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Pete
meets Senator Barack Obama Voter
Owned Elections: KOTI TV in Southern Oregon interviews
Pete Sorenson Changing
the environment, one drink at a time Green Drinks, an informal gathering of like-minded environmentalists lured by a bit of the bubbly, began in London nearly 20 years ago. Today, there are more than 350 chapters worldwide, including the newly formed Rogue Valley Green Drinks. Jason Zook, an architect with ORW Architecture in Medford, and Fred Gant, an Earth Advantage representative out of Ashland, organized the group in an effort to bring together local professionals, policy makers, interested citizens and even skeptics to discuss green building and sustainable living. Green Drinks meets on the last Friday of each month on the outdoor patio at Standing Stone Brewing Company, 101 Oak St. Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson spoke to the group about Eugene's green strategies. The Green Guide, an environmental newsletter, ranked Eugene as one of the most eco-friendly cities in the United States in 2006. Sorenson said that in order for the sustainability movement to make progress, both the public and private sectors need to work together. "Electing
the right leaders will lead to a sustainable future," he said. Buying
Votes Mayor Kitty Piercy said she is interested in the "voter owned elections" system of public election financing now in place in Portland. Supporters say the Portland model, enacted in 2005, has transformed local elections by limiting the influence of big donors. The voluntary system requires candidates to get a small number of $5 donations before public financing of the campaign kicks in. Lane Commissioner Peter Sorenson has proposed a similar system — also in place in Arizona, Maine and four other states — to the Legislature. Sorenson's plan would: • Require candidates to gather $5 contributions and signatures from 0.6 percent of registered voters in a district (about 180 in a House race) to qualify for public financing. • Provide $2.05 per district registered voter in public financing, about $61,500 for a state House candidate. • Provide matching funding for qualifying candidates with opponents who outspent them using private money. • Finance itself through a 10 percent surcharge
on all civil penalties and criminal fines, by allowing taxpayers
to redirect $5 of their state taxes to the system and by contributions
encouraged by a tax credit. Sorenson
right about income tax Hey, remember this time last year when three of the Lane County commissioners voted in an income tax for the county? Reading back through The Register-Guard and Eugene Weekly archives of that time for other stuff, it reminded me of the really poor decision-making of Commissioner (rich timber baron) Faye Stewart, Commissioner (owned by big business) Bobby Green and Commissioner (go along to get along) Bill Dywer. The tax they passed would mean that the working people (who make more than $10,000) and those on fixed incomes would pay the same rates as millionaires. Businesses and corporations would pay 14 percent while we would pay the rest. There were comments made by Commissioners Stewart, Dywer and Green about how this was a fair tax and they voted for it for the community. Good for Commissioners Pete Sorenson and Bill Fleenor for consistently stating that the voters had already decided against it. And good for them for reminding the other commissioners that it was a sneaky move to ask the voters what they wanted and then ignore the outcome of that vote! Sorenson is up again for election. I’m voting for him. I don’t know who else is up for election but if I were you, I would take the chance to make this vote count and not vote for Stewart, Dywer or Green. Vote for their opponents. In large numbers. This is one election where we can’t be ignored. Dru
Walden, Eugene
Oregon
Voters Go For Publicly Financed Campaigns For State Office? "What if voters could voluntarily check a box on their income tax forms to contribute five dollars to campaigns? And how about drivers getting speeding tickers? That’s what Lane County commissioner — and former Democratic candidate for Governor Pete Sorenson — has in mind. Pete Sorenson: “The proposal here for the Oregon voter-owned election act is to have the system be entirely optional.” Sorenson would tack a 10 per cent surcharge on speeding tickets. That’s how Arizona pays for its public campaign finance system. And Sorenson thinks the idea would work in Oregon too. Pete Sorenson: “We would really broaden the choices of Oregonians
to have more people and other kinds of people to run for public
office if they didn’t have to go out and promise everything
lobbyists in order to get elected.” Voter Owned Election FAQ here... Voter Owned Elections BY TED TAYLOR, Eugene Weekly, 1.17.08 Portland's experiment with campaign finance reform appears to be working well, and Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson would like to see it go statewide. Sorenson is the main author of the Oregon Voter Owned Elections Act, a bill inspired not only by Portland's experiment but also by successful statewide election reforms in Arizona, Maine and Connecticut. Iowa is gearing up to pass similar legislation this year. Sorenson plans to submit the bill, which is still being tweaked, to the 2009 Legislature and says it has an "excellent chance" of passing. Sorenson said, running for governor has been a peak experience and one of the hardest things he's ever done. ""It's
an old idea, really," says Sorenson, citing Republican President
Theodore Roosevelt's call for public financing of federal candidates
back in 1907, and Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings
Bryant's 1924 proposal for federal candidates to be furnished
with "reasonable means of publicity at public expense. Peter
Sorenson discusses an important voter reform COOS BAY - Hoping to give a voice to thousands of Oregon voters
across the state, a Lane County Commissioner with local roots,
discusses his thoughts on a Voter Owned Elections Act he hopes
to help pass in the Oregon Legislature.
