Oregon daily emerald., May 21, 1974, Section B, Page 17, Image 25

State representative candidates
Burrows: says
'no' to nuclear
power plants
Mary Burrows, the incumbent Republican
state representative, for district 41, is still
working hard on a recycling task force,
drawing up bills and scheduling hearings
and work sessions.
The task force has written 10 bills for
recycling containers and is investigating the
possibilities of standardizing wine bottles
for deposit and recycling purposes.
Burrows said. "I just learned that 17 trees
make a ton of paper," she said.
Burrows hasn't started campaigning yet
for the November general election but
knows she has come under fire from
democratic primary candidate, John
Stewart, for supporting a fraternity—
sorority —co-op tax exemption bill.
"The bill seemed fair to me," she said.
"People in the dorms are taken care of and
renters got their tax relief this year."
Burrows favors lowering the drinking age
to 19 because a bill, "wouldn't fly" in the
Legislature if the age was lowered to 18.
"The Legislature also wouldn't buy the
decrimnalization of marijuana," she said.
Burrows supports complete freedom for a
woman to choose having an abortion
although it took her a long time to reach
that decision. She would back a move to
take away tax eixiemtions if a doctor would
not perform an abortion, she said.
Fourteen months ago, Burrows and other
legislators had a tour of the Trojan Nuclear
Power Plant near Portland.
"I was awed, impressed and concerned. I
don't want any nuclear power plants in the
valley," Burrows said. "The effect of the
radioactive waste on the population and
geographical area worries me although the
chief engineer, a man from the
Netherlands, was completely confident
about the plant's safety."
Burrows is concerned with the "pathetic"
rail transportation and general lack of
transportation service within the state.
"Transportation in the state is very bad, air
service is almost down to nothing and the
older residents of Coburg have almost no
form of transportation within the area," she
said. "There are alternatives, we can
develop more air and rail transportation in
Oregon."
Mary Burrows
The incumbent representative is also
interested in prison revision. Oregon needs
to re-evaluate the prisoners' sentences
which are not consistent with the more
leiient 1971 criminal code, she said.
“I've had total freedom from voting
pressures as a representative," Burrows
said. "It depends on what kind of price a
legislator is witting to pay. No one has
tried to influence me. If they did, I would
consider the price too hiah."
Shawn Rossiter
Coons:opposes
construction of
nuclear plants
Allan Coons, 35, thinks that being a lawyer
is an important difference between himself
and the other Democratic candidates for
w
Allan Coons
state representative from district 41.
Coons has had the experience of writing
legislative bills, testifying before a
legislative session and working on several
environmental agencies. A recent member
of the Oregon Environmental Council, the
Save French Pete Committee and a past
chairer of the Sierra Club, Coons opposes
the "insane" construction of nuclear power
plants.
This opposition comes from the 100,000
year lifespan of nuclear wastes-a problem
that isn't solved-and the heat pollution of
the plants, Coons said. The heat pollution
could be solved only by cooling towers that
would affect the area's climate or water
cooling that would contribute millions of
gallons of hot water back into rivers.
Coons supports the enactment of an
Environmental Policy Act to promote
governmental action involving a citizen
decision-making process.
A partner in the firm of Coons, Maiagon &
Cole, attorneys, Coons doesn't see any gap
between different age groups.
''I don't see any gulf between myself and
students," he said. "I can also relate to
people in their seventies and eighties. I
have clients who are that age."
Coons favors moving away from
criminalization of marijuana and perhaps
legalizing use of the drug for persons 18
years old or older. He would still consider
the sale of marijuana to be a violation and
would limit the alcohol consumption of 18
to 21 year olds to beer and wine only.
The problems between landlords and
tenants result from the landlord's ignorance
of existing laws, Coons says. "Landlords
haven't understood the present laws and
need to be educated," he explains.
Coons doesn't think women should be
given the absolute right for controlling their
decision to have an abortion.
"The state should have some business in
regulating abortions," he says. "There
should be some time limit set for per
forming abortions. A prospective father
should have something to say, even if the
child is not in his body. I would vote for a
bill requiring the father's signature, but it
would depend on the woman's age."
Right now, according to Coons, it is "not
politically possible" in this state to pass a
bill providing for equal housing and em
ployment opportunities for persons
regardless of "sexual orientation." This is a
gay rights bill. Shawn Ross/ter
Stewart: backs gay lib
John Stewart, 22, is a political science
student at the University and a democratic
candidate for the House of Representatives
who says an '"aggressive push" in the
Legislature is necessary for district 41.
