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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016
SeFretary oI state’s
eleFtion duties drive
endorsements
By HILLARY BORRUD
Capital Bureau
SALEM — In Oregon, the
seFretary oI state IunFtions as
the state’s FhieI eleFtions oI¿-
Fer, auditor and arFhivist.
That has not stopped Fan-
didates Ior seFretary oI state,
partiFularly 'emoFrats, Irom
Fompeting Ior endorsements
Irom speFial interest groups
IoFused on poliFy issues Irom
abortion to the environment
and labor.
'emoFratiF
Fandidate
Brad Avakian, the state’s labor
Fommissioner, has so Iar lined
up the longest list oI endorse-
ments inFluding NA5AL 3ro-
ChoiFe Oregon 3AC, the Ore-
gon League oI Conservation
Voters and roughly two dozen
publiF and private seFtor labor
groups.
“I’m the progressive in the
raFe, and they realize that,´
Avakian said oI the organi-
zations that endorsed him in
the May primary. “Those
groups do reFognize that the
SeFretary oI State’s OI¿Fe
plays a role in eaFh oI those
issues.´
So what Fan these inter-
est groups hope to gain Irom
a seFretary oI state who agrees
with them politiFally" The
seFretary oI state is ne[t in
line to be governor, a IaFt
that seemed like politiFal
trivia until last year, when
then-SeFretary oI State
.ate Brown replaFed Gov.
John Kitzhaber. Kitzhaber
resigned amid an inÀuenFe
peddling sFandal.
It’s unFlear what other
motivations groups might
have, beFause most Fandi-
dates would not release the
Tuestionnaires they ¿lled
out in order to win the orga-
nizations’ endorsements.
+owever, 'emoFratiF Fan-
didate 5iFhard 'evlin, a
state senator Irom Tualatin,
said there is the potential
to politiFize the oI¿Fe that
oversees eleFtions.
“I think you have to lead
to some degree and step baFk
Irom your party identity in
those positions beFause iI it’s
ever viewed as the deFisions
you’re making are partisan,
the publiF is going to have
Fonsiderably less respeFt than
they do now Ior the proFess,´
'evlin said.
Interest groups
All oI the Fandidates have
said they would inFrease gov-
ernment transparenFy as seF-
retary oI state, but none oI
them, with the e[Feption oI
5epubliFan Sid Leiken, would
provide Fopies oI the Tues-
tionnaires they had ¿lled out
Ior interest groups.
Candidates Ior 3ortland
mayor have released the ques-
tionnaires, inFluding Irom at
least one oI the groups that
endorsed Avakian.
Leiken’s Fampaign pro-
vided a link to the online
questionnaire he Fompleted
Ior the Oregon Abigail Adams
Voter EduFation 3roMeFt, but
deFlined to release others
inFluding the questionnaire
that earned him an endorse-
ment by Oregon 5ight to LiIe.
5epubliFan 'ennis 5iFh-
ardson did not respond to Falls
and has not listed endorse-
ments by any groups. 3aul
'amian, a Fandidate Ior the
Independent 3arty oI Oregon,
does not list any endorsements
on his website and did not
respond to a Fall Ior Fomment.
Avakian said he earned
the endorsements beFause oI
his platIorm to dramatiFally
e[pand the role oI the seF-
retary oI state. )or e[ample,
Avakian wants to use the seF-
retary oI state’s position on
the three-member State Land
Board to push Ior solar, wind
and geothermal power proM-
eFts on land held by the state’s
Common SFhool )und.
Function as watchdogs
Auditors in the SeFretary
oI State’s OI¿Fe IunFtion as
watFhdogs to make sure gov-
ernment programs IunFtion as
intended and serve the pub-
liF. Avakian wants those audi-
tors to begin investigating,
on a Fomplaint-driven basis,
whether more than ,000 Fon-
traFtors who work Ior the state
are Fomplying with equal pay,
minimum wage and prevail-
ing wage laws.
State Rep. Val Hoyle,
'-Eugene, said through its
role in the initiative pro-
Fess the oI¿Fe has a broad
and more direFt impaFt on
issues important to the interest
groups endorsing Fandidates.
Although the state 'epart-
ment oI JustiFe writes bal-
lot measure titles, Hoyle said
it is still up to the seFretary oI
state to deFide whether to Fer-
tiIy the title.
