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Wednesday, August 3, 2022
A7
Gov hopefuls debate the issues
By COREY BUCHANAN
Oregon Capital Bureau
WELCHES — During the
first general election debate in
a race for who will become the
next governor of Oregon, the
three candidates empathized
with many Oregonians dis-
satisfied with where the state
is headed. Each of the three
women, however, offered dif-
fering solutions to the state’s
myriad issues in a 90-min-
ute forum that underscored
the chasms among their politi-
cal philosophies and leadership
styles.
Republican nominee Chris-
tine Drazan, Democratic nom-
inee Tina Kotek and indepen-
dent Betsy Johnson — who
are running neck-and-neck in
recent polls — shared the stage
in an event hosted by Pamplin
Media Group and sponsored by
the Oregon Newspaper Publish-
ers Association at the Mt. Hood
Oregon Resort in Welches Fri-
day, July 29. The debate was
moderated by PMG President
Mark Garber and included
questions from local journalists,
as well as the opportunity for
the candidates to confront each
other with their own inquiries.
Drazan, a Canby resident
and former Oregon House of
Representatives minority leader
who won the Republican nom-
ination, made clear that she
views her opponents as lead-
ers of an establishment that has
brought Oregon to where it is
today, and that the state needs
new solutions to chronic prob-
lems such as homelessness,
a lack of housing and mental
health services, and economic
insecurity.
“It’s a little bit ironic to me
to constantly hear my oppo-
nents on the stage be (aghast) on
how horrible Oregon is on this
and that and the other — ‘We’re
50th (in the country) on this
and we have to work on that,’”
Drazan said. “They’ve been in
charge. We got here because of
their voices. There are not two
other people in the state with
more power than them besides
the governor herself and
maybe the Senate president.”
Johnson, a Scappoose res-
ident who was a Democratic
state senator before resigning
to run as an unaffiliated can-
didate, emphasized that she
represents a middle ground
between what she described as
extremes on her political right
and left, noting Drazan’s pro-
life stance on abortion and pos-
iting that Kotek is a part of a
progressive left that is respon-
sible for mounting problems.
“Oregonians are distrustful
of the radical right and they are
terrified of the progressive left.
… What could be more differ-
ent and impactful than a gover-
nor with an allegiance only to
Oregonians and not to a party
agenda or special interests?”
she said.
Kotek, a Portlander who
was the speaker of the House
for nine years prior to winning
the Democratic nomination,
framed herself as a candidate
who seeks solutions rather
than simply rejecting the sta-
tus quo.
abortion, but felt organizations
like Planned Parenthood could
support people arriving from
other states without govern-
mental funding.
“We are in too big of a
moment in our country to say
no to women who need access
to care,” Kotek said. “And I’m
the only person in this race who
is a champion on this issue,
who has believed in access to
health care — and that is what
Oregon Capital Bureau abortion is — and that’s why
Candidates for governor: Republican Christine Drazan, left, I’m backed by Planned Parent-
hood and Pro Choice Oregon.”
Democrat Tina Kotek and non-affiliated Betsy Johnson.
Drazan, meanwhile, said
“No matter what the other some form of policy incen- she is pro-life but that her
candidates say today, there are tivizing businesses to reduce responsibility as governor
no quick fixes. There are no emissions — but not in the would be to uphold the laws in
miracle cures to take on these form proposed by Democrats. place.
“The need to lead a Repub-
large challenges. Only hard
Unlike Drazan and Johnson,
work is going to allow us to lican effort to deny quorum Kotek said she supports IP17
ensure that every part of our on this was simply because of — a ballot measure that would
the intensity of single-party require background checks for
state can thrive,” she said.
On the issues, Drazan clar- majority control,” she said.
purchasing firearms and pro-
ified that she considers Joe
Drazan also said she felt hibit the sale of large-capacity
Biden to be the fairly elected the state was focusing too magazines (except for military
president of the United States much on housing to address and law enforcement) — and
— despite efforts from mem- the homelessness crisis, and established herself as the can-
bers of her party to sow dis- not enough on other issues didate in support of gun con-
trust in the 2020 election like treating addiction and trol measures. She clarified that
she’s not interested in “taking
results — while also stat- mental health.
ing that she would main-
Kotek described the walk- people’s guns away,” however,
tain the current gun and abor- out as a decision to throw after a quip from Johnson sug-
tion laws in place in Oregon in the towel on the issue of gesting that intention.
