Nonpartisan primaries campaign picks up $114,000 from business interests Oregon campaign finance

What do You Think Portland, Milwaukie, and Oak Grove? I am all for an open primary where the top two candidates move to the general but is this true representation? My Opponents for State Representative HD 41 spent over $300,000 in Big Union Money almost half of which came from out of State. If we had an open primary my two opponents would have surely been the two front runners leaving You, the voter, with No Real Choice at All. Is this how we want to conduct Our Elections here in Oregon? Letting Out-Of State Big Union Money Buying Your Vote? Does it really matter what "party" a candidate is as long as they move Oregon Forward with Common Sence Legislation?
Over 5,000 Bills were introduced in this last regular session. That could be 5,000 New Laws Governing Your Life. Giving You more regulations, business taxes, increased fees, more agencies, higher taxes, and pet projects.
www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/06/nonp....html

CRC Hearing Scheduled for Wednesday in Salem in Room E, 3 pm!!

House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) announced today there will in fact be a hearing on the Columbia River Crossing project during the current legislative session. Here's the announcement from Kotek's office:
The House Transportation and Economic Development Committee will hold a public hearing on a proposed Oregon-led partnership with Washington State to replace the outdated Interstate-5 bridge. The issue has taken on increasing urgency after a letter from Governor John Kitzhaber made it clear that without action by the Oregon Legislature and Washington State, the project will be shelved."We can’t wait any longer or we will be stuck with an outmoded, unsafe bridge for another ten to fifteen years or more,” said House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland)."Oregonians need us to work with Washington State to deliver on this top transportation priority.”
www.wweek.com/portland/blog-31233-crc_hearing_sche....html

OCWF lays out the case against Governor Kitzhaber's "Oregon go it alone" approach to replacing the I-5 bridge!!

Tiffany Couch spoke at Americans for Prosperity AFP Clackamas County and I saw her there the same time Jeff Kropf did. A CPA can not render opinions, they present the facts and answer questions when asked. Here's her interview with Jeff Kropf. It's all on YouTube and the documents are on her web site from the "public information request".

Oregon's Treasurer Casts Doubt On I-5 Bridge Tolling Plan!!

Here’s the thing: the majority of bridge commuters live in Washington. So the state of Oregon would need to work out an agreement with its cross-river neighbor to collect tolls from Washington drivers. Talks are under way between the states but no deal has been reached yet. Wheeler says without such a deal, he’s not sure whether toll money would be enough to pay the debt on building the bridge. Lawmakers in Olympia are wary of turning over control of tolling to Oregon. But Washington lawmakers have not approved any funding from their state to help build the bridge.
www.opb.org/news/article/npr-oregons-treasurer-cas...-plan

Critical CRC hearing scheduled for Tuesday 01-14-14!!

A critical hearing about the Columbia River Crossing will be held at the State Capitol on Tuesday. Although the hearing itself will not make or break the controversial project, it will greatly influence what the 2014 Oregon Legislature does about it. The 35-day session is scheduled to begin on Feb. 3. The current version of the project is estimated at around $2.8 billion. The Federal Transit Administration has already approved $250 million for a new light rail line between Portland and Vancouver as part of the project. Oregon would need to be able to impose and collect tolls to finance state-issued bonds, and Congress would need to approve federal highway funds for it to be completed. Only invited witnesses will be allowed to testify at Tuesday's hearing.
portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/207226-64214-critica...esday

Let Kitz know how you really feel. Like or Share!

#‎No4thTerm‬ #‎orcot‬ #‎orpol‬ #‎multgop #tcot #PDX #Kitzcare #nocrc #‬


https://chumly.com/n/21d4f0a

Clackamas County Commissioners Demand I-205 Diversion Estimates

The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners wrote Gov. John Kitzhaber today with a warning: If they don't get good estimates on how tolling the Columbia River Crossing might affect Interstate 205, they'll officially oppose the project. The letter (PDF), dated today, says the commissioners have asked Kitzhaber three times in five years for how tolling Interstate 5 would affect I-205 and "have failed to release satisfactory answers." As WW reported, consultants CDM Smith have been preparing an investment grade analysis for tolling the $2.7 billion CRC. Emails obtained by WW show that state officials have long known that tolls on I5 would fill I-205 to capacity. The Oregonian reported last week that the commissioners were likely to send a "letter with teeth" regarding the proposed Oregon-only Interstate 5 project to replace bridges into Washington state, expand interchanges on both sides of the river and extend MAX lines to Vancouver.
www.wweek.com/portland/blog-30867-clackamas_county....html

Columbia River Crossing Interim legislative committee appointed!!

