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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.)
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1800 W 10th
The Dalles
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