"We need a more vigorous person in the
legislature," he said, "not just someone
who stays in the right voting place."
Stewart, a former Democratic National
Convention delegate and chairer of the
Human Rights Committee, supports public
financing of elections from friends, Stewart
wants to keep "private interests" out of
elections.
As far as getting things accomplished in
the Legislature goes, everybody is aware of
the bargaining "games" that occur on the
floor according to Stewart. "They're
something a legislator has to do to get bills
passed."
Stewart backs the "gay rights" bill, HB
2930, which prohibits discrimination in
housing and employment based on sexual
orientation and the descriminalization of
marijuana. The University senior does not
know how rational people can oppose
these two proposals. "People don't un
derstand... nicotine is as addicting as
heroin. The withdrawal is just as hard ,"
Stewart said. "The government is not
going to stop the use of marijuana if the
society wants it."
For confronting the Willamette Valley land
use problem, Stewart has suggested a
"brave" solution.
"The valley has some of the richest farm
land in the world but it is being covered
by cities, freeways and gas stations," he
said. "We should follow Vermont's plan
and not sell land in pieces smaller than 40
acres each." He believes selling lots this
large would discourage anything but
farming.
Stewart is completely opposed to nuclear
power plants and has endorsed an initative
petition calling for a six-year moratorium on
nuclear plant construction in Oregon.
Ralph Nadar has projected solar energy as
a possible energy source with in 15 years.
Stewart said. "Nuclear wastes are going to
be around for 10,000 years and no one
knows their outcome and effect on a
change of temperature and weather."
Stewart was not in favor of the 90 per cent
tax exemption for fraternities, sororities and
co-ops that went into effect this year.
He is also dubious about students on the
State Board of Higher Education being
appointed by the governor. "The choices
are up to the governor," Stewart said.
"They will be progressive or bad depending
on him."
Stewart is supporting the drinking age
John Stewart
being lowered to 19 instead of 18 as a
“political consideration" because 19 would
be easier to get. However, 18 would be
"great" too, he laughed.
"Campaigning isn't fun...it hurts your love
life," Stewart said. "But, I think I can win."
Shawn Rossiter
MUhaupt: legalize pot
Mary Milhaupt, 51, doesn't find her age a
hindrance. She associates and sym
pathesizes with all age groups including
students. "Although students are ail dif
ferent, I understand their problems," she
says.
Milhaupt, a democratic candidate for
district 41 state representative, is con
cerned with community problems. A
former volunteer speech-reading tutor,
sewing instructor at Skipworth detention
home and interviewer of nursing-home
residents, she considers herself well-known
in the district.
Having served on "zillions of com
w
Mary Milhaupt
mittees," Milhaupt is optimistic about
being able to win a general election over
incumbent Mary Burrows.
In district 41, Milhaupt would like to see a
low interest loan created for people willing
to buy land in the valley for self sufficiency,
not economic use. Persons would be able
to buy land if they intended to live off of it
but not to exploit it for profit.
Milhaupt also supports tax incentives for
recycling materials. "It is now cheaper to
use virgin materials," she said. "Sorting
and pick-up costs for neighborhood centers
are expensive." The establishment of local
neighborhood drop-off boxes for cans and
other recyclables is a possibility she en
visions also.
"Descriminalization of marijuana is the
only way to go," she said. "It should be
handled the same way as liquor in a liquor
store. From what I've read, alcohol is far
worse than marijuana."
Should the drinking age be lowered?
Milhaupt said, "Sure, my kids have been
taking my booze for years." Making alcohol
illegal for 18-21 year olds teaches them
disrespect of the law, she said.
As far as nuclear energy is concerned,
Milhaupt said, there has been some
"brainwashing" going on to promote the
construction of nuclear power plants. She
favors the financing of alternative elec
tricity source research, especially
geothermal energy.
Milhaupt called Oregon's school finance
system a disgrace. The system, which relies
heavily on local property taxes, makes
education dependent on each district's
relative wealth. Milhaupt supports state
control of education.
Milhaupt doesn't have any legal
background, but said she doesn't think a
candidate needs to have the training of a
lawyer in order to do a good job in the
Legislature.
"I have friends and know lots of people
who would advise me on any legal
problems," she saia "I think I have a better
chance to beat Mary Burrows (the in
cumbent representative) than any of the
other candidates."
Shawn Rossiter