Matthew Wand
Guest Opinion
Sandy Post
Dec 1, 2009

With its dramatic tax increases, the Oregon Legislature has unfortunately chosen extremism over reasonable compromise. Our fellow Oregonians, friends and neighbors are the casualties of the Legislature’s tax increases, falsely sold as a means to fund government that will only affect “the rich.” Ballot measures 66 and 67 are bad public policy in a time when our neighbors who are out of work need pro- growth policies to spur economic expansion and new jobs.

Economists have predicted that as many as 70,000 Oregon jobs will be lost if measures 66 and 67 are passed next month. To keep this number in perspective, Oregon has lost approximately 114,600 private sector jobs from November 2007 until November 2009. The job losses Oregon has already suffered have given us the dubious distinction of one of the highest state unemployment rates in the United States. We should not intentionally pursue any policy, tax increase or otherwise, that we know will lead to any additional job losses, whether the correct number of jobs lost is 70,000 or something less. The next person to lose his or her job could be your neighbor, relative or friend.

In the middle of what some are calling the Great Recession, Oregonians are fighting a costly battle over taxes instead of finding creative solutions to help their neighbors in a time of need. This battle over taxes is wholly unnecessary. With Rep. Nick Kahl’s backing and support, the Legislature rejected all compromises proposed by our small businesses for temporary tax increases, smaller tax increases coupled with reductions in non-essential state spending, and any other middle-ground position that would have avoided these drastic job losses. Now, our own legislators and senators are threatening drastic cuts to education and public safety if we do not agree with their extreme tax increases.

Oregonians have a simple choice in January: do we support this extreme proposal that will directly harm our neighbors who will lose their jobs, or do we tell the Legislature – yet again – that we want to see real spending reform, with prioritized spending that matches our values? It is not good enough to hold schoolchildren hostage to massive tax increases. Oregonians should never be forced to choose between their children’s education and their own jobs…

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An attorney has thrown his hat into the political arena with an announcement he plans to run against Rep. Greg Matthews, D-Gresham, for the house seat this spring.

Andre Wang, 37, of Gresham announced his bid for Oregon House District 50 on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Portland Adventist Elementary School in Gresham, where he attended first through eighth grade.

Wang, a Republican, grew up in East Multnomah County and said he hopes to be an effective voice in Salem to reflect the sentiments of Gresham residents. He said residents are concerned about the expansion of state government stemming from the last legislative session.

“In these economic times, all of us – including government – need to be diligent, vigilant and prudent,” Wang said.

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BROOKS — After feeling like the Oregon Legislature has been missing the needs of the citizens of Oregon, Kathy LeCompte has decided to do something about it.

The small business owner from Brooks has thrown her hat in the ring to challenge Betty Komp (D) in the November, 2010 House District 22 race.

LeCompte, a Republican, along with her husband, David, has owned Brooks Tree Farm for 30 years. They specialize in growing trees from seed for Christmas trees, ornamental trees, timber and wetland mitigation projects.

The small business owner is ready for the challenge of fighting against bigger government and the overtaxing in Salem.

“I, like many citizens, am concerned about the spending in Salem that doesn’t seem to meet our needs. We’re being forced to go to the citizens to pony up more dollars. It seems like there’s never enough,” she said.

“I believe we need to do some reprioritizing and not put our police, our schools and libraries out there and telling the people that those are the last things to be funded.

“The public is being told to pay more if you want those funded while everything else gets funded. With different prioritization of the spending, those could have been funded without raising the budget by 10 percent, which is what (the legislature) did last session.”

Running the tree farm for three decades, LeCompte said they could not have survived doing business like that.

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A North Bend oral surgeon is making a bid to try to unseat state Rep. Arnie Roblan in next year’s general election.

Dr. Scott Roberts announced Wednesday he will seek the Republican nomination for the Oregon House of Representatives’ ninth district. He pointed to tax increases, unsustainable state spending and land use regulations as reasons behind his decision.

“Our country was founded on a limited government, and I decided I needed to step up in our community and our area,” he said Wednesday.

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“I’m running for State Representative because Salem has ignored working families on the Oregon coast,” said Dr. Roberts, a Republican. “For too long, Salem has neglected our small businesses, our fishers and our workers in natural resources. It’s time for a State Representative who will listen to the people of District 9 and represent their interests at the State Capitol.”

Dr. Roberts said current leadership is responsible for $1.6 billion in job-killing taxes and fees, unsustainable state spending and harmful mandates and land use regulations that are threatening local businesses. Rather than towing the party line for Portland politicians, he said District 9 residents need a State Representative who will put coastal families and businesses first.

