NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
A13
High-priced House race in Bend could be a key to power in Salem
Republican Helt outraises
Democrat Kropf in House
District 54
By Gary A. Warner
Oregon Capital Bureau
With the election just a week away,
the price tag of the race for the linchpin
House District 54 seat in Bend is spi-
raling toward $1.5 million, as a Repub-
lican freshman attempts to hold onto a
district with a large Democratic voter
tilt.
Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, has raised
over $900,000 to try to keep the seat,
while Democrat Jason Kropf has
pulled in just under $400,000 for his
insurgent campaign.
The stakes go well beyond Bend,
as Democrats see HD 54 as the best
shot to expand their 38-22 superma-
jority. Republicans want to keep Helt’s
seat and try to flip some of the subur-
ban Portland districts they lost in 2018.
Much of the HD 54 campaign has
centered on local growth and environ-
mental issues, along with COVID-19,
education, taxes and health care.
But in the past two weeks, it’s unex-
pectedly centered on a controversy
over contributions to the Kropf cam-
paign by the Oregon Trial Lawyers
Association.
Armed with a much larger cam-
paign war chest, Helt has been able
to keep the issue front-and-center in
advertising and joint virtual appear-
ances such as the recent City Club of
Central Oregon forum.
Kropf returned a $10,000 contribu-
tion to the Oregon Trial Lawyers Asso-
ciation on Oct. 13. A Deschutes County
deputy district attorney, Kropf gave
back the cash after it surfaced that the
attorney’s group had tried to pressure
a former Kropf colleague to stop crit-
icizing him.
Jasmyn Troncoso, a former prose-
cutor in Deschutes County, claims in
a tort notice that the DA’s office was
a sexist and racist workplace. She’s
now a prosecutor in San Bernardino,
California.
Troncoso has not accused Kropf
of any wrongdoing, but says he could
have been more outspoken in support-
ing her complaints about a toxic work-
place. District Attorney John Hummel
ordered an outside independent review
that did not support most of Troncoso’s
allegations. Troncoso has threatened
Contributed photos
Cheri Helt, left, and Jason Kropf.
legal action, but has not filed a lawsuit
as of Tuesday.
Helt is pushing Kropf to not just
return the lawyer group’s cash contri-
bution, but also pay back a $10,370
in-kind contribution and what Helt esti-
mates is another $12,000 in individual
contributions from attorneys who are
members of the group. Helt said Mon-
day she wasn’t going to back off the
issue because Kropf’s current cashflow
is low.
“That’s his problem,” Helt said.
Maddy Woodle, Kropf’s cam-
paign manager, said Tuesday that the
$10,000 cash contribution from the
Oregon Trial Lawyers Association had
been returned, as noted in a filing with
the Secretary of State.
Sending back an in-kind contribu-
tion was problematic.
“Since it is not returnable, the cam-
paign will be making contributions to
local Bend organizations that support
those in need in our community,” Woo-
dle said.
How much the contribution flap
affects the vote won’t be known until
Nov. 3. Oregon votes by mail. Many
ballots have already been sent to
homes, and officials report a high rate
of early returns to drop boxes around
the state.
As of Tuesday morning, the Oregon
Secretary of State reported 17% of reg-
istered Democratic voters in Deschutes
County have returned their ballots.
Among Republicans, it was 6.8%.
Democratic leaders in Oregon see
Helt as vulnerable — she’s the latest
moderate Republican to represent a
district with an ever-growing Demo-
cratic voter registration edge.
As of September, Democrats have
a 9,325-voter edge over Republicans
in HD 54 voter registration. About a
third of the district is “non-affiliated,”
but studies by Jim Moore, a political
science professor at Pacific Univer-
sity, have shown that the group tends to
reflect the overall partisan vote in any
district.
Helt has shown independence from
the mostly staunchly conservative
House Republican caucus. She’s voted
with Democrats on issues such as lim-
ited gun control, access to abortion and
Medicaid funding. She sponsored leg-
islation requiring vaccinations for chil-
dren attending public schools that was
backed by Democrats, but received
almost no support from her party.
