Page 2 Portland Observer, October 27, 1982
EDITORIAL/OPINION
0
Measure 61 - Yes
Measure 51 on the C ity b a llo t w ould
establish a police audit committee composed
o f three C ity Com m issioners and aided by
0* Governor - Kulongoski
citizen volunteers. It would monitor the police
0* House Dist. 18 - Debnam
in te rn a l
investigations
process, take
During Governor Atiyeh’s term in office the
complaints about police or by police officers,
na tion and the w orld have gone throug h a
A great deal of pride and satisfaction swept
review and make recommendations regarding
m a jo r recession. Oregon has been hit
throug h the com m unity when the Oregon
complaints where one party is dissatisfied. It
h a rd —enorm ous
deficts
in
fu n d in g ,
Legislature finally approved District 18. It was
would not investigate complaints or discipline
curtailment o f services, unemployment above
officers.
a hard fou gh t ba ttle between those who
10 per cent. We do not believe the state should
believed the coum m unity where most o f the
The police union and the police hierarchy
have been caught o f f guard— the G overnor
state’s black population live should be placed
oppose this measure—calling it an intrusion o f
and his s ta ff must have seen it com ing.
in one district for the first time—a district that
po liticia ns in to police w ork. A c tu a lly they
Governor Atiyeh clung to Reagan economics
could become a basis for unity and political
oppose any form o f outside review.
far too long—until his own state was in a crisis
and econom ic in flu e n ce —and those who
We fa vo r a true police review board that
and the election was approaching.
thought black people would do better if they
w ould a llo w members o f the p u b lic to
We do believe the Governor is sincere in his
had some influence in three or more districts as
investigate and determine discipline. Lacking
e ffo rts to include black people in state
had been the history.
this, we favor Measure 51 as a potential for
government. We find him open and honest.
The d istrict was form ed—over 50 per cent
some citizen oversight o f the Police Bureau.
However, we are extremely disappointed to
minority, but less than 50 per cent black—and
hear in his ads and his talks that he is taking
it seemed that for the first time black voters
cre dit fo r e lim in a tin g 2400 “ bureaucrats” 0
District Court, Dept. 3
w ould yield enough influence to select a
from state employment. The credit—if this is
legislator o f their choice. The organizational
Michael Marcus
really something to be proud o f—should go to
work that was necessary to coalesce the com­
Michael
Marcus is best known to the public
the economic recession. The hundreds o f jobs
m unity around one candidate and give that
because o f his w ork w ith Legal A id . Marcus
that have been lost due to budget cuts are not
candidate enough votes to win did not happen.
has
become a leading authority on la n d lo rd /
only destructive to families but to the economy
The result was a free-for-all in the Prim ary.
tenant
law, w riting most o f Oregon’ s current
as a whole.
Five black candidates ran and the result was
laws. He has represented low income tenant
Among those who have lost their jobs are
the selection o f Ed Leek, who is white, as the
groups
such as those o f Evergreen Apartments
many o f the m inority people Governor Atiyeh
Democratic Party nominee.
and
Park
Haviland who faced eviction because
has pledged to employ. During the first three
Because the feeling is s till there that this
o f lack o f enforcement o f city codes. His work
years o f A tiye h ’ s adm inistration—before the
d is tric t should be able to select a black
in landlord/tenant law has greatly added to the
cuts— black employment had dropped from
candidate, the General E lection brought
protection
o f renters against unscrupulous or
560 to 495. Blacks also lost percentage-wise in
fo u rth another slate o f candidates. Jim m y
neglectful landlords. He also has w ritte n a
nearly all salary ranges. July 1982 statistics
“ Bang Bang” W alker started his own party;
book
to inform the layman o f the law.
were not available, but with the great loss in
Kent Ford is an Independent; Rev. John
A
p
p
o in te d as a judge pro tern by the
employment this past year, we could expect
Jackson is a write-in candidate.
Supreme C ourt, he has had experience on the
that blacks have been hurt.
Late in the race, when the R epublican
bench in both cripainal and civil cases.
State Senator Ted K ulon goski has a
candidate was declared in e lig ib le , Chad
M arcus has« had valuable experience
creditable record in the Senate, where he has
Debnam was selected by that party to be its
wqrking
with people from all walks o f life. We
authored a ffirm a tiv e action b ills , m igrant
nominee. None o f the non-party candidates
believe that his history o f working to protect
labor and other labor legislation, sponsored
were w illin g to w ithdraw so wc have a four-
the
rights o f the poor w ill carry over into his
the South A frica disvestment bill, warned o f
way race.
service
on the court. He has learned first hand
the dangers and high cost o f nuclear power,
One thing Ed Leek says is true— the party
the disadvantages o f being poor when involved
opposed the WPPS plants and N orthw est
label is im portant. The two parties w ill select
in
the justice system.