One group that endorsed
Avakian, the Oregon League
oI Conservation Voters, also
has an interest in how the seF-
retary oI state handles the ini-
tiative proFess.
The group is tied to the
politiFally aFtive nonpro¿t
Renew Oregon — Oregon
League oI Conservation Vot-
ers e[eFutive direFtor 'oug
Moore is also seFretary oI
Renew Oregon, aFFording to
Forporation reFords — whiFh
¿led Iour initiatives last year
to Freate new renewable
energy mandates and phase
out Foal power.
'evlin said interest groups
also asked him how he would
oversee eleFtions as seFre-
tary oI state. He Fon¿rmed at
least one group asked how he
would handle questions about
whether a ballot measure met
the requirement that it Fontain
only one issue or subMeFt.
‘… if it’s
ever viewed
as the
decisions
you’re
making are
partisan,
the public
is going
to have
considerably
less respect
than they do
now for the
process.’
Richard Devlin,
Democratic candidate and
senator from Tualatin
“That is one oI the Iew
determinations the seFre-
tary oI state Fan aFtually
make about ballot measures,´
'evlin said.
Hoyle said groups also
have an interest in how the
seFretary oI state evalu-
ates signatures gathered to
plaFe measures on the ballot.
“They ensure that those signa-
tures are FolleFted legally and
appropriately,´ Hoyle said.
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
Astoria man dies at falls
The Daily Astorian
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Crews work the scene of a man who fell while climbing Youngs River Falls on Saturday.
The man’s body has been recovered.
A 3-year-old Astoria man
died at <oungs River )alls late
Saturday aIternoon when he
slipped Irom the top oI the Ialls
onto the roFks below, the Clat-
sop County SheriII’s OI¿Fe
said.
Joseph T. Nestor, who was
visiting the Ialls with his Iather
and brother, began Flimbing
the IaFe oI the Ialls, lost his
Iooting and Iell appro[imately
60 to 0 Ieet. The witness lost
sight oI Nestor’s body, whiFh
had Iallen into the river but
was soon reFovered by a mem-
ber oI the Lewis Clark ¿re
department.
Clatsop County Medi-
Fal E[aminer Joann Guiliani
determined Nestor died Irom
his inMuries.
Nestor leIt behind his wiIe,
Mandy, and two boys 3hoeni[,
9, and Max, 2, The Oregonian
reported.
Crews Irom the SheriII’s
OI¿Fe, Oregon State 3oliFe,
the Olney Walluski and Lewis
Clark ¿re departments, and
Medix were at the sFene.
Candidates Ior ¿re FhieI
emerge aIter interviews
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH — The
Cannon BeaFh Rural )ire 3ro-
teFtion 'istriFt has narrowed
down the ¿nalists Ior ¿re FhieI
to three Fandidates.
“I think the board has
three very strong Fandidates
to Fhoose Irom,´ interim )ire
ChieI Jim Stearns said Mon-
day. He is hoping Ior an early
May deFision so the new FhieI
Fan start by June.
On Saturday, ¿ve Fandi-
dates Fame to Cannon BeaFh
and went through interviews
with a panel oI Fommunity
members and a teFhniFal group
made up oI area ¿re FhieIs.
Cannon BeaFh ¿re distriFt’s
board oI direFtors then inter-
viewed three ¿nalists reFom-
mended by the two panels.
The Fandidates are Matt
BenediFt, Helix ¿re depart-
ment FhieI and assistant ¿re
FhieI and ¿re marshal oI 3end-
leton’s ¿re department Gary
Woodson, Iormer 3endle-
ton ¿re FhieI Furrently work-
ing Ior the state 'epartment
oI CorreFtions and John West,
regional training Foordina-
tor Ior the state 'epartment oI
3ubliF SaIety Standards and
Training and Iormer LinFoln
City ¿re training oI¿Fer.
The board is looking to
replaFe Iormer )ire ChieI
Mike Balzer, who was ¿red
in OFtober. Balzer has sinFe
¿led a lawsuit against the ¿re
distriFt Flaiming wrongIul
dismissal.
Two ¿nalists Ior Follege
president to visit again
The Daily Astorian
Christopher
Breitmeyer
and Glenn Smith, the two
¿nalists Ior the presidenFy oI
Clatsop Community College,
will spend another day on the
North Coast Tuesday.
