Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 2018)
State Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, November 14, 2018 A9 Voters block sanctuary state law repeal, grocery tax ban By Claire Withycombe Capital Bureau Pamplin Media Group/Jonathan House Gov. Kate Brown addresses her supporters after results showed she won re-election for a four-year term. With win, Brown looks ahead to four more years By Troy Brynelson Capital Bureau On Election Day, Kate Brown ended a record-breaking year for campaign spending and anticipating what could be her last four years in public office. The Democrat defeated Re- publican Knute Buehler, a sur- geon and state legislator from Bend, in a race that was decided quickly after balloting ended. Her election means a con- tinuing press on environmental issues and on education. With no election ahead of her, she faces a term with a firmer hold on the office and less of a need to grasp political advantage. The two spent more than $30 million combined in their bids for Oregon’s top desk, noted es- pecially by major donations to Buehler from Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Brown, from a lectern at the Hilton Portland Downtown, told supporters that voters showed how elections in Oregon aren’t all about who raises the most money. “No one person should be able to buy the governor’s of- fice,” Brown said to cheers. Polls closed at 8 p.m. and, although first results trickled in around 8 p.m., Brown was de- clared the winner by 8:20. Bue- hler conceded after 8:30, telling supporters at the Sentinel Hotel in Portland that he was as disap- pointed as they were. “My voice will not be lead- ing this state for the next four years and I certainly accept that decision,” he said. “But let’s also be very clear: The status quo in this state is not tolerable.” Polls leading into Novem- ber showed the two candidates virtually neck-and-neck. In her nearly eight-minute victory speech, Brown said her stances on education, affordable hous- ing and health care won over Oregonians. “This election shows that when Oregonians are given an opportunity to invest in our classrooms, to build affordable housing, to protect healthcare, it’s not a toss-up. It’s not even a close call,” she said. But, afterward, Brown con- ceded she worried it could have been much closer. “I knew the race was going to be close, and thought it would be close all along, but to take this solid of a lead made me re- ally happy,” she said. Victory secured Brown her second term as Oregon’s gov- ernor. She succeeded to the job in 2015 after the resignation of former Gov. John Kitzhaber. Brown, 58, then won a special election in 2016. It also secured Brown a gov- ernance with a Democratic su- permajority, as the party seized at least three seats in the Oregon House. “It’s just really cool to be able to pick up races in the state House and the Senate and really be able to make a huge differ- ence over the next two years in Oregon, and keep Oregon mov- ing forward,” Brown said. Brown’s victory was lauded by environmental groups and some unions. Doug Moore, ex- ecutive director of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, said Brown’s re-election kept the climate in good hands. “Climate change was on the ballot, and climate change won with Kate Brown,” he said. Joe Baessler, political di- rector for Oregon’s American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents government workers, said Brown’s leadership is bet- ter for affordable housing initia- tives and public employees. “She didn’t get enough credit for it, but she had a lita- ny of great accomplishments,” Baessler said, noting that he hoped to see strong progres- sive policies in Brown’s next term. “We have agencies that are barely able to accomplish the tasks they’re mandated to because they don’t have the re- sources.” Work to do Brown appeared ready to get started on her next term during her victory speech. She said as much as she was flanked by two dozen schoolchildren and her husband. “Make no mistake. The fight isn’t over. We’ve still got lots of work to do,” she said. “We’ve never had someone so divisive in the White House or someone with such less respect for the truth or for the people impacted by his decisions.” In the weeks up to the elec- tion, Brown has outlined several directions she would take her second term — hoping to bol- ster education, combat climate change, reduce homelessness and more — and she may just have four years to do it. Brown, who started her ca- reer in 1991 and has run for office eight times, said she does not plan to run again in 2022. She said she wants to spend more time with her husband, Dan Little, and do things that make her happy. Governing will remain her focus until then. She aims to increase funding for initiatives to bring about more