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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2012)
News/Bids/Classifieds Money continued from page 1 can donate cash, but one umbrella option frequently used by officials allows them to spend the money for what the law terms ``public office-related expenses.’’ Lt. Gov. Brad Owen spent about $760 from his surplus funds account at an Olympia liquor store, reporting the items were for various functions, dignitary gifts and attor- ney dinners. Owen said drinks were served at after-hours events for state staffers and at other functions at his home. He said all of it was linked to his work in the office, noting that he wouldn’t have been able to purchase alcohol with government money. ``If there was ever a question, we’d just use the fund,’’ Owen said. Rep. Armstrong said his clothing purchases were related to his work in the Legislature. Armstrong, who also works as external affairs director for the Port of Chelan County, said he doesn’t typically wear the apparel when he isn’t doing his work as a state law- maker. ``The only thing I wear suits for is the Legislature. And I’ll probably pick out a good one to be buried in some day,’’ Armstrong said. The state Public Disclosure Commission does not main- tain explicit guidelines for what qualifies as an unreim- bursed office-related expense, and it’s the burden of the officeholder to prove that an expense is related to office work, agency spokeswoman Lori Anderson said. Anderson said she would caution public officials about using the money for clothes, car repairs or other potentially personal expenses because the items in question can’t be used for private activities and public office. An iPad pur- chased with campaign funds, for example, couldn’t be loaded with family photos or used to read a book on a plane, while clothes bought with the money could never be worn for personal events. ``Whatever they buy has to be used solely for work,’’ Anderson said. Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, reported spending $1,250 on an iPad in 2011, even though the top model only costs $700. He followed that up with the purchase of another iPad for $900 just six months later. In 2010, Ross spent more than $1,800 for a new computer for what he described as his home office. Earlier this year, Ross pulled more than $2,000 from his account for maintenance on his vehicle. Ross didn’t return calls from the AP but told the Yakima Herald-Republic the electronic devices are used for business and personal pur- poses. He also said the car repairs were related to travel to Olympia and around his district. ``There is an overlap on those expenses between a per- sonal function and a legislative function,’’ Ross told the newspaper. ``A lot of it is dependent upon correct reporting, and you need to use good judgment.’’ Ross wasn’t the only one to file for car repairs. Rep. Arm- strong, GOP Rep. Glenn Anderson of Fall City and Repub- lican state Sen. Dan Swecker of Rochester also filed for similar expenses. And Arm- strong wasn’t the only person using the account for clothes. So did Democratic state Sen. Brian Hatfield of Raymond, GOP Rep. Ed Orcutt of Kala- ma and Swecker. Swecker didn’t recall the car repair from 2009 but said the suit purchases were need- ed because he lost 60 pounds and couldn’t afford to buy brand new clothing for the legislative session. Orcutt said his clothing is used almost exclusively for work as a lawmaker. Ander- son said he puts a lot of miles on his vehicle for legislative work and has no problem fil- ing to cover some of the maintenance. Hatfield did not immediately return a call Monday. Toby Nixon, a former Republican state lawmaker who is now president of the Washington Coalition for Open Gov- ernment, said he’d like to see the state provide more explic- it guidance on what types of expenses are allowable. He also said lawmakers who would be most impacted by strict enforcement are content leaving the Public Disclosure Commission with little staff to do proactive investigations, which leads to scrutiny only when questions are raised — typically by other partisans who are subject to the same rules. ``That’s exactly the way the Legislature likes it,’’ Nixon said. Surplus accounts are such a little known sector of cam- Recently departed state Sen. Joe Zarelli sent more than $10,000 of surplus funds to a charity run by his wife and that listed Zarelli himself as secretary. That money provided about three-quarters of the charity’s contribution revenue in 2008, according to IRS records Bids/Classifieds ADDICTION COUNSELOR Train for a valuable, fulfilling career. Earn Addiction Counselor Professional Certification in Washington State. Clark College classes begin September 24. Call Dr. Mar- cia Roi, 360-992-2171 CLINIC OPERATIONS COORDINATOR 8-29-12 National College of Natural Medicine seeks to fill this part-time, 20 hr per week position to be responsible for coordinating distribution of medical and office supplies at clinic site, stocking supply closet and exam rooms, main- taining inventory, preparing exam rooms between appointments, assisting patients, students and physi- cians as needed. Full job description and application details can be found at www.ncnm.edu. 