Correction: In our original story we said that Alec Turner’s name would not be on the ballot. We were incorrect.
City Council Ward 2:
Briae Lewis vs Christina Jancila
In this race, we see one candidate whose values contrast sharply with the values of the paper – especially concerning homelessness and basic civility. And while some of us at The Advocate feel that the other candidate might not fully be in a position where she can effectively serve the constituents in her ward, her views and values are more aligned with ours. As such, we are tentatively endorsing Briae Lewis. Nevertheless, we would be remiss to not also hold onto some hope that a viable write-in candidate emerges.
City Council Ward 3:Hyatt Lytle vs. Alec Turner
Our vote goes to Hyatt Lytle. During the course of her time on the City Council, Lytle has grown stronger and increasingly impactful. It would be very interesting to see her throw her hat into a bigger race someday. In debate, we found her grasp of issues and steadiness impressive.
Turner made some good points during his debate with Lytle – especially concerning rising rent prices, homelessness, and socioeconomic issues behind crime – but many of those points had little to do with local government, and he seemed unfamiliar with the roles of various governmental branches. If you choose to vote for Turner, note that his information is not included in the Voters Pamphlet, but his name will be on the ballot.
City Council Ward 9: Cliff Feldman vs. Tony Cadena vs. Nyssa Towsley
Our first choice in this Ranked Choice election is Nyssa Towsley. They are perhaps one of the most well-spoken candidates we’ve hosted for a Cityspeak Debate, and the city would be lucky to have them in a chair. They are the most progressive candidate in this race, a big plus to some of us at The Advocate, and for others not. All of us, however, agreed that Towsley’s eagerness and energy are compelling. They have far less governmental experience than Cadena, which should be a minus, but in debate it was clear Towsley had studied deeply, had command of the issues, and a meaningful pragmatism about city government.
Our second choice goes to Tony Cadena. In our opinion, he would also be an exceptional councilor, and the city would be a winner with him as well. Cadena brings decades of governmental experience, and over the course of the debate, we became impressed that not only could he hit the ground running from day one, but that he would leverage experience to get things done.
Our third choice goes to Cliff Feldman. If it were not for the relative strength of the other contestants, he could have easily ranked higher with us.
Mayor:
Roen Hogg vs. Andrew Struthers vs. Charles Maughan
Our first choice in this ranked choice election goes to Andrew Struthers. He’s a proven leader with an ability to move things along in the chamber. When debating, he proved the most deeply knowledgeable and pragmatic of the candidates. Struthers has a reputation within his ward of being a young parent who goes the extra mile serving constituents. He would make a fine new mayor and fill Biff Traber’s shoes well.
Our second choice is Charles Maughan. For some of us at The Advocate, Maughan ranks first. He is the only candidate of the three to be outspokenly opposed to sweeps of homeless encampments in our city with some proposed short- and long-term solutions, and has the endorsement of Doyle Canning, Corvallis community member and activist Jen Butler, and Sunrise Corvallis – whom Maughan had worked with on their Corvallis Green New Deal for Housing and Climate Justice, which the City Council passed earlier this month. However, we have reason to question his ability to follow through on all that he promises.
Our third choice is Roen Hogg. He has not held elective city office for a few years now, and at times during the debate, the other candidates seemed to have a more contemporaneous knowledge base. We do have some concern that he is more amenable to neighborhood and homeowner groups than the other candidates, but for some voters, that may well be a plus.
Benton County Commissioner:
Pat Malone vs. William Kughn
We’re voting for Democrat Pat Malone. In debate, he demonstrated a far more factually complete grasp of public policy, which would be anticipated given his almost four years as a sitting commissioner and decades of committee experience before that. When we asked about the wait times at Benton County Health for mental health services, Malone talked about training more people into the profession, while his opponent focused on his own experience of not drinking or using drugs. We find ourselves far more aligned with Malone on transportation and public health services.
Republican William Kughn might be a reasonable option if you absolutely won’t consider a Democrat, and he, like some of us at The Advocate (and others very much not), seems to acknowledge a potential need for new law enforcement facilities. However, even those at The Advocate that do believe we need new facilities are skeptical over how the county is proceeding toward getting the Justice System financed and built, and Kuhn shares this view.
His stance on running the county like a business is concerning; we see governmental entities as having a wider diversity of responsibilities to the public than a business does. Kughn also expressed that getting (and holding) a sufficiently paying job and relying on transportation solely by car had come easy to him and others, and he does not seem to acknowledge that for many in the community these things are not so easily accessible.
District 16, Oregon House of Representatives:
Dan Rayfield vs. Keith Lembke
We’re voting to reelect Democrat Dan Rayfield. Having our very own Rep selected as Speaker of Oregon’s House is pretty cool, but more than that, when talking with him, he’s direct, reliable, and downright reasonable. Rayfield has full command of issues, and real empathy towards a diversity of viewpoints. He’s become a consummate representative.
Republican Keith Lembke could be a decent alternative for those who just can’t vote for a Democrat – even if the Democrat is by no means extreme. In debate, Lembke checked all the conservative boxes without going beyond the fringes, though we were put off by his comments on the question of reparations for Oregon’s racist history.
