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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
Oregon heads
for ballot brawl
over tax increase
sales tax measure wasn’t the
answer.
“We really worked hard to
SALEM — When a ¿QG VRPHWKLQJ WKDW HYHU\RQH
proposed statewide $15-an- could agree to,” recalls former
hour minimum wage measure Kitzhaber chief of staff Curtis
gave businesses heartburn, Robinhold. “In the end we
Gov. Kate Brown intervened GLGQ¶W ¿QG QHZ UHYHQXH
WR ÀRDW D FRPSURPLVH SODQ options that everyone could
agree to or that we thought
earlier this month.
In contrast, Brown has would pass muster with the
stayed squarely on the side- voters.”
Kitzhaber always planned
lines when it comes to an
initiative aimed for the to seek out other alternatives in
November ballot that is KLV¿QDOWHUPSDUWLFLSDQWVDQG
arousing just as much oppo- former aides agree. That never
sition: A $2.6 billion annual happened, thanks to escalating
tax increase on many large controversy over the appear-
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corporations.
Aside from some Demo- +D\HV SUR¿WHG SHUVRQDOO\
cratic senators, nobody is IURPKHUUROHLQKLVRI¿FH
In January 2015, as
proposing an alternative
— including the business Kitzhaber struggled to cope
community that would be with the situation, the union-
backed Our Oregon group
affected.
That might seem surprising ¿OHG LWV SHWLWLRQ IRU WKH WD[
in light of Oregon’s long increase. The measure likely
history of compromise and wouldn’t have had the gover-
alternative measures to defuse nor’s support because of his
belief in avoiding large-scale
impending ballot warfare.
So why is Oregon headed ballot warfare, participants in
for a serious political rumble? the talks say.
Weeks later, that became
Some say there’s scant
incentive for supporters to less of an issue for the public
consider common ground, employee unions backing
thanks in part to an expected the measure, when Kitzhaber
federal court ruling that could resigned.
drastically reduce the clout
of public employee unions
New urgency
in future election cycles. The
Meanwhile, a ruling by the
sponsors of the measure say U.S. Supreme Court that is
they’re done compromising expected this summer could
on tax measures as they did hamper those unions’ ability
under former Gov. John to raise political funds in the
Kitzhaber.
future, potentially adding
“I think the coalition to the urgency behind the
that’s behind the measure measure, several Democrats
is saying we don’t want to say privately.
Heather Conroy, executive
just have peace, we want to
make people’s lives better,” director of Service Employees
says Ben Unger, the former International Union Local 503,
lawmaker who leads the says the urgency is primarily
group spearheading the initia- because years of talks have
tive, Our Oregon. “I would gone nowhere. “We really just
rather help people than avoid cannot wait any longer to put
forward a solution. ... We need
disagreeing.”
to see change.”
Brown, who’s running for
Huge budget boost
Initiative Petition 28 re-election and is expected to
focuses new taxes on a receive strong union support,
swath of corporations with has not taken a position on
$25 million or more in whether the initiative makes
Oregon sales. The tax is sense.
“It’s a complicated issue,
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receipts. It would generate and she’s consulting with
$5.2 billion in Oregon’s next stakeholders, and she has not
two-year budget period. That reached a conclusion about it
money, which is supposed to herself,” says spokeswoman
boost education and health Kristen Grainger. “There’s
spending, will increase the GH¿QLWHO\VWLOOWLPHWRFRQVLGHU
state’s $18 billion general the measure and what’s going
to happen.”
fund by nearly a third.
State House Speaker Tina
The money raised would
be seven times the amount Kotek, D-Portland, who
raised by the corporate tax generally leans in support of
measures that spawned a the measure, says she hadn’t
bruising
labor-business heard of alternatives from
¿JKW LQ 2EVHUYHUV DUH the business community, and
predicting the opposition added that a much smaller
campaign alone will spend measure probably would not
$15 million to $20 million — be enough to make Initiative
a staggering, record-shattering Petition 28 go away.
“We have a revenue
sum.
Supporters already are problem in this state,” Kotek
airing out their arguments says. While the measure is not
that Oregon schools and perfect, she says, “it would
other services desperately solve our revenue problem.”
Oregon Business Asso-
need funding, and that out-of-
state companies will bear the ciation head Ryan Deckert
brunt of the hike. Opponents, says the magnitude of the
however, say the increase tax increase has businesses
will result in higher prices for focused on beating the
consumers and local compa- measure, rather than modi-
fying it. “It kind of focuses the
nies, too.
State Senate President mind, job one is to defeat that
Peter Courtney, D-Salem, ... I think there’s just a collec-
has called for a compro- tive ‘No way.’”
He, like initiative supporter
mise, predicting the initiative
will spark a political blood- 8QJHU H[SUHVVHG FRQ¿GHQFH
bath with lasting negative over who will win.
“We think that when
effects on the state. And Sen.
Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, has consumers and citizens in
sought to build momentum Oregon see how this will
behind the idea of an alterna- affect them, they will react
negatively,” says Deckert,
tive measure.
However, so far there’s a former Democratic state
little evidence that other senator.
political players have been
persuaded. And past compro-
mise revenue efforts have not
panned out.
By NICK BUDNICK
Capital Bureau
Kyle Spurr/The Daily Astorian
A humpback whale washed ashore in Seaside Sunday.
Dead humpback washes ashore in Seaside
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — A dead 24-foot
humpback whale washed ashore
Sunday in Seaside.