Regional Power Act that raise utility bills. His
the committee memberships; the division o f
We
endorse M ichael Marcus fo r D is tric t
stand on the power issues demonstrates
power and influence w ill take place in those
Court Judge, Department 3
courage in a state that has a highly influencial
tw o party caucuses. The independent has no
private utility industry.
where to go; he gets the crumbs. D istrict 18
Kulongoski has consistantly sponsored and
deserves better.
supported legislation to protect workers, the
0 Congress, 3rd Dist:
Unlike some, we do not question Ed Leek’s
poor,
m
inorities
and
women.
His
economic
rig h t to run in D is tric t 18. We also do not
Ron Wyden
development proposal favors small business
a u to m a tica lly fa v o r a black over a w hite
and labor intensive in d ustry. His plans fo r
candidate. H ow ever, we believe that this
Ron Wyden has done a creditable job in his
stepped-up
state construction time-tables, use
district at this time would be better served by a
first term in Congress. He has become a leader
o f BPA funds for energy conservation indus­
black legislator. There is a great absence o f
in ageing issues and has brought jobs to Ore­
try , investm ent o f state funds in Oregon
black people in positions o f influence or power
gon. We do not like his career criminal bill or
instead
o f South A fric a and C a lifo rn ia —all
in this state. This is an o p p o rtu n ity fo r the
his stand on South A frica, but in most areas he
point to a more rapid recovery.
lawmakers, the decision makers, to be exposed
has a good voting record. Wyden keeps in
We believe Kulongoski has the vision and
to a black perspective.
close contact with the district and is available
energy,
the enthusiasm and leadership ability
It is w ith all this in mind that we endorse
to his constituents.
to brin g more jobs to O regon. For many
Chad Debnam fo r House D is tric t 18. We
years— both as a leg isla tor and as a union
would have prefered that Debnam had been
a
tto rn e y — his interest has been w ith the
more involved in the com m unity— “ paid his
0 Labor Commissioner:
w
orker. They are his constituents and they
dues” as they say. We would have preferred
Mike Wooten
need him now.
that he carry the Democrat label— since the
We recommend Ted K ulon goski fo r
Democrats are in power in the legislature.
The Labor and Industries Commission is re­
Governor.
On the positive side, Debnam is bright and
sponsible fo r the all-im portant C iv il Rights
concerned. He has lived in Portland most o f
Bureau. We, and the black community, are still
0* County Executive:
his life and attended school here. He has
looking fo r a Labor Commissioner who w ill
fa m ily in the D is tric t. In his w ork in
Buchanan
forcefully and diligently enforce civil rights. We
prom otion, marketing and public relations he
do not know if Mike Wooten w ill do the job
has worked with all--economic levels; he won’t
, Dennis Bushanan and Gordon Shadburne,
but we are willing to give him the opportunity.
be overly impressed or bought o f f by
both currently County Commissioners, are vy­
affluence. He is w illin g to listen to what the
ing for the position o f County Executive to be
people have to say. He has pledged to hold
vacated by Don Clark.
0 House District 13: Bauman
regular Town Hall meetings to share ideas and
During his seven years on the County Com­
in fo rm a tio n . We think Debnam would do a
mission, Buchanan has consistenly held a liberal
Rick Bauman has established a record in the
good jo b in Salem and we recommend his
voting record—supporting social and health
House
that includes support o f peoples’ utility
election.
programs, the 911 emergency system and ERA,
districts, opposition to nuclear power, support
Whether the Representative from District 18
opposed the billboard interests, etc. Shad-
of a tax structure based on ability to pay, prison
tru ly represents and serves the people o f the
burne’s record has been conservative—opposing
reform, environmental protection, strengthen­
d is tric t is e n tire ly up to the voters. No
Commission support o f ERA and the nuclear
ing education, favoring human rights and wom­
legislator should be sent to Salem to deal with
freeze, taking “ law and order” stands, and in
en’s rights. We recommend the election of Rick
the regulars and the lobbiests w ith o u t a
general supporting reduced taxes at the expense
Bauman to District 13.
co m m u n ity lo o k in g over his sholder. The
of social programs.
outcome o f this election, the performance o f
For the d iffic u lt economic times that lie
the le g isla to r elected, depend on the
ahead, we believe Buchanan has shown more
0 House Dist. 14: Gold
com m unity and its a b ility to play a positive
maturity and understanding and will better pro­
role in the political processes.
tect the rights o f those in need o f County ser­
In her first session in the House Shirley Gold
The hour is late but it is not too late to elect
vices.
made her mark. Her sensitivity to the needs o f
Debnam to the Oregon Legislature. It w ill take
Vote for Dennis Buchanan, County Execu­
young people, senior citizens and m inorities
work, effort and unity, but it ’s not impossible.
tive.
brought respect from her colleagues. A former
teacher and teacher’s union leader, she is con­
cerned about educational programs and w ork­
ers’ rights. We recommend a vote fo r Shirley
...