Commissioner Pete Sorenson, a native of North Bend, sat down with interested community members Thursday night, to hear thoughts and get feedback regarding the idea of a Voter Owned Oregon. "The Oregon Voter Owned Elections Act is about giving voters a bigger say in what and who they get to choose as their leaders. It allows candidates to go out and talk to voters one on one. It also allows them to collect voluntary contributions of five dollars per voter, and if they get a sufficient number of those, they get to go on the ballot as voter-owned candidates," says Sorenson. Sorenson adds that he's been researching this concept for six months, which included talking with senators in Arizona and Maine, states that currently have Voter Owned Elections systems in place. While the system would be voluntary for candidates running for office, Sorenson says he thinks this act could significantly impact the way we look at politics. "Over 80% of people in America think that big money and politics don't mix. They think that people who have the big money are the ones elected officials listen too first. One of the things this does is give hope that we can make some changes for voters." Next up for Sorenson is a trip to Salem on January 25th where he will present his ideas to the Oregon Legislature. The Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) voted Nov. 8 to approve a half-billion-dollar Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) focused largely on building more and more freeways to promote urban sprawl with more and more traffic belching out carbon dioxide, the leading cause of global warming. "This RTP goes in exactly the opposite direction of where we need to go," said Friends of Eugene President Kevin Matthews. Sorenson
said he objects that the little-known MPC makes such "powerful" decisions
involving hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money with
so little public involvement. "It's quite exclusive," Sorenson
said of the meeting in the Wells Fargo bank building downtown. "That's
the whole point; it's outside of public view."
OFFICIALS
URGE END TO IRAQ OCCUPATION Sixty-one elected city, school, education, county and state officials from 27 counties, representing every corner of the state and every congressional district in Oregon, signed a letter sent to Oregon's congressional delegation, calling on them to direct the Bush administration to bring our troops home now and to cut off the funds for the Iraq War, according to Michael Carrigan, Progressive Responses community organizer for Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC). Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson initiated the letter, and he, along with CALC's Progressive Responses and the Rural Organizing Project, secured the support of the elected officials. "Congress has the power of the purse and must assert its responsibility
to do what is right and just. It's time to bring our troops home
now," says Sorenson in the letter. A complete listing of those
who signed the letter can be found on CALC's website at calclane.org
Flat
Tax The $32.5 million Lane County income tax would tax a family struggling on food stamps at the same rate that it would charge the wealthiest millionaire in the county. Measure
20-129 on the May 15 ballot imposes a flat 1.1 percent income
tax regardless of income level.