District 8, Oregon State Senate:
Sara Gelser Blouin vs. Valerie Draper Woldeit
We’re voting for Democrat Sara Gelser Blouin. We haven’t always seen eye-to-eye with the senator, but we share the same basic values, and year after year, she’s always comported herself in a way that makes us proud that she’s our senator. Smart, energetic and highly approachable – it’s easy to see why she’s well respected.
Republican Valerie Draper Woldeit does not make for a good alternative, even if you can’t vote Democrat. When asked about Oregon’s poor rating from Mental Health America, Draper Woldeit proffered the idea that mental health was not in fact the issue, but that spiritual health was. She went so far as to attack her opponent for posting how deflated and pained she was on receiving family news that anyone would have found disheartening – a moment that was tough for us to watch, and yet handled directly and graciously by Gelser Blouin.
Oregon’s 4th District, US House:
Val Hoyle vs. Alek Skarlatos
We’re voting for Democrat Val Hoyle. She’s on the side of workers and small businesses, and can be counted on to stick-up for the underdog. Smart and incredibly informed, Hoyle is also disarmingly affable and down-to-earth. It’s little wonder that she was an impactful state legislator, and most recently, Commissioner of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industry. For those of the nerdy persuasion, Congressman Peter DeFazio is a hard act to follow, but we’re thinking Val Hoyle is up to the task. Also, DeFazio thinks she’s up for the task, which says a lot.
As for Republican Alek Scarlatos, we won’t take the cheap shot that he spends time liking pics of teen girls in bikinis… wait, we just took that shot, but then, some of us are parents, so there’s that. Also, it’s hard to suss out just what Scarlatos wants to do legislatively, and it’s not like he or his campaign staff are returning calls from newspapers or debate organizers throughout the district. It’s a hard no from us on Skarlatos.
US Senate:
Ron Wyden vs. Jo Rae Perkins
We’re voting for Democrat Ron Wyden. This often prescient senator frequently ‘gets it’ before anyone notices there’s an issue, and more often than not he has some perfectly nerdy policy proposal that’s exactly on point. More Wyden…? Yes, please.
Governor:
Tina Kotek vs. Christine Drazan vs. Betsy Johnson
Our vote goes to Tina Kotek. Yes, it’s partly because we like progressive Oregon. However, it’s also because we feel that a vote for Betsy Johnson is really just a vote for Christine Drazan in disguise. Johnson has taken enough votes away from Kotek to make us scratch our heads over whether or not Oregon could become a red state in 2023.
We accept the view that Kotek can be ruthless, and some of us at The Advocate don’t believe her brand of roughness is what’s called for. However, as much as we see that Drazan is a credible Republican candidate, Kotek is better aligned with our views.
It’s been a loud and dirty fight to Nov. 8 for these three politicians, and some of us at The Advocate have not liked that the one thing they all agree on is throwing the current governor under the bus.
And since we’ve been making decisions on ballot measures, maybe it’s time for our legislators to bring one to the table to adopt ranked choice voting statewide for races just like this one.
Measures:
Measure 111 – Would add to the Oregon Constitution that all residents have the right to “cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care.” The amendment would require the state to balance the obligation of ensuring a right to healthcare against funding public schools and other essential public services.
We’re voting No because we’d prefer a proposal that actually delivers a healthcare system. In short, we appreciate the sentiment, but what we want is a plan.
Measure 112 – Would repeal language from the Oregon Constitution that allows the use of slavery and involuntary servitude as criminal punishment, then adds language that would still allow Oregon courts, probation agencies, or parole agencies to order alternatives to incarceration that would include unpaid work.
We are voting Yes because: Yikes! Awkward! We of course want to have that removed.
Measure 113 – Would amend the Oregon constitution to make a person ineligible for re-election at the end of their term if they have had 10 or more unexcused absences during the regular and special sessions.
We’re voting Yes on this, because we strongly believe that the people of Oregon have elected representation that can talk through their disagreements with the people on the other side of the aisle. As no small aside, both parties have conducted walkouts when they’ve found themselves in the minority, and we don’t care which party is in power, we’d like an end to this practice.
Measure 114 – Would enact new procedures for those seeking to purchase a firearm including approved safety training, criminal background checks, and the involvement of local law enforcement. It would also ban, with some exceptions for law enforcement and military, the sale or transfer of magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
We’re voting No, but we would like to see a similar, but better envisioned and written, set of laws enacted in the future. We like the spirit of the measure, but there’s devils in the details that render it unwieldy.
The infrastructure to efficiently process purchase applications and background checks as this measure envisions simply doesn’t exist at present – and it’s easy to foresee the law successfully challenged on that basis alone. As written, it is genuinely onerous to would-be purchasers. We also believe the law needs more clarity on protecting the privacy of permit applicants. And, for this law to be seen as fair and legally defensible, it will likely need more solid grandfathering for Oregonians that currently own magazines exceeding 10 rounds.
That all said, we like the measure’s attempt at enacting some form of gun control and to close loopholes for would-be gun purchasers, and we hope legislation that’s more thoroughly written arrives sooner rather than later.
– Want to learn about the Editorial Board behind these endorsements? Click here.
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