When House Republicans walked
out during the 2020 session to deny a
quorum for Democrats to pass a carbon
cap bill, Helt was the only Republican
to stay in Salem. The walkout ended
the session with several bills still on the
agenda.
Democrats have praised Helt’s
breaks with the GOP, but when it
comes to election time, they would pre-
fer to have one of their own in the HD
54 seat.
Kropf agrees with Helt on her votes
with the Democrats, but party leaders
say Kropf will also support a carbon
cap and won’t be as likely a pro-busi-
ness vote as Helt has been when siding
with the GOP.
While Helt has frequently criticized
President Donald Trump, her party
affiliation in an election where Trump
is a major motivating issue for Demo-
crats in Bend could slop over into the
House race if voters aren’t in the mood
to split their ticket with choices from
both parties.
As a swing seat, HD 54 has attracted
big money before. Rep. Knute Buehler,
R-Bend, raised over $1 million in 2016
in his re-election bid against Democrat
Gena Goodman-Campbell, who raised
over $400,000. Buehler won the race
over Goodman-Campbell by 52% to
48% of the vote.
Democrats thought they had a shot
at the seat in 2018, when Buehler did
not seek re-election, opting for an ulti-
mately unsuccessful bid for governor.
Bend city councilor Nathan Boddie ran
unopposed in the Democratic primary.
But his campaign imploded over alle-
gations of sexual harassment. Though
he remained on the ballot, Helt won
58% of the vote.
Campaign finance records as of
Tuesday show Helt well ahead of
Kropf in fundraising.
The numbers are just a snapshot, as
they change daily. Campaigns are cur-
rently required to report donations and
spending within seven days of a trans-
action. Large last-minute donations
and expenditures are not uncommon in
Oregon, where there is no limit on the
size of campaign contributions.
Helt got a running start in the race,
rolling over $111,918 from her cam-
paign fund last year. She’s raised
an additional $796,202 since Jan. 1.
Helt has spent $809,054 and now has
$99,684 in available cash.
The state’s list of contributions
to Helt’s campaign through Monday
show her largest donation is a total
of $152,576 from Evergreen Oregon
PAC, the political arm of the House
Republican Party.
Real estate and business PACs
donated the other largest amounts
to Helt’s campaign. She’s received
$56,265 from the Jobs for Everyday
Oregonians PAC, which receives the
bulk of its funding from the Chica-
go-based National Association of Real-
tors and from a variety of Oregon real
estate interests. The Oregon Realtors
PAC has contributed $45,000.
The Oregon Business & Industry
Candidate PAC has given Helt $55,000.
The Oregon Automobile Dealers Asso-
ciation contributed $27,500. Helt also
received $20,000 from the Associa-
tion of General Contractors PAC. Ore-
gon Health Care Association PAC
has given $12,500. Helt received
$10,000 from Larry Keith, CEO of
Entek, an engineering firm based in
Lebanon.
The list of expenditures through
Oct. 19 show Helt has spent heavily
with out-of-state companies that are
frequently used by Republican candi-
dates in Oregon.
Helt has spent $420,081 on FP1
Digital LLC, a Washington, D.C., cam-
paign ad buyer focused on television.
Helt has spent from $33,000 to nearly
$60,000 with FP1 per week and plans
to continue at the same pace.
Helt paid G Squared LLC, a Boi-
se-based campaign consultant, a total
of $96,000. Helt has paid $78,075 to
Arena Communications of Salt Lake
City, Utah, which makes and distributes
mailers and other printed materials.
Kropf’s campaign has leaned heav-
ily on union and Democratic party
funds to keep pace with Helt.
Through Oct. 20, Kropf has raised
$392,927 and spent $360,221. He
reported having $22,961 in available
funds.
More than half of Kropf’s contri-
butions — $208,511 — have been
in-kind donations in which supporters
lend services, staff and other resources
instead of giving money directly to a
candidate.
The $10,000 that Kropf returned to
the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association
is the second largest cash donation he
has received in the campaign.
His largest cash contribution is a
total of $82,250 from Citizen Action
for Political Education, a political
action committee affiliated with the
SEIU union, which includes many
public employees.