“Shutting down our local forests and fisheries won’t put people back to work, and won’t generate the revenue we need for great schools, great roads and safe neighborhoods,” Dr. Roberts said. “Our State Representative shouldn’t support closing the coast for business, but should promote policies that expand tourism opportunities and policies that would responsibly leverage our area’s rich natural resources. Economic development starts with supporting our traditional industries.”

Dr. Roberts will also focus on making health care more affordable and accessible to citizens on the coast. “The 2009 Legislature voted to increase health care premiums for individuals and small businesses- those who are most in danger of losing health coverage,” he said. “We can’t reduce health care costs by raising taxes and expanding bureaucracy. As State Representative, I’ll support common sense proposals that reduce costs, but don’t put government bureaucrats between patients and their doctors.”

Dr. Roberts said he looks forward to meeting with voters to share his ideas on creating jobs, protecting critical services and making health care more affordable.

“From Coos Bay to Florence, I’ll work hard to make the case for my campaign and my solutions,” Dr. Roberts said. “The status quo simply isn’t working for the people of House District 9, and I will offer my vision for putting Oregon back on the right track.”

“Families are hurting right now,” Lindsay noted in his remarks. “Each of us know people who are out of work, struggling to make ends meet, or even facing foreclosure on their homes. It’s very real and if we want different results, we have to change the approach.”

Lindsay said that his top priority is helping to restore Oregon’s economy and bring stability back to families struggling under the weight of the recession. Lindsay explained that means focusing on setting priorities and offering solutions to Oregon’s biggest problems. “As I like to put it, ridicule is not reasoning,” Lindsay said. “The legislature did a lot of things that we certainly disagree with, but I want to run on ideas and offering better solutions that will help families and get our state heading in the right direction again.”

Lindsay listed several companies that have exited the state and pointed out that Oregon, when compared to other states, has a history of going into recession faster and coming out slower. At the same time, Oregon families are hit with one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

“That tells us that there is a problem that we need to correct,” Lindsay said. “And it certainly doesn’t seem like job killing tax increases to cover double digit spending increases are the answer.”

The Hillsboro Republican said that there is a lot the state can learn from Oregon families when managing the state’s finances. “Like most of you, my wife and I are teaching our daughters that you have to spend less that you earn, save for a rainy day, and help the less fortunate,” Lindsay said. “But government isn’t setting that same example for families.”

Lindsay was introduced by his wife, Amanda, who noted that, “Ever since I met Shawn in college, I have admired his willingness to help people; no matter who they are or what their need might be. He sincerely listens as he tries to help others solve their problems.”

Lindsay, 36, is an attorney with the Lane Powell law firm in Portland where he specializes in business and intellectual property work. He is the fourth generation of Lindsays to call Oregon home. Lindsay and his wife live in Hillsboro with their two children, and a third on the way. He is running in House District 30 which is currently represented by Democrat David Edwards. Lindsay has served on the Hillsboro School District Curriculum Committee and is currently a member of the Oregon State Bar House of Delegates. On a pro bono basis, he serves as general counsel to Special Olympics Oregon.

Contact: Shawn Lindsay
(503) 734-9294
shawn@shawnlindsay.org

http://www.shawnlindsay.org

“If there was any good candidate-recruitment tool, it was this past legislative session,” Nick Smith says. He’s the spokesman for the state House Republicans’ campaign committee. He’s told me this several times since I started nagging him about whether Oregon Republicans are going to have it together when it comes to fielding dozens of candidates for the 2010 election.

When Barack Obama was elected president and Sarah Palin became more frequently referred to as Caribou Barbie as governor of Alaska, I was worried Republicans would have to offer up faux or no candidates in 2010 because no conservative in his or her right mind would be willing to go into battle in the Time of Obama. Whoever dared to would need a vat of charisma, as the president changed voters’ expectations for what a candidate should look and talk like. It’s a tall order. Obama is more charismatic than Santa Claus — and promises more goodies than the man in red, too.

Back in January, love of Obama in specific and any non-Republican in general left me feeling that it wouldn’t matter who a candidate was or what she stood for. If she carried an “R” next to her name she’d seal her fate as a political reject. Carry a “D” by your name on the ballot and you could coast to the office of your choosing, riding Obama’s magic Democratic sleigh, no matter your experience, ideology or ability to find your way to the bathroom in Salem or the halls of Congress.

But instead of scraping the bottom of the Willamette for sacrificial candidates, Republicans involved in candidate recruitment in Oregon say they are seeing one of the strongest recruiting classes they’ve had in several cycles — thanks to the 2009, Democrat-led state Legislature.

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SALEM – This year’s election season isn’t even over, but next year’s is already heating up.

