The Liftoff: Nearman endorses Johnson; Schill leaving U of O
PLUS: Layoffs hit Oregon newspapers; a lawsuit against the Woodburn massage parlor; Oregon congressional races in the national spotlight; Portland on track to break homicide record; and more!
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1. Mike Nearman bucks GOP and endorses Betsy Johnson
Former state representative Mike Nearman, who was expelled from the Oregon Legislature and pled guilty to official misconduct, is endorsing Betsy Johnson for governor, bucking his party’s nominee. He joins Bridget Barton and other Republicans in supporting Johnson. Both Tina Kotek and Christine Drazan voted to expel Nearman in June 2021 following his involvement in the 2020 Oregon Capitol riot.
Here’s a quote from Nearman: “Johnson's nose for agency waste and inefficiency will give executive branch agencies the focus that they need to effectively provide the citizens of Oregon the level of service they deserve. If we elect Johnson governor, for the first time in four decades we will have an actual arms-length negotiation during collective bargaining with government employee unions.”
As to why he’s not endorsing the GOP nominee Christine Drazan, Nearman said she “has a track record of not working well with the team—and it's not just me saying that. She was more than happy to get rid of anyone who made her life more difficult. Ask former House Republican Chief of Staff Bruce Anderson or former House Republican Leader Carl Wilson.”
Johnson also recently earned a new endorsement from the other side of the aisle. Kotek’s former boss at the Oregon Food Bank, a former Democrat, is also endorsing Johnson.
Meanwhile, Drazan was endorsed by former Democratic candidate for governor George Carrillo, who earned 1.8% of the vote in the primary, in an endorsement video on Twitter.
More Johnson news, from the Capitol Chronicle: “Betsy Johnson hired petition circulators from Craigslist to qualify for Oregon governor race,” spending over $200,000.
The O explored the similarities and differences of the three candidates on the issues of manufacturing, the microchip industry, and Oregon’s business climate.
From OPB: Christine Drazan supports declaring a state of emergency on homelessness as one part of her new “Roadmap for Oregon’s Future”. Tina Kotek called for a similar declaration in 2020. Betsy Johnson said: “We don’t need more plans. We need action from a new governor who’s going to get stuff done.”
Drazan raised an additional $1 million from the Republican Governors Association, for a total of more than $1.5 million from the RGA. Knute Buehler raised over $3 million from them in his last run—so expect more to come.
2. All eyes on Oregon in the fight to control Congress
Politico featured Oregon’s three competitive congressional districts when analyzing the latest polling on competitive races across the country:
CD6: “The most encouraging poll for Republicans came in Oregon’s new 6th District, where Republican Mike Erickson led Democratic state Rep. Andrea Salinas by 7 points, 47 percent to 40 percent, with 13 percent undecided. In a district that Biden won by nearly 14 points, his approval rating is underwater by 20 points.”
CD5: “The most at-risk district is the one that Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader lost in a May primary. Now, a more progressive Democrat is defending the turf against a credible GOP candidate in a seat Biden won by 9 points.”
CD4: “In Oregon, they also see a path to contesting the district retiring Rep. Peter DeFazio is vacating along the western coast of the state. A July 25-28 survey of 400 likely voters in DeFazio’s district found a 5-point race, with Democrat Val Hoyle leading Republican Alek Skarlatos, 46 percent to 41 percent, with 13 percent undecided.”
In other congressional news, Oregon’s sole GOP congressman Cliff Bentz joined his colleagues in calling for an investigation of the FBI following the raid at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
3. Medina sues Woodburn massage parlor
Oregon Democratic nominee in House District 22 Anthony Medina is stepping up his fight against a Woodburn massage parlor. Medina is suing the owner for $450,000 for emotional damages. Medina’s lawyer said in a statement to OPB: “They’re operating with impunity and my client’s desire is to shut down these businesses.”
Former Woodburn Police Chief Jim Ferraris took to Twitter to express his skepticism of the allegations: “I’m not buying these stories. Too many inconsistencies, too many statements that don’t add up.”
4. Schill leaving UO, notable newspaper transitions, and more high-profile employment news
Michael Schill, who has been president of the University of Oregon for seven years, is leaving UO to become president of Northwestern University. An interim president is expected to be appointed before fall term.
Rachel Monahan, a politics reporter for Willamette Week, is leaving the paper after six years.