affordable housing and tamp homeless- ness. “Every Oregonian deserves access to a warm, safe, dry, af- fordable and accessible place to call home,” she said before elec- tion night. On climate change, Brown said Oregon needs to become a global leader to reduce car- bon emissions. The issue has become more important as the Trump administration has cut back environmental regulations. She pointed to rising drought conditions and wildfires. “Oregon has to step up — states have to step up — when you have a federal administra- tion that is literally ignoring this problem and ignoring science and ignoring realities of what’s happening on the ground,” she said. On health care, Brown said her goal is to get 99 percent of Oregon insured. And, after the performance of Oregon’s public schools be- came a hotspot late in the cam- paign, Brown said she hopes to reinforce education and career training in the state. Brown specifically high- lighted she has spent a lot of time with Colt Gill, director of the state Department of Educa- tion, and she plans to keep meet- ing with district superintendents throughout the state. She wants to understand and replicate suc- cesses in the state, like in Eagle Point, where she said schools lowered absenteeism and raised graduation rates. When asked about legacy policy, Brown pointed to Future Ready Oregon and other pro- grams that offer jobs training and technical skills. “That means closing the skills gap between the work- force that we have and the workforce that we need to fuel the economy of Oregon’s fu- ture,” she said. Brown plans to tackle these goals with a team that resem- bles the team now. She told the Oregon Capital Bureau in an interview that she does not plan to shuffle staff, although it is common for people to leave after an election cycle. Chief of Staff Nik Blosser, who came on in January 2017, will remain. On her upcoming budget, to be released in December, Brown wouldn’t disclose much. She said this budget will be eas- ier to balance than the last, when the state faced a deficit creeping toward $2 billion. This time around, she said, it’s a manage- able $800 million, fully due to funding the Oregon Health Plan. Dems strengthen grip on Oregon Legislature By Claire Withycombe Capital Bureau Democrats gained key seats in the Oregon House and Sen- ate on Election Day, securing a long-coveted “super majority” in each chamber. That means that Democrats will hold 60 percent of the seats in each chamber when the Legislature convenes in January. That composition may make it easier for Democrats to pass legislation considered more partisan such as tax in- creases or restrictions on car- bon emissions. It’s unclear whether mod- erate Democrats will get on board with more controversial or progressive priorities, but the development also erodes the political clout of Republi- cans in the Legislature. All 60 seats in the House were up for election this year, while 17 Senate seats went be- fore voters. Democrats picked up three seats in the House, defeating Republican incumbents. They now hold 38 seats. Courtney Neron beat Rep. Rich Vial, R-Scholls, Rachel Prusak beat Rep. Julie Parrish, R-Tualatin, and Democrat Anna Williams beat Rep. Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River. Democrats also picked up at least one seat in the Senate, giving them 18 seats. Democrat Jeff Golden de- feated Republican Jessica Go- mez in southern Oregon’s third Senate district in a race to re- place retiring Republican Alan DeBoer. After the election, where voters rejected two tax-related ballot measures, lawmakers also won’t be hemmed in by limitations on taxing groceries or by stricter voting require- ments to change tax expendi- tures like credits, exemptions and deductions. There were several com- petitive races in the House this year, with some Democratic candidates raising and spend- ing more than $800,000. Cash flowed freely in con- tests in Happy Valley, Hood River and Polk County, where the major party candidates spent more than $1.3 million in each race. A contest between incum- bent Sen. Chuck Thomsen, R-Hood River, and Democrat- ic challenger Chrissy Reitz, a former nurse and the chair of the Hood River School Board, proved competitive and expen- sive. Together the candidates spent about $1.4 million in 2018, according to campaign finance records. Thomsen re- ceived 28,940 votes to Reitz’s 28,607, according to Secretary of State records. On election night, Ore- gonians blocked attempts to overturn the state’s sanctu- ary status for undocument- ed immigrants and affirmed public funding for repro- ductive health care, holding onto its status as a socially liberal state. In so doing, Oregon vot- ers rejected socially con- servative priorities by large margins. They also roundly re- jected fiscally conservative measures that attempted