Johnson, meanwhile, cas-
and expressing opposition to addressing climate change and
Gov. Kate Brown’s execu- expressed support for the gov- tigated Gov. Kate Brown and
tive order directing state agen- ernor’s executive order.
state leadership for Intel’s deci-
cies to reduce carbon emis-
Further, she was the only sion to build a new chip manu-
sions. Regarding her and her candidate to firmly say she facturing facility in Ohio rather
colleagues’ decision in 2020 would direct public resources than Oregon, saying that she
to walk out of the Capitol to to helping people living in had talked with Intel execu-
combat Democrats’ cap-and- states where abortion is ille- tives who said state leadership
trade proposal while she was gal to access that service here. was not receptive to their needs
the House minority leader, she Johnson also emphasized her and that she would make sure
said she may have supported staunch pro-choice stance on she consulted regularly with
major industry players. Further,
Johnson addressed her decision
to vote for the corporate activ-
ity tax to add school funding
even though she now is against
it, saying that she felt schools
needed more money at the time
but now believes the tax is too
big of a burden on businesses
and should be altered. Simi-
lar to Drazan, Johnson felt that
Kotek’s leadership has led to
there being “tent cities all over
Portland.”
“This is a humanitarian cri-
sis, and we must never lose
sight of the fact that it’s inex-
orably tied to drugs and men-
tal illness in our streets,” John-
son said.
In closing remarks, Drazan
commented on what she felt
was a divisive attitude exuded
by Johnson, saying she was
tired of being yelled at and add-
ing that she felt Johnson left the
Democratic Party when it was
politically convenient to do so.
Johnson said choosing Dra-
zan would be moving from
one extreme to the other and
told voters she does not care
whether you voted for Biden or
Donald Trump.
“I want to recapture the
maverick spirit and get us back
on track,” Johnson said.
Kotek, in her final remarks,
talked about how she fell in love
with Oregon when she moved
here 35 years ago and that she
views it as a state of possibility
toward what it could become.
“I am sure I know how to
work with people and solve
problems because I have a track
record to show that,” she added.
Baker GOP votes to suspend board
Grant party chair
to lead review
committee
BY CLAYTON FRANKE
Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY — The
Baker County Republican Party
voted to suspend its own execu-
tive committee for 60 days and
launch an investigation into the
county chair, Suzan Ellis Jones,
at a meeting on Thursday eve-
ning, July 28, at the Baker
County Library.
The central committee also
appointed a temporary execu-
tive committee to serve during
the suspension period and
moved to hold a recall meet-
ing for the entire executive
committee.
The action comes on the
grounds of what some county
party members said was a pat-
tern of failed leadership by the
executive committee.
Dan Johnson, a registered
Baker County Republican and
precinct committee person
(PCP) for the county, organized
the meeting along with other
central committee members.
Johnson was nominated and
confirmed to serve as the tem-
porary chair during the suspen-
sion, effective immediately.
“Many citizens of Baker
County are simply tired of the
discourse within the local GOP
organization,” Johnson wrote
in a July 27 letter to Jones. “It
must stop, and the only logi-
cal approach to solve such dis-
agreements is for a cooling off
period and an unbiased, inde-
pendent review of the disputed
issues.”
The party voted to estab-
lish a committee of “three neu-
tral and detached county chairs
or vice chairs” from outside the
county under the leadership of
Grant County Republican Party
Chair Frances Preston.
This committee will inves-
tigate a Feb. 9 letter that for-
mer Oregon GOP Chair Dallas
Heard wrote to Jones detail-
ing the complaints that Baker
County precinct committee
persons had made concerning
Jones.
According to the letter,
Baker County PCPs have com-
plained that Jones had a con-
flict of interest involving her
daughter, Kerry McQuisten
(the Baker City
mayor, who
also attended
the meeting),
and that Jones
didn’t prop-
erly
inform
the party about
Preston
meetings.
The pub-
lic meeting came after two inci-
dents involving the GOP that
occurred earlier this year.
