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ELECTION
ENDORSEMENTS
BY THE E W S TAFF
allots go in the mail beginning Friday, Oct.
19, for the Nov. 6 general election. The
deadline for voter registration passed Oct.
16. Here are our selected picks in contested
races and issues. See our recent news stories,
Slant comments and letters for more information, along
with the Voters’ Pamphlet and websites for candidates and
measures. We’ll have more stories next week. Campaign
finance information can be found at ORESTAR on the
Oregon secretary of state’s website.
President of the U.S.
Barack Obama
It’s up to America’s women to march to the polls and
loudly cast their votes to defeat Mitt Romney and his party.
Although it fluctuates slightly, the “gender gap” is the
widest margin of victory that pollsters consistently see for
Obama. For good reason. The Republican attacks on
women come from every perspective: social, sexual,
economic, educational and, of course, judicial. Women
really have no choice but to fight back at the ballot box,
hopefully re-electing Barack Obama.
Secretary of State
Ballot Measure 78
Kate Brown (D)
(Changes terminology in Constitution)
The few moderate Republicans left in Oregon politics
are so eager for new leadership that they’re willing to
throw an outstanding, dedicated and highly experienced
Democratic woman under the bus in this election. That’s
probably not surprising. It’s good that Knute Buehler, a
Bend physician, is stepping up as a moderate Republican,
but he and his wealthy backers and the conservative press
are irresponsible in their target. Kate Brown does have a
serious political problem; she hates to ask anyone for more
than $250 in contributions. That should be a plus in a
rational world.
State Attorney General
Ellen Rosenblum (D)
No brainer. She waged a tough primary, won handily
and was appointed by the governor to fill John Kroger’s
unexpired term. After 36 years of experience as a judge,
federal prosecutor and private practice attorney, she
aspired to be Oregon’s first woman attorney general and
she should win handily again.
U.S. Representative
Peter DeFazio (D)
DeFazio faces a challenge from Art Robinson again,
the same out-of-state hedge-fund millionaire financed
wingnut who thinks a little radiation is good for you.
Congressman DeFazio pisses us off sometimes. His forest
plan hasn’t made anyone happy and his position on coal is
a little more nuanced than just plain “No” — it’s more in
the “clean coal” camp, so he’s pissing off Oregon’s enviros
as well. But he is unafraid to stand up and take a position,
whether it’s on the House floor or in person, and he’s
smarter and saner than his opponent by far. Vote DeFaz.
Oregon Supreme Court
Richard Baldwin
A powerful range of experience and a judicial
temperament make Richard Baldwin clearly superior to
Nena Cook for the Supreme Court. He’s gone from legal
aid to the Multnomah County Circuit Court (elected 2002
and 2008), earning the endorsements of former governors
Barbara Roberts and Ted Kulongoski plus Supreme Court
Justice Robert Durham, whom he would succeed. Cook’s
exaggerations of her experience concern us — so
inappropriate for a Supreme Court candidate.
Oregon Court of Appeals, Pos. 6
James C. Egan
James Egan is a sitting judge on the Linn County
Circuit Court and his private law career focused on
representing injured people in workers comp and personal
injury cases. He also served as a JAG attorney, including a
tour in the Middle East. The Court of Appeals needs
members who have worked as trial court judges.
18
October 18, 2012 • eugeneweekly.com
YES
This seemingly benign measure actually has a dash of
progressivism. In addition to amending constitutional
language (replacing “departments” of government to
“branches” of government), it will replace gender-biased
wording (“he” and “him” for references to the secretary of
state) with gender-neutral language.
Ballot Measure 79
(Bans real estate transfer taxes)
NO
The National Association of Realtors, those folks who
refer to themselves always with a capital letter, “Realtor,”
bring you Measure 79, which would constitutionally ban
new taxes and fees on real estate sales. The Realtors, state
and national, have poured almost $5 million into the
campaign to ban something the state already bans. Right
now, local governments can’t enact a real estate transfer
tax, though the Legislature could do so in the future.
Opponents say a real estate transfer tax could be a future
lifeline and we should leave the option out there. We agree.
State Treasurer
Ted Wheeler (D)
Another no-brainer. This is Oregon’s chief financial
officer who manages investment of state money, the sale of
state bonds and helps oversee management of state lands.
Wheeler has done such a good job with the state’s money
after his appointment by the governor that he deserves our
continued support. Oregon is lucky to have him.
State Labor Commissioner
Brad Avakian
Organized labor is supporting Avakian, and business
generally considers him approachable. He’s done a good
job for four years. That’s good enough for us.
Ballot Measure 80
(Oregon Cannabis Tax Act)
YES
For decades now, we’ve been throwing money down
the toilet trying to keep Americans from consuming
marijuana, and those billions of dollars have gotten the
U.S. pretty much nowhere. For years, The National Center
on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
has reported that it’s easier for 12- to 17-year-olds to buy
pot, a prohibited substance, than it is to buy beer, a
regulated substance. Perhaps this measure isn’t the word-
for-word pro-regulation bill that we would have written,
but it’s a far cry from today’s sad state of affairs. And if the
state ends up having to back down from a legal battle, it’s
not the end of the world. At least the voters have spoken.
Ballot Measure 77
(Response to disasters)
Ballot Measure 81
YES
(Gillnetting ban)
Oregon seems so quiet, disaster-wise, compared to the
Midwest’s tornados or Cali’s earthquakes, but we do have
a strong potential for killer quakes, tsunamis, floods and
volcanic eruptions. Measure 77 also notes wars and acts of
terrorism as disasters that need money, quickly, to help
deal with them. Measure 77 would, among other things, let
the governor make initial decisions, such as temporarily
allocating money from lottery funds and the general fund
for disaster response, without legislative approval.
NO
It seems weird that EW would be against a pro-
environment measure, but several groups that originally
supported the commercial gillnetting ban no longer support
their measure. Gillnets are a very effective way of catching
fish, some say too effective when it comes to the Columbia
River’s salmon and other species. Gov. Kitzhaber has
come up with a solution to the problem that eliminates
gillnets from the mainstem of the Columbia River while
allowing their use in select off-channel sites. Let’s give
Kitzhaber’s compromise proposal a shot.