Thursday April 15, 1982
Eugana, Oragon
Oregon daily
Volume 83
Number 131
emerald
ASUO election marred
by misconduct charges
By Dane Claussen
Of tha Emerald
Five of the 21 elections violations complaints
filed so far are against ASUO Pres Rich Wilkins,
according to ASUO elections director Gus Palmi
tessa
According to the five complaints filed against
Wilkins by members of the Pi Kappa Alpha frater
nity, the ASUO president informed members of
the fraternity Tuesday night that presidential
candidate Debbie Mellow was planning to
withdraw from the race and support candidate
CJ Balfe
Mellow, in fact, has not dropped out of the
race and says she is upset with Wilkins
"I've had good friends come up to me and ask
me, Hey. Deb, why are you dropping out ?"
Mellow said Wednesday
Wilkins, on the other hand, said he spoke
about Mellow only in response to questions from
house members and that he made it clear he was
relaying a rumor He said he heard the rumor from
several sources
“I don't know why I can't say I'm supporting
somebody," Wilkins said, adding that former
ASUO Pres Dave Eaton campaigned for Wilkins
and Palmitessa last year in all the Greek houses
Furthermore, the five complaints are not
consistent in explaining what he said at the
house. Wilkins said
An election has serious problems ' when
Rich Wilkins, the president of the school, goes
around telling people that I'm not even liked
by my own house," she said
Students believing she has dropped out will
candidate for president, Mellow and Palmitessa
said
switch their votes to other candidates although
she is still in the race, Mellow said
Wilkins is obviously supporting Balfe, when
he shouldn't be supporting any one single
The fact that there were 21 complaints filed
by early Wednesday afternoon “doesn't speak
well of the quality of political life at the U of O,"
Palmitessa said
Elections complaints upheld by the post
elections Elections Court could result in fines for
candidates or in the election being declared
invalid, he said There are far more complaints
this year than last year, Palmitessa added
Among the other allegations:
• Presidential candidate Kevin Kouns used
the office of SEARCH, of which he is co-director,
for campaign activities A preliminary investiga
tion of the charge, filed by candidate Jeffrey
Houston, sustained the complaint.
• Kouns told Houston that his attendance at
the University would be ‘‘unhealthy’' if Houston
failed to stop verbally assaulting the Students for
a Progressive Agenda, on whose platform Kouns
is running No investigation of the charge, filed by
Houston, has been conducted
• Incidental Fee Committee candidates
Doug Green and Dave Ridenour used the Jewish
Student Union office for campaign activities. A
preliminary investigation was inconclusive and
ended with Palmitessa warning the candidates
about use of ASUO program offices for campaign
purposes
• A pollworker campaigned for SPA
candidates while working at a polling booth
Antelope residents vote
Battle looms over town’s future
ANTELOPE (AP) - The ladies
of Antelope will be selling piles
of goodies to an anticipated
horde of reporters to help pay
the costs of voting their town
out of existence Thursday The
vote is to avoid a takeover by
followers of Indian guru
Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh
"I'm working on an angel food
cake right now,” Antelope
resident Margaret Mobley said
Tuesday "I hope everybody
acts like angels that day "
She said volunteers from the
surrounding ranches were
helping out with sandwiches,
maple bars, and cookies for the
occasion
Keith Mobley of The Dalles
says the ladies of the town that
once had 40 people started
bake sales a couple of years ago
to pay for a new water system
Mobley, Margaret Mobley's son,
is the city's attorney and has
spearheaded the fight for the
right to disincorporate
"Now it's for a different pur
pose," he said “They've had
bake sales in Madras, The
Dalles and in Sherman County
"She's made an awful lot of
cakes and sandwiches."
Mobley said the city — and his
job — will go out of existence 60
days from the date of the elec
tion, if it is successful.
The Antelope City Council
voted last month to hold the
emergency election because it
feared followers of Rajneesh
would move enough adherents
into the town to take control of
the administration in the
November general election Re
sidents said they feared the
Rajneesh would take over and
then raise taxes so high it would
force the other residents out
Sheela Silverman, president
of Rajneesh International
Foundation, which owns the
ranch, denies the accusations
Up to 500 reporters, pho
tographers and other outsiders
are expected for the special
vote on Thursday, including
Secretary of State Norma
Paulus, Oregon's top election
official, said Wasco County
Clerk Sue Proffitt
Reporters and cameramen
started showing up here
Monday, scrambling for the
nearest motel space — at least
50 miles away.
The balloting to decide
whether the town should dis
solve its incoporation and revert
to county rule was assured
Monday when Circuit Judge
John Jelderks rejected an
appeal by the Rajneesh com
mune to delay the matter until
the May 18 Oregon primary
election
Antelope had a population of
40, according to the last census.
That was when the town was
populated mostly by retired
people from Portland and
before the group of red-garbed
Rajneesh followers bought the
100-square mile Big Muddy
ranch 18 miles away down a dirt
road
Now the population has swol
len with 74 registered voters,
Proffitt said
"Its about 39 non-Rajneesh
and 35 Rajneesh at this point,"
she said
"We can tell from the
registration it will be the new
people who force the result at
this election "
The outcome is not assured,
since the commune has 174
registered voters and under
Oregon law, can move them into
town, register them as city
residents and vote, all on elec
tion day.
The matter came to a head
earlier this year when the City
Council refused the Rajneesh
permission to build a printing
plant on commercial property
they bought within the town.
The disciples, saying they
were suffering religous dis
crimination, responded by buy
ing up homes and commercial
property, including the store,
which has become “Zorba the
Buddha."
Mobley said that in earlier
elections, voters just con
gregated at the Antelope Store
and Cafe.
"But that was when the store
was neutral," she said.
Who died?
Rumours ran wild all day Tuesday, when eveyone who
passed by the EMU saw the American and the Oregon hags
flying at half staff. But an EMU employee had the answer: the
cables tend to slip during bad weather.
Officials approve festival
THE DALLES (AP) — Wasco County officials approved a permit
on Wednesday for a summer festival that is expected to bring
thousands of followers of an Indian guru to his commune in Central
Oregon
A permit is required under state law for gatherings of more than
3,000 to ensure that state health and sanitation requirements are
met. The followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh estimate that the
festival in honor of Guru Pornima Day will attract up to 10,000.
A land-use watchdog group, 1,000 Friends of Oregon, opposed
the permit application at Wednesday's public hearing. They said the
festival would violate state land-use laws because it was proposed
on land zoned for exclusive farm use.
At another public hearing last week some said they opposed
the festival because they were concerned about the effect the
gathering could have on the area’s farming. They said they were
also concerned the festival could become an annual event.
The Rajneesh had wanted the festival from June 26-July 16, but
the commission approved a shorter period, June 30-July 10.
The victory for the Rajneesh came one day before the disin
corporation election-in the small town of Antelope, the town closest
to the guru’s ranch-commune.