Focus newsletter for March 2010

League of Women Voters^®
of Marion and Polk Counties

Focus is the monthly newsletter of the League of Women Voters of Marion and Polk Counties.

President's Column. Units: Immigration Issues in Oregon. General Meeting: Salem Mayoral Candidate Forum. Gubernatorial Candidates' Public Forum. Regional Transportation Planning. Home Rule Charter for Marion County?. Correction re Solid Waste. Thanks from Raffle Winner. Observer Report: Marion County Board of Commissioners. Suffrage Corner. LWV's 90th Anniversary Party. Directory of Elected Officials. LWV Mission Statement Explained.

President's Column

Rose Lewis
Spring is coming on with daffodil blossoms popping up and a lovely rhododendron in full bloom at the Capitol. Nights are cold, though, and we should expect some more winter.
It is a time of celebration for the League at all levels. Local members joined in the 90th birthday party at the Capitol on February 19th featuring wonderful 1920s- style hats and dresses. The Governor paid tribute to the League's work over 90 years and read a proclamation in our honor. He ended with "Help me with the Kicker!"
The Home Rule Charter Forum on the 18th was a great success. The presenters were informative; there was a good turnout; Sandra Gangle made a fine moderator; Chemeketa's Student Services Program was a great host; and CCTV was very helpful. Feelings run high on this issue, which made planning it a bit complicated, but the outcome was worth it. I received many compliments and thank yous about how well the League carries out public programs like this for the community.
Thank you to Mike Jaffe of Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study who gave useful presentations for both of the February Unit meetings about what transportation patterns and methods we can expect in the region. March Units will be on Immigration Issues in Oregon, featuring Francisco Lopez of CAUSA [see Page 3]. Our March General Meeting on the 23rd will be a Mayoral Candidate Forum, which the League's Voter Service Committee is organizing at the invitation of the Grand Theater [see Page 3].
LWV is 90: As Leagues around the state and the nation find creative ways to celebrate our 90th anniversary this year, MPC members will be continuing the fun later in the spring. As part of this commemoration we want to honor our 50-year members--Sally Anderson, Marian Churchill, Nina Cleveland, Mary Stillings, and Mary Thimm. Have I missed anyone? Also, we want to learn about multi-generation League families. Was your mother or grandmother a member? Please let me know. (At State Council in Bend on May 14-16 there will be a storytelling program with a panel of members of various ages giving highlights of their League lives. Let me know if you have stories to share.)
Ideas abound for ways to celebrate League's 90th anniversary locally. The Lincoln County League president was interviewed by two radio stations, received a proclamation from the county commission, and gave a presentation about League's accomplishments at a commission meeting. Other Leagues have held lunches and brunches and birthday parties. We could do something special at Salem and Keizer city council meetings, Marion and Polk County commission meetings, CCTV interviews, newspaper articles, etc. Contact me if you have ideas or would like to help with planning.
State Council is held in even-numbered years; Convention is held the alternate years. Council is a smaller group with two representatives from each local League chosen to attend as delegates. But any member can attend as an observer. Let me know if you are interested in attending.
Founders' Award. A League member is chosen in even-numbered years to receive our Founders' Award to honor a member who has done outstanding work for LWVMPC. See your directory for earlier recipients of this award first given in 1984. The Nominating Committee will receive your suggestions to consider. Committee members are: Mary Thimm, Sally Hollemon and Lucia Norris. They have begun work on preparing our slate of officers for next year.
I want to close by expressing my great appreciation to all of you wonderful League members. The Board is outstanding and a pleasure to work with. In addition, we have great members who step forward and help out whenever they can. It was heartening to see so many of you at the February 18th forum and volunteering at the Capitol on the 19th. We should congratulate ourselves!

Units: Immigration Issues in Oregon

The special speaker for our March 8 and March 10 Unit meetings will be Francisco Lopez, who will bring us current information about Immigration Issues in Oregon. Francisco is the Executive Director of CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition. CAUSA is the largest Latino civil and human rights advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. Francisco came to the U.S. as a Salvadoran refugee in 1985 and later became a U.S. citizen. He lives in Salem with his wife Brena and sons Oscar and Martín.
Immigration is a complex and divisive issue here locally and around the country. The League did a national study of immigration a few years ago, and the background papers are on the LWVUS website at http://www.lwv.org. [In the blue section near the top of the page click on Library. In the drop-down tab click on Browse by topic. Near the bottom of the list you'll see Immigration and the link to the page that lists all of the background papers.] Please invite a friend and attend a Unit meeting.