to restrict tax increases, open- ing the door for broader tax reforms in the 2019 legisla- tive session. In early statewide re- turns, about 58 percent of voters rejected Measure 103, which would have banned taxes on groceries. And about 66 percent of voters counted rejected Measure 104, which would require a three-fifths major- ity vote in the Legislature on certain tax-related measures. Under that measure, lawmakers — 60 percent in both the House and Senate — would have had to vote “yes” to approve changes to tax credits, exemptions and deductions, or fee increases. The liberal coalition Our Oregon claimed that the state in this election defend- ed itself from out-of-state interests. “By rejecting Measures 103 and 104, Oregonians came together to defend our values from outside special interests who tried to in- crease their profits at the ex- pense of Oregon families,” said Our Oregon Executive Director Becca Uherbelau in a written statement. “Voters once again made a statement for all of Oregon’s leaders to hear: we want strong in- vestments in health care and education.” Proponents of Measure 104 said the measure’s com- plicated ballot title present- ed an insurmountable chal- lenge. “The complicated and confusing ballot title was just too much to over- come,” said Shawn Cleave, government affairs director for the Oregon Association of Realtors, in a written statement. “Our coalition will continue to fight to pro- tect important deductions like the mortgage interest and property tax deductions that keep homeownership affordable for many of our friends and neighbors.” Measure 105 would have overturned a state law that prohibits local police from using their resources to ap- prehend people whose only violation of law is being in the country without legal permission. About 63 per- cent of voters said no. Supporters of the mea- sure challenged a law that has been in place since 1987. It was designed to prevent racial profiling by police. “It reaffirms the feeling that Oregon is a welcom- ing state,” said Levi Her- rera-Lopez, executive di- rector of Mano a Mano, a community organization in Salem that primarily serves Latino families. Herrera-Lopez joined many Mano a Mano staff knocking on doors urging people to vote no on the measure. He said the results validate what they heard from voters on the ground. “Us immigrants, we’re seen as people who can contribute to the commu- nity,” he said. “The rhetor- ical significance of invaders doesn’t hold ground here in Oregon.” The measure prompted a divide within the state’s police community, with 16 largely rural sheriffs sup- porting the measure. Other police officials spoke out against it publicly, includ- ing Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese and Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel. The measure demon- strated the renewed interest in immigration policy since now-President Donald Trump announced his can- didacy in 2015. Voters also blocked Measure 106, which was mounted by a pro-life group that wanted to ban public funding for most abortions. About 64 percent of voters rejected Measure 106. Pro-choice advocates were buoyant about the re- sults. “Together, we made sure that Oregon voters saw Measure 106 for what it was: a backdoor ban on abortion,” said Grayson Dempsey, executive direc- tor of NARAL’s Pro-Choice Oregon political action committee. “In Oregon, we trust women to make their own decisions — and a right is not a right if you cannot afford to access it.” Amid a statewide hous- ing crisis, Oregonians also approved a measure that al- lows local governments to use public bond money for private housing projects. Nearly 56 percent of vot- ers approved the measure. “Housing is affecting everybody, whether it’s our workers at OHSU who are getting priced out of Port- land or workers in Pendle- ton who are worried about finding housing,” said Joe Baessler, political direc- tor for Oregon’s American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents govern- ment workers. “It took me by surprise how strongly our members felt about that measure.” The measure requires local voters’ approval of any such bonds, annual au- dits and public reporting on how the borrowed funds are spent. The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. www.eomediagroup.com Michael B. DesJardin Dentistry, PC Preventive, Restorative & Endodontics New Patients Welcome! A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS : 208 NW Canton John Day 541-575-2725 mbddental@live.com michaelbdesjardinmd.com Are you using or interested in learning about Choice Card Medical Care? Katee See your Grant County Veteran Services Hoffman Officer today for more information. Monday through Friday 10 am – 4 pm. Call 541-620-8057 for an appointment 530 E. Main, Ste. 5, John Day, OR. 71661 84550 83294
