Legislature STATE SENATE, 5TH DISTRICT
HILLSBORO, CORNELIUS, FOREST GROVE AND VICINITY REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Jeannette Hamby We're so haunted by the prospect of Charles Starr winning this seat that we're tempted to endorse him, figuring it might cost him votes among his core conservative supporters. Starr, who is facing term limits after serving three abysmal terms in the House, isn't even in the same league as the incumbent, Jeannette Hamby. A socially moderate GOP veteran, Hamby is a good political fit in this sprawling Washington County district, which includes Pacific University and a good chunk of the Silicon Forest. Her problem is that in a primary in which right-wing activists play a key role, she's in big trouble. As she says, "I've got to position myself to the right of Attila the Hun." It's a sad irony that Hamby's strength as a 16-year lawmaker--her ability to cross party lines, particularly on social issues--may prove to be her political downfall. Starr's best quality is his incompetence. No other metro-area Republican scored as low in our biennial ranking of lawmakers as this sincere-but-dense former OCA organizer during his tenure in the House. In 1995, despite GOP control, the second-term lawmaker could get only four of his bills out of committee. Freshman Democrats did better than that. Last year, he actually got a bill passed: a requirement that phonics be taught in public schools. Fortunately the governor vetoed it. Republicans should do the same to Starr. Hamby's experienced voice of reason is sorely needed in her party and in the Legislature.
STATE SENATE, 9TH DISTRICT
EAST PORTLAND DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Frank Shields This race, featuring two current Democratic House members, allows for plenty of comparisons. Any way you slice it, Frank Shields comes out ahead of Lonnie Roberts. Last year Shields, in his third term representing House District 16, was ranked the second-best Democrat in Salem (behind Sen. Kate Brown) in WW's biennial survey of metro-area lawmakers. Roberts, in his ninth--no, that's not a typo--term representing House District 21, was the second-worst Democrat (ahead of Sen. Thomas Wilde). The scary thing is that Roberts' 1997 ranking was an improvement over previous years. Shields and Roberts, forced from the House seats by term limits, are fighting to replace state Sen. Randy Leonard (himself a victim of term limits). They're both longtime Democrats, but with very different philosophies and styles. Shields, a Methodist minister, is known for his passionate advocacy of the poor. Roberts, an ex-trucker, is known for his passionate advocacy of the trucking industry. Over the years the two have differed on key votes. Shields supported efforts to require employers to participate in the Oregon Health Plan. Roberts, siding with Republicans, opposed the measure. Shields supported legislation to guarantee farmworkers the right to organize. Roberts, again, opposed it. Shields supported the state's family leave bill--which guarantees workers unpaid leave to care for newborns and ailing family members--while Roberts opposed it. Finally, last session Shields voted with the League of Conservation Voters 87 percent of the time; Roberts voted green just 33 percent of the time. A third candidate in this race, Tri-Met bus driver and political newcomer Arthur Winslow Jr., is motivated by a desire to shore up public support for education. Winslow is a better choice than Roberts, but Shields' strong record on education gives him the edge. The May 19 primary is the key race in this heavily Democratic district. If voters don't promote Shields, it will be more than 9th District residents who lose.
STATE SENATE, 12TH DISTRICT
CLACKAMAS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Verne Duncan Verne Duncan took an odd route to the state Senate, but we see no reason for Clackamas County Republicans to replace him. The 12th District seat opened up in January 1997 when incumbent Bill Kennemer bolted to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. When county Republicans put forward a trio of Christian conservatives to replace him, the county board refused to support any of them, allowing Gov. John Kitzhaber, the state's top Democrat, to fill the vacancy. Kitzhaber tapped Duncan, former state superintendent of schools. It was a good choice. Duncan is certainly a moderate's moderate. He supports Metro and voted for the governor's transportation package. He's pro-choice and says he would vote for nondiscrimination laws for gays. Like many of his fellow middle-of-the-road Republicans, he may get side-swiped by the far-right lane of his party. Neither of his GOP challengers is acceptable. Though it would be a hoot to have a state senator who calls himself "Bulldog," we have to pass on Dick Jones. Tenacity is admirable, but bulldogs are the short, ugly cousin of the pit bull, and no dog has a worse reputation for short-sighted and dangerous stubbornness. Jones has his death bite on the neck of the Oregon Department of Transportation, which he hates, and solid waste disposal, which he seems to like. Although knowing one's way around cesspools could be helpful in Salem, it's not enough to win our backing. Duncan's real threat comes from Jesse Lott. The Milwaukie general contractor has no government experience but has dabbled in GOP politics, serving as an advisor to his cousin, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. With that family history, it's no surprise he's at odds with Duncan's moderate stances. Lott opposes light rail, for example, and supports so-called "takings" legislation that would compensate land-owners who are financially hurt by environmental regulations.
