WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2018 ܂ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Cameron leads votes in Marion County
Battle for positions on Board of Commissioners begins to heat up
Pete Martini Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Kevin Cameron appeared to be winning his primary
May 15 for Position 1 of the Marion County Board of
Commissioners, setting up a battle in November
against Shelaswau Crier.
Cameron, the Republican incumbent, led challeng-
er Mark Pease by a wide margin in early returns; Crier
ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Cameron was appointed to the board of commis-
sioners in June 2014, and then elected in November of
that year. Before becoming a county commissioner,
Cameron was a member of the Oregon House of Repre-
sentatives from 2005 to 2014, where he rose to House
Republican Leader.
Crier is a Yale graduate and former Willamette Uni-
versity law professor who says she is “walking as many
neighborhoods in Marion County as humanly possi-
ble, including the small towns and the farms, including
the places where people speak Russian or Spanish as a
first language” to hear concerns from a diverse pop-
ulation.
One of Crier’s main focuses is on tackling mental
health issues in Marion County, something that is per-
sonal for her — she lost her son to suicide three years
ago.
“Although talking about it brings me enormous
pain, I cannot be silent,” Crier told the Statesman Jour-
nal in April. “If my work can save someone else’s son or
See LEADS, Page 2
Mom warns others
after baby’s death
Kevin
Cameron
Shelaswau
Crier
Colm
Willis
Bill
Burgess
Brad
Nanke
Sadie
Carney
Matt
Plummer
Callahan has
uphill battle
against
Schrader
Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Republican candidates have been lining up for the
chance to take on Kurt Schrader in a general election
for a decade and all have failed.
Mark Callahan is the latest to have a
go at the five-term incumbent Demo-
crat. Callahan has name recognition
with voters and has proven he can run
a campaign without a large amount of
money.
Mark
If he shows promise in the early
Callahan
polls for the race for the fifth district
U.S. Representative, Callahan could
find himself with enough money to
make it a race.
“They’ve got to see some strong evi-
dence he can win,” said Jim Moore, as-
sistant professor at Pacific University
and Director of Tom McCall Center for
Policy Innovation.
Kurt
Compared with Schrader’s signifi-
Schrader
cant campaign war chest, Callahan
has pennies.
In the David vs. Goliath metaphor, Callahan is the
distinct David and he has a big fight ahead of him.
“I am Christian and I have read that story in the
Bible and I’m proud of it. I go out there and I put on
my armor of God every day,” Callahan said.
Callahan has never held a public office and his
only previous election win was the Republican pri-
mary for U.S. Senate in 2016.
“I don’t know that much about him, other than
he’s run several times before, most recently against
Senator Wyden,” Schrader said. “His name familiar-
ity is significant.
“My job in the next six months is going to be to
reintroduce folks with Kurt Schrader.”
Callahan will have a big hurdle in the general elec-
tion in money.
His campaign had $7,840 on hand as of April 25;
Schrader had $2.1 million.
Callahan points out that despite a modest budget
in his 2016 race against Wyden, he got 651,000 votes.
Blaize Wheeldon, 7-months-old, died from bacterial meningitis on May 11, 2017.
PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL
Salem resident urges
parents to trust instincts
after son passes from
bacterial meningitis
Whitney Woodworth Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Summer Poff knew something was wrong with her
7-month-old son, Blaize, early May 11.
He was fussy, feverish and wouldn't go to sleep.
The Salem mom tried to soothe her baby and gave him
Tylenol, but at 3 a.m, she knew she needed to take him
to the hospital.
She said staff at Legacy Silverton Medical Center
also treated Blaize with Tylenol. They sent him home
after a few hours, despite her concerns.
At the time, she didn't "think they should've sent
him home," she said.
Over the next few hours, Blaize's fever and fussi-
ness persisted. Something wasn't right. Poff rushed
him back to the hospital, and he was flown to OHSU
Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland.
His condition quickly deteriorated.
Blaize's heart stopped. He was resuscitated and
put into an induced coma. Doctors considered sur-
gery.
"They tried everything they possibly could," Poff
said.
Before the end of the day, her son had died from
bacterial meningitis, a contagious, sometimes deadly,
infection.
Poff spent her first Mother's Day in shock, planning
the cremation and memorial for her once smiling,
happy first-born.
"No mother should feel the way I feel right now,"
she said.
Brian Terrett, spokesman for Legacy Health, which
operates the Silverton hospital, said he could not
comment specifically about Blaize.
“First, and most importantly, our heartfelt sympa-
thies go out to the family because the death of a child
is always tragic," Terrett said.
See BATTLE, Page 2A
"No mother should feel the way I feel right now,"
Summer Poff said after losing her son to bacterial
meningitis. An average of 4,100 cases of bacterial
meningitis resulting in 500 deaths are reported
every year, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
He added that federal and state patient privacy
laws, along with hospital policies, prevented him
from commenting on a specific care and treatment.
"Given the complexity of this case, it would also be
speculative to talk about any potential course of treat-
ment," Terrett said.
Poff said she is sharing her story because she
wants parents to trust their instincts and make sure
their children get medical treatment immediately, es-
pecially when they have a fever.
Babies at increased risk
An average of 4,100 cases of bacterial meningitis
resulting in 500 deaths are reported every year, ac-
cording to the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
See MENINGITIS, Page 3A
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Marion County
judge candidates
headed to runoff
Jonathan Bach Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Two candidates to fill the post of suspended Mar-
ion County Judge Vance Day are headed for a runoff
election in November.
Daniel Wren, a judge pro tem at the Marion County
Circuit Court, and Anthony "The Bear" Behrens, sen-
ior policy adviser and legislative liaison for the state
of Oregon, secured the most votes of three contend-
ers, but not enough to tip the May 15 election com-
pletely in either's favor.
"To win, you have to win by 50 percent plus one
vote," said Deb Royal, chief of staff for Secretary of
State Dennis Richardson.
Wren led in the unofficial tally Thursday, earning
about 43 percent of the vote, while Behrens trailed
with about 36 percent.
A third candidate, Jon Weiner, a Salem Municipal
Court judge pro tem, won't be included in the runoff,
which is limited to the top two vote earners. Weiner
received about 21 percent of the vote.
Judge Day's seat is open after he was charged with
two felonies and underwent a judicial misconduct in-
See JUDGE, Page 2A