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12 Columbia Gorge News Wednesday October 21, 2020 HoodRiverNews.com • TheDallesChronicle.com • WhiteSalmonEnterprise.com US SENATE DISTRICT #30, OREGON Carina Miller respond to concerns over the climate crisis? Pass policy that creates a more sustainable Carina Miller lives on economy using the just transition frame- Warm Springs Indian Reservation, where she raises work. In our state we have experts on climate her son. She graduated from change and we need to be utilizing their Madras High School in 2005 knowledge to help us solve this crisis. While also being mindful of those who will be most and went on to get a B.S. impacted, we need to hear their perspectives in Ethnic Studies from the as well. When we work as one rather than University of Oregon. Her against each other, we can make our state Carina Miller passions include grassroots more sustainable for generations to come. organizing, activism, volun- Please describe a specific piece of legis- teering and being steward of the land. How does your previous experience help lation you would sponsor or support in the next session. qualify you for this position? Carina would support taking bold action Carina serves as a Columbia Gorge on climate change while also being mindful Commissioner, Co-Chair of the Energy of those who are being most impacted by Committee for the ATNI, Chair of the these decisions. Native American caucus for the DPO and as Please give one specific suggestion you member of the Board of Directors for ACLU have for helping Oregon achieve stable Oregon. Previously, she served on the 27th Tribal Council for the Confederated Tribes of education funding. Tax large corporations. Our children, youth Warm Springs. Tell us why you are running for this office and aspiring college students deserve to have the education they need and want. We and list your top three concerns. Carina chose to run for office so voices like need to be demanding more funds from large hers can be heard across the state. In Oregon corporations throughout Oregon to help with these costs. there has never been an Oregon Tribal What is your opinion on the practice of member elected to the legislature. She served members of a political party walking out on Tribal Council for a federally recognized during a Legislative session? sovereign nation and worked on local, state, It is unacceptable for any elected official and federal levels in multiple areas. Her lived and professional experiences make her to do this and this is why I am running to be your next State Senator. uniquely qualified to represent this district. There are a lot of things left on the table that could greatly improve every community in Oregon Senate district 30. Carina’s top three concerns include the environment/water, education and social justice. How should the Oregon Legislature Lynn Findley (incumbent) I’m Lynn Findley, I serve as our Senator for Senate District 30 and previously as State Rep. for House District 60. I have lived in Eastern Oregon for all of my life. I worked in land and fire man- agement and city planning for 30-plus years prior to join- Sen. Lynn ing the Legislature. Findley How does your previ- ous experience help qualify you for this position? I have a long track record of fighting issues in the government on behalf of the commu- nities and people I represent. My experiences as a legislator for three years, in city manage- ment and various commissions, and legis- lative committees have molded me to be an excellent listener and advocate. Tell us why you are running for this office and list your top three concerns. I am running for this office to contin- ue fighting for those in my community. Often times, Salem is out of touch with our needs here in rural Oregon. As an Eastern Oregonian all my life, I have seen first-hand the unique challenges we face. Continuing to serve as our state senator would allow me to be a voice for citizens that trust me to represent them and their interests. My biggest priorities are being an advocate for our agri- cultural community and natural resources, fighting for lower taxes and smarter spending, and removing barriers to economic develop- ment in our communities. Please describe a specific piece legisla- tion you would sponsor or support in the next session. The two pressing issues I will address in the 2021 legislative session are introducing an Estate Tax Exemption and Land Use Relief for development. Please give one specific suggestion you have for helping Oregon achieve stable education funding. It’s important to understand we can’t treat education as a one-size-fits all approach. In order to achieve stable education funding, we need to reduce the PERS burden, and balance the budget earlier so our districts can plan. Money needs to go to classroom, not exorbitant retirement plans. What is your opinion on the practice of members of a political party walking out during a Legislative session? If my colleagues will not allow for a fair process in the building, then I will represent my constituents from outside the building. How should the Oregon Legislature re- spond to concerns over the climate crisis? The most immediate way to tackle climate change is to ensure we have a healthy land- scape and responsible, sustainable practices when it comes to natural resources. We need proper forest management, active fuels mitigation and an aggressive fire suppression program. In eastern Oregon, we successfully employ noxious weed management, sustain- able grazing and aggressive fire suppression. Carbon sequestration from having a healthy landscape will reduce our carbon output by over 50 percent, when coupled with the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, our total carbon emis- sion will be nearly imperceptible. We must support Oregon’s agricultural and natural resources with smarter, stronger policy. KLICKITAT COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT #3 Jim Sizemore Jim Sizemore I’ve been an active part of the community since I moved here 43 years ago. I’ve been involved in Goldendale Jaycee’s, Natural Resources Advisory Board, Board of Equalization, Fair Board, I’ve been a volunteer firefighter. I’m honored to have served as your commissioner for the past eight years. focus on bringing qualified professional help to those that need it. What role do you believe the Washington State Legislature has in responding to con- cerns over the climate crisis? I believe government has a role in not only responding to the climate crisis but also to be a part of the solution. Klickitat County is a leader in Washington State for renewable energy. I have and continue to encourage and support wind, solar, and pump storage projects. I have always believed in sci- ence-based management practices of natural resources. The management of our public lands in Klickitat County need rethinking and I want to be a part of updating public land management to better reflect a more resilient landscape to extreme weather conditions brought about by the change in climate. How does your previous experience help qualify you for this Legislative role? I have a lot of leadership experience in the county. These experiences have given me a lot of knowledge about many parts of our county; what needs to be done and what I can We need childcare. I would support any