12A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016
Pierce wins GOP nod for governor
Salem physician
faces Brown in
November
By HILLARY BORRUD
Capital Bureau
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Salem physi-
cian Bud Pierce has won the
Republican nomination for
Oregon governor.
In November he will face
Democrat nominee Gov. Kate
Brown, who was elevated to
the Governor’s Ofice when
John Kitzhaber resigned last
year. The winner will serve
the two years remaining in
Kitzhaber’s term.
“Tonight’s victory is the
result of incredible teamwork
and the hard work of many ine
people,” he said.
Pierce defeated former state
GOP chairman Allen Alley, the
next highest vote getter in a
ield of ive, with 45 percent of
the vote compared to Alley’s
29 percent. In Clatsop County,
voters gave Pierce 46 percent
to Alley’s 33.
“Oregonians are tired of
empty political promises and
puppet leaders who are at
the beck and call of powerful
interests in our state enrich-
ing the connected and power-
ful and impoverishing the peo-
ple,” Pierce said. “Selma and
I have listened to the people’s
hopes and dreams and aspira-
tions and we are committed to
helping To make those dreams
come true.”
Alley told Pierce he will
support him for his run for
governor.
“I would like to thank the
citizens of Oregon for support-
ing me,” Alley said. “I have
had some amazing experi-
ences walking across the state
and meeting the people of the
Paris Achen/Capital Bureau
Bud Pierce addresses supporters in Salem after winning
the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.
state, and I had a terriic mes-
sage to juxtapose against Kate
Brown’s.”
“I regret not being able to
take on Kate Brown,” he said.
Alley said Pierce’s cam-
paign outspent his and traveled
more around the state.“He ran
a better primary race, and the
results show he ran a better pri-
mary race,” Alley said.
With experience in state
government and as a candidate
for statewide ofice, Alley, 61,
was the presumed frontrunner
in the race for the nomination.
The Lake Oswego business-
man served as deputy chief
of staff for former Gov. Ted
Kulongoski and chaired the
Oregon Republican Party.
But Pierce, 59, invested
more than $1 million into his
campaign to reach out to vot-
ers. When the Salem oncol-
ogist entered the race, he had
almost no name recognition
and no experience as an elected
oficial. Alley, in contrast, had
sought the GOP nomination
for governor in 2010 and for
state treasurer in 2008.
Brown earned the Demo-
cratic nomination with 84 per-
cent of the vote. She defeated
Ashland physician Julian Bell,
Springield professional driver
Chet Chance, Walmart pro-
duce team member Kevin For-
sythe of Newport, Portland
home care worker Steve John-
son and Portland environmen-
tal engineer and attorney Dave
Stauffer.
Liz Accola Meunier, a
spokeswoman for Brown’s
campaign, said the gover-
nor had been focused on gov-
erning and serving the state
but would now begin ramp-
ing up her campaign to defeat
Pierce.
“Tonight, we are happy
with the results on our side,
and the governor is really
looking forward to talking
about her vision for moving
the state forward and looking
forward to having a chance
to talk about her vision, and
we believe when voters gets a
chance to compare her to her
opponent that they will choose
her,” Meunier said.
Track: There isn’t much room to
expand school’s track complex
Continued from Page 1A
10 in both the 100 and 200
meters, along with being on
some of Astoria’s top-ranked
relay teams. “And you basi-
cally can’t set your blocks in
certain lanes, because they
will just slide” because of
loose asphalt.
Darian Hageman, Asto-
ria’s only individual state
champion from last year who
is ranked irst in the high,
long and triple jumps, said
the high school’s athletes rel-
ish competing at other tracks,
which always seem a lot
nicer than home.
Garrett Parks, the third-
year track coach at Astoria,
said the worn-out surfaces
deinitely beats up his run-
ners and their equipment.
“When we go to any
other meet or any other facil-
ity, it’s fun to hear our kids
say, ‘Man, this track is so
spongy,’ or, ‘There’s cush-
ion,’’” he said. “It’s because
we’re so used to running on
such a hard surface all the
time that we’re just not fortu-
nate enough to have that feel-
ing. We can tell.”
Quick ix or full rehab
The differences between
minor maintenance and the
update of a track can add up
to a lot of money. Nine years
ago, Business Manager Jus-
tine Hill said Seaside School
District received quotes that
ranged from $21,000 for minor
repairs to more than $700,000
for a complete resurfacing of
the track.
“There are some mini-
mal things we know we need
to do, versus doing some
major projects to have it
updated,” Rub said of Asto-
ria’s situation.
The district is looking at
anything from minimal main-
tenance to a complete update
of one or both of the tracks.
“We want places to be safe
for kids, and to be something
they’re proud of,” said Asto-
ria Superintendent Craig Hop-
pes of the district’s immedi-
ate goal. “It has nothing to do
with how well the track team
is doing.”
Going regulation
Part of the question is
whether Astoria wants to
spend the money for an
updated, regulation track that
can support district meets.
Astoria’s track is shaped like
an egg, contains only seven of
the usual eight lanes and was
originally measured in yards
instead of meters. Resur-
facing could cost more than
$100,000, while making the
track regulation could surpass
$600,000.
“The amount of space we
have is a little bit of an issue
at the high school,” Rub said.
“In regard to the ield events,
we would like to have more
space.”
There isn’t much room for
the high school track complex
to expand beyond its current
footprint, though, with a des-
ignated slide zone on one side
and U.S. Highway 101 Busi-
ness on the other.