STATE SENATE, 14TH DISTRICT
OUTER SOUTHEAST PORTLAND, NORTHWEST CLACKAMAS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Ken Baker If WW's endorsement interview for this race had been a boxing match, we would have declared a technical knock-out at the 23-minute mark. That's when ex-Rep. Jerry Grisham stood up in our conference room and walked away from state Sen. Ken Baker. Ostensibly, Grisham distanced himself merely to freshen up his coffee, but clearly it was because the incumbent had him on the ropes. Baker may look like a mere pudgy suburban divorce lawyer, but during his five years in the Legislature he's proven to be a tough son-of-a-bitch. The Clackamas County Republican pulled no punches when he met his overmatched challenger in our office April 24. Baker sat politely while Grisham droned on about the evils of light rail (it's not needed, it's too expensive, it diverts money from roads). Baker then jabbed Grisham for some of his Voters' Pamphlet statements suggesting that Baker likes taxes and criminals. The knockout punch, however, came when we asked Grisham to name his legislative accomplishments in the single lackluster session he served in 1995. Aside from helping derail funding for a north-south Tri-Met line, he said he was most proud of the effort to recriminalize marijuana. "That's right," Baker cut in. "You spent the whole session on the recriminalization bill and it failed. The next session, you're gone and...[Baker snaps his fingers]...it passes. I know this sounds cruel, Jerry, but it's true. Basically, you were the problem." Normally, this type of exchange is saved for November clashes between Republicans and Democrats. But Baker, like many moderate metro Republicans, is in the fight of his life. Although Grisham was viewed as a two-issue (trains and dope) legislative lightweight, he's a serious candidate this year. His campaign is being backed by conservative money men such as hotel magnate Mark Hemstreet who are frustrated by Baker's maverick streak. Baker's loss would be a blow to the Senate. After serving a solid term in the House, Baker jumped to the upper chamber in 1994. During two terms there he's earned a reputation as a brainy, hard-working moderate Republican with the guts to stand up for his convictions. (He was the second-highest-ranked metro-area Republican in WW's 1997 survey.) As chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee, Baker is one of the few people in this state who understands (and can defend) the Legislature's rewrite of Measure 47. He spent much of the '97 session swatting down lobbyists trying slip tax breaks into the measure--at one point refusing to chair a meeting when his party tried to ram a timber tax credit down his throat. He's been a thoughtful critic to Measure 11's impact on juvenile offenders, helped quash some of the "tort reforms" sought by Hemstreet & Co. and proven a staunch supporter of light rail and tax credits for the poor. He won't win any Mr. Congeniality awards in Salem, but he's one of the best lawmakers there.
STATE HOUSE, 7TH DISTRICT
NORTHEAST WASHINGTON COUNTY, SAUVIE ISLAND REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Chuck Carpenter If there is one race this May that comes close to a battle between good and evil, this is it. Although Chuck Carpenter will always be known as "the first openly gay Republican legislator in Oregon," it's far too narrow a description. He's one of the best lawmakers in Salem. Period. In our biennial ratings of metro-area legislators, capitol insiders gave him the second-highest score last session, just behind state Sen. Kate Brown. As chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources in '97, Carpenter fought for human-services programs. He stood firm on education funding, demanding more money than his party was willing to offer. Clearly out of step with many caucus members, Carpenter did more than complain. He used his independence to boost his influence. Environmentalists, for example, credit Carpenter with stopping a lot of bad land-use bills from even reaching the House floor, because Republican leaders knew he'd vote with the Democrats and hand the GOP embarrassing defeats. But don't think Carpenter is some tree-hugging, tax-happy Democrat in Republican clothing. He can be tight with a buck and has earned the backing of U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, the Oregon Farm Bureau, Weyerhaueser Corp. and the National Rifle Association. Carpenter's solid credentials are in sharp contrast to the squishy promises that come from his GOP rival. After two unsuccessful bids for Congress, Bill Witt has lowered his sights and set them squarely on Carpenter's back. Witt likes to stress his business background (his company, Wittco, sells photocopiers), but he's on shaky ground. First, despite his "family values" campaign platform, Wittco was charged by the state of Washington with unfair and deceptive practices--and Witt agreed to pay nearly $40,000 in fines and fees for his company's wrongdoings. Second, as someone who knows how to stick to a budget, he's got some odd ideas about state finance. Witt wants to lower taxes and boost tax breaks. At the same time he's cutting state revenues, however, he's advocating expensive improvements to the Sunset Highway, which forms the district's southern boundary. (Can you say "pandering?") When Witt challenged Democrat Elizabeth Furse in the '96 general election, he tried to position himself as a pro-environment moderate. Now, in the GOP primary against Carpenter, the founder of the Oregon Christian Coalition is again stressing his right-wing social views, endorsing charter schools and opposing gay rights, abortion rights and doctor-assisted suicide. We'd urge conservative Republicans to beware. Witt would find some kindred spirits in Salem, but there's no guarantee he'd be as effective as Carpenter. Success in the Legislature depends to a large degree on how you treat people. While Carpenter is viewed as tenacious, Witt can be a bully. During his last campaign he blew up at a Republican rival, calling him "fat boy" and challenging him to a fistfight. Witt would probably make headlines in Salem, but not the kind that the Republican Party--or the Legislature--needs.
