BOYS HOOPS: Sharp-shooting Tigers claw past Rockets | SPORTS, B1
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143rd Year, No. 74
REGONIAN
TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2019
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
HOOPS AND
HOSPITALITY
Starnes crusades
for campaign
fi nance reform
Independent candidate
dropped out of governor’s
race with Brown’s promise to
pursue goals
By PARIS ACHEN
Oregon Capital Bureau
he said locals do feel the impact during
tournament weekends.
“I think the word is out when it’s
tournament weekend, don’t go out to
lunch or dinner,” Usher said. “It will be
Patrick Starnes, former candidate for gov-
ernor, earns a living now as a carpenter reno-
vating an 1878 house in Brownsville.
In his spare time, he is working to remodel
Oregon’s campaign fi nance laws to cut the
infl uence of major donors.
Limiting campaign money was a primary
plank for Starnes as he cam-
paigned for governor last year
as the candidate of the Inde-
pendent Party of Oregon. He
took no more than $100 from
any single donor though Ore-
gon law would have allowed
Starnes
him to take checks of any
size.
Shortly before the election, he dropped out
in a deal with Democratic Gov. Kate Brown,
getting from her promise to champion cam-
paign fi nance limits in the 2019 Legislature.
He means to hold her to that promise and is
continuing his one-man campaign for reform.
He calls on the governor’s offi ce regularly
to check on campaign fi nance proposals. He’s
been assigned a point person in the Gover-
nor’s Offi ce, executive assistant Jack Polales,
to meet with weekly.
“The commitment is important to see
it through rather than getting the promises
from everyone,” Starnes said.
He also shows up at legislators’ offi ces,
sometimes unannounced, with a bright smile
on his face and a ready speech on why there
should be controls on how much donors can
spend on political campaigns.
On Wednesday, for instance, he met indi-
vidually with Sens. Ginny Burdick, Fred
Girod, Tim Knopp and Floyd Prozanski.
“Since I am new to the Capitol, it is more
introductory,” Starnes said Friday. “If you
haven’t heard about me, this is who I am, and
this is what I campaigned on. I want to hear
from them mostly what their questions are
and what their solutions are.”
Some legislators have already agreed to
support a constitutional amendment needed
to make limits legal.
“Some lawmakers aren’t interested in it
and don’t think it’s a big issue,” Starnes said.
His dream is to limit campaign contribu-
tions to $1,000 for individuals and political
action committees each election cycle.
In 1997, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled
that such limits violated Oregonians’ con-
stitutional right to free speech, but voters
could authorize the caps by approving an
amendment.
Legislators in each chamber have pro-
posed separate referrals to voters revising
different parts of the Constitution. The leg-
islation would let voters decide whether to
allow caps but proposes no specifi c limit.
Currently, donors can give as much as they
want.
For instance, former Nike CEO Phil
Knight contributed $2.5 million to the cam-
paign of state Rep. Knute Buehler, the Repub-
lican nominee challenging Brown. Knight
contributed another $1 million to the Repub-
lican Governors Association, which itself
See Hoops, Page A10
See Starnes, Page A10
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
The Moriarty family traveled from their home in Idaho for the Best of the West AAU basketball tournament. They took a break for
lunch Saturday at Subway in Hermiston. Parker, 11, (in red) and Cooper, 8, play on diff erent Idaho Elite teams.
Hermiston economy scores
big with AAU tournament
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
AAU youth basketball coaches
weren’t the only ones going to their
benches during the 16th annual Best of
the West tournament.
With an estimated infl ux of 4,000
people in Hermiston over the weekend,
area businesses changed their regular
game plans to help accommodate lodg-
ing and meal options for teams.
“When we have these teams coming
in, we will bring in some extra house-
keepers,” said Ryan Lynch, general
manager of Comfort Inn & Suites. “We
give them a pretty good rate and we’ll
change our breakfast hours if they have
morning games.”
Hermiston High School athletic
director Larry Usher, who helps coordi-
nate the event with the Hermiston Youth
Basketball Club, said the Jan. 26-27
tournament featured 119 teams. In addi-
tion to duffl e bags and basketball shoes,
people coming to town open their wal-
lets, he said.
Although a specifi c economic impact
study hasn’t been conducted on the
Hermiston Youth Basketball Club tour-
naments, Usher said similar cities have
estimated an average of $100 is spent
per person.
“I think that’s a very conservative
number,” Usher said. “With at least one
night in a hotel, 5-7 meals, a tank of gas
and snacks — that adds up in a hurry.”
Usher said in addition to local teams,
people travel from the Tri-Cities, Seat-
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Teams from Boise, Idaho, and Richland, Washington, battle it out Saturday in the
Sunset Elementary School gymnasium. The teams came to town for the Best of the
West AAU basketball tournament, which used gyms in Hermiston, Echo and Stan-
fi eld and brought an estimated 4,000 people and a $400,000 boost to the local econ-
omy.
“I THINK THE WORD IS OUT WHEN IT’S
TOURNAMENT WEEKEND, DON’T GO OUT
TO LUNCH OR DINNER. IT WILL BE HARD TO
FIND A TABLE.”
Larry Usher,
Hermiston High School athletic director who helps coordinate the tournament
tle, Portland, Yakima, Seattle, Spokane
and Idaho, including 20 teams from the
Boise area. The infrastructure, includ-
ing adequate hotel space and restau-
rants, is important to the success of the
tournament, Usher said. Although they
haven’t outgrown available hotel space,
Dorrans will lead county fair parade
New court unveiled,
other volunteers
recognized for service
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
With a theme of “Strong Roots
& Cowboy Boots!,” the Umatilla
County Fair Board is already culti-
vating people and plans for the Aug.
6-10, 2019 event.
Dan and Terri Dorran of Herm-
iston were introduced as the 2019
grand marshals during Satur-
day night’s Fair Appreciation Din-
ner at Eastern Oregon Trade and
Event Center. After serving for two
decades, Dan stepped down from
the fair board at the end of 2017.
A Hermiston native, Dan said his
family have been longtime support-
ers of the fair. His grandfather fi rst
put him to work cleaning up stalls at
the fairgrounds when he was 7 years
old.
Serving on the fair board isn’t an
honorary or ceremonial title, Dan
said, it’s hands on and a lot of hard
work. And, he’s quick to point out
that it’s the sponsors, partnerships
and people that contribute to the
success of the Umatilla County Fair.
While Terri downplayed her
role, Don Miller, who introduced
the Dorrans, said over the years she
has taken care of many last minute
details and sometimes interesting
requests.
See Fair, Page A10
Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini
Dan and Terri Dorran of Hermiston are all smiles after being introduced as
grand marshals of the 2019 Umatilla County Fair. The announcement was
made Saturday during the Fair Appreciation Dinner at Eastern Oregon Trade
& Event Center.