House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney appointed a 24-member legislative committee to hold hearings on a revived Columbia River Crossing plan Friday. No date has been set for hearings, but the two Democratic leaders of the Legislature and Gov. John Kitzhaber agree that hearings should be forthcoming. Oregon Sen. Bruce Starr (left), R-Hillsboro, talks with Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, as the legislature wound down in July. Starr and Johnson are key votes in the Oregon Senate on transportation issues. Johnson says she wants more information before she votes on the Columbia River Crossing. The bridge project faltered in the summer when the Washington Senate refused to allocated $450 million for the bi-state plan. Since then, Oregon leaders have devised a scaled back, Oregon-led project that could move forward with only Oregon’s $450 million allocation.
www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/colu...river

Oregon Iron Works sues CRC over mitigation payment

Oregon Iron Works is suing the Oregon Department of Transportation over the value of a mitigation agreement it reached with the state and Washington over the height of the Columbia River Crossing. Under the agreement, Oregon Iron Works was pledged $11.8 million under the mitigation plan. Greenberry Industrial was pledged $24.8 million and Thompson Metal Fab was pledged $49.8 million. The agreements were made in order to mitigate for potential economic impacts to the companies, whose products could not be barged below the 116-foot proposed height of the replacement bridge.
www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/oreg...river

CRC faces political hurdles ahead of Oregon special session!

Oregon lawmakers are considering reviving the once-dead Columbia River Crossing in a special session later this month. They’re looking to barrel ahead on a $2.7 billion Oregon-led plan that relies heavily on tolls, cutting interchanges in Washington out after that state’s lawmakers bailed on a plan this summer to kick in $450 million. In addition, $107.8 million already spent by Oregon and Washington count toward the financing plan. An additional $86.4 million pledged to three companies to make up for the proposed bridge’s shorter 116-foot clearance has yet to be funded.
www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/colu...river

Kitzhaber Calls For Special Session on The CRC For October 15th! Any Takers?

As if $2 Billion Dollars in new revenue form this last session was not enough. The 2013 special session raised $244 million in proposed new taxes! Gov. John Kitzhaber got his way, and now some big changes could be coming to Oregonians' pocketbooks. Taxpayers currently may claim a $183 exemption credit for themselves and each dependent. Under the proposal, the credit would be eliminated for individuals earning more than $100,000 or couples earning more than $200,000. It's a small change, but eliminating credits for dependents means it would impact large families most, said Rep. Vicki Berger R-Salem. "If we don't do something about it it's just going to increase exponentially," said Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland. "As with any deal, it's a sausage-making process," said Rep. Jules Bailey, D-Portland. Life is Like A Box of Chocolates; You Never Know What You Are Going To Get. Except with a Special Session for The CRC we know exactly what we will get! "A go-it-alone plan isn't in Oregon's best interest." OMG CRC WTF ??
www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/09/2013...river

Columbia River Crossing Kitzhaber preps Oregon-only plan

Kitzhaber acknowledged that Oregon may have neither the time nor the ability to go it alone on a project the state had planned to conduct jointly with Washington for $3.4 billion. But the governor said he believed state leaders could not afford to walk away from the opportunity without exhausting all options.
www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/08/kitz....html

Columbia River Crossing Kitzhaber preps Oregon-only plan;

Kitzhaber acknowledged that Oregon may have neither the time nor the ability to go it alone on a project the state had planned to conduct jointly with Washington for $3.4 billion. But the governor said he believed state leaders could not afford to walk away from the opportunity without exhausting all options.
www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/08/kitz....html