General Meeting: Salem Mayoral Candidate Forum

Carol Doolittle, Voter Service Committee
The Salem Mayoral Candidate Forum will be held in the Grand Theater at 191 High Street NE from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23. All candidates who have filed to run for Salem mayor in the May Primary Election have been invited. The League and Friends of Grand Theater are hosting this non-partisan forum. League member Berri Leslie will be the moderator. Salem Monthly newspaper is a co-sponsor, and CCTV may film the event for later broadcast.

Gubernatorial Candidates' Public Forum

The League is one of the sponsoring organizations for this forum to which all the gubernatorial candidates who file by the March 9 filing deadline have been (or will be) invited. At press time John Kitzhaber, Bill Bradbury, Bill Sizemore and Jerry Wilson had accepted the invitation. Allen Alley and Roger Obrist had declined. The planning committee was still waiting to hear from the other candidates.
Melissa Buis Michaux, Professor of Political Science at Willamette University, and Edwin Dover, Professor of Political Science, Western Oregon University, will be the moderators.
The public forum will begin with a brief introduction by each candidate. A moderator will then ask a few top issue questions and each candidate will be given the opportunity to respond. The audience will also be given the opportunity to prepare questions which will be presented to each candidate.
As this event is free, event attendees are asked to help the hungry: please bring a can of food for donation to Marion-Polk Food Share.

Regional Transportation Planning (February 2010)

Notes by Sally Hollemon
Mike Jaffe spoke to both Units in February on Regional Transportation Planning. Mr. Jaffe works for the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments (MWVCOG) as Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Program Manager. He focuses on the Salem-Keizer-Turner area.
Cities, counties, and states develop plans and programs to address transportation issues--traffic congestion, reliable bus service, access to bike lanes, efficient freight movement. MWVCOG (which covers Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties and to which most of the cities belong) allows local governments to work cooperatively on projects of regional scope.
SKATS--The Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study (SKATS), with which Mr. Jaffe works, brings together elected representatives from Salem, Keizer, Turner, Marion and Polk Counties, the Salem Transit District, and ODOT. These elected representatives make the policy decisions.
Projects from local and statewide transportation plans are incorporated into a SKATS Regional Transportation Systems Plan. This long-range plan contains recommended projects (road and transit improvements, bicycle facilities, etc.) and activities to accommodate anticipated growth over the next 20 years. The plan is updated every four years. The SKATS Transportation Improvement Program identifies which high-priority projects from the plan will be funded or built during an upcoming four-year period. Projects are paid for with a combination of federal, state, and local funds. Mr. Jaffe said the SKATS "motto" is cooperative, continuing, coordinated regional planning.
Public involvement is important, so open houses where citizens can review proposed plans as well as speaking to groups, such as the League, allow citizens to have input.
Air quality--Our region is currently in compliance with ozone standards of federal air quality, but the EPA is setting more stringent standards on ozone, so new regulations may require additional efforts to reduce ozone emissions.
Mass transit--Under current state law, gas tax money cannot be used for mass transit; it can be used only for roads. SKATS can give transit districts money only for capital improvements, not for operations. Salem-Keizer cannot use payroll taxes for transit operations (as Portland and Eugene do), and approval by the state legislature is required before our area could use payroll taxes for transit operations. The Salem Transit District is trying to show that it is a good steward of the money it has before asking voters again for an operating levy (since the last two levy requests were defeated by voters). A long-term funding source is needed for mass transit.
Ride-Share--SKATS helps fund the local Ride-Share program. Probably this year there will be a statewide Ride-Share program. This would, for example, allow people from Salem to Ride-Share to Portland. Emergency Ride Home allows a transit rider who is called home for an emergency, such as a sick child, to take a taxi.
Safe Routes to School--This is a program to educate parents and children about safe routes to their school with crossing guards at key intersections and encouragement to walk in groups along busy streets. Some money is available to do road improvements to make the routes safer for children.
Federal Surface Transportation Funds--The SKATS MPO receives about $2.5 million each year that can be used on a variety of surface transportation projects. Projects are funded over several years and use a combination of normal federal funds, state funds, and local funds. The total cost of the following projects is many, many millions of dollars:
Highway/mobility--State Street widening; Kuebler widening; Wallace & Glen Creek intersection
Operations--Regional Traffic Signal Control Center; signal interconnects
Multi-modal and Safety--Cordon Road at McCleay; 3rd Street in Turner; Chemawa Road bike lanes, sidewalks, bridge; Auburn Road bike lanes and sidewalks; Ward Drive sidewalks and signals; Union-Glen Creek bike path; Salem Parkway/access to Kroc Center, especially from Keizer (a new study)