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Posi- tion open until filled. 8-29-12 paign finance law that Owen didn’t find out until recently that he hadn’t been following the rules for years. The lieu- tenant governor spent thousands of dollars from his surplus account without reporting the expenses, and he said nobody raised any questions about it until recently. ``When we heard there might be a problem, I took the ini- tiative and contacted the PDC myself and said, `What do you want us to do?’’’ Owen said. Owen, who is currently running for re-election, said state disclosure officials initially told campaign staff that expense reports were not needed, although surplus rules clearly say disclosure reports are necessary and the Public Disclosure Commission has for years maintained a fre- quently asked questions document that explicitly says sur- plus expenditures must be reported. Other campaigns have regularly submitted filings related to their accounts. Owen said he kept records of all his spending in part because he felt uncomfortable with the lack of disclosure, so he was recently able to document all the spending in recent years. Read the rest of this story online at www.theskanner.com ADVERTISEMENT FOR BID Lebanon Veterans’ Home – Bid Package #1 Early Work Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Lebanon, Oregon Advertisement for: Lebanon Veterans’ Home Early Work Lease Crutcher Lewis, LLC, serving as the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) for the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA), is soliciting bids for the construction of the Lebanon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon, Oregon. Terms and conditions of the bid are outlined in Lease Crutcher Lewis, LLC (CM/GC) “Invita- tion to Bid”, dated August 29, 2012, attached to and made a part of the Contract Documents. Bids will be received at the offices of Lease Crutcher Lewis, LLC, (CM/GC), 550 SW 12th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97205, until 1:00 P.M. PST, September 13, 2012 at which time the bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. Proposals shall be clearly marked “Lebanon Veterans’ Home Early Work” The total construction cost for Lebanon Veterans’ Home Early Work is projected to be approximately $2.4 Million. The scope of work for Early Work Bid Package #1 includes: BP #1.1 – Earthwork and Underground Utilities, BP #1.2 – Fencing, and BP #1.3 – Underground Electri- cal for the ODVA Lebanon Veterans’ Home. A MANDATORY pre-bid conference for Earthwork Subcontractors (BP #1.1) will be held starting onsite at 600 North 5th Street, Lebanon, OR on Wednesday, September 5th, at 11:00 AM. This meeting will be non-mandatory for other Subcontractors. Contract Documents and the Invitation to Bid may be reviewed at the following locations: Lease Crutcher Lewis, LLC (CM/GC)/Portland, OR; Daily Journal Plan Center/Portland, OR; Eugene Builders Exchange/Eugene, OR; Willamette Valley Builders Asso- ciation/Tangent, OR; Oregon Assoc. of Minority Enter- prises/Portland, OR; Oregon Contractors Plan Center/Clackamas, OR; Salem Contractors Exchange/Salem, OR; S.W. Washington Contractors Assoc./Vancouver, WA Contract Documents may be purchased (non-refund- able) in its entirety or in part from Precision Images, (503) 274-2030. All proposers must comply with the following require- ments: Prevailing Wage Law, ORS 279C.800-279C.870, Federal Davis-Bacon Act, Licensed with Construction Contractors Board ORS 671.530. Bidder shall indicate Resident Status per ORS 279A.120. If Required, Bidders must obtain business licenses to perform work in the City of Eugene prior to mobilizing on jobsite. Bids will not be considered unless RECEIVED by 1:00 P.M. PST on September 13 2012, and fully com- pleted in the manner provided by the “Instructions to Bidders”. RESIDENT MANAGER The Housing And Community Services Agency (HACSA) of Lane County F/T Resident Manager for Abbie Lane Townhouses, a 25-unit complex in Eugene w/additional responsibility for 22-unit Pengra Court in Springfield. Salary range $2097- $2811/mo minus $450/mo for 3-bedroom unit at Abbie Lane. Posting & application online at www.hacsa.org or 177 Day Island Rd, Eugene. TDD 541-682-3412. Appli- cation packet must be received by 4:00 PM, September 10, 2012. EOE/ADA 8-29-12 “NOTICE OF REQUIREMENT FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO ENSURE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPOR- TUNITY (Executive order 11246)”. Lease Crutcher Lewis, LLC (CM/GC) is committed to tak- ing affirmative action to encourage and facilitate the par- ticipation of minority, women-owned, and emerging small business enterprises (M/W/ESBE) in State projects and encourage Subcontractors to provide similar opportuni- ties for their subcontractors / vendors. 8-29-12 August 29, 2012 The Seattle Skanner Page 3