In a prelude to the November 2010 election, candidates for the May state and local primaries have already begun throwing their names into the mix with elections officials in Salem and Central Oregon, following the opening of the filing period on Thursday.

Even though most candidates haven’t filed yet, two legislative seats in particular already look to get interesting in the coming months.

First, 41-year-old lawyer and real estate investor Jason Conger, of Bend, says he will file in the next few days to run for the Republican nomination in state House District 54, a seat currently held by Rep. Judy Stiegler, D-Bend. Stiegler was elected last November.

Conger, a Harvard Law School graduate, says he worked for former Northern California Congressman Frank Riggs in the 1990s, but has never run for elected office before.

He said he is running because “the 2009 Legislature scared me to death, and I think they are taking us in the wrong direction.”

Bend City Councilor Jeff Eager said he is also considering a run for the Republican nomination in the district, though a bid for higher office next year does not sound likely for the first-year elected official.

“One of the primary considerations for me is my position on City Council right now and wanting to be sure I do the right thing with regard to that,” he said.

Stiegler said she will run for re-election in the hopes of tackling some unfinished business, such as in providing stable funding for education.

“I think I have a good record to run on,” she said, adding that she is ready for the challenge. “I was not expecting a free pass here.”

The race for Stiegler’s seat could draw attention from outside Central Oregon as well. Nick Smith, a spokesman affiliated with the Oregon Republican Party, said the district ranks “number one, or top three” on the party’s list of seats it hopes to take from the Democrats.

In another race likely to be contested, two candidates say they intend to seek the Republican nomination for House District 55, which includes part of Deschutes County as well as all of Crook County. Incumbent Rep. George Gilman, R-Medford, first elected in 2002, has said he’ll step down at the end of his term.

Mike McLane, 44, a Redmond lawyer and education curriculum entrepreneur, filed on Friday for the race.

“I know how hard it is to run a business, and I don’t want to see a Legislature that keeps throwing roadblocks in front of businesses,” he said.

Also, 39-year-old Prineville Mayor Mike Wendel, who was elected in 2005, is expected to file for the seat. In an interview, he largely declined to comment other than to say he’ll make an official announcement in the next couple of weeks. Asked if McLane’s filing would dissuade him from entering, he responded: “No.”

Rep. John Huffman, R-The Dalles, filed on Thursday for re-election to House District 59, which includes Jefferson County.

Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, whose House District 53 seat will be on the ballot next year, had not filed by the end of the day Friday. He did not return a phone call.

Several local seats will also be on the ballot next year, including positions in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson county governments.

In Crook County, the positions of assessor, clerk, sheriff and commissioner – the position currently held by Lynn Lundquist – will be on the 2010 ballot. Already, Sheriff Rodd Clark has filed for re-election.

In Deschutes County, the positions of assessor, clerk, prosecutor, treasurer and two commissioner’s seats – positions currently held by Dennis Luke and Tammy Baney – will be on the 2010 ballot.

In Jefferson County, the seats for sheriff, county clerk, county assessor and two commissioners – positions currently held by Mike Ahern and John Hatfield – will be also be on the ballot.

The deadline to file for the May 2010 primary falls on March 9.

“It’s an honor to represent the citizens of House District 59 in the Oregon House of Representatives,” Rep. Huffman said. “I am running for re-election because our rural communities need a strong and effective voice in Salem. I’m proud of the things I’ve been able to accomplish for my district, and I remain committed to working across party lines to improve our state and help put people back to work.”

Among his accomplishments in 2009, Rep. Huffman passed bipartisan legislation to expand Oregon’s Work Share program to help businesses avoid permanent layoffs. He helped secure economic development dollars for Jefferson County, and passed legislation to promote the creation of renewable energy jobs in the district and across the state. In response to a crime that occurred in The Dalles, Rep. Huffman introduced and passed legislation to fix a loophole that made it legal for individuals to secretly videotape young victims.

Since the 2009 session ended in June, Rep. Huffman has traveled across the district to meet constituents and discuss issues. In addition to hosting town halls, he has attended parades and county fairs in all six counties in District 59. Over the next 30 days, Rep. Huffman will visit schools across the region to meet educators and parents of rural students.

“The citizens of District 59 deserve a State Representative who is active and engaged in their communities,” Rep. Huffman said. “I will continue to meet with voters from The Dalles to John Day. I am always happy to listen to their concerns and to talk about my ideas for making our state a better place.”

While not campaigning, Rep. Huffman will continue to work in the Legislature to shape public policy. In addition to preparing for the upcoming 2010 special session, he is serving on the On-Line Learning Task Force and the Oregon Workforce Investment Board. He will also continue his service on House Education Committee and House Human Services Committee.