Federal funds can be used for bus purchases and bus shelters. There are some new funds available to improve bus shelters along busy corridors and to add electronic signs that tell how long before the next bus arrives.
Federal Stimulus Funds--SKATS received about $6 million in stimulus funds, and the majority of those funds were used for pavement restoration, although some funds were used for a signal replacement and design of a bike path in Wallace Marine Park.
For more information, check out the SKATS website at http://www.mwvcog.org/transportation/skats.asp.

Home Rule Charter for Marion County?

Notes by Sally Hollemon
More than one hundred people attended the League's public forum to learn about Ballot Measure 24-292 on which Marion County voters will vote in the May Primary Election. President Rose Lewis welcomed the audience and then introduced Sandra Gangle, moderator, who introduced the panelists.
Professor Paul Diller, who teaches state and local government at Willamette University, opened the discussion with an overview of county government in general and Marion County in particular. He said that home rule means local autonomy, the authority of a local government to carry out governmental actions, such as enact laws and taxes, without specific authority from the State; in other words, to act as a mini legislature so long as its actions don't conflict with state law.
When Oregon became a state in 1859, counties were assigned to carry out the State's administrative functions and were required to have specific officers, such as county judge, sheriff, district attorney, justice of the peace, clerk, treasurer, assessor. In 1906 cities were given home-rule authorization. In 1958 the Oregon Constitution was amended to allow counties to adopt home rule by a vote of the people in the county. In 1973 the Oregon Legislature gave home-rule powers to all counties whether or not they had adopted home-rule charters. (This statute could, of course, be changed, but it seems to working fine so is not likely to be changed.) Counties without home-rule charters are called general-law counties. (What are now called statutes used to be called general laws; hence general-law counties carried out the general laws passed by the legislature.)
General-law counties now have the same powers as home-rule counties except 1. General-law counties are required to have a pre-set group of officers as mentioned above. (Some rural counties still have a county judge, but most counties now have commissioners.) A home-rule county can designate its own group of officers and which of those must be elective offices.
The proposed home-rule charter for Marion County
a. Would eliminate the office of Treasurer (putting those duties into an administrative finance department.
b. Would have 5 rather than 3 commissioners. A general-law county could have 5 (or another number) commissioners, too; there is a way to do this.
c. It is unclear whether state law would allow commissioners to be elected by district, as in the proposed charter.
2. In a non-home-rule county any ordinance (except taxes) can apply to incorporated areas only if those cities agree. In a home-rule county the charter determines whether ordinances apply to cities within the county. If the charter says nothing about this, the presumption is that county ordinances apply to the cities. This has not been a problem in other Oregon counties. In general-law counties taxes have to be approved by the voters. In home-rule counties, the charter determines whether or not voters have to approve taxes. The nine home-rule counties in Oregon have used their taxing authority sparingly (such as hotel taxes). Since commissioners in home-rule counties know that an initiative petition can put a tax on the ballot, they often simply refer a new tax to the voters.
3. The Oregon Constitution requires that voters in a county with a home-rule charter have the right to change or revoke their charter.
Bob Cannon, formerly Marion County Counsel and Marion County Administrator, now a member of the Salem City Council, spoke in support of the proposed home-rule charter. He supports the measure as a good-government measure; he thinks the city-manager form of government is better than Marion County's current form in which the commissioners are involved in running the day-to-day operations along with the County Administrator, who corresponds to a city manager.
Mr. Cannon believes that the proposed charter will provide a better government system than the current one for the following reasons:
1. Five instead of three commissioners--With three commissioners, two of them meeting to discuss business constitute a quorum. Oregon's Public Meetings Law requires public notice of a meeting at which a quorum is present as well as minutes of that meeting. With only three commissioners, two of them constitute a quorum so cannot meet informally to share ideas about county business. If Marion County had five commissioners, two of them could meet informally to share ideas. In addition, five minds are better than three.
2. Districts--A commissioner who lives in the district he represents will meet constituents at the grocery store, etc., so will develop an understanding of the needs of his district. Constituents will know who represents them and whom to hold responsible. Currently in Marion County, each commissioner is elected at large (countywide). Districts would have to have equal population.
3. Non-partisan commissioners--Local issues are non-partisan, so people should be elected based on what they do.
4. Treasurer--The Treasurer should not be elected. The Treasurer should be an experienced professional money manager. (Mr. Cannon cited a Treasurer some thirty years ago who made poorly timed investments that lost a lot of money, which seriously curtailed county services.)
Sam Brentano, a former business owner who is now one of Marion County's three commissioners, spoke in opposition to the proposed charter. He said that county commissioners and city councilors are different jobs, and Marion County government is working well, so there is no need to change it.
1. Five commissioners--Having five instead of three people spreads the responsibility. In addition, if two of them can meet to discuss county business, there is less transparency than with the current three commissioners, who must meet in open work sessions to share ideas.
2. Districts--The current commissioners' homes are in Woodburn, Salem, and Sublimity. Commissioners from assigned districts might all live in Salem-Keizer; districts wouldn't insure geographical distribution. Further, Marion County is pretty rural, and a charter works better in an urban area. Since commissioners are elected at large, each of them considers what is best for the whole county. If elected by districts, each commissioner would be likely to focus on the needs of his own district rather than on what is best for the whole county.
3. Non-partisan commissioners--Even when candidates run as non-partisan, voters know to which party they belong.
4. Treasurer--Eliminating the office of Treasurer won't save money since the work of that office still must be done. Hiring a company to do the work could cost more. Professional money managers can make mistakes in the timing of investments, too.
Other comments--Criteria for elected officers are not spelled out in the proposed charter. If evening meetings are needed, the current commissioners can meet in the evening. Land use is more than just saying no to urban expansion.
Follow-up comment by Bob Cannon: State government has statutory and administrative rules for criteria that have to be met by elected officials, so these do not need to be included in a county charter. Land use is governed mostly by the state government; there are many conflicting interests.
Q&A
● Where can we get a copy of the proposed charter?
Bill Burgess, County Clerk: The proposed charter is on the Marion County Elections website at http://www.co.marion.or.us/CO/elections.