Portland Observer
Gold for House District 14.
HATlOMA
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House Dist. 17: Priestley
Wally Priestley is seeking his 9th term in the
House, this tim e fro m D is tric t 17, the St.
Johns area. Priestley’ s interests are with the
working class and include m inority and wom­
en’ s rights, public utilities, taxes according to
ability to pay. Vote fo r W ally Priestley, Dis­
trict 17.
0 Superintendent of Public
Instruction: Duncan
Verne Duncan has been Superintendent o f
Public Instruction since 1974. Duncan has had
teaching experience at all levels o f education.
Quiet and reserved, he has gained the reputation
of not being effective with the legislature. Per­
haps he should hire a lobbyist to serve that func­
tion. Duncan’s emphasis on basic skills—espe­
cially reading and writing—has brought up the
state’s performance in those areas. Duncan has
shown courage in tackling d iffic u lt areas—sex
education, creationism and minimum require­
ments. We recommend a vote for Verne Dun­
can.
0
NO: Measure 2
Measure 2 is an attempt to lengthen the period
o f time the Governor has to sign or veto bills.
Currently the Governor has 20 days to sign or
veto a bill, and the public has 90 days after the
Governor’s signature to file a referendum peti­
tion against the bill. Measure 2 extends the gov­
ernor’ s time from 20 to 30 days. So as not to
shorten the time available for petitioning, the
bill states that petitions can be signed following
the signature o f the leaders o f the House and
Senate rather than waiting for the Governor’s
signature. However, it does not specify how
long the House and Senate leaders have to sign.
This b ill, as now written, could endanger the
people’s right o f referendum—one o f the few
opportunities the voters have for direct partici­
pation in government.
0 YES: Measure 1
Measure 1 allows local governments to raise
their tax base to include new construction. Cur­
rently, once the voters have accepted a tax base,
no government can increase its tax base by more
than 6 per cent per year plus any increase in
property value due to annexation. This measure
would allow an annual increase (up to 15 per
cent) due to new construction. This is important
to growing districts whose needs due to growth
outstrip the current tax base.
0 County Commissioner:
Gladys McCoy
Gladys McCoy w ill work w ith Dennis Bu­
chanan to protect social and health programs
now funded by the County. In times o f eco-
momic hardship it is mandatory that Commis­
sioners understand the needs o f the elderly and
youth who require County services. Ms.
McCoy also favors City-County consolidation,
which would eliminate overlapping services and
save tax money. The Observer recommends a
vote for Gladys McCoy.
0 Wilcox, Radakovich,
Wood, Pearce
A recent ballot measure established new elec­
tive offices where appointment offices had pre­
viously existed. This forces those professionals
now holding the positions to run for office.
Jim Wilcox is currently Director of the M u lt­
nomah County Division o f Assessment and Tax­
ation. He has been with the department since
1971. The department, with a budget o f $5 m il­
lion and a staff o f 140, appraises property and
assesses taxes.
W illiam Radakovich, candidate for County
Clerk, has been director o f the M ultnom ah
County Division o f Elections since 1975. He has
been a professional with the County since 1954.
Danel Wood is seeking election to the new po­
sition o f District Court Clerk. He has been an
employee o f the M ultnom ah County D istrict
Court for 10 years and has been deputy admin­
istrator since 1979. His opponent is Rosalie
Huss, a right-wing Republican who has sought
numerous elective positions.
Fred B. Pearce, Sheriff and Director o f Public
Safety fo r M ultnom ah County, is seeking the
elective office o f Sheriff. Pearce has been with
the Sheriff’s Office for 27 years, was appointed
Assistant Director o f Public Safety in 1976 and
S heriff/D irector in 1982. The department has
300 employees and a budget o f $13 m illio n .
Pearce has had administrative experience and
extensive special training in police work and
management. His opponent, John Kerslobe, has
been a deputy sheriff for 21 years and has no ad­
ministrative experience.
The Observer recommends retaining the pro­
fessionals now in office—Wilcox, Radakovich,
Wood and Pearce.