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About Columbia Gorge news. (The Dalles, OR) 2020-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2020)
HoodRiverNews.com • TheDallesChronicle.com • WhiteSalmonEnterprise.com Columbia Gorge News Wednesday, October 21, 2020 11 U. S. CONGRESS, DISTRICT #2 Congressional District 2 rare GOP bastion in Oregon School, a Catholic school in Stayton, but spent much of his childhood in Eastern Congressional District 2 Oregon. He received a is a big splash of Republican bachelor of arts degree in red in the otherwise solid history from what is now blue Democratic map of Eastern Oregon University Oregon’s House districts. in La Grande and a law CD2 covers the eastern Cliff Bentz Alex Spenser degree from Lewis & Clark two-thirds of the state and Terrebonne in 2018, he won Law School in Portland. He’s sloshes west at its southern “just” 56 percent of the vote. worked at the Ontario law end to take in Klamath Falls, So it was no surprise that firm of Yturri Rose since 1980 Medford and Grants Pass. All when Walden announced and is now a partner. or part of 20 of Oregon’s 36 that he wouldn’t seek re-elec- Bentz’s political advance- counties are in the district, tion in 2020, the May 19 ment has come twice through including Wasco and Hood appointments to office. Republican primary attracted River counties. The House district is so It’s an alternative political a bumper crop of hopefuls. heavily Republican that Former State Sen. Cliff universe to the rest of Oregon Democrats did not field a Bentz of Ontario emerged — a place where Donald candidate when Bentz ran from the scrum of 10 Trump received 57 percent in 2010 and 2012. He won 82 candidates on the ballot to of the presidential vote in percent of the vote against take 31 percent of the vote. 2016 when he won 39 percent Democrat Peter W. Hall in That was enough to win in a statewide. Republicans out- 2014, then had no opposition splintered field where former number Democrats by more in 2016. Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, than 50,000 registered voters. While in the House, Bentz finished second with 22.1 The math makes the played a key role in hammer- percent. Republican member of ing out a bipartisan $5.3 bil- Oregon Republican Party Congress virtually impossi- lion transportation package. chair Bill Currier said that ble to dislodge. Republicans Bentz was appointed to Bentz will easily win vic- have won the seat in every the Senate in 2018 to replace tory, especially in a year election since 1980, when Senate Minority Leader Ted of stark contrasts between 12-term Democratic Rep. Al Ferrioli, R-John Day, who Ullman narrowly lost the seat Republicans and Democrats. resigned to take an appoint- While that may turn out to Republican Denny Smith. Democrats in other areas, in ment from Gov. Kate Brown Ullman’s loss was seen as the 2nd District, he believes it to the Northwest Power collateral damage from the will mean a large turnout by and Conservation Planning landslide that swept Ronald Council. Bentz won 71.7 per- GOP voters. Reagan to the presidency. cent of the vote in the 2018 “You can show sharp con- While long on topography, election. trasts,” Currier said. CD2 is short on population. Bentz joined the 2019 Alex Spenser, a writer House districts are based walk-out by Republican and campaign strategist on population and the senators to deny a quorum from Klamath Falls, eked other four seats — all west for a vote on a carbon cap- out a close victory in the of the Cascades — are held and-trade bill that Democrats Democratic primary. The by Democrats. Both U.S. said they had enough votes Cook Political Report and Senators are Democrats, too. to pass. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood other top national voting The COVID-19 pandemic analysts rate the district as a River, has represented the that has killed over 215,000 “strong” or “safe” Republican 2nd Congressional District Americans has been a district. for two decades, racking up personal experience for large percentages of the vote Bentz and his family. He every two years. In his tough- Cliff Bentz spent 14 days in quarantine in September after his wife, est race, against Democrat Bentz was born in Salem Lindsay, tested positive for and attended Regis High Jamie McLeod-Skinner of ■ By Gary A. Warner Oregon Capital Bureau the virus. Bentz tested neg- ative and his wife has since recovered. Despite the infection of his wife and President Donald Trump, Bentz does not support many mandatory measures taken by Brown to restrict the growth of the virus. He personally believes people should wear masks, but doesn’t support requir- ing it. He believes the state’s orders shuttering businesses to fight the virus, which led to over 400,000 unemployment claims from March to August, has gone too far. Bentz supports the re-elec- tion of President Trump, but said Trump had been “awk- ward” in communicating his COVID-19 policy. He is crit- ical of Brown and Portland officials for their handling of protests in