STATE HOUSE, 9TH DISTRICT
TIGARD, KING CITY REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Max Williams One thing's for sure in this three-way primary: The winner will be more conservative than incumbent Tom Brian, the former Tigard mayor who's being forced out of the state House by term limits. All three candidates are pro-life, unlike Brian, and all are probably more stingy on fiscal matters than Brian, who supported big government programs such as light rail. The one with the most elected experience is Jason Broeckel, a deputy sheriff and King City councilor. It doesn't hurt Broeckel that he also looks like a matinee idol and sports a charming personality. If he had supplied just one or two good ideas, young Broeckel would have bagged our blessing. Instead he had us nodding off. His ideas on cutting state spending and improving schools were fuzzy at best, embarrassing at worst. We're sure the affable Broeckel does well going door-to-door in King City. But Salem is a different game. Max Williams knows that. Williams took a leave from his job with a big Portland law firm to serve as legal counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1995. We're told Williams did a fine job, and some sources suggest the House would actually be better off with a few more lawyers in the ranks. Williams, a Bend native, is more than just library smart. He voices solid--albeit conservative--ideas on education, transportation and growth. He also expresses a compassionate understanding of what makes people poor ("we have failed in our education system") and scorn for the anti-gay agenda of the Oregon Citizens Alliance. Pat Moran is the third candidate in the race. A carpet salesman who ran against Brian in 1994, Moran has some environmental views that hearken to the GOP of the McCall era: he wants to double the bottle tax and dedicate the money to parks; if that's not enough, he says tax every package of toilet paper in the state. Unfortunately, his social positions are extreme. Moran is adamantly pro-life and proudly acknowledges supporting the OCA's anti-gay ballot measures in the early 1990s.
STATE HOUSE, 11TH DISTRICT
SOUTHWEST PORTLAND DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Martin Taylor For the record: We like Anitra Rasmussen. Really, we do. We endorsed her in her upset victory over incumbent Tom Mason in 1994. We endorsed her successful re-election bid in 1996. But after two terms it's clear that a good voting record and the best of intentions aren't enough. Especially when a promising challenger comes along. Rasmussen picked off Mason in the Democratic primary four years ago as an unabashed single-issue candidate. A single mom with two kids in the Portland public schools, Rasmussen vowed to go to Salem and fight for education funding. She's been true to her word, but she's also been a disappointment, ranking near the bottom of WW's biennial survey of metro-area lawmakers. Critics--and even supporters--say she's failed to show leadership within the caucus, despite the fact that, if re-elected, she'd be the senior member of the Portland House Democratic delegation. Two years ago, in her endorsement interview, Rasmussen herself conceded that she was often overwhelmed by the legislative process. Rasmussen won our backing in 1996 because her opponent offered little experience or promise. Her Democratic challenger this year offers plenty of both. Martin Taylor has packed a lot of experience into his short political career. He's interned for Bev Stein and Barbara Roberts, worked for Greenpeace and state lawmakers Dick Springer and Bryan Johnston and served as political consultant to the Oregon Education Association and the Oregon Nurses Association. He says he has no beef with Rasmussen's voting record, and neither do we. The issue here is which candidate has the best chance to show some effective initiative. "I'm not running a campaign about Anitra, but leadership," Taylor told us, showing a lot of poise in Rasmussen's presence. "Salem is a mess, and no one is leading." Both candidates say education funding remains the key issue, but Taylor sees the big picture. "We continue to grow and continue to give away our tax base to corporations while schools become crowded," he says. "No one person is going to go down and change the state tax code. What we need are leaders who can work both sides and publicly define the debate. We need to have Democrats who are more than good votes." Rasmussen stresses that she's learned a lot with two terms under her belt. She's got a point. With term limits, House members have only three sessions to make their mark. But Taylor, given his legislative experience, won't need much time to get up to speed.
STATE HOUSE, 14TH DISTRICT
INNER SOUTHEAST PORTLAND DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Diane Rosenbaum This race poses a problem, but one we'd love to have more often: What do you do when there are four strong candidates running for a single office? The answer: endorse Diane Rosenbaum and encourage the rest to move to Clackamas County and run again. Six candidates are running for the chance to replace George Eighmey, one of the many victims of term limits, in this heavily Democratic district. The five who launched serious campaigns are thoughtful left-leaners who would vote similarly on key issues facing the state. Rosenbaum gets our nod for a great performance in our interview and rave reviews from people who've worked with (and sometimes even against) her. Rosenbaum, chairwoman of the Oregon Commission for Women, works for US West, handling customer complaints. For that alone, she deserves a medal. But every two years she takes a leave to work as the Salem lobbyist for the Communications Workers of America. In that role, fighting for causes such as family medical leave, she's earned respect on both sides of the partisan aisle. Republicans and Democrats alike praise Rosenbaum's communications skills. She'll work to find a compromise, they say, but when she's not going to budge, she'll tell you, along with the facts that led to her decision. That kind of straight talk is a scarce commodity in Salem. Rosenbaum also wins points for her ability to bring diverse factions together--such as waitresses and farm workers--to find common ground that is not always obvious. She put those skills to work two years ago as she led the successful fight to raise the state minimum wage. Given those credentials, it's surprising we found any other candidate who deserved serious consideration in this race. Actually, we found three. If our endorsement were based purely on enthusiasm and sense of humor, there's no doubt Jason Dimen would be our man. Dimen, an X-PAC member, has served on the staffs of state Rep. Jo Ann Bowman, County Commissioner Dan Saltzman and County Chairwoman Bev Stein. As a result, he has a good grasp of state and local issues. We hope to see him asking for our endorsement again. Lynn Partin is no slouch, either. A state housing analyst, she knows her way around Salem. The former chairwoman of the Multnomah County Democratic Party, she's racked up an impressive list of supporters ranging from U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Furse to Metro Exec Mike Burton. Steve Farris rounds out the fab four in this race. A former investigator for Metropolitan Public Defenders, Farris now teaches history at Franklin High School. His background would provide valuable insights on issues of criminal justice and education reform. Two other candidates also are running. Paul Stanford is primarily a one-issue candidate, bringing his longtime call for legalized pot to the forefront of his first political bid. Jim Wittenburg tried to withdraw from the race and is not actively campaigning.
STATE HOUSE, 16TH DISTRICT
EAST PORTLAND DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Jeff Merkley If voters in Southeast Portland's District 16 like Rep. Frank Shields--who's vacating this seat to run for state Senate--they ought to be pleased with Jeff Merkley. Merkley is cut from the same cloth as Shields, a minister who's been one of the Legislature's most passionate advocates for the poor and needy. Merkley ran Portland's chapter of Habitat for Humanity; organized the annual Walk for Humanity, which raises money for nonprofit groups; and developed affordable housing for a group called Human Solutions. Currently, he's executive director of the World Affairs Council of Portland, which provides public education, visitor programs and community connections that bring Russians to Oregon for training, internships and homestays. There is one glaring difference between Merkley and Shields, who's running for Randy Leonard's Senate seat in a game of musical chairs brought about by term limits. While Shields is a firebrand orator, trained in pulpit-preaching, Merkley is as soft-spoken as an NPR commentator. But even if he never raises his voice in Salem, Merkley will be a reliable progressive vote for social services, education, tax reform and the environment. Marvin Hollingsworth is the best of the other three candidates. A former lawyer, horse breeder, teacher and one-term representative, Hollingsworth's gruff independent streak is appealing. He stresses that he's divorced of party politics, that he doesn't give a damn how Shields voted--he'll be his own man. Hollingsworth is not well-informed enough, however, to convince us his vote will be the smart one. He says welfare and food stamps must be cut, in part, because they amount to such a large part of the state budget. Yet Hollingsworth couldn't tell us how much welfare costs the state, nor was he even aware of the state's welfare-to-work program. Ron McCarty, another former state legislator, is worse. An inattentive boor prone to brawling--literally--with colleagues, McCarty was once considered "beyond all hope" in WW's rating of legislators. Nothing he's done has changed our mind. The final candidate, retired pool builder Herb Brown, expresses vague ideas on education spending, public safety and social programs. He doesn't appear to be running a serious campaign.
STATE HOUSE, 17TH DISTRICT
NORTH PORTLAND DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Gary Hansen If for no other reason than consistency, we've got to endorse Gary Hansen for this post. After all, it was just 22 years ago that we did the same. Frankly, until we saw his Voters' Pamphlet statement, we had forgotten that Hansen ran for this post in 1976. Despite our endorsement, he came up short that year, but he's been plenty busy since then. The journeyman plumber with a perpetual frown won a Metro seat in 1982. He jumped to the Multnomah County Commission in 1990. Term limits have pushed him into the job market once again, and when incumbent state Rep. Mike Fahey decided to run for Labor Commissioner, Hansen filed for the vacancy. Hansen has never won rave reviews for eloquence, charisma or creativity, but he's honest and diligent. His tenure at Metro and the county gives him a solid background in land use, community corrections and social service delivery--three key issues at the state level. Hansen has two opponents. There are many reasons not to support Melinda Benson Wilde. We'll name just one: She ends her Voters' Pamphlet statement by saying that, if elected, she would work closely with her husband, Sen. Thomas Wilde. He needs all the help he can get, but not from her. Hansen's other opponent showed a lot of spunk in our endorsement interview, but has a loose grasp of the issues facing the state. Lewis Marcus is an energetic North Portland neighborhood activist who's best known for his efforts to fight a low-income housing project on a litter-strewn, undeveloped parcel known as Johnswood Park. Marcus joined the Democratic Party just two years ago but has embraced it with alarming conviction. When asked where he'd look to trim the state budget, he told WW: "As a Democrat, I think it would be against my party platform to advocate cutting government spending." Hansen is willing to fix the leaks in the state spending stream and a better match in this heavily Democratic district.
STATE HOUSE, 20TH DISTRICT
OUTER EAST PORTLAND, WOOD VILLAGE, TROUTDALE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Ellen Juett One of these years Republicans will have to face a strong candidate in this district. But they'll have to wait until the next century. Ellen Juett, chairwoman of the Argay Neighborhood Association, is the best of the terrible trio of Democrats seeking to capture the seat long held by Republican John Minnis, who is stepping down because of term limits. Juett, a candidate of few ideas and weak convictions, gets our nod by default. As one who's been in the middle of the Parkrose school board wars, her biggest issue is education funding (she goes out on a limb to support "safe schools" and "reduced class size"), but she doesn't quite know what to do about it. The only real alternative to Juett is George Kelley, an education consultant from Gresham. Kelley ran for this post two years ago and was unable to explain to us what he did for a living and what he'd like to do in Salem. His service on a smattering of local advisory boards looks good, but we're still not sure what his real agenda is. The final candidate, Terance Carpenter, has no political experience other than some work for the "father's rights" movement.
STATE HOUSE, 20TH DISTRICT
OUTER EAST PORTLAND, WOOD VILLAGE, TROUTDALE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Karen Minnis Here's how we figure it played out: State Rep. John Minnis, forced from office by term limits, is standing in his Wood Village garage in his bermudas when a new-found fervor for recycling gets the best of him. "Look, honey," he says. "There's no reason to throw away perfectly good lawn signs." A lot of folks grumble that Karen Minnis is cashing in on her husband's name familiarity in the contest to replace him. Perhaps, but she's also the better choice for Republicans in the district. Make no mistake. Our endorsement in this race doesn't stem from any ideological kinship. Minnis shares her husband's conservative stand on social issues and isn't likely to win any accolades from the tree-hugging crowd. She gets our nod based on her knowledge of state issues and the legislative process. Minnis has served as her husband's legislative aide since 1987. In that time, she's earned the respect of capital insiders and boned up on the problems facing the state. Like most legislative candidates, Minnis named education as her top priority. Unlike many, however, she was able to talk specifically about glitches in the ambitious state-mandated reforms now being implemented in K-12. Minnis' opponent is George Huber, a mental health director from Troutdale with no record of government or civic service. Huber didn't make the endorsement interview, but his Voters' Pamphlet statement is filled with GOP platitudes about "less intrusive government" and striking a "balance between the environment [and] industry." His dearth of specific ideas and lack of experience make him too big a gamble for us.
