Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 2006)
FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 26,2006 Candidates’ Forum ...continued front page 3 If elected, what is the b ig g est c h a lle n g e facing you? Our county’s methamphetamine problem. U sers com m only com m it property crimes to support th e ir habits o r reso rt to dealing or attem pting to manufacture it to feed their addiction. Many ingredients used to manufacture meth are toxic and meth users aren't always careful in their handling of these substances. This creates a hazard not only for law enforcement but also for any innocent person who stumbles upon a meth lab or its rem ains, not to m ention the burden of exorbitant clean up costs. D om estic violence, child abuse and o th e r person crimes are also a concern due to the ag g re ssiv e states associated with meth use. What do you plan to do ab ou t the methamphetamine problem in M orrow County? I am committed to aggressively prosecuting methamphetamine crimes. There is no quick and easy solution to this epidemic but I am encouraged by working with local law enforcement including the BENT team and by the recent addition of K-9 units to the Sheriff’s O ffice. R ecently, 1 was involved in the development of Drug Endangered Child protocols so that through a collaboration of prosecution, law enforcement and child p ro te c tiv e serv ice s, our county’s most vulnerable victims of meth, will not be forgotten. Is there anything you could do to help crime victims better have their day in court? We can take advantage o f the support person for Victims of Violent Crimes law that took effect at the beginning of the year. M any victim s fear, with good cause, being tom apart on the witness stand by a defense attorney, and having a support person available can be invaluable. Victims’ rights extend farther than just having their day in court. It's important for a district attorney to be accessible and work in cooperation with the V ic tim 's A ssistan ce D irecto r, as I have experience doing, to address q u e stio n s o r co n cern s th ro u g h o u t the e n tire process arid help empower victim. W hat is you r opinion of Jessica’s Low for Oregon? We must do e v ery th in g p o ssib le to .... - .protect our chi dren from r . . sex u al p re d a to rs. As M orrow C ounty D eputy D istric t A tto rn ey , I'v e worked w ith many child sex abuse victims, including one seven year old that had to testify against her abuser at tria l. T hat little girl demonstrated a courage that most of us can only imagine and as a result her abuser is serving two M easure 11 sentences o f 150 months in prison. Jessica’s Law would enable law enforcement to better track the whereabouts of sex offenders by requiring those convicted of failing to register more than, twice to w ear glo b al track in g devices. John L. Ballard, of H erm iston , has one daughter, Sarah, who is 15. He graduated from high school in Des Moines, 1A. He received his bachelor of arts degree (summacum laude) from Buena Vista C o llege in Iowa and his juris doctor w i t h John Mallard d is tin c tio n w as receiv ed from University of North Dakota School of Law. He has been practicing since 1997 and p ra c ticin g in M orrow County since 1999. Ballard has had nine years of handling complex criminal cases, extensive, jury trial experience and has a thorough understanding of advanced legal concepts including but not limited to procedural law, suppression issues, and evidence. He is a small business owner and with that has honed skills of b u d g etin g , em ployee m anagem en t, b u sin ess o p e ra tio n s and fin an ce management. Why would a voter select you over your opponent? I offer a strong work ethic. I have not had the o p p o rtu n ity to take, significant amounts of time off work to campaign due to the respo n sib ility to my clients- I will bring to the office of District attorney a no-nonsense approach to vigorous law enforcement and community protection for all of Morrow County. I will stand up for all citizens. I will follow-through with cases su p p o rtin g law enforcement, victims, and M orrow C o u n ty ’s best interests. The dismissal rate of cases will decline, cases charged, should be followed through on appropriate. I am . • , „ \ •„ . , a trial attorney, I will take ELECT attorney for Umatilla and M orrow C ounty Public Defenders from 1985-1995. In 1995, he became district attorney for Umatilla County and currently serves in that position. Brauer has been a member of the Rotary Club since 1995 and served two terms as director. He is also a m em