Portland, but said Trump made a mistake in sending in federal forces. Bentz said he would support a new stimulus bill that is targeted at the unemployed, “not everyone.” He says he is concerned that Oregon’s rent and mortgage payment moratoriums be- cause of COVID-19 economic hardship are unfair to land- lords and banks. If Bentz is elected, the 2nd District will trade Walden — at one time a powerful House committee chairman when Republicans were the major- ity — for Bentz, a freshman with the party out of power. Bentz said his recent ex- periences in the Legislature where Democrats have supermajorities in both the House and Senate is good preparation. “I’m used to being in the minority,” he said. Alex Spenser The built-in Republican advantages aren’t the only challenges for Spenser, the Democratic candidate. COVID-19 has given Spenser little chance to canvas the district, while a relative trick- le of money limits her ability to buy online and television ads. Democratic Party of Oregon Chair K.C. Hanson said Spenser has a great mes- sage that just can’t get out to voters in by far the largest district in Oregon. “Alex believes that all people deserve a good education, good wages, and affordable health care,” said Hanson. “That should res- onate with all people in the district, not just Democrats.” Spenser originally planned a behind the scenes role in the CD2 race, as campaign manager for Raz Mason of The Dalles. When Mason dropped out before the primary, Spenser jumped in. She won 32 percent of the vote, beating Central Point business consultant Nick Heuertz, by 797 votes. A native of Dallas, Texas, Spenser has an associate’s degree in biology from Richland College in Dallas and studied English at Texas A&M University. She moved west, working at Lava Beds National Monument and Death Valley National Park. She’s lived in Klamath Falls for 10 years. As a single mom, she homeschooled her daughter to the fifth grade. Spenser says she wants to go to Congress to heal what she says have been four years of divisiveness under President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress. “We need a path to unity,” Spenser said in a statement. The coronavirus pan- demic has upended the way lawmakers should approach their jobs. Spenser said law- makers must work with each other to find solutions to a national crisis. “The ‘COVID-19 Revolution’ that has been thrust upon us has left us needing leadership — lead- ers willing to stay in the room and do the hard work of communication,” she said. Spenser said the pandemic has shown the need for uni- versal health care so influ- ence or money don’t decide who gets the best treatments. “We need healthcare as a matter of good government infrastructure,” she said. Spenser has also cam- paigned on ensuring an equitable distribution of water rights. She sup- ports “common sense gun responsibility” centered on safeguards for storage and transportation of firearms. She would like to see more federal help to seismically retrofit Oregon’s roads and railse. She believes a high speed rail system could be a “relief valve” to growing congestion. She holds a “virtual town hall” every Thursday at noon using the online meeting website Zoom. Anyone can join Spenser’s meetings and ask questions or get more information. Also on the ballot Nov. 3 is Libertarian Robert Werch, a registered nurse from Grants Pass. Steven Mitchell of the Blue Mountain Eagle contributed to this report. City of Hood River distributes CARES Act Funding The Hood River City Council directed $195,000 in CARES Act funding to local partners that aid social services agencies, business organizations and individu- als economically impacted by COVID-19. The city was allocated a total of $299,633 in COVID-19 relief funds last spring. It has been used for outdoor fenc- ing, signage, personal protec- tive equipment, public com- munications, spring break lunches for area low-income families, and building remote work capabilities to keep mu- nicipal operations running in a socially distanced manner. The $195,000 balance of that apportionment was autho- rized for community aid in a Resolution passed by city council in August. The bal- ance of CARES Act funding must be used by Dec. 30. City council deliberated and chose to target fund- ing to specific sectors and needs, including aid to social services organizations, utility assistance for individ- uals, childcare assistance, emergency support to the Chamber of Commerce, and services for people experiencing homelessness, according to a press release. “Hood River is blessed with an infrastructure of established community aid agencies that the city can tap into to disburse these federal assistance dollars. Working in partnership with these entities was key to getting aid out as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Will Norris, assistant city manager/fi- nance director. The City of Hood River will allocate the $195,000 CARES Act funds as follows: • United Way Community Response Fund — $70,000 The COVID-19 Community Response Fund was devel- oped