The Best Responses to the Oregon Transformation Q & A
January
"I think the holding of signage that attacks both what people do and people themselves in their workplace can be a very effective form of intimidation depending on the targeted individuals. The toll it took physically was substantial."
- Lucia Martinez Valdivia, Reed College Assistant Professor of English and Humanities
February
"It took five years to get approval for Bandon Dunes. It took Nekoosa, Wisconsin, five months to get to 'Yes, please start. And what can we do to help?' The same was true with Cabot Links in Nova Scotia.
"Oregon has always been an anti-development state and culture. For years they put up billboards that said, 'Visit, but do not stay.' The thing they fear is unfettered development. That hasn't changed in the last 30 years."
- Mike Keiser, Golf Developer and Owner of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
March
"Short term, I expect the unions to have less money to spend on down ballot campaigns, like legislative seats. Long term, our work enforcing Janus will level the playing fields in both Oregon and Washington ... There is not a path to expanded freedom and prosperity in the Pacific Northwest that doesn't include dramatically reducing the power of the union political machine.
"You always hear about the Democratic 'ground game,' which includes an army of activists working the phone banks, knocking on doors, handing out literature, driving voters to the polls, etc. But what you don't always hear is that a huge number of these people are paid union workers ordered to help by their leadership."
- Tom McCabe, CEO of the Freedom Foundation
April
"George Soros is interested in Washington County for the same reason he is interested in DA races around the nation -- he wants to impose his worldview and values on communities by purchasing the DA."
- Kevin Barton, District Attorney Washington County
May
"I expect Governor Brown and her allies to run a negative and misleading campaign against me. I will focus on the failed Brown record and my solutions to fix Oregon's biggest problems."
- Knute Buehler, Republican nominee for Governor
June
"I believe that we tend to be disingenuous regarding how we in developed countries want others to conduct themselves when it comes to climate issues. On the one hand, we demand that they take action to reduce their emissions and improve air quality, yet we oppose opportunities to provide them with the resources to effect change."
- John Burns, CEO of the Port of Coos Bay
July
"The rise of the bureaucracy is one of the least understood but frightening aspects of modern American politics, as it places an inordinate amount of power in the hands of the president and/or governor at the expense of the legislature - having unelected boards and commissions make rules that have the same force and effect as bills created by the legislature."
- Dave Hunnicutt, President of Oregonians In Action
August
"The partisanship in the nomination and confirmation process has led to a perception on the part of the public and the press that the courts are partisan in their decision making. While I think the perception has some justification, I also believe that most federal judges most of the time do not act in a partisan way ... But on matters of political and social controversy, it is all too predictable how the justices of the Supreme Court will rule.
"That Trump presented the opportunity to Leonard and the Federal Society may be a reflection of Trump's recognition that, but for the judicial appointments power of the president, he would probably have lost the election. When I challenged many of my Republican friends and associates to explain why they were supporting Trump, almost to a person they said because of the courts."
- Jim Huffman, Emeritus Dean and Professor of Law, Lewis and Clark Law School
September
"This is a very tough job, make no mistake about it -- your questions prove it.
"When I drove past the demonstrations, I didn't see any mob. I saw families with kids, I saw faith leaders, I saw engaged citizens. People were standing around holding signs -- and exercising their First Amendment rights."
- Ted Wheeler, Mayor of Portland
October
"The question that I received was itself a racist question, implying that because I come from a background of 'white privilege' I am unable to represent the position of African-Americans on the housing issues. Our director of housing in Washington County, a man I admire, is himself of color. Yet he is unbiased in his positions and looks at the issue from an economic rather than racial perspective.
"Too many elected leaders are 'true believers' in the utopia of a tight urban form. While the UGB has some benefits (farmland protections, open spaces, walkability), it also has some serious negative consequences (housing costs, congestion, higher cost of infrastructure, no backyards to play in). There are those who choose to ignore that land inside the UGB can sell for as much as a million dollars an acre, while land adjacent to it on the other side of the boundary sells for $15 thousand an acre."
- Andy Duyck, Board Chairman, Washington County Commissioners
November
"The single-party agenda that is being discussed by Democrats for the upcoming session will have a direct impact on Oregonians. New taxes will hit low-income, fixed-income and rural Oregonians the hardest with higher energy and transportation costs -- and, of course, rising costs for health care impact all of us.
"Every time an Oregonian gets into their car, they will feel the effects of this majority's agenda with higher gas taxes, higher registration fees and in just a few years -- tolling."
- Christine Drazan, Republican member elect, Oregon House of Representatives, District 39 (Canby)
"We need to understand in a state where the 'majority party' is non-affiliated voters (NAVs) that name recognition is going to be the single most important thing that we should be focused on. While this may sound simplistic, I think we overlook it far too often. It's easy for those of us in the business of politics to lose perspective on this basic fact of getting elected.
"In addition to not doing enough to help our bench develop statewide recognition, we give up too soon. Hatfield, McCall and Atiyeh all had unsuccessful runs mixed in with their successful campaigns. All were willing to make the personal sacrifices, including building name recognition, and then come back after a loss to earn election by the people."
- Kim Wallan, Republican member-elect, Oregon House of Representatives, District 6 (Medford)
December
"We are one of the smallest agencies, but our 225 employees are doing more with less and are the best and brightest in all of Oregon government.
"While I have cut back on some of my personal appearances, the business of the Office of Secretary of State has not slowed down in the least. In fact, we have stepped up our efforts to serve Oregon."
- Dennis Richardson, Oregon Secretary of State
