Polk County News
2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 14, 2016
Morett challenges Evans for House District 20
Candidates sound off on important issues facing the nation, state of Oregon and Polk County
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Salem
resident Laura Morett (R) is
challenging incumbent Paul
Evans (D) to represent
House District 20 in the
Capitol.
Both candidates want im-
provements for Oregon in-
cluding better education
and thriving small business-
es, but each has a different
approach, experience and
philosophy.
Evans got three bills
passed in the short 2016
Legislative Session — none
of them labeled as an emer-
gency. One extended a sun-
set on a tax that helped sta-
bilize housing for low-in-
come people; one estab-
lished a rural enterprise
zone, allowing businesses
such as wineries to expand
more easily; and one was a
referral bill, Measure 96,
which will allow a percent-
age of Oregon Lottery dol-
lars to go to veteran support
programs.
Each of those bills were
co-sponsored by a Republi-
can, Evans said.
But there is much to do in
the House, and Evans hopes
to have another term to
work on a few key items.
“In education, especially
K-12 and community col-
lege/workforce develop-
ment, finding a more stable
base for resources,” Evans
said. “We invested a lot last
session, but unless we can
find a more stable means of
continuing that investment,
it will go away, and we really
can’t afford that.”
Evans and other col-
leagues in the Legislature
are working on bills to help
small business, from buy
local subsidies to rebates for
small business working in a
tourism district, to develop-
ing and funding micro
grants.
Another area Evans would
like to work on is resiliency
and emergency manage-
House District 20
Who: Laura Morett, of Salem (Republican)
Age: 47
Current employment:
Morett Construction, co-
owner, 28 years
Education: Cascade
High School, studied at
Liberty University
Previous government
experience: None
Campaign phone: 503-
967-4329
Morett
Campaign website: lau-
ramorettfororegon.com
Why are you running for office: As a
small business owner, I see our state con-
stantly placing regulations and hardships on
businesses.
As a mother of three and grandmother of
two, I am not OK with Oregon being 46th in
the nation for high school graduation rates.
Finally, there is no accountability in our cur-
rent government.
What is the biggest single issue facing
the U.S., the state of Oregon, and, more
specifically, Polk County? How would you
address it if elected?
The biggest single issue facing the U.S. is
the economy.
The biggest single issue facing Oregon is
the economy, and the biggest issue in Polk
County is also the economy. I want our re-
gion and our state to be a job-producing,
economically thriving, business-friendly en-
vironment.
As your state representative from House
District 20 I will: Provide more incentives to
small businesses to start up and expand; re-
duce red tape for small businesses; provide
tax incentives for small business expansion.
Anything else you wish to note about
the position you are seeking?
It has been an honor and privilege to be
welcomed by so many people throughout
the district. As I go door-to-door talking with
voters, I hear over and over again that a part
of the solution to many issues — the econo-
my, homelessness, education — are all root-
ed in the lack of an economy that is thriving.
This affirms my decision of last November
to do something.
I was raised on a farm in Shaw, and I know
the importance of hard work and supporting
your neighbors. My father taught us that if
there was a problem, grab your gloves, put
on your boots and go fix it.
And this is the attitude I have and will take
to the Legislature.
ment. In fact, he hopes to
chair the Veterans and Emer-
gency Management Com-
mittee. In his second term,
Who: Paul Evans, of Monmouth (incum-
bent, Democrat)
Age: 46
Current employment: Chemeketa Com-
munity College, four years, State of Oregon
Legislature since 2015
Education: Oregon State University, mas-
ter’s; Western Oregon State College (Univer-
sity), bachelor’s; Central High School.
Previous government experience: Ore-
gon House of Representatives (2015-pre-
sent); U.S. Air Force/Ore-
gon Air National Guard
(1992-2013); Central
School District Board of Di-
rectors (2008-2011); Ore-
gon Homeland Security
Council (2008-2011); Sen-
ior Policy Advisory to Gov.