ber of Leadership Pendleton - Courts, Law and Public Safety Program C o o rd in ato r (nine years 1998 - p re sen t); and Leadership Hermiston and L ead ersh ip M ilton- F reew ater as sp ea k e r/ participant. B ra u e r’s p o litical e x p erien ce com es from serving as district attorney for Umatilla County for 11 years, being elected and re elected. He also served as the O regon D istrict A tto rn ey s A sso ciatio n President in 2002. He is the fo rm er S p ecial D eputy Prosecutor in D eschutes, Union, Linn and Morrow counties. Other qualification and experiences he has had include: Local Public Safety C o o rd in a tin g C ouncil (1995-present); U m atilla C ounty C om m unity C o rre c tio n s A dvisory C om m ittee (1985-1995); U m atilla C ounty S enior Management Team (1995- present); Umatilla County Jail Advisory Board ( 1985- p re sen t); S tate Prison A dvisory C o m m ittee at EOCI (2 0 0 0 -p rese n t); O regon S tate Board on Public Safety Standards and T rain in g (1 9 9 9 -2 0 0 5 ); Oregon Judicial Department C rim in al C aseflow Management Pilot Project (2006). Why would a voter select you over your opponent? I am a hard w orking, p rin cip led and ethical public servant whose dedication to public safety, human dignity and the rule o f law has d ire c ted my professional life for more than two decades. 1 bring a scholar’s approach to legal issues and a tough, no n o n sen se, ap p ro ach to crime. I am an advocate for learning and education who High has participated for years in Sc hool e d u catin g O re g o n 's a n d lawyers. I am an enthusiastic received participant in the leadership h i s p ro g ram s o f several bachelor municipalities. I will use my o f arts legal acumen and scholastic d e g re e a p titu d e to c arefu lly , f r o m im p artially , and Willamette m e tic u lo u sly serve the University Chris Brauer and his ju ris d o c to r at Circuit Court as judge. For m ore than 20 Gonzaga School of Law. years I have been a respected He worked as a staff cases before juries to get c o n v ic tio n s and tough sentences. I will begin by charging cases correctly, b ecau se I have the ex p erien c e and train in g necessary to understand the e n tire p ro cess b efo re it begins. If elected, what is the b ig g est ch a lle n g e fa cin g you? A fter 1 re vitalize and reinvigorate our prosecution of criminals in our county, I will advocate to our legislature the need for prison sen ten ces for repeat drug offenders. What do you plan to do abou t the methamphetamine problem in M orrow C ou n ty? I intend to coordinate our various law enforcem ent agencies to c reate a stream lin ed approach to rapid and tough prosecution a meth users. 1 will insist upon an approach of zero tolerance of repeat offenders. I will be available to officers for assistance when they are at the scene of potential drug activities to properly process crime scenes. Is there anything you could do to help crime victims better have their day in co u rt? No plea negotiations should ever be completed without the full input o f a crim e victim . Crim e victim s should be involved in every aspect of a criminal prosecution, from ch arg in g the crim e to sentencing the defendant. Communication with victims is key to providing services to them th ro u g h o u t the process. W hat is your opinion of Jessica's Law for Oregon? It is time to get sexual p re d a to rs to u nderstand that we as a society promise to protect our children. Rape and abuse of children is as serious as murder. The sentences for such crimes should be as serious. Running for Circuit Court Judge are Christopher Brauer, Steven Fogelson and Annetta Spicer. C h risto p h er R. B rauer, o f P en d leto n , graduated from Sam Barlow Taub dirai is/ legal p ra c titio n e r in the courthouses of Umatilla and Morrow counties. 1 have emphasized criminal law for 25 years as both a p ro se cu to r and defender with experience as a partner in a law firm and as a sole practitioner in civil practice. If elected, what is the b iggest c h a llen g e facing you? The biggest challenge facing the courts is the staggering effect on the legal system (civil, criminal, and juvenile) caused by the use of in to x ic a tin g su b sta n c es, p a rtic u la rly dru g s and alco h o l. Combinations of strategies including drug court, social programming, education and consequential punishment m ust be d e v elo p e d to address this huge issue. W hat is your opinion of Measure 11 and should judges have more discretion in sentencing? M easure 11 req u ires m andatory m inim um sen ten ces for the m ost heinous criminal