Gannett, the owner of the Eugene Register-Guard and the Salem Statesman-Journal, has announced national cutbacks, including staff reductions. Don Currie, a 27-year employee and local news editor, and Connor Radnovich, a state politics reporter, are among those who will lose their jobs at the Statesman-Journal.
Elizabeth Mazzara Myers, former chief of staff in both Washington County and Multnomah County governments, is the new Executive Director of the Westside Economic Alliance.
Katy Coba is leaving her role as head of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS); she’ll be replaced on an interim basis by Gov. Kate Brown’s Deputy Chief of Staff Berri Leslie. Meanwhile, Matt Garrett, the former head of ODOT, will become Gov. Brown’s Transportation Policy Advisor.
Gov. Kate Brown appointed two new judges to the Lane County Circuit Court. Rep. Marty Wilde was not selected, but he plans to run for a position on the court.
Steve Singer, head of the Office of Public Defense Services, has survived an attempt to have him removed—but he has made some high-profile enemies. The chair of the Oregon Public Defense Services Commission, Per Ramfjord, said that Governor Brown told him that Singer has “lost the trust of all three branches of state government.” Ramfjord also said that Singer engaged in a “sustained, outrageous and unfounded outburst” directed at Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters.
5. Big challenges, ideas, and trends you should know about
From OPB: “Anxiety and depression among children across the country increased significantly during the pandemic, and even more so among children in Oregon.”
From the Capital Chronicle: “Struggling with staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, Oregon schools leaned heavily last year on teachers who received emergency licenses from the state.”
An overwhelming “72% of Oregonians believe abortion in all or most circumstances should be legal”, according to OVBC data. 62% want Roe v. Wade reinstated.
The Black Resilience Fund will be launching a “universal basic income” experiment, which will “provide up to 50 Black families with a guaranteed basic income of up to $2,000 a month for three years”, according to WW. 7,500 people applied in the first 24 hours.
A wild story: the Beaverton Police Department busted a catalytic converter crime ring, which they described as a “$22 million operation, trafficking 44,000 catalytic converters from thieves in the Pacific Northwest to metal recyclers on the East Coast”. The head of the operation was living on the shores of Oswego Lake.
6. Roundup, DoorDash, and the Timbers/Thorns (and other Portland news)
Portland may be on track to break last year’s record of homicides, with 55 killings and hundreds of shootings already in 2022.
From The Oregonian: “Former employees of Portland Timbers, Thorns allege ‘toxic’ work environment for women, working mothers”
Portland’s green image is under fire as the city continues to use products like Roundup to maintain public parks and other areas.
WW outlines the top 11 spenders on lobbying Portland city hall. Number one on the list? DoorDash.
7. Why Oregonians quit their jobs
Thanks to our friends at OVBC for this week’s graphic on the reasons why Oregonians have quit their jobs in the last two years.
8. News Roundup: Constitution Party violates the law, Gov. Brown wins court fight, LUBA overturns vacation rental ban, and more
The Oregon Constitution Party violated state law by holding secret nominating meetings and unless they hold new meetings open to all their members, their candidates may not be able to appear on the ballot.
From OPB: “Oregon Appeals Court sides with Gov. Brown in emotional fight over early prison releases”
From Yachats News: “The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals ruled late Monday that a citizen-approved ballot measure that phased out vacation rentals in unincorporated Lincoln County violates Oregon law and is invalid.”
Investigators in the case of the thallium poisoning of Joe Gilliam appear to be making progress.
Many Oregon voters will have a second opportunity to vote on psilocybin as local counties and cities put forward measures to ban the substances.
Thank you for reading.
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About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the chair of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board and the Democratic nominee for Oregon House District 25 (Tigard and Beaverton). In his day job, he works for the Oregon Department of Education. Previously, he worked as a legislative aide for former Reps. Margaret Doherty and Val Hoyle. He also co-hosts The Oregon Bridge podcast. In the newsletter and podcast, he speaks only for himself.
Alex Titus is a small business owner and consultant to businesses, nonprofits, and associations. Previously, he served as an Advisor in the Trump Administration and as a Policy Advisor to President Trump’s Super PAC. His writing has appeared in National Review, Fox News, The Hill, RealClearPolitics, and other publications. He also co-hosts The Oregon Bridge podcast.