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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016
Poll on tax plan shows voter volatility Paavo Nurmi Run
By JIM REDDEN
Capital Bureau
A new poll on the corpo-
rate sales tax measure that
will appear on the Novem-
ber ballot indicates that the
proposal is not only contro-
versial, but also volatile.
The latest poll shows the
measure, known as Initia-
tive Petition 28, being sup-
ported by 65 percent of
Oregon voters. However, a
survey by iCitizen, a non-
partisan public involve-
ment company, also shows
that supporters aren’t fixed
in their viewpoint. Among
those surveyed, 29 percent
were “strongly” in favor of
the measure, while 36 per-
cent said they “somewhat”
favored it.
According to the poll of
555 registered voters, which
was conducted online, the
tax is opposed by 19 percent
of respondents, with 16 per-
cent undecided. More than
half of the “no” voters char-
acterize their opposition as
strong.
‘Very fluid issue’
The iCitizen poll is one
of at least three recently
released polls on the tax pro-
posal, and its results dif-
fer markedly from previous
surveys that showed weaker
support for the measure.
A DHM Research poll
done in May for Oregon
Public Broadcasting and
television station KPTV
found 51 percent in favor, 32
percent opposed and 18 per-
cent undecided.
A poll released in June
by Salem’s Action Solutions
showed 41 percent would
support IP28, with 23 per-
cent opposed and 35 percent
undecided.
The questions in the
three polls were also differ-
ent. For example, the Action
Solutions poll asked voters
to respond to a short ver-
sion of the ballot title. DHM
Research asked voters to
respond to a longer version
of the title. The iCitizen poll
paraphrased the title and
summary, and also called it
“the Business Tax Increase
Initiative,” a term that will are going to finally improve
not appear on the ballot.
our badly underfunded
Traditionally, support for schools and critical services,
ballot measures falls as cam- large, out-of-state corpora-
paigns get underway. The tions are going to have to
iCitizen poll found that IP28 start paying their fair share.”
support drops sharply (par-
ticularly among Republican
What is IP28?
voters) if respondents are
The initiative has been
offered an opposing argu- certified for the November
ment. Although the tax could election but not yet been
provide needed funding for given the measure number
popular state programs, sup- that will appear on voters’
port drops to 55 percent if ballots. It is sponsored by a
respondents are told oppo- coalition of labor, social jus-
nents claim the
tice and small busi-
additional tax bur-
ness organizations
‘This called Our Oregon.
den will hurt busi-
nesses in Oregon.
It would impose a
is a
“This is a very
2.5 percent tax on
fluid issue,” says
the sales of “C”
very
Mark Keida, iCit-
corporations
that
izen’s
director
fluid exceed $25 million
of research. He
a year, generating an
said the language issue.’ estimated $3 billion
explaining
the
a year in additional
Mark
measure that will
tax revenue. The
appear on the bal-
measure says the
Keida
iCitizen’s
lot is favorable to
funds are to be spent
director of
supporters.
But,
on education, health
research.
he noted, “Support
care and senior ser-
disappears fast if
vices, although the
an opposition argument is Legislature could change
mentioned.”
that.
Rebecca Tweed, who is
Our Oregon is supported
helping lead opposition to largely by public employee
IP28 as campaign coordi- unions, including the Ore-
nator for Defeat the Tax on gon Education Association.
Oregon Sales, found the poll
The measure is opposed
hard to believe. “This poll by much of the business
is dramatically inconsis- community, including the
tent with other public poll- Portland Business Alliance
ing, including polls the Port- and the Westside Economic
land Tribune has published Alliance. A report released
previously.
in May by the Legislative
“As the nonpartisan Leg- Revenue Office found it
islative Revenue Office would slow income, employ-
made clear in its IP28 anal- ment and population growth
ysis last month, the bulk of during the next five years.
this $6 billion tax on Ore- Among other things, the
gon sales will be passed on report said IP28 would be
to consumers through higher equivalent to a $600 per per-
prices for groceries, medi- son tax increase each year.
cine, electricity, gas, insur-
The Legislative Reve-
ance, phone services — nue Office also found that,
essentials people buy every although only about 1,000
day. The more Oregonians corporations would pay the
learn about IP28, the less additional tax, they account
they like it.”
for 88 percent of the cor-
Asked to comment on the porate retail trade in Ore-
new poll, Katherine Dries- gon. Utilities such as Port-
sen, press secretary for the land General Electric and
IP28 campaign committee, large grocery and depart-
said, “When you look across ment stores would be among
the country, Oregon is dead the entities required to pay
last in corporate taxes. Ore- the tax.
gon voters know that if we
The iCitizen poll showed
support for IP28 is strongest
among Democrats, men and
young voters. Young voters
are the least likely to return
their ballots.
