- Home
- News
- Opinion
- Entertainment
- Classified
- About Us
MLK Breakfast- Community
- Foundation
- Obituaries
- Donate
11-16-2024 10:12 am • PDX and SEA Weather
MLK Breakfast
The Skanner published endorsements for this year’s state, city and county races last week; our full list of midterm endorsements follow.
Polling is tight in some races this year, notably the governor’s race between Democratic incumbent Kate Brown and incumbent Knute Buehler, and as always, turnout is critical. In Oregon, voters’ pamphlets for the November 6 election will be delivered this week (Oct. 10-12). Oregon voter registration deadline is Oct. 16. You can register online or check your registration here.
Ballots must be submitted by 8 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2018. Drop sites in Multnomah County are listed here.
Earl Blumenauer
Earl Blumenauer is a proven leader and advocate for the state of Oregon. Most Oregonians know him as the high-profile environmental Congress member. But he is always at the forefront no matter which issue is raised—voting rights, gun safety, health care, jobs, VA reform, social security, he makes the strong case for the people of this state. He is the most experienced, and best qualified to continue representing Oregon in Washington DC.
Kate Brown
Kate Brown, the consistent, steady, strong governor of this state has a reputation for taking on tough issues, and fighting for the people in an ethical and determined manner. She is not a show-off, or grandstander, she doesn’t need to shout to make a point, but she gets the job done in her own decisive way.
While she represents everyone in the state, rural and urban, she is known in communities of color as a person who hears their concerns and takes action. In North and Northeast Portland she is highly regarded as a champion of health care for children and families, a strong supporter of education, and making sure there are highly qualified educators and programs for students. She has advocated for making college affordable, especially for low-income students through the expansion of the Oregon Opportunity Grants. Governor Brown has worked to continue federal funding for mental health and health-related disabilities, protection for immigrant families, building affordable homes throughout the state. She has also focused on housing for the homeless population. And she is a proponent of sensible gun control.
Kate Brown is the proven leader who gets things done, she and has a plan to do much more for the citizens of this state. Her opponent, Knute Beuhler, wants to be all things to all people, but has been held up to scrutiny and comes up inconsistent. However, he is consistent in his opposition to sensible gun control legislation, and to women’s reproductive healthcare rights. Not to mention immigrants’ rights, and a long list of other issues we should be concerned about. He is not the person we want to lead this state. We need a governor who stands up for all people. Kate Brown is that person.
VOTE YES FOR KATE BROWN.
✔ YES | MEASURE 102 - Amends Constitution to allow local bonds for financing affordable housing with nongovernmental entities. Vote Yes. |
✔ YES | MEASURE 103 - This measure would amend the Oregon constitution to proactively prevent a tax on groceries. Everybody needs to buy groceries, and taxing them is regressive. We endorse a “yes” vote. Vote Yes. |
✔ NO | MEASURE 104 - Amends the state constitution to expand current requirements for legislative bills that increase revenue. If passed, fees and changes to tax exemptions, deductions and credits – not just tax levies or increases – would require a three-fifths majority. The current law states that bills for raising revenue, which require a three-fifths majority, are limited to bills that levy or increase taxes. Vote No. |
✔ NO | MEASURE 105 - Would repeal Oregon’s sanctuary state law. Vote No. |
✔ NO | MEASURE 106 - Amends the constitution to prevent spending “public funds” for abortion and to reduce abortion access. Vote No. |
Scott Learn
A former Price Waterhouse accountant, Scott Learn has a forensic knowledge of budgets and has been called "the most highly qualified person," to run for Multnomah County auditor. We agree and we endorse Scott Learn.
Jo Ann Hardesty
We endorsed former legislator, former NAACP Portland Branch president Jo Ann Hardesty this spring, and see no reason to change our position. A former state representative, she brings legislative experience to the city council, as well as a lifelong commitment to equity and justice. Over the last 15 years she has shown herself to be a tireless grassroots community organizer and advocate.
Working on the Department of Justice settlement with the City of Portland Police department, Hardesty used the courts to push for police accountability. She also is almost single-handedly responsible for bringing the NAACP back as a force in Portland. Jo Ann is the right woman for the job. She will hold her own on city council, work well with other commissioners and insist on fairness, accountability, and good government.
Natalie Voruz
Incumbent Natalie Voruz has served on the Fairview City Council since 2015. In that time, she’s demonstrated leadership around transparency – calling for an audit of a stubborn colleague’s emails – and a commitment to addressing the growing community’s challenges head-on.
Janine M. Gladfelter
Janine Gladfelter was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Gresham City Council in early 2017 and has risen to the occasion. She seems ready to meet the challenges presented by a community that is growing quickly and rapidly becoming more diverse.
Massene Mboup
Massene Mboup, an educator and entrepreneur originally from Senegal, is committed to making Lake Oswego a more affordable and equitable place for all residents. We hope voters give him the chance to do great things.
Christine Lewis
Christine Lewis has strong bipartisan support, and her focus on increasing available affordable housing and improving infrastructure make her a formidable candidate for this often overlooked but crucial seat.
Jamie Kranz
Jamie Kranz’s diversity of experience – as a stay at home mom, a teacher and someone who’s worked in the retail and hospitality sectors – will bring a refreshing perspective to Troutdale’s city council.
✔ YES | MEASURE 26-200 - Measure 26-200 would limit candidate contributions and expenditures and require campaign communications to identify funders of city-level campaigns. Politics, at the local and national level, is increasingly a sport closed to those without enormous financial resources. This measure would provide a necessary corrective to that trend – while also requiring greater transparency from candidates and funders. Vote Yes. |
✔ YES | MEASURE 26-201 - This measure would charge a 1 percent surcharge on revenues from large retailers to fund renewable energy, with a focus on providing jobs training for communities of color, women, people with disabilities and those who have been chronically underemployed. This measure was the result of a rare grass-roots decision-making process where communities of color led the way rather than being tokenized, and the result is a win-win: a measure that helps Portlanders shift away from a fossil-fuel economy while ensuring people of color will benefit from the green economy. Vote Yes. |
✔ YES | MEASURE 26-199 - This measure would create a bond to fund affordable housing in Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah Counties. The housing crisis is now a statewide problem, with the Portland metro area being particularly hard-hit and with rents increasing in nearly every part of the region. Black families throughout the metro area have been hit particularly hard by this crisis, first facing gentrification and displacement, now facing spiraling rents in the suburbs and outer rings of the city, along with stagnant wages and longer commutes. It’s time to act to stanch the bleeding and get more of our neighbors into stable housing. Vote Yes. |
