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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2022)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, JANuARy 18, 2022 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher DERRICK DePLEDGE Editor Founded in 1873 SHANNON ARLINT Circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager GUEST COLUMN Statehouse security beefs up W hen I began covering the Ore- gon Legislature full time, I could enter the State Capitol anytime I wanted. As a member of the Capitol press corps, I had a key. For example, that key once allowed me into the basement press- room on a Saturday morning to catch up on work, accompanied by our son suppos- edly sleeping in his baby carrier. Oops. It seems our vocal son did not share my parenting vision of quietly bonding while working. Still that around- the-clock access has DICK been handy. I beat other HUGHES reporters on stories not because I had more tal- ent or smarts — I don’t — but because I outworked them. In the 1980s, I learned to be the last one in the pressroom each day, especially on Friday nights when state regulators tended to drop off press releases announcing the latest closures of insolvent banks. I sometimes came in on weekends to write in quiet or to check the press release dropbox. Savvy state officials, such as Secre- tary of State Norma Paulus, periodically strolled through the pressroom to share news tips before heading home. Back then, security was so relaxed that Gov. Vic Atiyeh often ate lunch in the Capitol cafeteria with everyone else. If I wanted different food options, I could walk through the Capitol Mall tunnels to cafe- terias in adjacent state buildings. And because state Senate President John Kitzhaber was not easy to catch, at the end of the day I’d occasionally hang out by his SUV – long before they were called SUVs – in the Capitol’s under- ground parking garage, hoping for a brief interview. Kitzhaber always grinned to see me, and sometimes he’d talk. I still have a Capitol exterior key, an electronic one, as do hundreds of elected officials, staff members, journalists and others. But I long ago lost entrance to the tunnels and to the Capitol basement garage. I’ve encountered locked hallway doors into the legislative office wings. And around-the-clock access into the Capitol may disappear, although that’s no longer a journalistic necessity. Legislative officials this week con- firmed what had been reported previ- ously: “Anyone entering the Capitol will be required to pass through a security checkpoint.” That entails walking through metal detectors staffed by security guards and having bags checked by hand or sent through an X-ray machine. It’s about time. I’ll have to train myself to leave my little Swiss Army pocketknife behind. Kristyna Wentz-Graff/Oregon Public Broadcasting Metal detectors are planned as part of added security at the Oregon State Capitol. The changes take effect Jan. 27. Despite the inconvenience, Oregon’s Cap- itol will remain comparatively open. In travels around the U.S., I’ve wandered freely into some state capitols but found others almost inaccessible. Thirty-three state Capitols already use metal detectors, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The Capitol security changes were expected after the 2021 Legislature banned holders of concealed weapons permits from having their firearms in the Capitol. By the way, I hear legislative management was not keen on some secu- rity upgrades suggested by the legislative employees’ new union. As for state government coverage, it too evolves. Fewer reporters work out of the Capitol pressroom, press releases arrive via email and social media, and anyone can watch legislative proceed- ings online. Though I drive by the Capitol every day or two, I’ve rarely been inside since the 2020 legislative session and the subsequent pandemic lockdowns. Meanwhile, the Legislature’s presid- ing officers – House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, who is resigning as of Jan. 21, and Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem – ordered legislative employ- ees to work remotely whenever possi- ble during this week’s Legislative Days and the 2022 Legislature, which convenes next month. The reason: COVID-19. Their memo to legislators and employ- ees said: “The Capitol is diligently work- ing to limit exposure of staff and com- munity and to only designate staff as essential when necessary. This means your manager could determine that you are essential to be in the Capitol for a par- ticular day or activity and then be returned to nonessential status. “In order to keep the Capitol commu- nity safe, each of us needs to follow the safety and health rules including wear- ing face coverings at all times and avoid- ing close contact (closer than 6 feet for 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period) whenever possible. Many of us are for- tunate and able to work remotely and are not exposed, yet we are key to protecting those who must report to the building.” Another positive COVID-19 case in the Capitol was reported last week. Where does Kristof reside: The Ore- gon Supreme Court has agreed to take up the case of whether would-be Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nicholas Kris- tof qualifies as an Oregon resident. Secre- tary of State Shemia Fagan and the state Elections Division declared him ineligi- ble to run. Molly Woon, a spokeswoman for Fagan, disputed the notion in last week’s column that there was a political push to declare Kristof ineligible. “She received no pressure whatsoever, except from the public relations campaign his campaign ran,” Woon said of Fagan. In contrast, a reader in central Ore- gon felt the description was accurate, writing: “In our view (over here!), he is a legitimate candidate, and represents new hope for Oregon — certainly in terms of dismantling what has become a 30-year Democratic bureaucratic monster.” Another reader, a tax accountant, wrote: “When I think of the definition of a resident, I center in on residency as defined for income tax purposes. … In none of the media stories I’ve read or heard do any of Mr. Kristof’s stated attributes of Oregon residency add up to him being a qualified Oregon resident for income tax filing purposes.” Kristof said that the residency issue comes up “surprisingly rarely” in his discussions with voters. “People want to talk about affordable housing. They want to talk about homelessness. They want to talk about wages,” he told me. dick Hughes has been covering the Oregon political scene since 1976.