On March 25, police
responded to a complaint about
audience behavior during a pri-
vate GOP meeting at the Baker
Elks Lodge, when Rick Rienks,
a PCP who also attended the
July 28 meeting, was escorted
from the building.
A little over two months
later, a Baker City couple
received a letter they called
“harassing” from county party
officials, accusing them of dis-
rupting a private meeting of the
executive committee on June 7.
And for roughly the first
hour of Thursday night’s three-
hour affair, there was some
question as to whether or not
party members would even be
allowed to vote on the sched-
uled agenda.
Jones, acting as chair, called
the meeting to order at 6:30 and
immediately appointed Vance
Day, a former Marion County
judge, as the temporary chair
for that meeting.
After a few minutes of dis-
agreement between Day and
Johnson as to who would run
the meeting, Kenny Hackett,
a central committee member,
motioned to vote on the meet-
ing’s proposed agenda. Day
then informed the meeting that
they had to verify a quorum
was present before any official
business was conducted, per the
Baker County Republican com-
mittee bylaws.
The bylaws state that a quo-
rum of three executive officers
must be present at a meeting to
conduct any official business.
Day identified Jones and
Tom Van Diepen as the only
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two executive members — out
of six total — present at the
meeting and said, because of
the lack of a quorum, that the
meeting could proceed only as
an informal discussion and not
official business.
At the time, Jones said she
didn’t know where the other
four executive members were.
Several party members
said the absence of the exec-
utive committee was a delib-
erate attempt to prevent the
central committee from vot-
ing on the scheduled agenda,
which involved suspending the
executives.
Jake Brown, another PCP
at the meeting, said that in
eight years of attending county
Republican meetings, he
couldn’t think of another time
when a quorum wasn’t present.
“I don’t think people came
here to be played by the exec-
utive committee,” Brown said.
The four missing executives
were Vice Chair Julie McKin-
ney, Treasurer Joanna Dixon
(who is also the treasurer for
McQuisten’s campaign com-
mittee and, along with McQuis-
ten, on the Baker City Council),
Keith Jones, who is married to
Suzan Ellis Jones, and Secre-
tary Justin Langan.
Jones did not respond by
press time to several attempts
by the Herald to reach her via
phone.
Several meeting attendees
suggested that another execu-
tive could be reached electron-
ically and that Jones should
attempt to contact them, but she
never did.
The committee had still not
addressed any official business
by 7:30, an hour after the meet-
ing’s start.
Doni Bruland, a PCP who
was nominated and confirmed
as vice chair for the duration of
the suspension, then questioned
Day’s right to lead the meeting.
In 2018, the Oregon
Supreme Court suspended Day,
then a Marion County judge, for
three years, citing ethics viola-
tions. At the time he was also
under investigation for gun law
violations, which were later
dismissed.
After serving the suspen-
sion, he lost a bid for Oregon
State Court of Appeals earlier
this year.
Day did not respond by
press time after multiple phone
calls from the Herald on Friday
morning.
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Day warned the central com-
mittee multiple times Thurs-
day evening against proceed-
ing with the vote to suspend the
executive committee.
“Why do you want to burn
down the house to control the
ashes?” he said.
Johnson then pointed out
that since the meeting was duly
called, meaning attendees were
given proper notice, they could
remove and replace the tem-
porary chair, Day, with a two-
thirds vote, even without a
quorum.
The vote passed, and Day
stepped down as temporary
chair.
Jones and McQuisten then
left the building — along with
a handful of other meeting
attendees — carrying the meet-
ing’s attendance sheet, which
she refused to give back after
requests from PCPs. Day left
shortly after that.
The rest of the attendees
moved on with the scheduled
agenda shortly after 8 p.m.,
passing each motion — includ-
ing suspension of the board and
investigation of Jones — and
appointing the temporary exec-
utive board, with Johnson as
chair.
“I’m so proud of the peo-
ple last night to see through
what was going on. Now they
have the opportunity to help our
Republican candidates,” John-
son said.
The proposed recall meeting
does not have a scheduled date.
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Clayton Franke/Baker City Herald
Vance Day (left), former Marion County judge, stands in front of the Baker County Republican central committee while Kenny Hackett
looks on at a meeting at the Baker County Library on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
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