ELECTION GUIDE
Saturday, October 15, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 9A
Treasurer Candidates
TOBIAS READ
JEFF GUDMAN
CHRIS TELFER
Name: Tobias Read, Democrat
Residence: Beaverton
Occupation: State representative.
Prior government experience: State
representative, 2007-present; Oregon Retire-
ment Savings 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 billion 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 public school classrooms
by increasing investment in the state’s K-12
capital matching fund and public infrastruc-
ture. He is supportive of Measure 97, the tax
on gross sales receipts on certain corporations
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 revenues. 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
mayors, including former Portland mayor
Tom Potter; 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
commissioner, 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
oversee the state’s fi nances and communicate
effectively 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 Amer-
ican 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 invest-
ment income, thereby minimizing tuition
increases and improving student services.
In 2013, the legislature passed a bill
granting public universities the authority to
manage their fi nances, including investing
in equities. But the state’s constitution
contains a provision that “may prevent”
public universities from exercising that
authority, so voters 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,
Oregon State and Eastern Oregon universi-
ties; State Sen. Mark Hass and State Rep.
Mark Johnson.
Endorsements against: No letters
arguing against the measure have been fi led
with the Secretary of State’s Offi ce, which
published 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 veterans’ services fund. According to
calculations based on the state’s June 2016
revenue forecast, the measure would dedi-
cate approximately $9 million annually
to the fund in the next fi scal biennium.
The fund was created by the legislature to
support services — such as housing, educa-
tion 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
Oregon, 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 natural resources fund,
and the remainder are allocated 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 measure 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 general 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
controversial 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, proponents 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
associations and progressive organizations, including Yes on 97, American Feder-
ation of State, County and Municipal Employers, Oregon Education Association,
Oregon Nurses Association, Service Employees International Union, League of
Women Voters, American Federation of Teachers, NARAL Pro Choice Oregon,
Oregon Public 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
professional organizations, including No On Measure 97, Portland Business Alli-
ance, Oregon 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
portion of lottery proceeds to paying for
every Oregon student in fi fth or sixth grade
to participate 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, parent 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. Public and private school
systems would obtain $400 per pupil for
the program by fi ling paperwork with the
Oregon State University Extension Service.
Proponents tout outdoor school as a
way to advance students’ understanding
of natural science, 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 creation and retention.
Measure 99 supporters point to a
report commissioned by the Gray Family
Foundation that indicates the $22 million
annual investment will yield about $27
million in economic activity, including
support of 600 full-time jobs mostly in
rural parts of the state where the outdoor
camps are located.
Oregon is the fi rst state to vote on funding
outdoor education for all students. The
measure’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 Permanente, 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
educational 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 Depart-
ment 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 prevention 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 Educa-
tion Association has declined to endorse
the measure, 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 measure, 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’ pamphlet as of Sept. 30, although
the National Rifl e Association had voiced
some consternation about banning the
possession or sale of revolvers that have
ivory handles when a similar bill was
before the Washington Legislature 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.