Keith Chandler, the manager
of Seaside Aquarium, said a
samples from the whale to deter-
mine how it died. The animal
was maybe a year old, Chandler
said, and had been dead for quite
a while.
City crews will bury the
whale at the beach.
Chandler said it is not unusual
to see a humpback wash ashore.
“There were a few hump-
backs hanging out in the mouth
of the Columbia River last
year,” he said. “They are usually
further offshore. It could have
died offshore and with the storm,
washed in.”
Washington approves monthlong razor clam dig
EO Media Group
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Razor
clam diggers can look forward
to more than a month of razor
clam digging opportunities on
the Long Beach Peninsula.
The Washington Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife
approved the dig, which runs
from Thursday through March
10, at Long Beach after marine
toxin tests showed the clams are
safe to eat.
All other beaches remain
closed to recreational razor
clam digging.
The department approved
this extended opening due to the
abundance of clams available at
Long Beach, said Dan Ayres, a
VWDWHFRDVWDOVKHOO¿VKPDQDJHU
“We had a late start to the
digging season, so we still have
plenty of clams to dig at Long
Beach,” Ayres said. “We’re
thrilled to be able to announce
this lengthy opening.”
Last fall, leading up to what
would have been the start of the
slamming season in a non-toxin
year, the state estimated there
were nearly 12 million adult
clams more than 3 inches in
length in Long Beach Peninsula
sands. Adult clams averaged
3.8 inches in surveys done last
summer.
“This is the largest popu-
lation of razor clams we’ve
recorded at Long Beach since
beginning annual stock assess-
ments using the pumped area
method in 1997,” according to
WKHDJHQF\¶VSUHVHDVRQEULH¿QJ
document.
Based on this strong popu-
lation, the potential recreational
harvest was set at nearly 4.8
million clams.
Since levels of the marine
toxin domoic acid dropped
below 20 parts per million
everywhere on the Long Beach
Peninsula in early January,
there have been just over
28,000 digger trips and just
under 400,000 clams harvested,
Ayres said. The average catch
is right round 14 clams per
person, about comparable to the
2014-15 season. Digging has
been permitted 15 days so far.
Last year on the Long
Beach Peninsula, an estimated
2.42 million razor clams were
harvested and there were
163,929 digger trips — the
total number of clammers
multiplied by the average
number of times they partici-
pated in the season. The penin-
sula was open for clamming
on 104 days last season before
being prematurely closed due
to domoic acid.
Season details
The dig at Long Beach is
on evening tides. No digging
will be allowed before noon
any day. Diggers should check
tide charts before heading out,
since tides of 1 foot or above
aren’t conducive to digging,
Ayres said.
“For the best digging condi-
tions, we advise people to plan
their trips to the beach when the
evening low tides are less than
one foot,” Ayres said.
Ayres noted the best digging
usually occurs one to two hours
prior to low tide
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upcoming dig at Long Beach
is scheduled on the following
dates and low tides:
Thursday, 3:41 p.m.; 0.8
feet, Long Beach,
Friday, 4:28 p.m.; 0.2 feet,
Long Beach
Saturday, 5:11 p.m.; -0.3
feet, Long Beach
Sunday, 5:52 p.m.; -0.7 feet,
Long Beach
Feb. 8, 6:32 p.m.; -1.0 feet,
Long Beach
Feb. 9, 7:12 p.m.; -0.9 feet,
Long Beach
Feb. 10, 7:52 p.m.; -0.7 feet,
Long Beach
Knappa superintendent resigns, cites health and commute
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Terrence Smyth, hired
in June as superintendent of
Knappa School District and
principal
of Knappa
High School,
has resigned.
Business
Manager
N i k k i
F o w l e r
said Smyth
Terrence
announced
Smyth
his resigna-
tion Wednesday, and Knappa
School Board Chairman Craig
Weaver signed off Thursday.
The district announced the
resignation Monday morning
in a release. In the release,
Smyth, 51, cites his health and
a long commute from Jewell as
his reasons for resigning. He
was not immediately available
for comment.
“Mr. Smyth offered his
thanks for the opportunity to
work with students and faculty
in Knappa and wishes them all
the very best in the future,” the
release said.
Fowler said the district
can cover major functions
using Hilda Lahti Elementary
School Principal Leila Collier
and Laurel Smalley, a science
teacher on special assignment
to handle student discipline at
the high school.
She said the district is
reaching out to support orga-
nizations like the Northwest
Regional Education Service
District and Oregon School
Boards Association for help
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“We don’t expect the
interim search to take very
long,” she said. “I would
expect us to place a person
within a couple of weeks.”
Smyth replaced Jeff Leo,
who was with Knappa since
2011 as a principal and later
superintendent. Leo was
recently named superinten-
dent of Banks School District.
Upon his hiring, Smyth,
who was previously prin-
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years before moving out of
school districts but into a
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Kitzhaber effort failed
The initiative has its roots
in a Kitzhaber-led push to
tackle the belief, widespread
in Salem, that the money
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has not kept up with demands
for government services. After
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he sought to forge a compro-
mise between business and
labor, involving talks, polling
and focus groups in Eugene
and Bend. Those efforts were
put on hold when all sides
concluded the hoped-for
team of marine experts from
Portland State University and
the Oregon Marine Mammal
Stranding Network moved the
whale Monday to another part
of the beach just south of 12th
Avenue.
The experts will collect
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