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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 11, 2000)
School fund flap heats up race for treasurer ■The candidates for state treasurer have differing ideas on maintaining the Common School Fund By Josh Ryneal Oregon Daily Emerald All three candidates for the position of state treasurer have made a major issue of the Com mon School Fund, which dis tributes money to local school districts, and Oregonians will have the opportunity to decide if a politician or an accountant will manage it. Jon Kvistad will run unop posed in the Re publican primary, but Gary Bruebak er, deputy state treasurer, and Rep. Randall Edwards, D - P o r t - land, will run against each other to face Kvis tad in November. The Oregon treasurer heads the state’s treasury, which serves as the central bank for state funds, issues all state debt and manages the state’s pension fund. The treasurer also serves on the State Lands Board with the governor and secretary of state to manage the Common School Fund. Kvistad, a Portland Metro Councilor and president of AKA Political Services who is running unopposed in the Re publican primary, said that he would manage the fund pru dently, helping it grow without taking too much out of its capi tal to give to schools. “I am a big supporter of schools, but I don’t wear that on my sleeve,” he said. “A better way to help schools would be to hire more debt managers.” Kvistad said debt managers would help schools with the “mountains” of paperwork and “take the burden off of school districts, keeping costs down and making the bond process more effective.” Currently, school districts re ceive 5 percent of the Common School Fund’s total value, and Kvistad said there was no rea son to increase that percentage. Giving schools the maximum flexibility to direct and utilize their funds would be a top pri ority, he said. Kvistad said that the treasur er’s job is a technical one, but not solely that of a money man ager. “We are not hiring money managers, we are hiring some one to manage the money man agers,” he said. Edwards, a small business owner and state representative, said that as chief state financial officer, the treasurer has a re sponsibility to ensure prudent financial management. “I have the background to make sure that the Common School Fund is managed prop erly, while establishing long term relationships between school districts and treasurer’s office to help find ways to use bond meas ures effec tively,” he said. If elected, Edwards said that he would im plement a plan to match the funds gener ated by local school bond measures with funds from the state. Rural districts, with their lower tax revenues, would re ceive more money than EDWARDS larger dis tricts. BRUEBAKER Edwards said that “the techni cians are al ready in place. What we need is someone who can pro vide leader ship and work with the govern ment and school districts.” KVISTAD “I have all the qualifications, and [Bruebaker] doesn’t. This is not a CPA job,” he said. Bruebaker, the deputy state treasurer, said that because he has been involved with every We are not hiring money managers, we are hiring someone to man age the money man agers. Jon Kvistad Republican candidate for state treasurer major policy decision the treas ury has made in the past seven years, he is well qualified to keep the office running on an even keel. “The office has been running the best it ever has under [Ore gon Treasurer] Jim Hill, and I in tend to continue the great job,” he said. He said that while he is not a politician, he has 22 years of fi nancial management experience and has plans for helping schools find more money. “I’m committed to working with the governor and superin tendent of public instruction to find a solution to school fund ing,” he said. Bruebaker also said that he would help state agencies re view cash flows and make their accounts more efficient. Partnerships with state and local agencies, he said, would help him find ways to improve management of pension funds. “I want to look for a lot of cre ative ways to uSe partnerships to save the taxpayers money,” he said. CRIME WATCH Reported May 2 through May 10: May 2: Disorderly Conduct and Crim inal Trespassing If, 1300 block West Alder Street, subject was sitting in a “ restricted area” and struggled when police officers tried to move him. May 4: Theft II, 1400 block West Kin caid Street, sign stolen from the Campus Presbyterian Ministry. May 5: Criminal Mischief II, 1500 block West Moss Street, Cyclone fence knocked down. May 5: Criminal Trespassing II, 1400 block West Moss Street. May7: Criminal Mischief II, 1400 block West Moss Street, several male students climbed onto roof of the Bean East complex and broke a roof latch, lamp post bulb and cover. Crime tip of the week from OPS Offi cer Bob Guse: 1. Watch your credit card state ments. Make sure the charges a re ones you made. If you find a discrep ancy, quickly report them. Source: OPS and Eugene Police Department UO students drinks when they party Data taken from 1998 UO Health Center Survey. Office of Student Life
