THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016
11A
ELECTION GUIDE
Treasurer Candidates
TOBIAS READ
JEFF GUDMAN
CHRIS TELFER
Name: Tobias Read, Democrat
Residence: Beaverton
Occupation: State representative.
Prior government experience: State repre-
sentative, 2007-present; Oregon Retirement Sav-
ings Board, 2009-present.
Positions: Read wants to make the state’s
investment decisions available online and cut
“ineffi ciency and waste” in the management of
taxpayer funds and wants to address the $22 bil-
lion unfunded liability of the Public Employee
Retirement System (PERS). Read also says he
wants to cut costs by making some of the state’s
investment decisions “in-house” and reducing
the amount of work farmed out to investors on
Wall Street. Other goals include repairing pub-
lic school classrooms by increasing investment in
the state’s K-12 capital matching fund and pub-
lic infrastructure. He is supportive of Measure 97,
the tax on gross sales receipts on certain corpora-
tions exceeding $25 million in sales in Oregon.
Key endorsements: Labor and pro-choice
groups, as well as U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff
Merkley; Current State Treasurer and Portland
Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler.
Fun fact: Read formerly designed footwear
for Nike.
Name: Jeff Gudman, Republican
Residence: Lake Oswego
Occupation: Financial analyst, investor.
Prior government experience: Lake Oswego
City Councilor, 2010-present.
Positions: Calling himself a “budget hawk,”
Gudman is calling for “smarter” management of
the state’s fi nances, and wants to tackle PERS,
education and infrastructure with existing rev-
enues. He opposes Measure 97. He has voiced
support for harvesting timber from state lands,
such as the Elliott State Forest, and has criticized
the details of the state’s plan to sell the forest at a
fi xed price.
Key endorsements: A roster of Oregon may-
ors, including former Portland mayor Tom Pot-
ter; and Andy Duyk, the chair of the Washington
County Commission
Fun fact: A longtime swimmer, Gudman still
races and has previously served as treasurer of
USA Swimming, the sport’s governing body.
Name: Chris Telfer, Independent
Residence: Bend
Occupation: Certifi ed Public Accountant,
accounting instructor at OSU-Cascades.
Prior government experience: Lottery com-
missioner, 2013-present; Oregon state senator,
2008-2012; Bend city councilor, 2002-2008.
Positions: Telfer, who says her experiences as
a CPA and state legislator will allow her to over-
see the state’s fi nances and communicate effec-
tively with the legislature, also wants to take on
PERS. She’s said she wants to bring marijuana
banking into the mainstream with a place for
electronic deposits of payments for marijuana
called the “Oregon Vault,” and has suggested an
initiative she calls “BudBuddy” — an electronic
payment system she compares to PayPal, but for
pot products. She opposes Measure 97.
Key endorsements: State Sens. Brian Boquist
and Chris Edwards have thrown their lots in for
Telfer.
Fun Fact: A self-described “history buff,”
Telfer takes a particular interest in the American
Revolution and the Civil War.
Measure 98
Measure 95
What it does: Allows Oregon’s public
universities to invest in equities.
Endorsements for: Supporters say that
investing in equities would reduce “fi nancial
risk,” and could increase investment income,
thereby minimizing tuition increases and
improving student services.
In 2013, the legislature passed a bill grant-
ing public universities the authority to man-
age their fi nances, including investing in
equities. But the state’s constitution contains
a provision that “may prevent” public univer-
sities from exercising that authority, so vot-
ers need to approve the amendment to allow
the practice.
Supporters include Randall Edwards,
who was state treasurer from 2001-2009; the
presidents of the University of Oregon, Ore-
gon State and Eastern Oregon universities;
State Sen. Mark Hass and State Rep. Mark
Johnson.
Endorsements against: No letters argu-
ing against the measure have been fi led with
the Secretary of State’s Offi ce, which pub-
lished its voters’ pamphlet for military and
overseas voters in September.
