis & Clark Law School, completed mediation training at the UO Law School and serves on the board of Community Mediation Services. In his statements, he says, "I believe that my record on the bench and my commitment to crime prevention and public safety qualify me to serve as a Lane County Circuit Court judge. … The qualities that are most important for a judge are: a broad knowledge of the law, communication skills, temperament, patience, decisiveness, courage and humility." At City Club, Leiman talked at length about crime prevention, the importance of working with youth, and "breaking the cycle of recidivism."
James Chaney has been a practicing attorney since 1982, first in California, then moving to Oregon in 1991. He is founder and owner of his own law firm in Eugene since 2003 specializing in civil litigation and dispute resolution, and commercial cases on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He has also been an instructor at the UO Law School. He says 75 percent of his court experience is at the state trial courts, but he has also argued cases before state appellate courts, the Oregon Supreme Court and federal trial courts. In prepared statements he says he is a "true believer" in our justice system, and "I've had the privilege of being part of it as an advocate for 23 years, and taking the bench will be my way of repaying the debt which I owe for having had that opportunity." At City Club, Cheney pledged that, if elected, he would serve full terms so that his successor would be elected and not appointed. Beverly Anderson has been a member of the Bar since 1995 and is an attorney in private practice. She has a background of five-plus years in domestic relations, business law and general civil litigation. She was general counsel and chief financial officer for the Ad Group, Inc., from 2000 until the company was sold in 2005. In listing her qualities, she says, "My aptitude, analytical ability and interpersonal communications training ideally suit me to the impartial position a judge assumes. … My judicial philosophy is really a social philosophy, to craft decisions which work effectively within existing social systems, constrained by a commitment not to read into law what is not explicitly there." She says she has made "a substantial number of court appearances," at the Circuit Court level only, but she is also "extremely successful in keeping matters out of court."
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