Breitmeyer, the YiFe presi-
dent Ior aFademiF and student
aIIairs at St. Charles Commu-
nity College northwest oI St.
Louis, will start his visit with
a puEliF meet-and-greet Irom
to a.m. at the Fol-
lege’s South County Cam-
pus in Seaside, Iollowed Ey
Smith Irom to a.m.
The two will then take turns
meeting with students, staII
and IaFulty.
The Follege will host a
puEliF Iorum with Smith Irom
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Columbia
+all 5oom , Iollowed by
Breitmeyer Irom 6:30 to :30
p.m.
The Follege board will hold
an e[eFutive session Flosed to
the publiF at :5 p.m. to Fon-
sider Smith or Breitmeyer,
with a publiF speFial meeting
aIterward to make a FhoiFe
and designate a FontraFt
negotiator.
Submitted Photo
Police responded to a fatal crash on U.S. Highway 101
Saturday.
Manzanita couple killed
in Highway 101 crash
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
Two people died Saturday in
a two-vehiFle, head-on Frash
Must north oI Cannon BeaFh
on U.S. Highway 101.
Oregon State 3oliFe say
the driver oI a 2011 Hyundai
sport utility vehiFle, Gregory
W. Heron, and his passenger,
Martha H, Heron, both 6 and
Irom Manzanita, were pro-
nounFed dead at the sFene.
3oliFe reported the driver
oI the other vehiFle, a 200
Chevrolet Tahoe, 'iana R.
)eke, 5, and her passenger
Jethro J. )eke, 59, both oI
West Linn, reFeived inMuries.
Both were taken to an area
hospital Ior treatment.
AFFording to state poliFe,
preliminary inIormation indi-
Fates the Hyundai was trav-
eling southbound on High-
way 101 when it Frossed over
the Fenterline and struFk the
Chevrolet head-on.
Highway 101 was Flosed
Ior about 3 12 hours while the
investigation was FonduFted,
reopening at :20 p.m.
State poliFe were assisted
by the Clatsop County Med-
iFal Examiner, Cannon BeaFh
)ire 'epartment, Cannon
BeaFh 3oliFe 'epartment
and the state 'epartment oI
Transportation.
The Fause oI the Frash is
still under investigation.
The art of being
a working artist.
Two local artists talk about their
painting and the business of art
APRIL 28
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
Pelican Brewing Company
is hiring & training staff
for the new Pelican in
Cannon Beach, opening in
early May, and we want
YOU on our TEAM!
NOW HIRING
Line Cooks, Prep Cooks, Dishwashers, Managers,
Servers, Bartenders, Hosts, Bussers – All positions!
APPLY IN PERSON ANYTIME AT:
1371 SW Hemlock, Cannon Beach
ATTEND A MEET & GREET:
April 16 th or 23 rd 10 AM -2 PM
OR SEND YOUR RESUME TO:
Employment@Pelicanbrewing.com
www.yourlittlebeachtown.com/employment
Questions? Call Stephanie 503-965-7779 ext. 307
Darren Orange
Eric Weigardt
Based in Ocean Park, Weigardt is a nationally eminent watercolorist. Based in Astoria,
Orange has been described as a 21st Century painter in a 19th Century skin. Using
illustrations of their own work, Wiegardt and Orange will talk about their work
routines and how they manage the business side of being artists.
TO ATTEND:
LIMI
SEATI TED
N
RESER
VE G
For Members: Dinner & Lecture:$25 each; Lecture only: no charge
SPACE YOUR
For Non-Members: Dinner & Lecture: $35 each; Lecture only: $15 ea.
TODA
Y!
Appetizers will be available at 6 p.m. • Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.
The speaker will begin after the dinner service is complete and non-dinner
members and guests of the audience take their seats.
Forum to be held at the CMH Community Center at 2021 Exchange St., Astoria.
ColumbiaForum
FOR RESERVATIONS OR TO JOIN COLUMBIA FORUM CONTACT:
Holly Larkins at 503.325.3211 ext. 227 or forum@dailyastorian.com by April 25, 2016
Columbia Forum is sponsored by:
The Daily Astorian • Craft3 • OSU Seafood Laboratory • KMUN-FM
Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa