Fall 2002 Voter's Guide

STATE SENATE 13 Newberg, Sherwood, Wilsonville, Hagg Lake

Ken Crowley--Democrat

FIRST CONCERT: George Thorogood & the Destroyers

LAST CONCERT: Paul McCartney

BORN: Exactly five years before release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

At this point, we'd probably endorse a meth-addicted chimpanzee over the incumbent in this redrawn district that skirts the south end of the western 'burbs before dipping down to Keizer.

Yes, Charles Starr is a nice man. No, it's not his conservative Christian beliefs that bug us the most. It's that the guy is about as effective as posting the Third Commandment in Ozzie Osbourne's house. Last summer, for the fifth time in his five terms in Salem, Starr finished at the bottom of the pack in our biennial survey of metro-area lawmakers, pushing two ridiculous education measures: mandatory phonics and permission to post the Ten Commandments in public schools. It's time for voters to realize this Starr is burned out.

Luckily, Ken Crowley is ready to shine. The 40-year-old Wilsonville lawyer has the energy, background and temperament that will be needed in January, when lawmakers are expected to face a historic budget deficit. The solo practitioner's expertise in discrimination and disability cases led former Gov. Barbara Roberts to appoint him to the state's Disabilities Commission. He was reappointed by Gov. John Kitzhaber and served eight years on the volunteer panel, which oversees implementation of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. His volunteer work in public schools (he's the tennis coach at Wilsonville High) gives him an inside view on how cuts to the education budget affect the classroom and athletics fields. And he's made a living getting opposing interests to reach settlements. This is one of the rare cases where a rookie would hit the ground faster than the incumbent.

STATE SENATE 15
Hillsboro, Cornelius, Forest Grove, North Plains

Bruce Starr--Republican

FIRST CONCERT: JesusFest

LAST CONCERT: Eric Clapton

BORN: On Superbowl III (Namath's Jets beat the Colts)

He's got an environmental record that would make James Watt smile. He's been endorsed by Oregon Right to Life, and he admits that the first concert he attended was not MusicFest Northwest, but JesusFest.

So why are we suggesting that state Rep. Bruce Starr be promoted to the Senate while we're urging voters to oust his dad, Charles Starr, from the same chamber?

Because Starr the Younger has shown that he's not in Salem to push for clear-cutting the Tillamook Forest, reversing Roe v. Wade or getting the Ten Commandments in public schools. Rather, this 33-year-old former roofer has been one of the pleasant surprises in the statehouse, helping hammer out realistic solutions to longstanding problems. In the 2001 session, for example, he was able to push through a long-deferred transportation package, funded with a hike in registration fees (which, he concedes, are a lot like a tax). During the fifth special session, he again parted with the hard-line budget hawks in his party (including his dad) by voting to refer a temporary income tax hike to a January election.

If the Legislature weren't heading for a fiscal trainwreck, we'd be more inclined to consider Starr's Democratic opponent, Ermine Todd. The teacher-turned-computer consultant has a good grasp of the issues facing the state, but the ex-Intel contractor has no previous government service and limited civic involvement. The third candidate in the race is Tom Humphrey of the Constitution Party. The Einstein-quoting building-code consultant wants to making Oregon a "happier" state by ending taxes, abortions, public libraries and (you'll never guess!) building codes.

STATE HOUSE 26
Wilsonville, Sherwood, Hagg Lake

Rick Ross--Democrat

FIRST CONCERT: The Kingston Trio

LAST CONCERT: Neil Diamond

BORN: Two days before Boris Spassky and Vanessa Redgrave

Two-term incumbent Jerry Krummel has the same problem as Sen. Charles Starr: He's affable, but laughable. Krummel doesn't share Starr's right-wing agenda, but, like his fellow suburban Republican, he's a likable, well-meaning guy who nonetheless finished at the bottom of our 2001 survey of metro-area lawmakers.

The former mayor of Wilsonville is best known for agreeing with whoever talked to him last. Don't take our word for it: The Oregonian recently noted, "Krummel often votes with his less visionary Republican colleagues, and has some funny ideas about taxes...." Of course, the paper then proceeded to endorse the two-term underachiever.

It doesn't take a Pulitzer Prize-winner to figure that it's time for a trade-in, and voters have in Rick Ross a good match for this suburban/rural district that leans toward the pachyderm party.

Ross has been active in Democratic party politics for years, but this former Forest Service supervisor is no tree-hugging liberal. The 65-year-old Umatilla County native has earned the right to wear the cowboy boots and denim shirt he favors on the campaign trail. He's got the endorsement of the Society for Range Management, not the Sierra Club. Ross' service on the governor's Watershed Improvement Coalition gives him expertise on a key natural-resources issue for the state. His current occupation as a wine-grape grower gives him insights into a growing Oregon industry. And in a time when bipartisanship is desperately needed, Ross has already shown he can bring people together. He's got the endorsement of Sherwood Mayor Mark Cottle, who's also backing Charles Starr.

STATE HOUSE 29
Hillsboro, Cornelius, Forest Grove

Chuck Riley--Democrat

FIRST CONCERT: Little Richard

LAST CONCERT: Bob Dylan

BORN: One day before the first televised heavyweight boxing match (Max Baer vs. Lou Nova)

For the past 20 years, some of Oregon's largest employers, including US Bank and Freightliner, have hired Chuck Riley to solve their problems. Given what's facing the 2003 Legislature, District 29 voters would be wise to do the same.

The jolly Hillsboro computer consultant, who could pinch-hit for St. Nick at Pioneer Place, is a bit hard to pin down: He's for stable school funding, better bridges and incentives for small businesses, but (cue the pollster) he doesn't want to raise taxes. Still, during his endorsement interview the 63-year-old Air Force veteran demonstrated a solid grasp of the troubles a freshman lawmaker would face and identified a worthy pet project he'd like to take on: Oregon's rising high-school dropout rate.

Besides, Riley's not nearly as inconsistent as his opponent, Mary Gallegos, who wants to keep this open seat in the family. (It was vacated by her brother, Jim Hill.) Gallegos, who worked as the executive assistant to former Intel boss Jim Johnson, won a primary victory by smearing Cornelius Mayor Ralph Brown as a gay-loving abortionist who's hooked on taxes. But this "no-new-taxer" recently sent out a questionnaire to district voters asking them how they would spend "increased funds" for local schools. (The survey also raised questions about her attention to detail, at one point explaining that the answers "will help Linda know how you feel about this issue.") We do like Gallegos' support of the Latino community (her husband is Hispanic), but her campaign promise to "protect Social Security benefits"--a federal responsibility--is pure pandering.

WWeek 2015