Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Ted Wheeler, Charles McGee, Julie Parrish

Friday, September 11, 2015

Douglas Fasching, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Ted Wheeler

Every Friday, GoLocalPDX breaks down who's rising and who's falling in the world of Oregon politics. Check out who made the lists this week.

Hot

Ted Wheeler. Let’s get ready to rumble! After months of speculation, current State Treasurer Ted Wheeler finally made it official on Wednesday when he announced he is running for Mayor. Apparently Charlie Hales couldn’t talk him out of it when they met for coffee a few weeks back.

Mayor Hales is seen as vulnerable by many but don’t count him out. He’s a veteran of the campaign trail, he’s got the political connections and he didn’t sidle up to the real estate developers these last four years to have them sit on the sidelines.

On the other hand, Wheeler is still remembered as the guy who restored order to the Multnomah County Commission after the shit show that was the Mean Girls ran its credibility into the ground and he might have some deep pockets of his own. He did the labor unions a solid by advocating for them this last legislative session on the workers’ pension bill among others, maybe they will return the favor. All I know is this race is going to be competitive, at times ugly, and expensive. Don’t be surprised if the candidates spend about $2m combined.

What might be the most interesting aspect of this race is that it, once again, pits political consultants Mark Wiener and Jake Weigler against each other. The last time they faced each other Weigler’s Amy Carlsen Kohnstamm defeated Wiener’s Bobbie Regan in the last school board election. Lest you think these two are mortal enemies, both, until recently, were working together on Steve Novick’s re-election campaign. That ended Wednesday when Weigler left to devote his time to the mayoral race. Understandably, all parties saw some awkward strategy meetings down the road there at Novick Campaign HQ.

Speaking of Steve Novick’s re-election campaign...

Charles McGee. The race for the Portland City Council seat currently held by Steve Novick might be getting a little more crowded. Charles McGee, Executive Director of the Black Parent Initiative is telling people he might jump into the race for City Council. McGee is an intriguing candidate. He would be the first African American on the Council since Dick Bogle (The same Dick Bogle who lost his 1992 re-election campaign to...current Mayor Charlie Hales (It is a very small town)). He would also be the only member of the Council under 40.

He has the political contacts and the business connections (which you need but don’t want to flaunt) he needs to raise money. And he will need a lot of it. If he does decide to run, he would be joining Fred Stewart in challenging Novick for the seat. For Novick, this race will answer the question of whether or not he completely alienated voters with his street fee crusade.

Multnomah County Democrats. Kudos to the MCDs for changing their mind. Originally the VIP mixer for their Annual Golf Tournament fundraiser was going to be held at the home of Terry Bean, a man who is not very popular right now. Whether it was internal or external pressure (or a little of both), no one is sure, but the point is they had a change of heart. The new venue for the VIP fete was changed to Riverside Country Club (How Swanky!). If now you want to attend to rub elbows with the movers and shakers of the Democratic Party, too late, it was last night. But you can still attend the banquet honoring Bill Dickey. That’s tonight and you can get your ticket here.

Not

Judge Vance Day. Who needs to go to Kentucky when we have our very own Kim Davis right here? Marion County Judge Vance Day made news this week when it was reported that he refused to officiate ceremonies involving same-sex couples. He originally ordered his staff to send all gay marriages to the other judges and then he just said screw it and decided not to officiate any weddings at all.

It seems that the judge (and former head of the Oregon Republican Party) has forgotten the oath he took when he was appointed included the phrases “I will support the Constitution” and “I will faithfully, and impartially discharge the duties of a Judge”.

Maybe he did this all to distract us from the fact that he is currently dealing with some judicial conduct issues, one of which has to do with him hanging a picture of Adolf Hitler in his office there at the courthouse. If that is the case, well played, Vance, well played.

Representative Julie Parrish. House District 37 is a sprawling district that is divided between Clackamas and Washington County. It has a democratic edge in voter registration yet is represented by a Republican. It is also the only thing standing between the Dems and a super-majority down in the legislature. To say this would be a major battlefield in the 2016 election cycle would be an understatement.

