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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2016)
5A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016 Track backers donated heavily to Kitzhaber’s 2014 campaign By SAUL HUBBARD The Register-Guard EUGENE — When Vin Lananna, president of Track- Town USA, and Paul Wein- hold, president of the Univer- sity of Oregon Foundation, ¿UVWFRQWDFWHGWKHQ*RY-RKQ Kitzhaber in mid-2014 to re- quest a $40 million state subsi- dy for TrackTown’s bid to hold the 2019 track world champi- onships in Eugene, they were met with coolness and skep- ticism, newly released emails show. After Lananna gave an in-person pitch to Kitzhaber on July 7, Kitzhaber econom- ic policy adviser Vince Porter sent a scathing assessment of the request to the governor and his top advisers. Talks should continue, Por- ter wrote, but “there are a lot of hurdles to get over before it becomes much more than a pipe dream.” 1RQSUR¿W 7UDFN7RZQ¶V UH- quest contained “probably as much as $20 million that we would never want to consid- er subsidizing,” he added. “I don’t think the state should be even considering something larger than $20 million” to help fund the event in Eugene, he wrote. The subsidy request — ZKLFKZRXOGUHTXLUHWKUHH¿IWK votes in both chambers of the Legislature — also was met coolly by Salem’s two most powerful legislators, Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek, both Democrats, Porter’s emails indicate. <HWRQO\¿YHPRQWKVODWHU Kitzhaber publicly pledged to “use all the means at my dis- SRVDO WR GHOLYHU WKH ¿QDQFLDO support needed for the cham- pionships” in a video mes- sage he sent — along with then-Secretary of State Kate Brown — with TrackTown’s team to the International As- sociation of Athletics Federa- tions bid meeting in Monaco in late November. )RUWKH¿UVWWLPHLQWKDWYLG- eo, Kitzhaber endorsed a spe- FL¿FDPRXQWWKHIXOOPLO- lion. Getting the governor to publicly state the $40 million was a priority for TrackTown, Porter’s emails show. What happened between Kitzhaber’s initial resis- tance and his endorsement? Jonathan J. Cooper/AP Photo John Kitzhaber Vin Lananna, president of TrackTown USA, speaks to reporters at the state Cap- itol in Salem, April 11, 2013. more frequent political donors. The donations came at a crucial time for Kitzhaber. Polling showed that he had a His campaign coffers were big lead over his GOP chal- swamped with donations from lenger, Dennis Richardson, people who want the track when the donations started, but world championships held at his campaign was rocked in early October by allegations of the UO’s Hayward Field. The emails show that ethics violations related to his Kitzhaber’s apparent rever- ¿DQFHH &\OYLD +D\HV ZKLFK sal coincided with almost ultimately led to his February $400,000 in campaign contri- 2015 resignation. Kitzhaber on Tuesday butions he received during a 42-day period in September didn’t respond to requests and October 2014 from ath- through his attorney for com- letic apparel giant Nike, its ment. In a prepared statement, co-founder Phil Knight and its CEO Mark Parker, as well Nike spokeswoman Sabrina as four members of the UO 2HLVDLG³$VSDUWRIWKH gubernatorial campaign, Nike Board of Trustees. The donations came at a was asked to support Gov. busy time in Kitzhaber’s 2014 Kitzhaber’s campaign. “Based on his record of UHHOHFWLRQ ELG 2WKHU PRQH\ was pouring in as the Novem- leadership on issues important ber election approached. But to Nike, the business commu- the donations were unusual in nity and the state — including their size and concentration, RXU GHFLVLRQ WR VLJQL¿FDQWO\ and because many of the do- expand in the state of Oregon nors had not given to Kitzhaber — we provided support to the in at least the past decade for campaign. This is consistent which Oregon keeps disclo- with our general practice of supporting candidates.” sures online. Angela Wilhelms, secretary Knight, who donated $250,000, had not personal- to the UO board, said on behalf ly given to Kitzhaber in that RIWKHIRXUWUXVWHHV³7KHUHLV time. A registered Republican, absolutely no correlation be- he backed Kitzhaber’s GOP tween personal political con- opponent, Chris Dudley, in tributions by trustees and any 2010 with $400,000. Parker’s decisions by Gov. Kitzhaber. “Any insinuation of quid GRQDWLRQZDVKLV¿UVW to a state politician. Nike’s pro quo or any other connec- $65,000 to Kitzhaber during WLRQ LV MXVW ÀDW ZURQJ´ WKH those 42 days dwarfed the statement said. $22,500 it gave to him during the entire 2010 election cycle. 2021 bid under scrutiny Among the UO trustees, In recent weeks, Track- Chuck Lillis, the board chair- Town and Lananna have found man and an infrequent po- themselves defending the litical donor, gave $10,000 IAAF’s April 2015 decision to Kitzhaber. He and his to award the 2021 champion- wife contributed $1,000 to ships to Eugene without a for- Kitzhaber in 2010. Connie mal bidding process, after the %DOOPHUJDYHKHU¿UVW IAAF awarded the 2019 event political donation in Oregon. to Doha. French police are Allyn Ford gave $5,000 and investigating alleged bribery Joe Gonyea III gave $2,500, in the IAAF, and the Eugene though both trustees are much award itself. The revelation that Sebastian Coe, the new IAAF president, had been for years receiving undisclosed annual payments of $150,000 IURP1LNHDSRWHQWLDOFRQÀLFW of interest, have sent shock- waves through