ELECTIONS
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020
GOP incumbents outline plans for next term
By ANTONIO SIERRA
STAFF WRITER
State Rep. Greg Smith
and state Sen. Bill Hansell
are facing some unusual cir-
cumstances in their reelec-
tion bids — a Democratic
challenge.
Hansell, who represents
Senate District 29 from
his home in Athena, hasn’t
faced a Democrat since he
was fi rst elected in 2012.
This will be Smith’s fi rst
general election opponent
since the Heppner business
owner ran for District 57 in
2010.
Irrigon
contractor
Roland Ruhe is running
against Smith, but did not
return a call for comment
until after the print dead-
line for the East Oregonian
edition this article was writ-
ten for. Joseph retiree Mil-
dred O’Callaghan, Hansell’s
opponent, did not return a
request for comment.
During his 10th term
in the Oregon Legislature,
Smith received an increased
level of scrutiny from media
across the state.
Willamette Week said
Smith “may be the best
CANDIDATE BIOS
compensated lawmaker in
Salem,” highlighting con-
nections between his day
job as an economic devel-
opment specialist and the
projects he approves as a
legislator.
The Malheur Enterprise
investigated the public con-
tracts he holds through his
personal company, includ-
ing his role as the direc-
tor of the Malheur County
Economic
Development
Department
Smith said he drew atten-
tion to his nonlegislative
work because of his will-
ingness to declare potential
confl icts of interest on the
House fl oor.
“I don’t know how much
more transparent I can be,”
he said.
Smith said he has a big-
ger target on his back
because of his seniority
and his close relationship to
House Speaker Tina Kotek
and Senate President Peter
HOUSE DISTRICT 57
GREG SMITH
Party:
Republican
Age: 51
Occupation:
Small busi-
ness owner
and econom-
ic develop-
ment specialist
Birthplace: Portland
Education: Master’s degree,
Eastern Oregon University
Family: Married, fi ve chil-
dren and one grandchild
ROLAND RUHE
Party: Democrat
Courtney, who are both
Democrats.
Smith said he’s able to
leverage those relationships
into projects back in his dis-
trict, pointing to funding for
a new Head Start facility in
Boardman.
Smith continues to sit
on the Joint Committee on
Ways and Means, which will
be responsible for tackling a
budget with a COVID-19-
shaped hole in it.
SENATE DISTRICT 29
BILL HANSELL
Party:
Republican
Age: 75
Occu-
pation:
Retired,
former
Umatilla
County commissioner
Birthplace: Colfax, Wash-
ington
Education: Bachelor’s de-
gree, University of Oregon
Family: Married, six children
and 11 grandchildren
MILDRED O’CALLAGHAN
Party: Democrat
While recent budget pro-
jections have appeared ros-
ier than expected, Smith
said those numbers were
infl ated by federal stimulus
money.
Smith said he antici-
pates legislators will have to
make cuts, reprioritize fund-
ing, and even explore new
sources of revenue, which
could include new taxes.
With the COVID-19 pan-
demic showing no signs of
abating back home, Smith
said everyone needs to
make sure they wear masks
when out in public and
socially distance themselves
properly.
“Every Oregonian needs
to do a little more to stand
up for our public health,” he
said.
Walkouts were the defi n-
ing moments of some of the
two previous sessions as
GOP legislators left Salem
to prevent the passage of a
cap-and-trade bill favored
by Democrats.
Neither
Smith
nor
Hansell anticipated another
walkout in 2021, although
both admitted that they
hadn’t anticipated the previ-
ous walkouts either.
While there may not be
another cap-and-trade bill,
the environment promises
to come up again as a per-
tinent topic after wildfi res
across the state displaced
thousands of residents and
caused air quality to drop to
dangerous levels.
Hansell said the Legisla-
ture should review its for-
est management policy, but
he thought state, tribal and
private forests were better
maintained compared to fed-
eral forests. He added that
the state should be focused
on working with the federal
government to improve for-
est management.
Hansell compared leg-
islating to a football team
playing on offense and
defense.