He’s received a total of $78,372
in in-kind donations from the Demo-
cratic Party of Oregon, with the dona-
tion going to such things as litera-
ture, brochures, printing and postage.
Kropf has received $68,934 from
Future PAC, the political arm of the
House Democratic Caucus, which
includes surveys and polls. His cam-
paign received a total of $21,255
in in-kind donations from Ore-
gon League of Conservation Vot-
ers, which includes broadcast
advertising.
On the spending side, Kropf has
paid $51,500 to Winning Mark, a
Portland company that buys broad-
cast advertising time. Another $18,000
was paid to GBAO, a Washington,
D.C., polling firm. SWAY in Bethesda,
Maryland, received $16,058 for adver-
tising production. Hawaii-based Media
Analysis was paid $6,798 for broadcast
advertising buys.
Citizens work to erase racial slurs from Oregon maps
By Kevin Harden
Oregon Capital Bureau
It started as a comedian’s
global online challenge. Fif-
teen months later, proposals
to rename two Southern Ore-
gon mountains inch closer to
approval.
Wilsonville’s
Margo
Schembre wants to change the
name of Negro Ben Moun-
tain in Jackson County. Her
proposal was expected to get
a green light Saturday after-
noon, when Oregon’s Geo-
graphic Names Board meets
online.
Schembre asked the board
in July 2019 to change the
name to Ben Johnson Moun-
tain to honor the Black man
who operated a blacksmith
shop near Ruch, Oregon,
along the Applegate River.
Southeast Portland attor-
ney Jennifer Kristiansen’s pro-
posal to rename Big Squaw
Mountain in Douglas County
on the same agenda could
have more difficulty gaining
approval. Kristiansen asked
the U.S. Board on Geographic
Names in late July 2019 to
change the name to Sacajawea
Peak. Douglas County com-
missioners rejected the idea.
Even state Geographic Names
Board members (who must
approve all state site name
changes) were skeptical of
the proposal, mainly because
Sacajawea didn’t set foot in
Southern Oregon.
Negro Ben Mountain is
one of 18 places around Ore-
gon with “negro” still in the
name. There’s Negro Ridge
in Douglas County, a hand-
ful of creeks with negro in the
title, Negro Springs in Harney
County, Negro Knob Trail in
Grant County and Negro Rock
Canyon in Malheur County.
“I picked this particular
mountain because I found out
how many landmarks in Ore-
gon still have ‘negro’ in the
title,” Schembre said. “I hoped
it would bring attention to all
the others.”
The mountain is near
where Schembre and her hus-
band have vacationed for
years. They’re both actors, so
annual trips to Ashland to see
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
productions fostered an affec-
tion for the region, Schembre
said.
An online Change.org peti-
tion Schembre started in July
2019 to rename the mountain
sought 100 signatures. It got
42. She then sent her proposal
to the state Geographic Names
Board.
Schembre’s
proposal
caused a minor stir nearly a
year ago when it was first dis-
cussed. A Medford Mail-Tri-
bune article about the sug-
gestion caused some local
residents to question her
motives, Schembre said. “The
one time it got some press,
people were kind of like, ‘she
doesn’t live here, why should
she care?’”
Kristiansen said she chose
Big Squaw Mountain, about
32 miles from Glide in the
Umpqua National Forest,
because it was south of her
hometown, Cottage Grove.
She said “squaw” was a
derogatory and racist term
to describe Native Ameri-
can women. Renaming it for
the 1804-06 Lewis and Clark
Corps of Discovery guide
Sacajawea would honor the
Shoshone woman’s bravery
and “inspire people to learn
more about her,” Kristiansen
said.
“Squaw is an insult, a slur,”
she said. “Looking around the
state, you see how much is
named for Lewis and Clark
in places where they never
set foot. Without Sacajawea
leading their expedition they
would have been lost, they
would have been dead.
“If they don’t want to call it
Sacajawea Peak, then rename
it something else. There’s no
reason to keep that name.”
There are about 65 places
in Oregon still called “squaw.”
Among those are a couple
dozen squaw creeks, a hand-
ful of squaw buttes and a few
squaw lakes.