Measure 96
What it does: Devotes 1.5 percent of
net proceeds from the state lottery to a vet-
erans’ services fund. According to calcula-
tions based on the state’s June 2016 revenue
forecast, the measure would dedicate approx-
imately $9 million annually to the fund in
the next fi scal biennium. The fund was cre-
ated by the legislature to support services —
such as housing, education and healthcare —
for Oregon residents who served in one of the
branches of the military.
Endorsements for: Various legislators
and veterans’ organizations, including the
head of the United Veterans’ Groups of Ore-
gon, support the measure. Supporters say the
measure could improve services for veterans
on both state and federal levels, not only by
providing funding for state services but also
by “unlocking” federal benefi ts that kick in
with state contributions.
Endorsements against: The City Club of
Portland has come out against the measure,
saying it could reduce funding for other state
services paid for with lottery funds. Currently,
15 percent of net proceeds go to an education
stability fund, 18 percent to a parks and natu-
ral resources fund, and the remainder are allo-
cated by the legislature to generally support
economic development and job creation.
The city club also said that the measure
doesn’t lay out a “specifi c mechanism for
generating new funds” although supporters
tout the federal funding that would be newly
available. Further, the club argues, the mea-
sure doesn’t say whether the 1.5 percent of
lottery funds will supplement the Oregon
Department of Veterans’ Affairs budget or
replace agency funding from the state’s gen-
eral fund.
Measure 97
What it does: Measure 97 levies a 2.5 percent corporate sales tax on Oregon
sales of certain corporations exceeding $25 million. The so-called “gross receipts”
tax, advanced by a group of employee unions, has emerged as the most controver-
sial proposal on this year’s ballot and has spawned a campaign battle on social media
and the airwaves.
Proponents, including Gov. Kate Brown, argue that it is the only viable option for
avoiding cuts in state services. Lawmakers have for years failed to tackle tax reform
in the state. Measure 97 offers a reliable infl ux of an estimated of $3 billion in new
tax revenue each year, which could be used for education, health care and seniors
services. Meanwhile, the tax targets less than 1 percent of the state’s businesses –
mostly large and out-of-state corporations. Corporations also pay 6.7 percent of the
state’s overall income taxes, an inequity that Measure 97 could help address, propo-
nents say.
Opponents of the tax measure contend that companies will pass on much of the
cost of the tax to consumers. They cite a Legislative Revenue Offi ce study that shows
the typical family will pay $600 more per year in the form of higher prices and lost
job opportunities because of the tax. The offi ce estimated that economic growth
would slow by about 38,000 jobs. Opponents argue the tax is unfair because it taxes
sales rather than profi ts and targets businesses solely on the way they chose to pay
their taxes.
Endorsements for: A broad coalition of public employee unions, education asso-
ciations and progressive organizations, including Yes on 97, American Federation
of State, County and Municipal Employers, Oregon Education Association, Oregon
Nurses Association, Service Employees International Union, League of Women Vot-
ers, American Federation of Teachers, NARAL Pro Choice Oregon, Oregon Pub-
lic Health Association, Progressive Party of Oregon, Latinos Unidos Siempre, Main
Street Alliance of Oregon, Oregon AFL-CIO, United Academics of the University of
Oregon, Freedom Socialist Party and Right 2 Dream Too.
Endorsements against: The measure is opposed by many business and profes-
sional organizations, including No On Measure 97, Portland Business Alliance, Ore-
gon Small Business Association, Oregon Bankers Association, Oregon Association
of Realtors, Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Cattlemens Association, Oregon Wheat
Growers League, Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, Oregon Business
Council, Oregon Brewers Guild, Oregon Forest Industries Council, Oregon Fuels
Association, Associated Oregon Loggers, Associated Wall and Ceiling Contractors,
and Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce.
Measure 99
What it does: Measure 99 dedicates a por-
tion of lottery proceeds to paying for every
Oregon student in fi fth or sixth grade to partic-
ipate in the state’s nearly 60-year tradition of
outdoor school.