[The Board of Commissioners has information about the proposed charter on its website at http://www.co.marion.or.us/. Click on "Home Rule Charter FAQs."]

● The proposed charter gives the power to redistrict to the County Clerk with no oversight. Is that good public policy? What about gerrymandering?
Diller: Anything a clerk does could be challenged in court by a citizen.
Cannon: The Secretary of State's office does redistricting subject to judicial review.

[Note: The legislature is responsible for redistricting, but, if the legislature can't agree on a map, the Secretary of State's office gets the job.]
● Under current law Justices of the Peace are elected and are not required to be lawyers. The proposed charter states that Justices of the Peace will be appointed.
Diller: The legislature could change the law to require that they be lawyers.

● Why do we need this change (home-rule charter)?
Cannon: The current system is out of date. Election by districts provides local representation and requires collaborative work.
Brentano: What he calls collaboration, I call making deals.

● Under the current system, each commissioner specializes in a work area, such as public works or human services. How would home rule be different?
Diller: There is no substantive difference between general law and home rule on this.
Brentano: The current commissioners decide how to divide up the work areas according to their interests, and this system works well.

● Wouldn't five commissioners cost more than three?
[The proponents' handout shows that the cost could be less if the three policy-advisor jobs were eliminated and their salaries and benefits were applied to the two new commissioners.]
Cannon: County commissioners set their own salaries and benefits. They have the authority to staff their offices as they see fit. There is no check on this except at the ballot box.
Brentano: Compared to other counties, Marion County works efficiently. Commissioners need their support staff.

● How would home rule benefit the growing Latino community?
Cannon: It's hard to get elected countywide; it's a big county. Districts would be smaller so it would be easier for a minority person to get elected.
Brentano: No difference under either system.

● How would non-partisan elections function?
Cannon All county officers are non-partisan now except for the commissioners. Which party a person belongs to shouldn't be an issue at the county level.
Brentano: Voters know which parties candidates belong to even if they run as non-partisan.
Diller: In seven of the nine home-rule counties the commissioners are non-partisan. In the general-law counties, only six are non-partisan, so most are partisan now.

● How does the measure not give Salem three seats of the five?
Diller: It depends on how the districts are drawn. For example, each district could be part urban and part rural. Representation also depends on who runs for office.

At the end, all three panelists agreed that it's up to each voter to decide which system would work better for Marion County.

