State representative candidates vow
harmony
■ Incumbent Vicki L. Walker
and challenger Jeff Miller
both pledge to promote
bipartisanship in the House
By Lindsay Buchele
Oregon Daily Emerald
State Rep. Vicki L. Walker, D-Eu
gene, who is running for re-election
to the state House seat representing
the University area, said her biggest
strength is her ability to push legis
lation through an extremely parti
san state legislature. Republican
challenger Jeff Miller, however, said
his experience as a former mayor of
Eugene and his
t3i
ability to coop
erate effective
lv with fellow
politicians, re
gardless of par
ty affiliation,
gives him the
edge in the
race.
Incumbent
Walker
Walker said
she became in
terested in gov
ernment work
ings as a high
MILLER
county politics,
own business as
but waited to pursue politics until
her children were grown.
school student.
She earned a
degree in polit
ical science
and, as an
adult, became
involved in
She started her
a court reporter
r
“My daughter asked me why I
wasn’t running for a political of
fice,” Walker said. “She told me,
‘Mom, I graduate in a year. I’m
grown up.’ So, I ran for the 41st Dis
trict seat.”
In 1998, she was elected to the
seat and served her two-year term.
During her first term, she served on
the Transportation, Trade and Eco
CC l*ve always been a go
getter. ... I have the ability
to cross party lines in order
to get things done. I have a
sense of humor, and I get
along well with others. I
got to know everyone in
the House on a personal
level in order to work with
them better
Vicki Walker
state representative ^4
nomic Development, and Legisla
tive Counsel committees.
“I’m really working on cleaning
up the travel industry,” Walker
said. “My daughter was one of the
students from Sheldon High School
who went on a senior trip to Mexi
co and were subjected to a wet T
shirt contest during the flight.”
Walker said she wants to stop such
incidents. She also wants to stop
travel agencies from promising high
school and college students quality
trips and then ripping them off.
Other issues Walker focused on
during the last state legislative ses
sion included controlling the use of
pesticides, making youth suicide
prevention a priority of the state,
increasing funding for secondary
and higher education and cracking
down on car title loans that target
and take advantage of low-income
families.
“I’ve always been a go-getter,”
Walker said. “I was the main spon
sor of the pesticide bill, which is
only the third of its kind in the
country.”
The pesticide bill requires busi
nesses and government agencies to
report the product, amount, pur
pose, location and month of pesti
cide applications. This bill required
support from both Republicans and
Democrats, as do most of the bills
she supports, she said.
“I have the ability to cross party
lines in order to get things done,”
Walker said. “I have a sense of hu
mor, and I get along well with oth
ers. I got to know everyone in the
House on a personal level in order
to work with them better.”
“I have known Vicki Walker for
years,” said U.S. Rep. Peter De
Fazio, D-Ore., in a written state
ment. “We have worked together
on a variety of issues including ed
ucation and health care for our
shared constituents. She stood up
against special interests in Salem
and performed well in what was a
difficult partisan session. She de
serves re-election.”
Challenger Miller
Miller said his small business ex
perience has helped him realize
that “thinking outside the box” on
important issues will help the Ore
gon government discover solutions
to its problems.
He notes that both Republicans
and Democrats in the Oregon State
Legislature support his nomina
tion. He said he decided to run for
the office after receiving 600 write
in nominations from legislators and
4 i / was asked to run for
this office because I know
how to bring people to
gether for a common ob
jective. ... We need to
throw out different ideas
and then test them in the
real world so we can see
what works and what
doesn’t..../ want to bring
people together in politics
and not worry about cross
ing party lines.
Jeff Miller
former Eugene mayor ^
members of the Eugene community.
“I was asked to run for this office
because I know how to bring peo
ple together for a common objec
tive,” Miller said.
His political background itself is
diverse, Miller said. He served on
the Eugene City Council and was
mayor from 1989 to 1993. As may
or, he focused on human rights is
sues and convinced leaders from
major Eugene businesses, organiza
tions ana agencies to sign an anti
discrimination agreement, the Hu
man Rights Value Statement.
Miller has owned a small insur
ance business in Eugene, Pacific
Benefit Consultants/Eugene Insur
ance, for four years. Miller said hav
ing more than 10 years of experi
ence in the insurance business has
helped him better understand Ore
gon’s health insurance needs.
“We need to throw out different
ideas [for insurance and other is
sues] and then test them in the real
world so we can see what works
and what doesn’t,” Miller said.
As for the school funding issue,
Miller said he wants to give power
back to the local school districts, al
lowing them to decide what’s best
for their own spending. In regard to
the criminal justice system, Miller
said prevention during the pre
school years will keep kids out of
prison later in life.
“Overall, we need to be listening
to the people and creating policies
that will benefit society as a
whole,” Miller said.
Miller said he is a big supporter
of local control and opposes parti
san politics.
“I want to bring people together
in politics and not worry about
crossing party lines,” Miller said.
Paula Cates, a public elementary
school teacher, said children need
leaders like Jeff Miller who care
enough to ask questions and find
answers. She also said Jeff Miller
will cross party lines to make sure
the public school system is well
funded in the next budget cycle.
Vo 1 o\J Udvz a 4o 4U£ n£Y4 foo-teaLL c?aM£ you won'4 us£?
Bring it to the ASUO office, Suite 4 of the EMU to receive free pool playing time from The Break!
Vo you w0n4 a +ic\^4 4o 4H£ n£Y4 (yan£, gu4 ttfpr/4 P?ek on£ up?
Sign up in the ASUO office.Tickets returned will be given out on a first come, first serve basis.
Tickets to the California game are available on 10/23.
Student tickets are paid for
by student incidental fee dollars.
Don’t let our money go to waste!
Ticket swaps will be held for the next
three football games.
For more information, call 346-3749
or email adfin@gladstone.uoregon.edu
Free pool playing time donated by
The Break, in the EMU.