The Liftoff: New leg. leaders appointed in shake-up—and a national figure comes to Oregon
PLUS: Fox News takes on Oregon; Buckle up for gubernatorial debates; a state senate candidate drops out; Kristof on cider; big changes coming to Portland; In Memoriam: Ralph Groener; and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff!
Happy Juneteenth—a federal holiday to honor and celebrate the ending of slavery in the United States. We hope you take a moment today to learn about the history of the day and celebrate freedom.
1. OR-GOV: Get ready for many debates between Drazan, Kotek, and Johnson
Betsy Johnson challenged Christine Drazan and Tina Kotek to seven debates across the state. Kotek says she has accepted eight debate invitations—and challenged her opponents to a forum specifically on gun violence. Drazan’s team is still reviewing debate invitations.
Bridget Barton, a top-tier contender for the GOP nomination for governor, has endorsed Johnson—continuing her attack on Drazan which included a scorched-earth attack ad in the primary. Johnson also held a signature gathering rally in Columbia County and says that nearly 1,000 people attended.
Meanwhile, Drazan is raking in money ($700,000 since the primary) and endorsements. A large coalition of current and former GOP elected officials and candidates have endorsed Drazan, including: Dr. Bud Pierce, Mayor Stan Pulliam, Senate GOP Leader Tim Knopp, House GOP Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson, and dozens more.
A political action committee tied to Sarah Iannarone and Greg McKelvey is targeting Betsy Johnson.
Johnson, Drazan, and Tina Kotek all campaigned for rural votes at the Eastern Oregon Economic Summit, touting their track record delivering for rural Oregon.
2. National Dems are all-in for CD4, CD5, and CD6
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the official campaign arm of the U.S. House Democrats, has made it clear: they are going all-in on Oregon (at least for now). Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle, State Rep. Andrea Salinas, and Jamie McLeod Skinner were all featured on a list of just 25 candidates in top-targeted races. Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), the House Majority Leader, will be coming to Oregon to raise funds for the three candidates.
3. Legislative shake-up yields a new cast of committee leaders
Speaker Dan Rayfield announced the new chairs of several key interim legislative committees:
Economic Development and Small Business: Rep. Janelle Bynum
Health Care: Rep. Rob Nosse
Housing: Rep. Maxine Dexter
Human Services: Rep. Lisa Reynolds
Judiciary: Rep. Jason Kropf
Rules: Rep. Julie Fahey (House Majority Leader)
Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Services: Rep. Andrea Valderrama
State Rep. Marty Wilde has asked Gov. Kate Brown to appoint him as a Lane County Circuit Court Judge, according to the Oregon Capital Insider. Wilde was discharged from four committees and added to none in the flurry of appointments.
Fresh off a primary victory for the Oregon State Senate, Woodburn Mayor Eric Swenson is dropping out of the race—and encouraging Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon to run in his place. Alonso Leon ran for congress in the CD6 Democratic primary, ultimately finishing in a distant 7th.
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin has identified children with disabilities from across Oregon that are being denied services in summer school, potentially in violation of federal law, because of staffing shortages.
Daniel Nguyen has narrowly (28 votes!) defeated Neelam Gupta in the Democratic primary for state representative in Lake Oswego, making him the favorite in the general election.
4. Oregon Way editor Brad Phelps joins The Bridge to talk about his background and vision for The Way
Oregon360 puts out three products: The Liftoff (this newsletter, focused on the news) on Mondays, The Oregon Bridge podcast on Wednesdays, and The Oregon Way newsletter on Fridays (focused on ideas and opinions).
Brad Phelps, an Oregon native who recently graduated from Princeton, will be editing The Oregon Way this summer—and he's got ideas to improve the way civic leaders share their ideas. Brad grew up outside Lyons, Oregon. In this episode, Brad talks about losing his childhood home during the Beachie Creek Fire as well as his ideas for revamping The Oregon Way.
If you’ve got ideas for improving The Oregon Way or if you would like to contribute an essay or op-ed, you can reach him at: brad@or360.org.
5. Big changes coming in Portland?
From The Oregonian: “One month after Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler ordered an unprecedented sweep of homeless encampments in Old Town, he has declared he intends to use similar strategies citywide.”
More school districts have adopted bans on firearms, including Portland Public Schools—and a “once toothless” ban on public university campuses is now in effect.
Brace yourselves: a major battle between the City of Portland and big utility companies over fees appears to be brewing, according to reporting from WW.
It’s happening: the Portland Charter Commission has officially advanced a proposal to completely remake the Portland city council. Under their proposal, there would be 12 councilors from four multi-member districts, selected using ranked choice voting—and councilors would no longer run city bureaus.
6. Kristof on cider; Adams moves on from Meyer; Oregon agency leader headed for federal post?
Nick Kristof has been outspoken on combatting “deaths of despair”, or those who die from alcoholism, addiction, or suicide—and he also produces hard cider and wine grapes. Is that a contradiction? Or do the economic benefits in rural Oregon actually help make things better? He’s asking for feedback.
Rukaiyah Adams will step down from her role as chief investment officer for the Meyer Memorial Trust. According to The O, Adams and the board of the Trust had a dispute over deferred compensation, which ended with a settlement payout of $764,000 last year. A spokesman called it a misunderstanding that’s been resolved; it’s unclear whether it’s related to her departure.
From OPB: “Colette Peters, the director of Oregon’s prison system, has now emerged as the leading contender to run the federal prison system…She would be the 11th person to lead the Bureau of Prisons since its founding more than 90 years ago, and only the second director with no prior experience at the agency, the Justice Department’s largest. While many officials from inside the Bureau of Prisons applied for the post, the Biden administration was looking for someone who was focused on reforming an agency that has had cultural issues for decades.”
7. In Memoriam: Ralph Groener (1941-2022)
Former legislator and lobbyist Ralph Groener has died. An Air Force veteran who helped pass Oregon’s land use law, Groener served on the Clackamas County Commission and Clackamas Community College Board before serving as a legislative advocate for AFSCME for nearly three decades.
Read the full obituary from Northwest Labor Press.
8. News roundup: Mostly bad news—but some good news!
The drought crisis in the Klamath Basin is an ecological, agricultural, economic, and human tragedy.
Fox takes on Oregon: Fox News went on an Oregon tear this week. The outlet ran stories covering school district books that allegedly contain pornography, a cover piece strongly criticizing the state’s roll out of Measure 110, and Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton on Fox and Friends tying soaring crime rates to the decriminalization of drugs.
End of an Era: The annual Labor Day picnic will no longer be held at Oaks Park due to a lack of resources.
Oregon’s unemployment rate fell (good) and its workforce participation rate grew to its highest level in ten years (good)—but inflation is still high (bad).
The two remaining progressive/dissenting voices on the Newberg School Board have resigned. The conservative majority will appoint their replacements.
A conflict is brewing at the Oregon Institute of Technology between students and faculty on one side, and the board of trustees and President Nagi Naganathanon the other.
Finally, some good news, courtesy the Oregon Capital Chronicle: “Oregon counties devastated by the 2020 Labor Day fires will get 625 new affordable homes thanks to more than $73 million from the state Housing Stability Council.”
We’ll leave you with this: the Murdock Trust has donated $1.2 million to the Oregon Food Bank, a well-timed gift as inflation drives demand higher.
Thank you for reading.
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About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the chair of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board and a Democratic candidate 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.