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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 2014)
Opinion The Skanner News Endorsements “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor S ystematic attacks on voting rights around the country, alongside exploding issues of street vio- lence and racial justice, are bringing the public focus firmly to the ballot as a tool for making our commu- nities better places to live and work. We at The Skanner News believe strongly in voter participation. We encour- age you to support these ballot measures and vote on Nov. 4. We are watching this election Day with interest, because the critical measures on the ballot point to a more interesting midterm election than usual. Will there be a large voter turnout? We sure hope so – with gun con- trol and transit funding on the line in Washington State, as well as retail cannabis and legal driving cards for undocumented motorists in Oregon, there are game- changing initiatives awaiting your participation. ———— OREGON CANDIDATES ———— J ERRY F OSTER Advertising Manager L ISA L OVING News Editor H ELEN S ILVIS Multimedia Editor P ATRICIA I RVIN D AVID K IDD Graphic Designer Sen. Jeff Merkley Susanne Bonamici Earl Blumenauer Kurt Schrader M ONICA J. F OSTER Seattle Office Coordinator GOveRNOR OF OReGON J ULIE K EEFE S USAN F RIED Photographers u.S. SeNatOR Jeff Merkley u.S. RePReSeNtatIve 1st District Suzanne Bonamici 3rd District earl Blumenauer 5th District Kurt Schrader The Skanner Newspaper, established in October 1975, is a weekly publica- We are faced again with a lack of choic- es for state leadership. Gov. John Kitzhaber has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Cover Oregon should have been his golden moment – but his lack of oversight in $250 million of federal funds resulted in one of the biggest scandals in Oregon history. We believe the incumbent is unresponsive to the needs of diverse communities, but at the same time, candidate Dennis Richardson’s views on women’s issues are extremely conservative, and he has no record of working on issues critical to people of color. that is why we cannot endorse any of the candidates for gov- ernor. The Skanner News endorses these unopposed candidates: State Senator, 23rd District Michael Dembrow State Representative, 43rd District Lew Frederick State Representative, 44th District tina Kotek State Representative, 45th District Barbara Smith Warner State Representative, 46th District alissa Keny-Guyer State Representative, 47th District Jessica vega Pederson tion, published each Wednesday by ———— MEASURES ———— IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ- ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. OReGON State BaLLOt MeaSuReS Measure 86 amends the Oregon Consti- tution to create a fund for Oregonians pur- suing post-secondary education; authorizes debt to finance. If passed this law would allow the legis- lature to sell bonds for a higher education loan fund benefitting college students as well as career training programs; it would not raise taxes, but it would give state law- makers more tools to help college and trade school students get the best educa- tion they can. We vote YeS. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2014 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds Measure 87 allows judges to be hired by the National Guard and public universities; allows school employees to serve in the legislature. This is little more than a housekeeping measure, brushing cobwebs out of our state Constitution. It would have no finan- cial impact; why shouldn’t state court judges join the National Guard or take a teaching job at a college if they choose? We vote YeS. Measure 88 upholds four-year driver licenses for those who cannot prove legal presence in the United States. Our communities are far from reaching a consensus on improving our immigration laws and processes; but whatever you may think about the reform debate, this measure would make our roads safer and encourage a more humane attitude towards working families across the state. We vote YeS. Measure 89 guarantees equal rights regardless of sex. Some people say Oregon doesn’t need an Equal Rights Amendment for women; at the same time, women are at the bot- tom of the socioeconomic ladder, with lower pay, less political representation and few corner offices in the corporate sector. Four retired state Supreme Court justices have made an open appeal for passage of this measure. We vote YeS. Page 2 The Portland and Seattle Skanner October 29, 2014 Ballot Measures 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 State OF OReGON Yes on Measure 86 Yes on Measure 87 Yes on Measure 88 Yes on Measure 89 No on Measure 90 Yes on Measure 91 Yes on Measure 92 CItY OF PORtLaND 4 Yes on Measure 26-159 MetRO DIStRICt 4 Yes on Measure 26-160 4 Yes on Measure 26-161 WaShINGtON 5 No on Initiative 1351 5 No on Initiative 591 5 Yes on Initiative 594 SeattLe 4 Yes on Early Learning Proposition 1B 4 Yes on Transportation Benefit Proposition 1 Measure 90 creates an open, top-two primary election system. We are leery of changing the state elec- tions system, especially after a sketchy campaign in which the ‘Yes on 90’ camp filed fake Voters Guide statements and even created a fake website to lampoon its opponents. Top Two has not resulted in less contentious elections or more ethnic representation in the two states in which it has passed – despite claims to the con- trary. We vote NO. Measure 91 legalizes recreational mari- juana; tasks Oregon Liquor Control Com- mission with regulation of its sale. Of all ballot measures facing voters in Oregon, this might be the most far-reach- ing. As the so-called War on Drugs has failed to stem their use and has filled our jails and prisons with low-level offenders – all at taxpayer expense – this measure might be the best chance we have to restore some sanity to the system. Legal- ize it, regulate it like alcohol, and create a new revenue stream for the state. We vote YeS. Measure 92 mandates labeling of cer- tain foodstuffs that contain genetically modified organisms. We want to know what’s in the food we’re eating – what’s wrong with that? We vote YeS. CItY OF PORtLaND Measure No: 26-159 continues bonds to fix playgrounds, trails; improve park facili- ties, safety, and accessibility. This measure continues the already- existing parks bond, which is modest and has so far been very well spent by Port- land Parks & Recreation. Funding parks is one of the best investments we can make in community health, violence prevention and quality of life. We vote YeS. MetRO DIStRICt Measure No: 26-160 would retain the prohibition on Metro-required single-family neighborhood density increases. If passed, this measure would continue a voter-imposed limitation on Metro’s plan- ning power – specifically it keeps Metro fromrequiring more infill homes in neigh- borhoods for the next 16 years. We vote YeS.