offenses such as m urder, rape, ro b b ery , sex u al abuse, kidnapping and so on. The o rig in al co m p lain t that ju d ic ia l d isc re tio n in sentencing is thwarted, has largely been addressed by changes in the law (ORS 137.712), w hich restore judicial discretion in most second-degree offenses. The other controversial issue w ith M easure 11 is its treatment of 15, 16 and 17 year old offenders as adults. If M easure 11 is to be modified further, one line of thinking could be to afford these youngest offenders a “second look” and a hope of sentence reduction if good conduct and attention to programming merit it after a portion of the sentence has been served. Is there anything you could do to help crime victims better have their day in co u rt? V ictim s deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and are now a ffo rd ed constitutionally protected rig h ts. V ictim s are not second-class citizens to the o ffen d ers w ho have victim ized them and are e n title d to be serio u sly consulted in serious cases. Every judge should insure that this consultation has occurred pursuant to the law and. further, should allow the victim every opportunity to be heard and to be afforded restitution by the offender. What would you do to m ake sure M orrow C ounty has ad eq u ate judicial coverage? There is simply no excuse for lack of judicial coverage in Morrow r Family &. Friends of ' Brian H oltz are invited to help celebrate his 30th birthday, Saturday, A p ril 29 at the Morrow County Fair Pavilion. Potluck-style dinner served at 6 p.m., meat provided. No gifts, please. J County whenever needed and for whatever purpose. Electronic technology and dedication of an “on-call’’ judge can help to accomplish this important requirement. Steve Fogelson, and his w ife o f four years, Teresa, live in Pendleton. Fogelson has two children, Reid, 21 and Leslie, 19. Fogelson graduated f r o m South E u g en e Seni or Hi g h School a n d received h i s bachelor O f - - Steve Fogelson science degree and his juris doctor from the University of Oregon. He has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 1983. C u rren tly , he is employed as a sole private practitioner. He has also worked as a police office in Oregon City and Reno, NV. In the law field, he has worked as a law clerk; as a student intern for the Lane County District Attorney’s O ffice; served as deputy d istric t atto rn ey and promoted to chief deputy district attorney for Umatilla County; and served a tribal p ublic d efen d er for the Confederate Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation for Oregon. Fogelson has been a member of the Pendleton Lions since 1985 and is a fundraiser for MDA and was the top money raiser three years in a row. Other experience or qualification that Fogelson has includes: taught criminal law and fire law at Blue M ountain C om m unity College; taught criminal law in S atu rd ay A cadem y Program ; d ev elo p ed program for high schools on dangers o f drinking and driving; was co-chair of the W est End C hild A buse P ro tectio n Team ; have worked with diverse groups o f p eople and ag en cies in clu d in g p o lice, DH S, counselors, child advocates, domestic violence services and attorneys in developing programs and protocols for handling sexual, physical and mental child abuse; have taught law enforcement in areas of criminal law, search and seiz u re , te stify in g , investigation of child abuse, and vehicular homicide. Why would a voter select you over your opponent? I have real life e x p e rie n c e s, w hich are valuable in a trial court judge. I have been married, raised children, divorced and custodial and non-custodial parent. Family law is a major co m p o n en t o f the court docket. Along with 14 years of family practice, these are valuable to understanding of the needs of the parties and children. I have been police o ffic e r and have m ore criminal law experience than ... continued on page 5 VOTE LOYAL BURNS MORROW COUNTY COMMISSIONER "Experience that can work for you!" STEVEN One of the most valuable lessons a child can learn is how to save money. It s a discipline that can be learned at an early age. Learning the facts of money early on can change a child’s future. Open a children s savings account today. Get the grandparents involved too. They will he glad to help. Having a little money tucked away is a good feeling, even for a five year old. Open an account today. Celebrate the spirit o f your hometown ! Bank o f FDIC Eastern Oregon FOGELSON for CIRCUIT COURT JU D G E Member Umatilla/Morrow Counties (Position No. S)