The school district has
looked at moving competi-
tions to the middle school,
which Hoppes said received
a new surface in the early
2000s as part of the bond that
remodeled many of the dis-
trict’s schools. But he said the
school board remains non-
committal while the district
gathers more information.
Column: Most visitors to
the park are from out of town
Continued from Page 1A
are disappointed that teenag-
ers in formal gowns and tux-
edos had to pay on their spe-
cial night. If no students take
him up on the offer, he plans to
donate the money he set aside
to cover the fees to Astoria
High School’s safe and sober
graduation party.
The Column is a city park,
but the grounds are managed
by the Friends of the Asto-
ria Column, a nonproit led
by Portland real estate mag-
nate and philanthropist Jordan
Schnitzer.
While the city has wel-
comed the time and money
Schnitzer and other pri-
vate donors have invested
in preserving the Column,
there is a perception that the
Friends have outsize political
inluence.
The Column is a local trea-
Avakian, Richardson win
secretary of state nominations
sure, yet, according to the
city, most visitors to the park
are from out of town. The
City Council did not consider
a $5 annual pass exorbitant
when the increase was unan-
imously approved in Decem-
ber. The city receives $1 from
each pass, while the rest of the
money goes to the nonproit to
help maintain the grounds.
Di Bartolomeo does not
object to the city charging
a reasonable fee for visitors
from out of town. “I do have a
problem when a private entity
essentially takes a private toll
to park in a city-owned park,”
he said. “I think it would be
a good idea to exempt people
who live in Astoria and pay
property taxes from having to
pay a fee.”
At a City Council meeting
Monday, City Councilor Drew
Herzig mentioned the buzz
surrounding Di Bartolomeo’s
Facebook post and suggested
the Friends of the Column con-
sider a free pass on prom night.
“Because if this is an Asto-
ria High School tradition, we
might as well let the kids get
up there and get their photos
taken and not try and shake
them down for the parking
fee,” he said.
Karen Whitman, who
serves on the board of the
Friends of the Column, said
Tuesday that the nonproit can
waive parking fees for sanc-
tioned events.
Prom pictures are not a
sanctioned event, but Whit-
man, who graduated from
Astoria High School and lives
in Portland, said charging stu-
dents to park was regrettable.
“You wouldn’t maybe call
it a sanctioned event,” Whit-
man said, “but this is the kind
of thing that we ought to sup-
port for heaven’s sake.”
SALEM — Oregon Labor
Commissioner Brad Avakian
has won the Democratic pri-
mary for Oregon secretary of
state.
This morning, Avakian
had 39 percent of the vote
leading state Rep. Val Hoyle,
D-Eugene, who had 34 per-
cent and state Sen. Richard
Devlin, D-Tualatin, with 27
percent, according to unof-
icial vote totals. The Asso-
ciated Press called the race
for Avakian. Clatsop County
gave Avakian 45 percent of
the vote.
Former state Rep. Den-
nis Richardson appeared to
be winning the Republican
primary with 78 percent, and
was declared the winner by
The Associated Press. Clat-
sop County voters selected
Richardson with 83 percent.
Lane County Commissioner
Sid Leiken had 22 percent of
the vote, according to unofi-
cial totals.
Avakian and Richardson
will face each other in the
November general election.
Richardson said Tues-
day night that he was ready
to campaign against Avakian
based on their different views
on the role of the secretary of
state.
“Brad Avakian wants to
investigate and go after pri-
vate businesses,” Richard-
son said, referring to Ava-
kian’s plan to have state
auditors begin investigat-
ing complaints against state
contractors. “My opinion is
the secretary of state should
be rolling out the red carpet
to businesses in other states
and countries, as well as in
Oregon.”
Richardson said the
Audits Division in the Secre-
tary of State’s Ofice is sup-
posed to review state pro-
Pamplin Media Group
Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian has won the
Democratic nomination for secretary of state. He will
face Republican Dennis Richardson in November.
grams in order to
and archivist.
“show that the peo-
Recently, Ava-
ple’s money is well
kian and Devlin
spent and (Avaki-
attacked
Hoyle
an’s) approach will
for accepting a
be to ignore the
$250,000 donation
waste that is tak-
in April from bil-
ing place in pub-
lionaire gun control
lic
departments
advocate Michael
and programs and
Bloomberg. Ava-
go after private
kian’s campaign
Dennis
businesses.”
accused
Devlin
Richardson
Avakian, who
of accepting cam-
fought to set himself apart as paign donations from groups
the most progressive politi- that beneited inancially
cian in the Democratic pri- from legislation Devlin
mary, could not be reached championed.
for comment Tuesday night.
And a week before the pri-
In a press release statement, mary, Hoyle also faced an
Avakian’s campaign manager attack ad by the Humane Soci-
Brad Pyle described Rich- ety that took her to task for
ardson as an “extreme right killing a 2015 bill that would
wing” politician.
have banned sales of ivory
The Democratic primary and rhino tusks in Oregon.
remained contentious up
Earlier this month, a poll
until the 8 p.m. Tuesday elec- commissioned by OPB and
tion deadline, as the candi- Fox 12 showed the three
dates increasingly went on Democrats were in a dead
the attack in an attempt to heat. Avakian was expected
gain a lead in the tight race. to win 21 percent of the vote,
Early on, Hoyle and Devlin Hoyle was second with 16
critiqued Avakian for prom- percent and Devlin had 13
ising to create renewable percent, a margin of error
energy and civics education of plus or minus 5.7 per-
programs, which are outside cent. Most of the remaining
the secretary of state’s role of Democrats in the poll were
chief elections oficer, auditor undecided.
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