The Dems have found their candidate in Paul Southwick. He has been on the campaign trail since the beginning of the summer and has raised about 15k on his own so far. While that isn’t much, it’s a good start considering the election season officially began yesterday. And it shows viability, which bodes well.

Representative Julie Parrish, the self-proclaimed Mama Grizzly (I am not sure what that means, maybe she can see Russia from her house there in West Linn) has angered some in her own party to the point of getting removed from her leadership post. She knows her re-election campaign will not be easy, but it will be made more difficult if Promote Oregon, the house GOP’s campaign PAC is not too excited to get her back to Salem.

People Who Stand In Line For Food. This is a decidedly non-political Not, but the last week of August is a decidedly slow time in state and local politics. Next week will be all politics all the time. Until then...

It never ceases to amaze me when I drive by a restaurant and see a line of people out front waiting for the food. Who are these people with all this time on their hands with a burning desire to dine on average breakfasts (Tin Shed, Screen Door), average ice cream (Salt & Straw) or average donuts (Do I really need to drop a name here?)

But apparently this isn’t just a Portland thing. This week In-N-Out Burger opened in Medford making it the first one in Oregon. Great. I realize this is the most exciting thing to happen in Medford since ever, but it’s a burger. There is no reason to wait, not a half hour in line or an hour in the drive thru. And now there are reports of people driving down there. There is no reason to drive to Medford. Ever. So, if you are one of the people considering the four hour trek for an average burger, save yourself some time and money and go to Stanich’s.

Related Slideshow: Slideshow: The Top 11 Political Scandals in Oregon History

GoLocalPDX lists some of the biggest and most shocking political scandals in Oregon history, from illegal sexual encounters to land fraud, over the last 100 years.

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Neil Goldschmidt

2004

Former Oregon governor, Portland mayor and secretary of the U.S. Transportation Department admits that in the 1970s he had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. He said the “relationship” went on for 9 months. Goldschmidt was 35 and married at the time.

While Goldschmidt was not holding elective office at the time, he stepped down from his positions at the Oregon Board of Higher Education and Oregon Electric Utility Company. In 2000, he briefly reappeared on the public stage with a quixotic campaign to reconnect the North and South Park Blocks in downtown Portland. Goldschmidt retreated from public life. He was never charged with a crime.

Photo Credit: OrHi 102947 Courtesy Oregon Historical Society (image cropped)

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Sam Adams

2005

Former city commissioner and then-mayor of Portland, Sam Adams admitted to having a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male legislative intern after denying the charges and urging the boy to do the same. The two were together before Adams began campaigning for the office of mayor and before the young man was 18.

Adams eventually admitted to the relationship and agreed to cooperate with any investigation, but did not resign from office. The Department of Justice found no incriminating evidence in the investigation, so he was never charged. Adams chose not to run for re-election.

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Bob Packwood

1992

US Republican Sen. Bob Packwood resigned from the Senate after 1995 when allegations of sexual harassment and abuse brought threats of expulsion. In a story in the Washington Post, 10 women claimed the senator had sexually abused and assaulted them.

Packwood’s diary, parts of which were turned over to the Senate Ethics Committee, allegedly documented his abusive behavior. It was later found out that he had removed some of the incriminating pages from the diary and allegedly made threats against other members of Congress. After resigning, Packwood spent time in an alcoholism clinic, blaming his actions on his drinking problem.

Photo Credit: [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (image cropped)

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Cover Oregon

2014

Oregon’s attempt to create a new health insurance marketplace was passed by the Oregon Legislative in 2011. Issues with a failing website that cost over $160 million of state funds caused the enrollment to switch to paper forms. Contractor Oracle sued Cover Oregon for breach of contract, claiming they were never paid for their software. A month later, Oregon sued Oracle Corporation for a breach of contract as well.

Carolyn Lawson, the former chief information officer for the Oregon Health Authority who received the brunt of the blame in the fiasco, sued Oregon for wrongful discharge and defamation. The lawsuits are still ongoing.

Photo Credit: iStock (image cropped)

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Mark Hatfield

1980's

As the Washington Post Reported in Mark Hatfield's Obit:

In the 1980s, his wife accepted $55,000 in payments for real estate work from a business tycoon with a multibillion-dollar contract before Congress. Mr. Hatfield apologized for the appearance of wrongdoing and gave the money to charity.

