NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | November 18, 2016 | PAGE 3
...Oregon labor’s election night scorecard
From Page 1
stormy weather instead of sun-
shine when it comes to the state
budget in the next biennium. The
corporate tax measure would
have raised $3 billion a year for
schools, health care and senior
services, and could also have re-
sulted in a boom in road and in-
frastructure spending. Instead,
Oregon will remain the state
with the lowest effective corpo-
rate tax rate, and lawmakers will
have to deal with a projected
$1.4 billion biennium budget
shortfall.
Brad Avakian’s defeat in the
race for secretary of state was
another big loss for labor. Sec-
retary of State is responsible for
overseeing elections and audit-
ing government agencies, and
becomes governor in the event
of a vacancy. Probably no politi-
cian in Oregon has spent as
much time as Avakian cultivat-
ing a relationship with unions,
and they backed his race heav-
ily: Top contributors included
Oregon Education Association
(OEA), $145,000; United Food
and Commercial Workers Local
555, $60,000, and Oregon AF-
SCME, $34,000. But in the end,
Republican Dennis Richard-
son outpolled Avakian by 43 to
41 percent, more than 75,000
votes, becoming the first Ore-
gon Republican in 14 years to
win a state-wide election.
Avakian will continue to serve
as head of the Bureau of Labor
and Industries His current term
runs through 2018.
Oregon labor organizations
put considerable money and
volunteer hours into increasing
Democrats’ majority in the
House and Senate. Democrats
currently have a 35-25 majority
in the House; a 36th House seat
would have given them the
needed super-majority to ap-
prove revenue-raising legisla-
tion without Republican votes.
But on election night the House
kept the same 35-25 split, and
Democrats actually lost one seat
in the Senate, which will now be
split 17-13.
The Senate loss came in Dis-
trict 3, where the death in August
of Sen. Alan Bates meant a hasty
catch-up campaign for Ashland
attorney Tonia Moro. Moro lost
to Republican Alan DeBoer by
less than 600 votes out of 65,000
cast, despite $55,000 in support
from Oregon AFSCME and
$40,000 from OEA.
Moro’s loss may mean dim-
mer prospects for pro-labor leg-
islation over the next two years.
Under Speaker Tina Kotek’s
leadership, the Oregon House of
Representatives has been a pow-
erhouse for worker-friendly leg-
islation, but again and again in
recent legislative sessions, la-
bor-backed bills have died or
been watered down in the Sen-
ate thanks to opposition from
corporate Democrats and a lack
of support from Senate Presi-
dent Peter Courtney.
Labor’s political efforts did
have some success. Top benefi-
ELECTION NIGHT
HUDDLE: At the
Convention Center,
union volunteers
watch results come
in. Through the Ore-
gon AFL-CIO, union
volunteers filled
over 1,000 shifts —
knocking on
100,000 doors, mak-
ing 260,000 phone
calls, and handing
out 2,800 fliers at
worksites.
ciaries included Democratic can-
didates Teresa Alonso Leon,
Mark Meek, Janelle Bynum,
and Janeen Sollman, all of
whom won election in hard-
fought races for open house seats
that are currently held by other
Democrats. Labor efforts also
helped several incumbent De-
mocrats stay in office — Reps
Paul Evans and Susan McLain,
and Sen. Arnie Roblan.
But labor-backed efforts by
Democrats to take open seats
currently held by Republicans
fell short: IBEW Local 48 or-
ganizer Ray Lister lost to
Richard Vial in House District
26 (Wilsonville) and Ken
Moore lost to Ron Noble in
House District 24 (Bend).
In those and other hard-fought
races, labor found it had a new
deep-pocketed adversary — bil-
lionaire Nike founder Phil
Knight. In his first big foray into
Oregon politics, the state’s best-
known corporate mogul gave
76th Annual
Children’s Holiday Party!
FREE!
Northwest Oregon Labor Council, AFL-CIO
took a position on 16 candidates and
measures. Ten won. Six lost.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY
Commissioner: Amanda Schroeder LOST
53-44.
Sponsored by:
Marion, Polk, Yamhill
Central Labor Chapter, AFL-CIO
Foundation. Nearman won re-
election with 52-37 percent.
In at least one race, labor
found itself on both sides. Mark
Reynolds was backed by his
union, OEA, but Republican
Mark Johnson had the endorse-
ment of the Oregon State Build-
ing and Construction Trades
Council.
Labor organizations often
pride themselves on being non-
partisan, and Johnson wasn’t the
only Republicans to get union
support. In District 57 (Hepp-
ner), incumbent Greg Smith
won with the endorsement of
the Oregon AFL-CIO and the
Building Trades. The Building
Trades also endorsed incumbent
Republican senators Cliff
Bentz, Brian Boquist, Vic
Gilliam, Bill Hansell, Dallas
Heard, John Huffman, Bill
Kennemer, Tim Knopp, Andy
Olson, and Gene Whisnant, all
of whom won re-election in
their Republican-majority dis-
tricts.
NW Oregon Labor Council scorecard
METRO
Measure 26-178 (Clean, Safe, and
Healthy Water) PASSED 77-22
Saturday, December 3,
9:45 a.m. to noon
Historic Elsinore Theatre
170 High St., SE, Salem
All the children of Marion, Polk
and Yamhill counties and their
families are invited! The fun
includes live Christmas music,
a showing of the movie
“The Secret Life of Pets,”
goodie bags and —
of course — a visit from
Santa and Mrs. Claus.
$355,000 to seven Republicans
who were in competitive races.
Knight’s money helped defeat
Lister, Moore, and Moro, and
helped Hood River incumbent
Mark Johnson survive a chal-
lenge from schoolteacher and
OEA member Mark Reynolds.
But in seats currently held by
Democrats, the Knight-backed
Republicans lost to Alonso
Leon, Bynum, and Sollman.
Labor also tried to oust a par-
ticularly anti-union legislator,
Republican Mike Nearman in
House District 23. His district
west of Salem is hostile territory
for Democrats, so the Oregon
AFL-CIO and UFCW backed
challenger Jim Thompson, a
lifelong Republican running as
the candidate of the Independent
Party, while four public sector
unions put $100,000 into an in-
dependent effort that produced
anti-Nearman ads. Nearman is
an advocate of anti-union “right-
to-work” legislation, and an ally
of the anti-union group Freedom
CLACKAMAS COUNTY
County Chair: Jim BernardWON 52-46,
defeating John Ludlow.
Commission: Ken HumberstonWON
50-48, defeating Tootie Smith.
Measure 3-494 (Annexation of Boring
RFPD boundaries into Clackamas Fire
District #1) PASSED 79-20.
COLUMBIA COUNTY
Commission: Margaret Magruder
WON 51-47.
CITY OF PORTLAND
Commission: Steve Novick LOST 47-51.
Measure 26-179 (Affordable Housing
Bond) PASSED 62-37.
CITY OF GLADSTONE
Mayor: Tammy StempelWON 55-43.
Council: Pos. 2: Bill Osburn LOST 48-50.
Council: Pos. 4: Neal Reisner WON 50-
48.
Council: Pos. 6: Frank HernandezWIN
51-47.
CITY OF HILLSBORO
Mayor: Aron Carleson LOST 41-58
CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO
Mayor: Jon Gustafson LOST
Councilor: Theresa Kohlhoff WON
CITY OF WEST LINN
Mayor: John Carr LOST 43-56.