OPINION Roberts bows out, but job well done KnRRIt Rn-U.S ollowing a tumultuous three year stint as governor. (,o\ Barbara Roberts has (let ided not to seek another term in office. Roberts made the right choice (kn Rotierts made the dei iston not to run. according to her statement, because she is still emotionally dealing with the death of her huslsmd and las ause of health problems with other members of her family However, there may be other reasons for her deciding not to run. namely the threat of losing the primary elei tion in May John kitzhaber. retired Oregon Senate president, appears to l>e ahead in the polls by a 2-to-l margin. She yvould have also fat eri a tough general election battle in November It's too bad that Roberts isn't running for governor again. But her family and her remaining 11 months as governor must have a higher priority than a reelection campaign, and the governor must be applauded for making (fit* right choice Noyv that Roberts has decided not to run again, uvery newspaper and TV station in Oregon is Intgilining to rev ievs the past three years of her term as governor Many are coming to the conclusion that Roberts was a disappointment'' of some sort, or that she didn't live up to the expectations of Oregonians Roberts yvas not a disappointment to Oregonians She was probably as successful as any governor could have been given the i irt umstam es After a tough four-i undulate r.ic i> in November 19‘Wi. Roberts won the election with a plurnlitv of tin- vote About the same time Roberts was dechired the w inner of her rat w. Hallot Measure 5. the now infamous property tax limitation measure, won A constitutionally mandated tax limitation was something pretty new for Oregonians, and Roberts, together with the state Legislature, began to cut millions of dollars from budgets that were never expected to lie slashed With the added challenge of growing enrollment in si hools, Roberts discovered that it was necessary to do more work with less money Lb is has lx«;ome the law of the land hare in Oregon Roberts was merelv the first victim I\UIH l 11 III!'* *»,’**"‘ .. often uncooperative legislature When lh« Oregon House of Representatives had ,i Republii an majority in i. ii Imcamo u lot less easy for the governor to puss her programs Interestingly enough, the legislature was probably more of a failure than anything else, as it took a record amount of time to < omplete its session this past year and really didn't do that much. Roberts took her vision for health i are for all to the state and. after several years of negotiation and research, created the newly - implemented Oregon Health Plan that would insure law-income Oregonians that previously had no medical insurance In !9<)1. Roberts undertook a relatively unprecedented step when she took several months to ask (frogoniuns what they wanted from their state government Her Conversation nith Oregon, as it was known, involved hundreds of Oregonians giving their v lews to Roberts The idea was quite visionary and an asset to the state l he governor w as instrumental in campaigning in for President Rill Clinton and against Measure «. an anti guv rights initiative She even campaigned for her Secretary of State f’hil Keisling. though he was running against Roberts own stopdougliter. Mary Wendy Roberts Hut no matter what was going on. whether good or bod. Roberts kept trying. Snet ontinued to give Oregon everything she had to give even in the face of personal hardships, suc h as the death of her husband this past fall Hut these things never stopped Roberts It would have been nice to not have had Measure 5. or for Roberts to have had a cooperative legislature, or an\ number of things She i mild have then done a lot more for the state Hut the truth is that this is a less than ideal world and everyone has to make do with what thrv have Roberts did just that rumens Mils pieogeu ID serve the rest of her term, whu h will expire when • M3-29J2 • Ukf out AvJiUtile S ORIENTAL MARKET , \w ym\ Close to U of 0 on 13th Ave. t l jf£t* ulution of Avun loout M|uncMr. Korean, l nincsc, S< Asian. Ctl • l Vlkh'tiN Korean Jdi •»kIn iinluJing Kimthi and \uvhi • \sun video tape rentals • Parking lol available not d«x»f Co Mori We eiu rebate lor cell parking (,sI I Wh . ! mm. 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