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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2016)
A8 ELECTION GUIDE Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Governor Candidates GOV. KATE BROWN Name: Kate Brown, Democrat Residence: Portland/Salem Occupation: Oregon governor, lawyer. Prior government experience: Oregon governor, 2015-present; secretary of state, 2009-2015; state senator, 1997-2008; state representative, 1991-1996. Positions: During her campaign, Brown has touted her record fi ghting for working families since she took the governorship. She supported and signed laws to give workers paid sick leave, retirement savings plans and an increase in the minimum wage. She has promised to focus on increasing the state’s high school graduation during her fi rst elected term. Earlier this year, she hired Colt Gill, former Bethel schools superintendent, to serve as Oregon’s fi rst education innovation offi cer, to make recommendations for boosting the graduation rate, which ranks fourth lowest in the nation. Brown has endorsed a controversial corporate sales tax measure, Measure 97, which would yield an estimated $3 billion per year in new revenue, describing it as the only viable option for avoid- ing cuts in state budgets, particularly in education. Brown also has made passing a transportation package in 2017 one of her priorities. Key endorsements: Oregon AFL-CIO, Oregon AFSCME, Oregon Educa- tion Association, Oregon School Employees Association, Basic Rights Oregon. Fun fact: Brown was childhood friends with fellow Minnesotan Jack Ohman, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, who has worked at The Oregonian and The Sacramento Bee. Secretary of State Candidates BRAD AVAKIAN Name: Brad Avakian, Democrat Residence: Beaverton Occupation: Attorney; current state labor commissioner. Prior government experience: Com- missioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries, April 2008-present; Oregon State Senate, 2007-April 2008; Oregon House of Representatives, 2003-2007. Positions: Avakian, who says he’ll target government waste and encourage voter participation, also wants to make civics education a requirement in public schools, promote renewable energy through the secretary of state’s position on the state’s land board, and audit state agencies to determine whether they pay men and women equally for equivalent work. Further, he says the secretary of state has a duty to audit private compa- nies doing business with the state when “red fl ags” or other warning signs of potential foul play in the carrying out of public contracts. Key endorsements: Avakian has garnered endorsements from the Oregon Education Association, Oregon AFL- CIO and a wide swath of other labor groups. He’s also been endorsed by U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden; and NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC and the Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon have given to his campaign. Fun fact: Avakian and his family have a 12-year-old Bernese Mountain dog named Jazzy. Measure 94 What it does: Measure 94 amends the Oregon Constitution by removing a require- ment that judges retire by the age of 75. The mandatory retirement age was imposed in 1960. St. Helens attorney Agnes Petersen challenged it in Multnomah County Circuit DENNIS RICHARDSON Name: Dennis Richardson, Repub- lican Residence: Central Point Occupation: Businessman, non-prac- ticing attorney. Prior government experience: State representative, 2003-2014; Central Point City Councilor, 2002. Positions: Richardson says as the state’s auditor of public accounts, he’ll root out waste and fraud, and has fi xated on the state’s failures in the Cover Oregon project and the Department of Energy’s Business Energy Tax Credits. He also wants to make public records more accessible, encourage business growth and “balance” environmental and business interests through the secretary of state’s position as one of the three elected offi cials on the state’s land board. Key endorsements: Richardson’s been endorsed by two prominent Dem- ocrats — Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scap- poose, and Rep. Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie — as well as the secretary of the Inde- pendent Party of Oregon, Sal Peralta. The former gubernatorial candidate’s political action committee has secured campaign donations from Restoregon PAC, the National Federation of Inde- pendent Business, and various Republi- can state lawmakers. Fun fact: Richardson has nine children — including eight daughters, some of whom have made appearances and given testimonials in his campaign videos — and 32 grandchildren. Court in 2014, when she was denied a place on the ballot to run for Columbia County Circuit Court because she was older than 75. Petersen argued the constitutional pro- vision is discriminatory, but her case was dismissed. State lawmakers later took up the issue and referred the matter for voters to DR. BUD PIERCE Name: William “Bud” Pierce, Republican Residence: Salem Occupation: Oncologist. Prior government experience: Oregon Task Force on Resolution of Ad- verse Healthcare Incidents, U.S. Marine Corps. Positions: During his campaign, Pierce has said his experience as a private physician would bring a fresh approach to Salem. Pierce has said he wants to cut taxes and opposes a corporate sales tax measure on the Nov. 8 ballot, which would raise $3 billion more per year in tax revenue. Instead, Pierce wants to eliminate or consolidate some government programs and pare down unneeded positions through attrition. He says his proposals to fi x the Public Employees Retirement System unfunded liability also would help address some of Ore- gon’s chronic budgetary problems. One proposal calls for future public employ- ees to pay for a share of their benefi ts. He has advocated for public-nonprofi t partnerships to address homelessness. Key endorsements: Oregon Farm Bureau, National Federation of Indepen- dent Business, Republican Governors Association, National Rifl e Association, former GOP gubernatorial nominee Chris Dudley. Fun fact: Pierce met his wife, Selma, while they both were living in a co-ed dormitory at the University of California Los Angeles. Attorney General Candidates ELLEN ROSENBLUM Name: Ellen Rosenblum, Democrat Residence: Portland Occupation: Lawyer, Oregon attor- ney general. Prior government experience: Ore- gon’s attorney general, 2012-2016; Oregon Court of Appeals, 2005-2011; Multnomah County district and circuit court judge, 1989-2005; assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, 1980-1988. Positions: Rosenblum grabbed headlines in 2014 for refusing to defend the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, winning praise from gay-rights advocates. She secured funding from the state Legislature earlier this year to start the Elder Abuse Unit at the Department of Justice. She also championed laws that protect schoolchildren’s information from being misused for advertising, allow information rape victims provide to a victim’s advocate to remain confi dential, ban “revenge porn,” and extend the statute of limitations for rape cases. She has proposed legislation for 2017 to improve access to public records. Key endorsements: Gov. Barbara Roberts, Oregon Education Association, Oregon AFSCME Council 75, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC. Fun fact: Rosenblum is the fi rst woman to serve as Oregon attorney general. She is married to Richard Meeker, co-owner of Willamette Week’s parent company. decide this election. Proponents have said the mandatory retirement age is useless and amounts to age discrimination. The Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability provides a way to address judges’ ability to serve on the bench, they said. Endorsements for: The City Club of DANIEL CROWE Name: Daniel Zene Crowe, Repub- lican Residence: Mt. Angel Occupation: Lawyer, executive di- rector of the nonprofi t Oregon Veterans Legal Services. Prior government experience: Mt. Angel School Board member, chairman of the Military and Veterans Law Section of the Oregon State Bar; 20-year career in the U.S. Army. Positions: During the campaign, Crowe has criticized Rosenblum’s response to allegations that former Gov. John Kitzhaber used his public position to benefi t his fi ancée, Cylvia Hayes’ en- vironmental consulting business. Crowe has said he would more aggressively pursue prosecution of public corruption cases. He also has called for improving the process for writing ballot titles and increasing the rigor of the Department of Justice’s oversight and review of state contracts. Key endorsements: National Rifl e Association, Oregon Firearms Federa- tion, National Federation of Independent Businesses. Fun fact: Crowe is chairman-elect of the Military and Veterans Law Section of the Oregon State Bar. Portland has said the mandatory retirement age is outdated. Members of the club cited recent research showing aging affects people differently. There is no mandatory retirement age for federal judges. Endorsements against: No opposition group has organized against the measure.