About half of the pupils in those grades
now have access to the residential fi eld science
program through a mix of private grants, par-
ent fees and local fundraising.
The measure creates a special reserve for
outdoor school and appropriates 4 percent of
lottery proceeds, limited to $22 million per
year, to that fund. The money is intended to
pay for at least one week of outdoor school
when students are in fi fth or sixth grade. Pub-
lic and private school systems would obtain
$400 per pupil for the program by fi ling paper-
work with the Oregon State University Exten-
sion Service.
Proponents tout outdoor school as a way to
advance students’ understanding of natural sci-
ence, develop teamwork and leadership skills
and fuel interest in school and certain career
paths.
State Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose,
and economic development associations have
opposed the proposal because it diverts money
from economic and business development.
Economic development now receives about
27 percent of lottery funds to stimulate job cre-
ation and retention.
Measure 99 supporters point to a report
commissioned by the Gray Family Foundation
that indicates the $22 million annual invest-
ment will yield about $27 million in economic
activity, including support of 600 full-time jobs
mostly in rural parts of the state where the out-
door camps are located.
Oregon is the fi rst state to vote on funding
outdoor education for all students. The mea-
sure’s supporters launched an initiative petition
process to dedicate funding for the program,
after state lawmakers set up the framework for
a statewide outdoor school program in 2015
but declined to give it a reliable funding source.
Endorsements in support: Save Outdoor
School for All, Gov. Kate Brown, Kaiser Per-
manente, Oregon Public Health Institute, Care
Oregon and Upstream Public Health, Nike Inc.
and Keen Footwear
Endorsements in opposition: State Sen.
Betsy Johnson.
What it does: Measure 98 requires that a
portion of new state revenue go toward edu-
cational programs aimed at improving the
state’s graduation rate. About 74 percent of
Oregon high school students graduate in four
years, according to the Oregon Department of
Education.
In the absence of a governmental effort to
boost the graduation rate, Stand for Children,
former Gov. Ted Kulongoski and the Latino
Network teamed up to get the Oregonians for
High School Success Initiative on the ballot.
The measure would dedicate at least $800 per
student to programs aimed at dropout pre-
vention and career and college readiness. In
2017-18, that would amount to an estimated
$147 million for high school programs.
The Oregon Department of Education
would be responsible for divvying out the
money to school districts through a grant
application process and monitoring perfor-
mance of the programs. The measure also
requires the Secretary of State’s Offi ce to
audit the use of the funds every two years.
The measure includes a safety valve that
allows for a smaller prorated allocation when
new state revenue falls below $1.5 billion in
a particular year.
No organized opposition has formed to
defeat the measure, but the Oregon Education
Association has declined to endorse the mea-
sure, calling it a “one-size-fi ts-all” response
to a larger problem.
Measure 100
What it does: Prohibits the purchase,
sale and possession with intent to sell of
items that are made with certain species of
endangered animals. People who violate the
measure are subject to civil penalties — no
greater than $6,500 or twice the value of the
animal part or product, whichever is greater.
The animals include elephant, rhino, whale,
tiger, lion, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, pangolin,
sea turtle, and shark, with the exception of
the spiny dogfi sh.
Endorsements for: A litany of wildlife
advocates have voiced support for the mea-
sure, as has U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer,
D-Portland. Proponents say that prohibiting
the sale of such products will “shut down”
the market in Oregon for illegal traffi cking
in wildlife products, although the practice is
already illegal under federal law.
Endorsements against: No arguments
in opposition to the measure were fi led with
the Oregon Secretary of State’s voters’ pam-
phlet as of Sept. 30, although the National
Rifl e Association had voiced some conster-
nation about banning the possession or sale
of revolvers that have ivory handles when a
similar bill was before the Washington Leg-
islature last year. The Oregon measure has
exceptions for certain items that are 100
years old or older, provided that the total
weight of the animal part is no greater than
200 grams.