through a partner- ship of the Healthy Gorge Initiative and the United Way-Columbia Gorge to assist non-profit partners in supporting vulnerable individuals in the commu- nity. Grant applications and eligibility requirements are available at Healthy Gorge Initiative’s website gorgeim- pact.com while more infor- mation about this fund is at unitedwaycolumbiagorge. org. Applications are re- viewed weekly by a United Way committee, processed by Healthy Gorge Initiative, and will continue to be awarded while funds are available. “What’s distinct about response funds received by the City of Hood River is that priority is given to organizations that serve Hood River residents with the intention of keeping important non-profits viable during these difficult times,” explained Paul Lindberg of Healthy Gorge Initiative. The United Way Community Response Fund has been helping non-profits since spring of 2020. The City of Hood River’s allocation of CARES Act dollars brings the fund total close to $400,000. • Homelessness Relief — $45,000 City council dedicated funding to help people expe- riencing homelessness. The State’s COVID-19 health and safety guidelines has made Hood River Shelter Services winter warming shelter’s latest location at Riverside Church unworkable. For the past 10 years, shelter and meals have been provided from mid-November through mid-March. These funds from the City of Hood River will allow Hood River Shelter Services to provide non-con- gregate warming shelter services during the coming winter. For more information, contact director@hoodriver- cares.org. • Mid-Columbia Community Action Council, Individual Utility Assistance — $40,000 For those experiencing difficulty with basic living ex- penses related to COVID-19, relief can be requested in the amount of $300 per household for utilities costs to cover electricity, natural or propane gas, water-sewer and/or internet. This pro- gram, administered by the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC), can be accessed by phoning 541-386-4027, ext. 310. Only residents of Hood River are eligible for city funding; how- ever, MCCAC offers other relief funds to households outside Hood River. Those who have received prior relief from MCCAC can apply by providing information on how they’ve been impacted by COVID-19 with copies of recent bills. If households have not been helped by MCCAC before, additional documentation is required, including identification, a valid Social Security number and income records. • Child Care Partners — $25,000 The city is contracting with Child Care Partners, a local child care resource, referral and training agency. The organization will be using City CARES Act funds to pro- vide resources and support necessary to help existing Hood River programs reopen or expand, and to recruit new child care providers and pro- grams in the city. Child Care Partners provides COVID-19 resources and has developed FAQs, tools, and guidance for providers and families as well as Emergency Child Care. For more information, visit cgcc. edu/childcare. • Chamber of Commerce Support — $10,000 A portion of the CARES Act funds will go to the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce to maintain viability and services to local businesses after experiencing severe revenue reductions attributable to COVID-19. • City of Hood River — $5,000 Continuing COVID-19 related costs incurred by the city. (Past expenditures have included PPE and city hall safety upgrades, and tech- nology for employees to use while working from home.) NOW HIRING Wanted Today! Senior Level “A” Techs – Gas or Diesel We are adding to our Growing Service Department at Ray Schultens Ford. Great Benefits. Great Pay. Sign on Bonus available! We Want You! Call Curtis at 503-957-1478 Today. 2400 W. 6th Street, The Dalles, Oregon H EROES Last Chance! Corporal Robert Joseph Alaimo, Sr. U.S. Marines 1941-1945 WWII - South Pacific Purple Heart Submissions are FREE! Complete the form online here: http:/bit.ly/gorgevets or bring information to The Columbia Gorge News offices Must submit photos by October 21, 2020 Honor your hero by submitting a photo for the annual Salute to Veterans publication Columbia Gorge News Offices Office hours 9 am to noon M-F 1800 W 10th The Dalles 600 E. Port Marina Way Suite B (DMV building) Hood River Gorge Athletic Clubs are a vital part of the solution to the current health crisis. More than ever before it is critical to take control of your own health.You hold the power to boost your immune system and reduce stress and anxiety by exercising regularly. With nearly 40,000 sq feet, we have room to provide a wide variety of exercise options with safe physical distancing. Hospital grade disinfectants and protocols help keep our members safe. Join Gorge Athletic Clubs with no long term contract and take control of your health today! “In a world where you can be anything, be kind!” Dianna Risley | General Manager Gorge Athletic Clubs THE DALLES | HOOD RIVER GorgeAthleticClubs.com The Dalles 541.298.8508 | Hood River 541.386.3230