Kulongoski (2007-2010);
Mayor of Monmouth
Evans
(1999-2002); Monmouth City
Council (1989-1992)
Campaign phone: 971-273-0112
Campaign website: www.paulevans.org
Why are you running for office: I am run-
ning for re-election to build upon the work ac-
complished since 2015. We must develop sus-
tainable funding for our schools and critical
services. We must facilitate opportunities for
small business. We must keep faith with our
veterans. And we must renew our infrastruc-
ture. Proven leadership experience matters.
What is the biggest single issue facing
the U.S., the state of Oregon and, more
specifically, Polk County? How would you
address it if elected?
Many issues demand our attention: debt
management, education reform, economic
restructuring for 21st century realities, na-
tional defense and workforce preparation to
name a few. However, our greatest single
issue demanding our attention is trust in our
democratic structures and systems. Our citi-
zens do not trust our own government.
Progress will remain largely beyond our
grasp unless/until we revitalize the relation-
ship between the people and our leaders.
Partisanship and perpetual campaigns have
reduced our trust in the form and function of
government. The era of destructive politics
must end; our greatest priority must be to re-
cast a more perfect Union.
Anything else you wish to note about
the position you are seeking?
2016 is a time of testing. We must reclaim
the ability to collaborate, compromise and
cooperate in pursuit of meaningful progress.
Compromise is not a sign of weakness; com-
promise among people of principle is the
foundation for an enduring political union.
the likelihood of chairing a
committee is higher than
last term, when he was a
freshman Legislator, he said.
The biggest issue facing
the nation — and state and
county — is the lack of trust
in government, Evans said.
“The United States of
America has the capacity,
because of our diversity, to
chart the stars,” Evans said.
“But right now, we’re not;
we’re fighting over the color
of the drapes.”
For example, the timber
payment issue will not be
resolved until America fig-
ures out what the role of fed-
eral lands is; good education
policy will not be written
until the federal government
realizes that standardized
testing is not, in and of itself,
the long-term answer, Evans
said.
“I’m not asking the people
of this district to think I’m
the greatest person on the
planet, or the prettiest, or
the most wonderful,” Evans
said. “I’m asking the people
of this district to give me two
more years to be their advo-
cate, fighting for their
needs.”
Morett is ready to get to
work in Salem for House
District 20 and the state of
Oregon. She has no grand
plans of passing bills —
quite the opposite.
“The first bill would be no
more passing bills until we
can untangle this crazy mess
we got ourselves into,” she
said. “Especially in the short
session; they passed so
many bills without com-
pletely processing them.”
Morett said she plans to
go into the Legislature and
fix things so they run the
way they were intended
rather than throwing more
bills on top of current ones.
Three issues are close to
her heart: economy, educa-
tion and small business.
When it comes to econo-
my, Morett said she wants to
look at the expenses vs. rev-
enues in the state budget.
“Are we spending in areas
maybe we shouldn’t be
spending, that maybe could
be saved?” Morett said. “I
want to increase our econo-
my so money is poured back
into the system, so people
are spending. Money follows
money.”
Morett said she has spo-
ken to many other small
business owners about what
the state government could
do to help them.
“I want to make Ore-
gon — and our district — a
place where businesses
want to come to, and one of
the highest-paying, job-cre-
ating states, so people come
to Oregon and they have
jobs that are paying higher
than any other state,” she
said.
Part of her plan is to re-
peal some bills that have
made it difficult for small
business, Morett said, such
as mandatory paid sick
leave. She also hopes to
work on ways for small busi-
nesses to get loans and
make it easier for them to
hire more employees.
When it comes to educa-
tion, Morett said she is ap-
palled by the graduation rate
in Oregon, ranking 46th in
the nation.
“I don’t want my grand-
kids to be 46th in anything,
ever,” she said. “It’s not ac-
ceptable. I will do whatever I
need to do to put us in the
top 10. That’s a top goal of
mine.”
Morett said, for starters,
she wants to see smaller
class sizes and to remove
Common Core State Stan-
dards.
Along the lines of what
she hopes to accomplish,
Morett said she would like to
serve on the business, edu-
cation, judicial and human
services committees.