STATE HOUSE, 24TH DISTRICT
TUALATIN, LAKE OSWEGO REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Jim Hansen We get the feeling no one has ever told Jim Hansen that he isn't funny, at least as not funny as he thinks he is. Nor is he as charming or whimsical as he wants to be. But we believe this chatty stockbroker probably is as smart as he thinks he is, which is why we're puzzled by his campaign. Buried under cutesy photos of his kids, vague wisecracks in the Voters' Pamphlet and nauseating suburban snobbery, there could be a serious candidate. Hansen has long been worried about the effects of the region's swelling population. Last year, for example, he outlined his concerns to the Metro Council in a song, to the tune of "Hotel California" ("Such a Lovely Place...," WW, Feb. 19, 1997). As a candidate, he's put away the guitar, but he's still solidly on record as "opposed to traffic jams." Such flippancy hides the fact that he has rethought Oregon's transportation philosophy and concluded it's based on two false assumptions: We will soon run out of oil, and cars will always pollute. A longtime supporter of light rail, Hansen says he has come to realize that cars are no longer the evil everyone thinks they are, and that any transportation package has to balance our desire for mass transit with the reality of cleaner cars. We were nodding our heads at that point, but then Hansen lost us. He says his contribution to the environmental movement is telling all his Lake Oswego neighbors that they should take that old Suburban they're using as their third car and trade it in immediately for a new one. Hansen probably wouldn't be our top choice in this race if there were a qualified, thoughtful alternative. Stan Ash, however, isn't the man. Ash, a Wilsonville mobile home park operator, wound up as the GOP challenger to Secretary of State Phil Keisling two years ago and proved to be unimaginative and ill-informed.
STATE HOUSE, 26TH DISTRICT
MILWAUKIE, OREGON CITY, CLACKAMAS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Kathy Lowe Sometimes just showing up is enough. Like most candidatess, Kathy Lowe is a former Clackamas County assistant district attorney and Oregon City School Board member. Like most candidates, she says finding a stable source of schools funding is her top priority. That's not much. Still, it's better than we've seen from her two rivals in the Democratic race to succeed Larry Sowa. Neither Ginny Van Loo, who's served as Sowa's legislative aide, nor fellow candidate Ray Lewis came in for an interview. Lewis, who didn't submit a Voters' Pamphlet statement, doesn't appear to be running a serious campaign. Van Loo is, however, which makes her unwillingness to return our phone calls puzzling. Her Voters' Pamphlet statement, which is filled with vague vows to "cut red tape" and support "smaller class sizes," portrays Van Loo as a Sowa clone. That's too bad. We were never impressed by the incumbent, and therefore we give our nod to Lowe. We hope that, given her background in law and education, she'd at least understand--if not lead--the debate on the key issues facing the next Legislature.
STATE HOUSE, 26TH DISTRICT
MILWAUKIE, OREGON CITY, CLACKAMAS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Mike Valdrow Mike Valdrow isn't the first candidate to break into a sweat in our conference room, but he's the only one we recall who did so with a genuine smile on his face. Valdrow popped into our office last week during a break from a downtown construction site, where he's the concrete contractor. Valdrow, who also owns a parking lot striping business and a Port-a-Potty emporium, is a "roll up the sleeves and get to work kind of guy." He has a broad, if not necessarily detailed, knowledge of state issues and clear ideas about where we should be headed. He's moderate on social issues (he personally opposes abortion, but supports the right to choose) and sees a role for government spending. While he opposes running light rail into Clackamas County, for example, he thinks it's crazy that there's no line to the airport. His common-sense approach gives him the clear edge over his GOP opponent. Mike Mayfield was one of the religious-right candidates rejected by county commissioners to replace state Sen. Bill Kennemer. |