When the opposition
argument is added, support
for IP28 drops among all
demographic categories, but
especially among Republi-
cans (from 47 percent to 29
percent).
Support for
three more
Pollsters also gauged
support for three other bal-
lot measures headed for the
November ballot. Initiative
Petition 68 would prohibit
the sale in Oregon of prod-
ucts made from 12 types of
exotic or endangered ani-
mals. Backers of the mea-
sure, known as the Wildlife
Tracking Prevention Act,
expect to submit more than
enough signatures to place
the measure on the ballot in
the coming days. The iCiti-
zen survey found 85 percent
of respondents favored the
measure.
Responses to the other
two proposals were far less
conclusive. The poll found
that 50 percent of respon-
dents oppose Senate Joint
Resolution 4, a legislative
referral to remove the man-
datory retirement age for
judges in the state, which
is 75. Only 36 percent sup-
port it, while 15 percent are
unsure. Interestingly, older
voters were the most likely
to support keeping the man-
datory retirement age.
Initiative Petition 49,
which would restrict the
Legislature’s use of emer-
gency clauses on legislation
has support from 35 per-
cent of voters polled, but
even more (39 percent) are
unsure.
The
iCitizen
online
poll of 555 registered Ore-
gon voters was conducted
between June 23 and 27.
The data were weighed to
U.S. Census benchmarks for
gender, age, region, educa-
tion, income, and race. The
margin of error for the full
sample was plus or minus 4
percent.
on tap for July 30
The Daily Astorian
The annual Paavo Nurmi
Run is scheduled for Sat-
urday, July 30, as part of
the annual Finnish-Ameri-
can Folk Festival in Naselle,
Washington. The race, named
after the famed Finnish run-
ner, starts at 8 a.m.
Nurmi (1897-1973) was
an Olympic gold medal win-
ner in 1920, 1924 and 1928.
He was nicknamed the “Fly-
ing Finn,” as he set 22 ofi-
cial world records at distances
between 1,500 meters and
20 kilometers, and won nine
gold and three silver medals
in his 12 events in the Olym-
pic Games.
At his peak, Nurmi was
undefeated at distances from
800 meters and upwards for
121 races. Throughout his
14-year career, he remained
unbeaten in cross country
events and the 10,000 meters.
The Paavo Nurmi Run is
a 5K (3.1 miles) course. Reg-
istration is $15 for the run/
walk, which does not include
T-shirt; a $25 registration fee
includes a T-shirt. There will
be limited race T-shirts avail-
able July 30. Participants
can preregister before July
15 to ensure receiving a race
T-shirt.
The course will begin
and end at the Naselle High
School track. Runners and
walkers should be aware the
course is a gravel road.
Awards will be presented
at 9:30 a.m. at the high school
track, with a variety of awards
and medals given to the
youngest, oldest, fastest male,
fastest female, and the runner
who traveled the farthest to
participate.
A Pannukakku Breakfast
(Finnish pancake) is avail-
able for purchase beginning
at 7 a.m. at the ESA, Alpha
Theta booth located inside the
school and will be available
after the race.
For more information,
contact Haleigh See, at
haleigh_see11@hotmail.com.
Junes drives Astoria Ford
past Cheesemakers, 5-0
The Daily Astorian
TILLAMOOK — The
Astoria Ford Junior State
baseball team cruised past Til-
lamook Tuesday night, 5-0, in
the irst of a two-game series
with the Cheesemakers.
The Fishermen went with
their young squad to easily
defeat Tillamook, as Colby
Junes started on the mound
and pitched ive scoreless
innings, with Will Reed pitch-
ing the inal two innings.
Defensively, Astoria Ford
turned three double plays and
also hit the ball well, as var-
sity players Ole Englund,
Jasyn Gohl and Trey Hage-
man coached the team to
victory.
Astoria Ford returns to
action at 6 p.m. Thursday, in
a single game vs. Tillamook at
Aiken Field.
SCOREBOARD
SPORTS SCHEDULE
THURSDAY
Junior State Baseball — Tillamook at Astoria Ford, 6 p.m.; Clatskanie
at Warrenton (2), 4 p.m.
FRIDAY
Junior State Baseball — Madison at Astoria Ford, 5 p.m.; West Salem
at Astoria Ford, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Junior State Baseball — Madison at Astoria Ford, 10 a.m.; West Sa-
lem at Astoria Ford, 11:30 a.m.; Madison vs. West Salem, 2 p.m.; War-
renton at Clatskanie (2), 1 p.m.