Several years later, in 1992, he was formally rebuked by the Senate ethics committee for not disclosing more than $42,000 in gifts from friends and lobbyists — the result of a “careless” clerical error, he said at the time.

Photo Credit: Ground at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

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Oregon Land Fraud

1905-1907

In 1870, the Oregon and California Railroad was granted 3 million acres on which to build a rail line from Portland to California. The excess land was to be sold to settlers in small portions, yet the president of the railroad decided to sell the land to timber companies for a greater profit. He hired surveyor Stephen A. Douglas Puter to gather people from saloons to register for land that would be transferred to Puter and sold to the highest bidder for timber harvest.

With more than 1,000 initial indictments issued in the case, some U.S. senators and representatives were charged. Of the four major politicians brought to trial, only two—Rep. John Hicklin Hall and Sen. John H. Mitchell—were found guilty for failing to investigate the case. Hall was later pardoned by President William Howard Taft and Mitchell died from a tooth-extraction complication while waiting for his appeal.

By John_Hicklin_Hall.png: Republican Party [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (image cropped)

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David Wu

2011

The Oregon Democrat congressman from Portland, was asked to resign after a young woman alleged Wu forced her into an unwanted sexual encounter. An 18-year-old girl told the Oregonian she had an “aggressive” sexual encounter with Wu. Wu admitted to the encounter, but claimed it was consensual. He fought resigning, but finally gave in.

It was not the first allegation of its kind against Wu. In 2004, a 1976 incident involving the alleged rape of his former girlfriend was looked into. Despite the attention, Wu won the election that year. Wu continues to live in the Washington, D.C. area.

Photo credit: Official portrait

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Jeff Cogen

2013

While chairman of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, Jeff Cogen was investigated for using taxpayer money to pay for hotel rooms and trips for an extramarital affair with a county Health Department policy director. He was also accused of frequently smoking marijuana and using cocaine while in office.

Cogen refused to speak to state investigators and ignored calls to resign until a few months after the incident. No evidence was found to charge him with any crimes. This year he worked with a petitioning firm that gathered signatures for legalized marijuana.

Photo Credit: public domain

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Jefferson Smith

2012

The Willamette Week reported that Portland mayoral candidate Smith was cited for a 1993 for a misdemeanor assault on a women. The alleged assault took place when Smith was enrolled at the University of Oregon. Witnesses said that the victim woke up with Smith on top of her, and started hitting him. Smith claimed that "it was the worst night of his life" and that he tried to take responsibility for it immediately.

Smith said he agreed to 20 hours of community service, apologized to the woman, and paid her medical bills. He said the charge was dropped in exchange.

Photo credit: public domain

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Multnomah Bridge Scandal

1924

In 1924 three county commissioners were recalled for "graft, bribery, and malfeasance" after awarding a construction contract for the repair of the Burnside Bridge and the construction of the Sellwood and Ross Island bridges. They voted to select a bid offered as a joint effort by three local construction firms, who would each build a new bridge. It was $500,000 more than the only other bid that was entered in a rushed, 24-hour window.

The public started a recall petition for the commissioners and the Oregon State Attorney started an investigation, charging the commissioners with soliciting, accepting bribes, and malfeasance for not picking the lowest bid. Although no charges stuck, the commissioners were kicked out of office by a large majority of voters.

By Steve Morgan (Own work), via cc (image cropped)

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Terry Schrunk (Bonus)

1957

Schrunk was the mayor of Portland for 16 years, 1957-1973. His first year as mayor, allegations of bribery and perjury charges landed him before a special Senate committe.

Schrunk was accused of raiding the rowdy 8212 club with fellow deputies in 1955 when he was a Multnomah County Sheriff, and accepting a $500 bribe from the manager to leave and look the other way.

Schrunk denied having taken any bribe, but did admit that his deputies had raided the 8212 Club, seen illegal activity, and left without further action. Schrunk was tried on bribery and perjury charges and found not guilty.

Photo Credit: Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Lib., bb005787 (image cropped)