Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2019)
A6 STATE Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, December 18, 2019 10 Oregon lawmakers won’t seek reelection By Claire Withycombe, Jake Thomas and Sam Stites Oregon Capital Bureau Legislators who have played key roles in Oregon public policy in recent years are heading for the exit. Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, might author another book. Sen. Laurie Monnes Ander- son, D-Gresham, is yearning for some “alone time.” Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, is aiming for Capitol Hill. And Sen. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, has rolled out a familiar political trope: leaving office to spend more time with his family. So far 10 lawmak- ers have announced that they won’t seek reelection in 2020, and another six are seeking new office or running for the seat they were appointed to for the first time. That means 16 seats will be up for grabs next year. Several lawmakers cited age as a reason. “It’s my ninth session, and I’ll be 85 in March,” said Greenlick. “It’s time.” Monnes Anderson, a retired nurse, decided she wouldn’t run again after her most recent election to the Senate in 2016. “You know, I’m in my 70s and I put my heart and soul in being a legislator and cam- paigning,” Monnes Anderson said. “And it was just getting too much.” Others cite the rancor and partisan divisions they feel have come to characterize the Capitol. “The saddest thing I’ve seen happen over the 12 years I’ve been at the statehouse is the steady erosion of bipartisan- ship,” said Bentz, “And it’s one of the reasons I’m leaving.” Yet Bentz, an Ontario law- yer, is leaving the Capitol for what is almost certainly the most divisive building in the country: the U.S. Capitol, where he hopes to represent Oregon’s massive Second Congressio- nal District in the House. He is one of several lawmakers who have announced plans to leave the colorfully carpeted cham- bers of the Legislature to pursue other offices. Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaver- ton, and Rep. Jennifer William- son, D-Portland, are not seeking reelection to their seats in hopes of being chosen as the Demo- cratic party’s candidate for sec- retary of state in the May 2020 primary. And then there’s Rep. Sher- rie Sprenger, R-Scio, who after 13 years in the Legislature, is eager to work on the local level once more. She’s seek- ing election to the Linn County Commission. “The closer you are, the greater your ability to impact is,” Sprenger said. “I’m 76,” said Rep. Jeff Barker, D-Aloha. “I’ll be 77 next year. So it’s kind of time to move on anyway. But my caucus kind of moved on away from me and it felt more like D.C. than Oregon last year.” Barker, the longtime chair of the House Judiciary Committee and former police lieutenant, felt slighted when he was told that Speaker Tina Kotek would give the committee chairman- ship to Williamson for the 2019 session. “That made the decision a little easier,” Barker said. “I’d made the decision before the real divisive session last (time),” Monnes Ander- son said. “But that’s certainly something that I don’t like. It’s not me. It’s not my per- sonality. I like bringing people together and trying to work out a solution.” The retirees Alongside Monnes Ander- son, Bentz, Sprenger, Roblan, Greenlick and Barker, lawmak- ers exiting the public arena in 2020 also include Rep. Carla Piluso, D-Gresham; Rep. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay; for- mer House Minority Leader Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass; and Rep. Greg Barreto, R-La Grande. Having recently returned from a trip to Maryland to see his grandchildren, Roblan, a Coos Bay Democrat, said he didn’t want to spend another summer on what will likely be an expensive campaign defend- ing his seat, in a district where he bested the Republican by just 349 votes in 2016. Roblan, who will be 72 when his term expires next year, said that he’s accom- plished many of his goals around education and coastal issues during his nearly two decades in the Legislature, and it’s time to give someone else a chance. “I think there are times when you look back and you think, ‘Okay, I came here to do certain things and I’ve gotten a lot of those accomplished,’” he said. Among the departures are lawmakers who have been influential in shaping state pol- icy: Roblan helped lead the charge for a massive $2 bil- lion business tax increase to fund schools this year. Bentz and Rep. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay, who is also not running for reelection, were instrumental in getting the Legislature to pass a landmark transportation bill in 2017 that will fund projects for a decade. Greenlick and Barker were longtime committee chairs and Monnes Anderson served as the official stand-in, or Senate president pro tempore, when Senate President Peter Court- ney couldn’t be at the dais. While the impact of their departure on policymaking may be felt, some say the exo- dus is nothing new. “This doesn’t feel to me like an unusual year at all,” Green- lick said. “Given the nature of the cit- izen legislature, we routinely see about 25-30% turnover every cycle,” House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said in a statement. For Republicans, who mostly represent more rural areas of the state and have to travel farther to get to the Cap- itol in Salem, that distance can “have greater impact on their personal and professional lives,” Kotek said. “Some of them, just really, they’re done,” Courtney said. “They’ve served on city coun- cils and county commissions. They don’t care to go on being an elected official.” From concord to discord Roblan, a Democrat who has represented his district on Oregon’s south coast for nearly two decades, recalled a rela- tively recent time of bipartisan harmony. In 2011, the Oregon House was evenly split 30-30 between the two major parties. Roblan, then a representative, shared speaker duties with Republican Bruce Hanna. “Speaker Hanna and I got along very well, and we fought out a lot