Blame the comedian
Both Schembre and Kris-
tiansen were part of the Great-
est International Scavenger
Hunt, an online competition,
known as GISH, with thou-
sands of players on teams
around the world. In July
2019 scavenger hunt item
No. 185 (of 227 items) was to
“find a place on the map or a
street name that celebrates a
known racist or slave-holder
or war criminal or simply a
place name that uses a deroga-
tory term and petition to have
it changed to an inoffensive
alternative.” That spurred
hundreds of online petitions
and name-change proposals
to federal and state geographic
names groups.
The U.S. Board on Geo-
graphic Names, which usu-
ally gets one to three propos-
als a week, was hit with 40 in
the next two weeks, said board
researcher Jennifer Runyan in
Reston, Virginia.
Blame it on comedian
Hasan Minhaj. He highlighted
offending site names in a
July 2019 episode of his Net-
flix show “Patriot Act.” Min-
haj pointed out that there were
more than 1,400 places across
the United States with racially
insensitive names. He urged
viewers to file name-change
petitions in their states.
GISH teams created more
than 300 petitions. In Ore-
gon, Schembre was part of the
Troop de Loop team that pro-
posed changing the Negro Ben
Mountain name. Kristiansen
was a member of Team LSG,
which asked that Big Squaw
Mountain be renamed.
Committee Volunteers Needed
Grant County is now recruiting volunteers to serve on
active boards and committees.
Obtain an Application to Volunteer from County Court,
201 S. Humbolt, No. 280, Canyon City OR 97820;
(541-575-0059) puckettk@grantcounty-or.gov
Applications are due by Tuesday, Nov. 3 rd , 2020
Committees are formal public bodies required to comply with
Oregon Public Meetings Law ORS 192.610.
College Advisory Board
Seven members plus three ex-officio members serve a three year term and meet monthly to promote
local educational opportunities and identify educational needs within the community.
Extension & 4-H Service District Advisory Council
Eleven members serve three year terms and meet semi-annually to provide guidance and assistance
to local OSU Extension staff in planning, developing, and evaluating balanced educational programs
directed to high priority needs of county residents. Membership is limited to one re-appointment.
Library Advisory Board
Seven members serve four year terms and meet monthly to promote public awareness and support of
library services, receive public input, review and update library materials, and coordinate activities
with the Grant County Library Foundation. Membership is limited to one re-appointment.
Mental Health Advisory Board
Seven members (including two consumer representatives) serve three year terms and meet no less
than quarterly to facilitate the provision of quality mental health services to county residents and
enhance community knowledge of available programs and services. Acts as the Local Alcohol and
Drug Planning Commission and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board. The board is a formal
public body required to comply with Oregon Public Meetings Law ORS 192.610.
Natural Resources Advisory Committee
Nine members serve one and two year terms. Members must live in Grant County and constitute
a representation of agriculture and livestock production, timber and wood products production,
recreation, hunting and fishing, water resources, mining, cultural resources and advocates for natural
resources stewardship through continuation of the customs, culture, health, safety and economic
stability of Grant County.
Planning Commission
Nine members serve a four year term and two alternates serve a two year term, meeting as needed
to review land use and zoning applications and discuss city and county growth issues and siting
new facilities. Members must be residents of various geographic areas within the county and no
more than two voting members shall be engaged in the same kind of business, occupation, trade
or profession with agriculture designations of livestock / forage crop production and horticulture
/ specialty crop production. Commissioners serving in this capacity must file an Annual Verified
Statement of Economic Interest with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. Members must re-
apply to the County Court before their term ends if they wish to be re-appointed. The commission is
a formal public body required to comply with Oregon Public Meetings Law ORS 192.610.
Senior Citizens Advisory Council
Five members serve three year terms and meet semi-annually to define the needs of older adults,
promote special interests and local community involvement, and represent senior citizens as an
advocate to the local, state and federal government and other organizations.
Wildlife Advisory Board
Created by Resolution 1993-29. Nine members serve three year terms and meet as needed to
discuss issues regarding big game management and make recommendations to Oregon Department
of Fish & Wildlife, including tag allocation and hunting season structure as they relate to population
and damage of property.
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