the sport. TrackTown and Lanan- na say they’ve done nothing wrong. They continue to pur- sue from the state essentially the same funding package they VRXJKW IRU WKH HYHQW D permanent doubling of the statewide lodging tax, which would provide $25 million to the world championships as well as money for other tour- ism-related projects; $15 mil- lion for renovations to Hay- ward Field; and $3 million from the state general fund to pay for security at the 2016 world indoor track champi- onships in Portland and 2016 Olympic Trials in Eugene. Support from the executive branch remains strong, despite Kitzhaber’s resignation. Less than a month after %URZQ WRRN RI¿FH DV JRY- ernor, she signed a letter of support for the 2021 champi- onships, the emails show. Un- like Kitzhaber, Brown hasn’t publicly committed to a dollar ¿JXUH Emails show Brown was scheduled to meet with Coe in Salem on Jan. 13. But the meeting was canceled by TrackTown shortly after Coe gave up his Nike payments. Asked Tuesday whether VKH VXSSRUWV D VSHFL¿F GROODU allocation for the 2021 event, %URZQ¶VRI¿FHVHQWDVWDWHPHQW saying the event is an excellent economic development oppor- tunity that builds on Oregon’s VWUHQJWKLQWUDFNDQG¿HOG ³7KH JRYHUQRU¶V RI¿FH LV currently working with state RI¿FLDOV RQ OHJLVODWLRQ IRU D funding strategy in advance of the February 2016 session,” the statement adds. But the request will face at least one powerful opponent LQ 6DOHP 6HQDWH 3UHVLGHQW Courtney. “I have been clear with the organizers of this event since before they made their bid,” Courtney said Tuesday. “My position has not changed. I do not support spending our limited state resources for this event.” 6SHDNHU.RWHN¶VRI¿FHVDLG Kotek has yet to take a posi- tion because she hasn’t seen a formal proposal. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Steaks and other beef products are displayed for sale at a grocery store in McLean, Va. New dietary JXLGHOLQHVOHDQ meat OK, cut the added sugars and salt in moderation. This year, one message the government wants to send is WKDW SHRSOH VKRXOG ¿JXUH RXW WASHINGTON — Some what type of healthy eating Americans may not have to style works for them, while cut back on eggs and salt as still hewing to the main recom- much as they once thought and mendations. The Agriculture eating lean meat is still OK. Department, which released But watch the added sugars, the guidelines along with the especially the sugary drinks. Department of Health and Hu- The Obama administra- man Services, is also releasing tion’s new dietary guidelines, a tweaked version of its healthy released today, back off the “My Plate” icon to include a strictest sodium rules includ- QHZVORJDQ³0\:LQV´ ed in the last version, while “Small changes can add up still asserting that Americans to big differences,” said Agri- consume too much salt. The culture Secretary Tom Vilsack. guidelines reverse previous One new recommendation guidance on the dangers of di- is that added sugar should be etary cholesterol and add strict 10 percent of daily calories. new advice on sugars. That’s about 200 calories a After a backlash from the day, or about the amount in meat industry and Congress, one 16-ounce sugary drink. the administration ignored The recommendation is part of several suggestions from a a larger push to help consum- February report by an advisory ers isolate added sugars from committee of doctors and nu- naturally occurring ones like trition experts. That panel sug- those in fruit and milk. Added gested calling for an environ- sugars generally add empty mentally friendly diet lower in calories to the diet. red and processed meats and Sugar-sweetened beverag- de-emphasized lean meats in es make up a large portion of its list of proteins that are part those empty calories. Accord- of a healthy diet. ing to the guidelines, sugary But, as in the previous drinks comprise 47 percent of years, the government still the added sugars that Ameri- says lean meats are part of a cans eat every day. healthy eating pattern. Americans also need to 5HOHDVHG HYHU\ ¿YH \HDUV lower salt intake, the govern- the guidelines are intended to PHQWVD\V1HZ¿JXUHVIURP help Americans prevent dis- the Centers for Disease for ease and obesity. They inform Disease Control and Preven- everything from food package tion show that around 90 per- labels to subsidized school cent of people eat too much. lunches to your doctor’s ad- The average person eats vice. And the main message 3,400 milligrams of sodium hasn’t changed much over the a day, and the guidelines say \HDUV(DW\RXUIUXLWVDQGYHJ- everyone should lower that etables. Whole grains and sea- amount to 2,300, or about a food, too. And keep sugar, fats teaspoon. By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press Cancer now No. 1 killer in 22 states, ahead of heart disease By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK — Cancer is becoming the No. 1 kill- er in more and more states as deaths from heart disease have declined, new health statistics show. Nationwide, heart disease is still the leading cause of death, just ahead of cancer. While death rates for both have been falling for nearly 25 years, heart disease has dropped at a steeper rate. As a result, cancer moved up to the top slot in 22 states in 2014, according to the latest JRYHUQPHQW¿JXUHV It’s also the leading cause of death in certain groups of people, including Hispanics, Asians, and