On the offensive side,
Hansell said he plans to
work on bills that tackle
issues relating to sexual
abuse and domestic vio-
lence. On defense, Hansell
plans to stay vigilant on any
bills that may hurt the agri-
culture industry and work to
reverse the Oregon Depart-
ment of Corrections’ deci-
sion to end its contract with
Blue Mountain Community
College and other commu-
nity colleges to run its adult
education programs.
Hansell expressed pride
in the bills he passed with
bipartisan support and the
capital projects he helped
bring to his district, but his
optimism was tempered by
a legislative career spent in
the minority.
“I’m not at the table
where a lot of these deci-
sions are made,” he said.
Local voters face state and federal choices on the ballot
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
When Eastern Oregon
residents open their general
election ballots they will be
faced not only with local
races and measures, but can-
didates for state and federal
offi ce.
Voters used to seeing
Congressman Greg Walden
on the ballot for Congres-
sional District 2 will be
faced with all newcomers
in the race for the fi rst time
since Walden was elected in
1998.
On the Republican side
of that race, Cliff Bentz is
an Ontario rancher and for-
mer water and business
law attorney who served
10 years as a state repre-
sentative and two as a state
senator.
During an interview with
the East Oregonian’s edito-
rial board in the spring, he
touted his experience with
water and land issues in
Eastern Oregon, and voiced
support for President Don-
ald Trump. He said he had
concerns about how much
the United States is spend-
ing during the pandemic,
with little conversation
about how the country will
pay that money back.
On the Democratic side
of the race is Alex Spenser,
who describes herself in
her voter’s guide entry as
a “writer/poet/motivational
speaker/performance coach/
copperwright/campaign
strategist.” She is from
Klamath Falls.
During a candidate
forum hosted by EO Media
Group in the spring, she
said her focus was on end-
ing the divisiveness in pol-
itics and healing the divi-
sion between Republicans
and Democrats. She said it
is important to support busi-
nesses as they continue to
adjust to circumstances cre-
ated by the pandemic.
Libertarian Robert Werch
is also running for the seat.
Sen. Jeff Merkley is
also running for reelection,
against Republican chal-
lenger Jo Rae Perkins.
Merkley has been a sen-
ator since 2009, and before
that had a long career in
state-level politics, includ-
ing time as a state represen-
tative and Oregon House
Speaker.
Perkins, of Albany, is
retired from the fi nan-
cial sector, including past
experience as an insurance
agent, fi nancial planner
and banker. She has gained
national attention for her
vocal support of the QAnon
conspiracy theories.
Pacifi c Green Progres-
sive candidate Ibrahim A.
Taher and Libertarian Gary
Dye are also running for the
seat.
For Oregon Secretary
of State, state Sen. Kim
Thatcher, R-Keizer, is fac-
ing off against state Sen.
Shemia Fagan, D-Portland.
During a recent candi-
date forum hosted by EO
Media Group, Thatcher
said she would continue the
tradition of former secre-
tary of state Dennis Rich-
ardson in using the offi ce
to provide checks and bal-
ances, as the only Repub-
lican holding a statewide
offi ce in Oregon.
Fagan said during the
same forum that she would
be an independent advocate
for all Oregonians if elected.
Also on the ballot for
secretary of state are Pacifi c
Green Progressive candi-
date Nathalie Paravicini and
Libertarian Kyle Markley.
For state treasurer, vot-
ers have a choice between
incumbent Democrat Tobias
Read, Republican Jeff Gud-
man, Constitution Party
candidate Michael P. Marsh
and Independent Party/Pro-
gressive Pacifi c Green can-
didate Chris Henry.
Running for Attorney
General are Democratic
incumbent Ellen Rosenblum
and Republican Michael
Cross.
For more information
about these races, see the
Nov. 3, 2020, Voter’s Pam-
phlet or coverage in the East
Oregonian.
THANK YOU
LAW ENFORCEMENT
"Senator Bill Hansell is a strong advocate for law enforcement.
He always has our back." - Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan
RE-ELECT SENATOR BILL HANSELL
ENDORSED BY:
Paid for by Friends of Bill Hansell