Correction re Solid Waste

Correction to Feb. Focus article: LWVMPC Activities re Solid Waste Continue
Marion County Commissioner Janet Carlson sent the following e-mail to President Rose Lewis:
Hi Rose - I read through the LWV newsletter over the weekend and wanted to correct a statement in the article about the Solid Waste plan hearing. What I said at that hearing was that Marion County does not intend to use the fund for ongoing government operational expenses. However, I distinguished that from capital expenses. I also said that Marion County has periodically borrowed from the fund for cash flow purposes and paid the amounts back with interest. However, I did not say that Marion County intends to pay back the $7 million allocated for HVAC (energy-related) repairs in the Courthouse. Below is the justification for the $7 allocation that was included with the supplemental budget when the Commissioners voted on this issue. --Janet
First Supplemental Budget for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 December 16, 2009 - Page 4 - Environmental Services Fund
Facilities Management staff, contract engineers and a 2008 Technical Energy Audit identified extensive problems with the major mechanical systems on each floor of the County Courthouse building. By state statute, the county is required to provide adequate facilities for circuit court operations. In 2009, the commissioners met with Oregon Supreme Court Justice DeMuniz and Presiding Judge Rhoades to hear about the lack of heating/cooling in jury rooms, judges' chambers and other ongoing building problems. Numerous funding options were evaluated including intra-fund borrowing, grants, state energy loans and bond sales, however all were ultimately deemed financially unworkable. A thorough fiscal analysis of the Environmental Services program was performed to ensure that the financial requirements for operations, reserves, contingency, equipment and major capital improvements were adequately funded for the next 20 years. The county deems it fiscally prudent and in the citizens' best interest to fund the required Courthouse repairs utilizing Environmental Services reserves generated from the county's sale of electrical energy.

Thanks from Hawaiian Vacation Raffle Winner Kathy Patterson

Thank you to the League for my lovely Hawaiian vacation as the top prize in last year's LWVOR Convention raffle. My husband Bruce and I went to Oahu and Maui in January. Highlights included visiting Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Center, an early morning hike led by a ranger at Haleakala Crater National Park to see native birds and plants, a snorkeling trip to Lanai to swim with the green sea turtles, a Humpback whale-watching trip, and a feast at the Old Lahaina Luau.

Observer Report: Marion County Board of Commissioners

Linda Baker has been observing the Marion County Board of Commissioners' meetings on her computer, but she attended the Feb. 17th meeting, introduced herself as the ongoing League observer, and presented the commissioners with cupcakes and invitations to the League's 90th anniversary party.
The BOC approved the Marion County 2009 Solid Waste Management Plan.

Suffrage Corner

Susan B. Anthony, who died in 1906 (14 years before passage of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote), speaking about Women's Suffrage: We shall someday be heeded, and everybody will think it was always so, just exactly as many young people think that all the privileges, all the freedom, all the enjoyments which woman now possesses always were hers. They have no idea of how every single inch of ground that she stands upon today has been gained by the hard work of some little handful of women of the past.
[Thanks to Janet Adkins for supplying Suffrage Corner each month.]

LWV's 90th Anniversary Party

Former and current state and local League presidents and other League members, many of them wearing the fashions of earlier years, gathered in the Capitol Galleria on February 19th to celebrate the League's 90th anniversary.
LWVOR President Marge Easley welcomed the League members and several legislators who stopped by; Jane Gigler, LWVOREF Chair, read a short history of the League; and Gov. Ted Kulongoski presented a proclamation to Marge, after which he said to League members, "Help me with the Kicker!"
The display table of League history was in the Galleria all day, and a table was staffed by the following LWVMPC members to greet visitors and invite them to join the League: Kathy Greysmith, Mary Thimm, Petra Berger, Lucile Newton, and Jean Sherbeck. Thank you for this service.

Directory of Elected Officials

City and county governments now have much information on their websites, so for people with Internet access, the easiest way to contact elected officials is through those websites.
However, LWVMPC has its Directory of Elected Officials on its website at http://marionpolk.or.lwvnet.org. Click on "Elected Officials."
To print the Directory, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Print" to link to a tiny-type version that can be printed on three sheets of 8 1/2 x 11" paper.

LWV Mission Statement Explained

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League carries out its mission in two ways: 1) Education of voters with unbiased, factual information on issues and candidates appearing on a ballot, so citizens can cast an informed vote; and 2) Advocacy for public policy issues only after members have studied each issue and reached a consensus position. The League never supports or opposes any political candidate.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: March 8, 2010 16:32 PST.