adults ages 40 to 79. The trend is noted in the American Cancer Society’s lat- est annual report released today. The cancer death rate has fallen 23 percent since its peak in 1991. The decrease is at- tributed to declining smoking rates and advances in cancer detection, treatment and pre- vention. The heart disease death rate fell 46 percent in that time. The cancer society predicts there will be nearly 1.7 million new cancer cases this year, and nearly 600,000 deaths. *RYHUQPHQW¿JXUHVIRU show cancer was the leading cause of death in Alaska, Arizo- na, California, Colorado, Dela- ware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minne- sota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Vir- ginia, Washington, West Virgin- ia and Wisconsin. Online: Cancer society re- port: http://bit.ly/1Phfaav DHS: Give Us This Day shut down in September under settlement personally inform Holden and then-state Sen. Margaret Carter, a board member at problems at the program Give Us This Day and Port- much earlier than previous- land Democrat, about the ly reported. The records also lawsuit and public records show Give Us This Day oper- request. ated outside the state’s licens- Goldberg responded, ing rules, and went over the “seems to me you should give heads of licensing staff to deal them a heads up.” directly with the director of Goldberg was director of the agency, Dr. Bruce Gold- the Department of Human berg. The agency released the Services from 2005 through emails in response to a pub- February 2011, when then- lic records request from state Gov. John Kitzhaber tapped Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis. Goldberg to lead the Oregon “Our staff have been work- Health Authority. Goldberg ing with them to try and help resigned in 2014 following them obtain a license to provide Department of Human Services the state’s health insurance ex- residential care (they already Dr. Bruce Goldberg presents a talk in 2010. FKDQJH¿DVFRDQGQRZZRUNV are providing such care with- out a license),” child welfare censed) — the most serious of staff that she and the board of for Oregon Health & Science administrator Erinn Kelley-Siel which is that every single staff Give Us This Day had already University’s Center for Health wrote in a February 2009 email. person has a criminal record gone to the top to negotiate Systems Effectiveness. Gold- At the time, Kelley-Siel was and their program design does the issue, and was discuss- berg could not be reached for director of the agency’s Child not address the issues that ing it with Goldberg. Holden comment Wednesday after- :HOIDUH 6HOI 6XI¿FLHQF\ DQG come with that,” Kelley-Siel refused even to apply for the noon. Carter said although she correct residential license and Vocational Rehabilitation pro- wrote. Goldberg did not appear to was still operating without was a Give Us This Day board grams. She was promoted to the position of director in 2011, have replied to Kelley-Siel’s one in May 2009, when de- member at the time, “in terms email, based on the records partment employees learned of being an active board mem- when Goldberg left. that someone was suing Give ber, where I actually knew Kelley-Siel had other released by the department. At the time, Give Us This 8V 7KLV 'D\ DQG KDG ¿OHG D what was going on in terms concerns about the program, which she listed in the email Day had a state license to op- public records request for the of day-to-day operations, not at all.” She also did not recall erate as an academic boarding SURJUDP¶VOLFHQVLQJ¿OH to Goldberg. On June 1, 2009, Kel- department employees calling “At a site visit last week, school. Mary Holden, execu- numerous concerns arose (on tive director of the program, ley-Siel asked Goldberg in her about the lawsuit or re- top of the fact they aren’t li- told Human Services licensing an email whether she should cords request. “I don’t recall Continued from Page 1A program and then that conversation abruptly removing about public re- them. In one case, cords,” Carter said. a child as young Holden also as 18 months and complained that DHS was enforcing a3-year-old sibling stricter rules than ZHUHEULHÀ\SODFHG she previously ex- at Give Us This perienced regarding Day, according to prohibitions against emails between child-abusers work- the department’s Sen. Margaret ing with children. licensing employ- Carter “As far as I ees. DHS employ- know, the old rules ee Meg Hopkins allowed individuals wrote in an email to work with kids in that Give Us This residential, if they Day employees were supervised had been visiting and had a lower Human Services level child abuse branches to pro- record,” Holden mote their program wrote in a March and “from what I 2009 email to the can tell all kids are Erinn department. going to (Give Us Kelley-Siel Even when Give This Day) ...” Us This Day ob- Give Us This tained a residential license, Day shut down in September, Human Services sent chil- under a settlement agreement dren to the program who with the Oregon Department were not allowed to be there of Justice. under the license. In August The Capital Bureau is a 2010, Holden complained collaboration between EO in an email to DHS that Media Group and Pamplin while the program’s license Media Group. Hillary Borrud only covered children ages can be reached at 503-364- 6 to 17, the state has send- 4431 or hborrud@eomedia- ing younger children to the group.com.