do to help. I work hard to represent everyone legislation that could help us bring quality who lives in Klickitat County. and affordable childcare to our rural county. Tell us why you are running for this office Klickitat County is now in Phase 2. The best and list your top three concerns. immediate help for small business is for the The people who live in Klickitat County county to move to Phase 3. I would suggest need a Board of Commissioners that have that business owners make a public ask that experience in the budgeting process and everyone wear a mask, social distance, and the internal working of county government. respect the number of people that can gather. My priority is to use my experience as we work through a pandemic and a recession. Do you support the Port of Hood River’s Another pressing priority is to help our efforts to replace the Hood River-White county residents and natural areas be more Salmon Interstate Bridge? Why or why not? fire resistant as mother nature and weather I support this 100 percent. The bridge is changes. Another priority is I’d like to put vital to our economy. It will be a bi-state effort more emphasis on mental health, with a and I want to help get it done. Also running for the District 3 position is Miland Walling, who did not respond to the questionnaire. Information on Walling can be found at www.facebook.com/ MilandforCommissioner. Dan Christopher Dan Christopher My wife and I live in Centerville. I graduated from Mt. Hood Community College. I have been a successful business owner for the last 20 years. I also volunteer with many organi- zations in our community, because I want to make a difference in peoples’ lives. How does your previous experience help qualify you for this Commissioner role? I have been making presentations before State representatives; State Policy Commissions and County Commissions for over 25 years. I have been in our Klickitat County Commissioner meetings weekly for years. The voters of District 3 chose me almost 2-1 over my opponent in the primary election, because they trust me. What role do you believe local govern- ments have in responding to concerns over the climate crisis? Growth, or growth management and its relationship to wildfire, smoke and public safety. We have already started seeing the rush of people fleeing the big cities for the fresh air and clear waters here. While growth can be good for your economy, I believe we need a balanced growth policy to make sure we don’t end up with land development issues like they did with the Paradise Hills complex fire in California in 2018. When you put large developments, in a rural treed areas like the White Salmon River, with small volunteer fire departments you are asking for wildfire problems Please describe a specific piece of legis- lation you would sponsor or support in the next session. Transparency. Video conferencing all meetings to the public. You will never have Tell us why you are running for this office a government that serves it’s people until all meetings are held in public. and list your top three concerns. I as running, because our people need Give one specific suggestion you have help now! Our current leadership is turning for helping small businesses recover from District 3 into communities of poverty and the economic effects of the coronavirus despair, while making their special interest pandemic. campaign donors rich. I believe we need new, younger, fresher We need Transparency. I am in all the public meetings. We need to end the behind ideas to increase our county’s tourism. Create a tourism citizens advisory board to help closed door meetings and deals that only increase our county tourism. benefit the wealthy campaign donors. Support our at-risk youth. Currently the Do you support the Port of Hood River’s Commissioners only allot $24,000 on our efforts to replace the Hood River-White at-risk youth. Salmon Interstate Bridge? Why or why not? Growth management/development strat- Yes. But I also think Klickitat county and egies that protect our critical environmental especially White Salmon should have an areas. Right now I believe our current com- equal voice on that bridge building commis- mission looks at environmental and habitat sion where currently it doesn’t. concerns more like speed bumps. US SENATE DISTRICT #3, WASHINGTON Jaime Herrera Beutler I’m Jaime Herrera Beutler and I grew up in Southwest Washington. Serving our region’s families and Jaime Herrera communi- Beutler ties is my mission. Of Washington’s 12 members of Congress, I’ve been ranked “most effective” for champi- oning legislation to protect jobs, make health care afford- able, and preserve our way of life. How does your previous experience help qualify you for this U.S. Legislator role? Since taking office, I’ve worked with Republicans and Democrats to get things done. From securing funding for the Dallesport Regional Airport expansion and Hood River Bridge replacement, to getting legislation signed into law to manage sea lions destroying our salmon, I’ve worked hard to deliver for our community. Tell us why you are run- ning for this office and list your top three concerns. One: We have to protect jobs and small businesses. Prior to the pandemic we had record low unemploy- ment, and growing wages. I’ll support lower taxes, small business relief and other actions to get us there. Two: Let’s make health care more accessible and affordable. I’m supporting solutions to lower prescrip- tion drug costs and protect coverage for preexisting conditions. Three: We need to better manage our forests. With thinning, responsible harvests and maintenance we can make them more resilient to the wildfires that destroyed homes and threatened our health. And it will support jobs in our rural communities, too. What role do you believe the federal government has in responding to concerns over the climate crisis? Congress should act to reduce harmful emissions and harness innovation for a cleaner future. I support the Use It Act to foster carbon capture technology and the BEST Act to strengthen renewable energy storage. Forest management to control wildfires will prevent millions of tons of heat-trap- ping carbon from being released. But we should be leery of public discourse that shames people about climate change; I favor offering posi- tive actions to combat it. And I vehemently oppose carbon taxes that big companies would simply pass on to families, making it more ex- pensive to power their homes emerged from this crisis, we must do everything possible Please describe a specific to help our favorite main street businesses — and the piece of legislation you would sponsor or support in jobs they support — from permanently shuttering. the next session. I’ll keep pushing for my Do you support the Port Safe and Affordable Drugs of Hood River’s efforts to re- from Canada Act, allowing folks to pay on average one- place the Hood River-White third the cost of their current Salmon Interstate Bridge? prescriptions. and small businesses. Give one specific suggestion you have for helping small businesses recover from the econom- ic effects of the coronavi- rus pandemic. We must extend the Paycheck Protection Program I helped create that’s preserved 9,500 small businesses and 95,000 jobs in Southwest Washington alone. 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