of things quietly real- izing that you have to work together,” he said. Democrats then took back control of the House and the 2018 election gave the party supermajorities in each chamber. Roblan, elected to the Sen- ate in 2012, said that the Dem- ocrats’ lopsided majorities meant they no longer needed the minority party to get things done. “The expectations from your base become greater that you will move more progres- sive legislation,” he said. Future of Elliott State Forest remains on hold as Land Board considers options By Sam Stites Oregon Capital Bureau The advisory committee tasked with looking at the fea- sibility of turning the Elliott State Forest into a research for- est managed by Oregon State University will take another year to give the State Land Board a recommendation. But public testimony given at the board’s meeting Dec. 10 shows lukewarm interest in handing over the 82,000- acre coastal forest between Coos Bay and Reedsport to OSU’s College of Forestry, citing mismanagement of the school’s own McDon- ald-Dunn Forest as reason to leave the forest as is. The board comprising Gov. Kate Brown, Secretary of State Bev Clarno and Trea- surer Tobias Read held session for nearly four hours to hear updates from members of the Elliott State Research Advi- sory Committee on progress made in exploring a partner- ship between the Department Debbie Ausmus 245 South Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845 OPEN WED. & THUR. 9 am - 5 pm 541-575-1113 24 hrs/7 days wk debbie.ausmus@ countryfinancial.com of State Lands to turn Ore- gon’s oldest state forest into a living laboratory and out- door classroom for students, researchers and managers to learn about forest ecosystems and management. In 2017, the board decided not to sell the Elliott State For- est to create revenue for Ore- gon’s Common School Fund, which is fed by money from harvests on state forests. In December 2018, the board directed the state lands agency to work with OSU to propose a new plan for the Elliott that would develop a habitat conservation plan and create a new management sys- tem led by the school. The agency created a 17-member advisory committee to oversee the process. One year and 10 meet- ings later, the committee isn’t any closer to making their recommendation. “While our conversations have been productive, we’re not finished discussing and resolving these highly com- plex issues,” said Keith Tym- chuk, committee member and former mayor of Reed- sport. “Further conversation will be critical in a successful outcome, and the committee remains resolute in continuing our work as we recognize the importance of this endeavor.” Anthony Davis, interim dean of OSU College of For- estry, addressed the board, giving an update on how those conversations with both State Lands officials and the com- mittee are shaping up. Accord- ing to Davis, the proposal is now focusing on helping solve the global climate and sustainability crisis with new research by OSU. “Tremendous opportu- nity comes from being able to focus on long-term research,” Davis said. According to Davis and members of the advisory com- mittee, the guiding principles of how the forest would be managed by OSU should man- age the forest to recreational access to the forest, maintain educational partnerships, help local and regional economies and pursue conservation The proposal wouldn’t be at odds with the recent Ore- gon Supreme Court decision that found the 2014 sale of nearly 800 acres of the forest was illegal, the land board was told. Matt Devore, assistant attorney general representing the land board, said the case doesn’t affect the proposal because the state would still own the forest. Among those speaking against the plan was Doug Pol- lock, who brought attention to OSU forestry researchers who harvested nearly 16 acres of old growth trees — including one 420-year-old Douglas Fir — within their Benton County research forest earlier this year sparking public outrage. Pollock is the founder of the Friends of OSU Old Growth, a group of nearly 600 individuals concerned with the protection of old forests and trees managed by OSU. He urged the board to be cau- tious in allowing OSU’s Col- lege of Forestry to manage the Elliott State Forest. “They have a long track record, decades of misman- agement of their forest. They abandoned their own research forest management plan 10 years ago and only recently reinstated it,” Pollock said. “This is a long history of what we see as failed management, and it comes from heavy tim- ber industry financing of the college.” S154082-1 Membership gift cards available! Give the year-long gift of Painted Sky Center for the Arts membership to someone you love, qualifying them for 10% discounts on all paid classes and events throughout the year, as well as members-only specials. Music Lessons: See paintedskycenter.com/music-lessons for more info or to register. Music lesson punch cards available to purchase. Give the gift of music lessons this holiday season. Arts After School & Friday Art Club: Ongoing; see more at Paintedskycenter.com/Kids-Art. Wait lists enabled; with enough interest we will look at starting additional classes. Youth Arts Program: Ongoing, Monday 6:00 PM rehearsals through December. Sponsored by: For more info or to register visit paintedskycenter.com or email paintedskycenter@gmail.com. S159627-1 There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays We’d like to deliver our sincere best wishes to your door this holiday. May the season bring much happiness, health, and good fortune to you and your loved ones. 331 W. Main, John Day 541-575-2710 Fax 541-575-2610 Fax 541-575-2610 Fax 541-575-2610 www.RMLS.com If you’re looking for a home for the holidays and beyond, please keep us in mind. We’ve been helping area residents find the perfect place to call home for over 20 years. Wendy Cates Principal Broker/ Owner 541-620-4239 Amy Denman Principal Broker 503-577-7029 Danielle Courchesne Broker 208-891-7225 Fred Winegar Broker 541-620-1506 S154736-1 eastoregonrealestate.com www.country-preferred-realtors.com S160528-1