Wolf delisting lawsuit
against Oregon reinstated
Associated Press
PORTLAND — The Ore-
gon Court of Appeals has
decided to reconsider a lawsuit
against the state that was dis-
missed a couple months ago
over its decision last year to
remove the gray wolf from the
endangered species list.
It means environmental-
ists will have another chance
to argue for an independent,
judicial review of the delist-
ing decision — as well as chal-
lenge the validity of House
Bill 4040, one of the Legisla-
ture’s most controversial new
laws this year that ultimately
led to the case’s dismissal in
late April.
“The issues presented by
this judicial review and by
HB 4040 are complex mat-
ters of public importance,”
Judge Erika Hadlock wrote in
the court’s decision Tuesday.
“Without deciding what, if
any, effect HB 4040 has on this
judicial review, the court deter-
mines that the issues of possi-
ble mootness and the validity
of HB 4040 are more appro-
priately decided by a depart-
ment of the court following
full brieing.”
The controversy stems from
the Oregon Fish and Wild-
life Commission’s Novem-
ber decision to delist the gray
wolf as endangered, a move
aimed at managing the spe-
cies’ replenishing population
that environmentalists say was
premature and based on ques-
tionable science.
As
environmentalists
were asking the court for a
review of the delisting deci-
sion, some Republican law-
makers crafted HB 4040 as a
means to block the case. The
idea was that, with the Leg-
islature’s stamp of approval
that the decision was air-tight
according to law, review-
ing that decision was a moot
Are you interested in participating in g a in a
heart health study?
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
A female wolf from the Minam pack outside La Grande,
is pictured after it was fitted with a tracking collar. The
Oregon Court of Appeals, on Tuesday, has decided to re-
consider a lawsuit against the state that was dismissed a
couple months ago over its decision last year to remove
the gray wolf from the endangered species list.
point and the case itself,
therefore, would be too.
The bill was blasted by
many residents, conservation-
ists and Democratic leaders,
including Oregon Rep. Peter
DeFazio, as an overreach by
the Legislature into judicial
branch-matters and therefore
potentially unconstitutional —
an argument environmentalists
reiterated in court this week.
Oregon Attorney Gen-
eral Ellen Rosenblum iled a
“notice of probable mootness”
soon after HB 4040 was signed
into law, prompting the case’s
dismissal on those grounds on
April 22.
Nick Cady, attorney for
Eugene-based Cascadia Wild-
lands, which brought the case
along with Oregon Wild and
the Center for Biological
Diversity, said the case was
reconsidered after they chal-
lenged the constitutionality of
HB 4040 and also the court’s
process for the dismissing the
suit.
“It’s really a crazy, convo-
luted issue that makes it that
much more confusing,” Cady
said. “Now we’re going to
be dodging around the issue
of whether or not (the wild-
life commission) used the
best-available science, which
is why we were all here in the
irst place, and now we have
to also argue about separa-
tion of powers and other legal
nuances that’s just going to
make this more convoluted.”
Oficials at the wildlife
department and Gov. Kate
Brown’s ofice declined to
comment. The Oregon Cattle-
man’s Association, an inter-
vener in the lawsuit that also
helped craft HB 4040, didn’t
respond to a request for
comment.
Mary Anne Nash, public
policy counsel Oregon Farm
Bureau, also an intervener,
said in a statement her group
didn’t take a position on Tues-
day’s reconsideration.
“However, nothing in the
ruling pertains to the merits
of the Commission’s decision
to delist the wolf, which Farm
Bureau irmly believes was
good law and good policy,”
Nash said.
Dr. Diana Rinkevich and her research team are holding a recruit-
ment event at Columbia Memorial Hospital on July 7th, 8th and 9th.
Staf will be onsite to discuss the study and enroll those who are
interested in participating.
Diana Rinkevich, MD of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and
Columbia Memorial Hospital (CMH) is conducing a study to determine
how levels of eicosanoids, which are substances found in blood, difer
between men and women and between women who are in menopause
and those who are not. We are currently enrolling men and women
aged 18 and older.
Paricipants in this study will have one visit to the CMH Cardiology
Clinic to complete quesionnaires, have vital measurements taken, and
have a fasing single blood draw. At years one and two, you will receive
a follow-up quesionnaire to be returned by mail.
questionnaire to be returned by mail.
For more information, please contact:
Sarah Egan (503) 494-4614 egans@ohsu.edu
2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • 503-325-4321
www.columbiamemorial.org • A Planetree-Designated Hospital