"This is really going to hurt the working poor," Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson lamented, saying the tax was unfair because it wasn't based on ability to pay. Stands
Pete Has Taken February
07, 2005 "Legislature's
right-wingers hold us back" (PDF file) August 16, 2002 Keep
kicker funds to support higher education
- May 2001 Veterans
Service Office deserves our help
- February 7, 2001 Smoking
risks prove need for ban
- July 2000
Quit linking county revenue
to harvest of trees - November 1998 Our
forest policy needs defined, not changed
- November 1997 April
22, 1994 (for Earth Day) Public
Statements -- Pete on important issues. From 2004 Election - Pete's Positions on Ballot Measures Ballot
Measure 34
- Argument
in Favor (PDF file) From 2003 Special Election - Measure 28 - January 19, 2003 "Measure 28: Band-aid or Boondoggle? From 2000 Election - Pete's Positions on Ballot Measures Ballot
Measure 9
- Argument in Opposition ---------------------------- NOTE:
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RFK a big influence on Lane County commissioner By Tom Adams KVAL EUGENE, Ore. - VIDEO HERE In 1968, Barack Obama was 6 years old and living in Indonesia. Hillary Clinton was a college junior in Massachusetts. John McCain was a POW in north Vietnam. And Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson was growing up in Coos Bay-North Bend. "Through most of this period, I was 16," he said. It was May 1968. The Vietnam war was at its height, and in the political wars, Oregon was ground zero. Sen. Robert Kennedy of New York and Minnesota senator Gene McCarthy were criss-crossing the state hunting for votes in the Democratic primary. Kennedy arrived in Coos Bay, and Sorenson had a front row seat. "My impression was that it was a big crush of people," Sorenson said. "People just wanting to touch the guy, shake his hand." Kennedy's campaign train, dubbed the "Beaver Express," rolled through Junction City and into Eugene. Sorenson said RFK's willingness to tackle the issues blocking social progress sparked his own interest in public service. "He was completely fearless in that respect, so i think he's a great inspiration to many of us, myself included," he said. But down at the local level, even dealing with budget problems, the commissioner said he carries that Kennedy legacy of optimism. "The photographs and the imagery of that time was literally we're going to roll up our sleeves and make this a better country," Sorenson said. Sorenson said he's convinced had Robert Kennedy begun his campaign sooner and had he not been murdered, he would have been the Democratic nominee and could have been president. "Some people see things as they are and say why?" Kennedy famously said. "I dream things that never were and say, why not?" POWER
TO THE PEOPLE An estimated 50 to 60 participants gathered at Sam Bond’s May 28 for Lane Bus Project and Eugene Weekly’s “Brewhaha” monthly political forum. Lane
County Commissioner Pete Sorenson kicked things off by presenting
on Voter Owned Elections (such as Portland instituted this last
election cycle). VOE would require candidates to “collect
a large number of $5 qualifying contributions to demonstrate community
support,” “reject private money contributions,”
“limit campaign spending” and “agree to comply
with strict administrative rules.” In return, candidates
would receive public financing to run their campaign. Recently,
Portland mayoral candidate Sho Dozono had his public funds withdrawn
because his $27,295 in private contributions broke the $12,000
limit. Dozono lost the race to Sam Adams, who refused public financing
and spent more than $200,000 on his campaign. Hundreds
attend anti-war event Five years. Nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed. Countless Iraqi civilians dead. World War II veteran Henry Dizney said he’s ashamed of this state of affairs. The 82-year-old said he saw combat in Europe, fighting a war for ideals he, and the rest of the nation, supported. Things have changed, he said. “I think it (the Iraq war) disgraces the armed forces — I just think these guys are obviously pawns in an unnecessary war,” he said Sunday, surrounded by hundreds of fellow protesters denouncing the March 20, 2003, start of the war in Iraq. “If it’s so damn important — if we had a draft, a war tax and a gasoline ration, we’d be out of there in a minute.” His passion joined with the shouts, chants and slogans of the throng that stretched more than 2½ blocks during a parade from the University of Oregon to the federal courthouse plaza. Tens of thousands more rallied across the nation over the weekend, calling for an end to the war. With a larger-than-life dove puppet leading the way, and joined by percussion group Samba Já, the young and old parade marchers hoisted signs that read “Seriously, Why?” “I’d rather pay for peace in Darfur than war!” and “The next war will determine not what is right, but what is left.” The rally then descended on the courthouse, where speakers from Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy to 16-year-old Springfield High School student Savannah Martin called on the government to “sow seeds of peace, not war.” While some turned out in uniform, no counter protesters were in sight. The day culminated in a candelight vigil at the plaza, where volunteers read the names of 101 Oregonians who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and the names of 101 Iraqis who have died during the past year. Piercy dismissed critics who call war protests a “feel good” activity and blamed the war for Lane County’s current budget crisis. “In Washington, the pockets are empty right now with funds diverted to the war,” she called out from a podium adorned with a rainbow peace flag. “None of us can doubt the war in the Middle East is fueled by fuel!” Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson said the upcoming elections at every level will have an impact on the war’s future. “We need to make sure every elected official is on
record as asking Congress to cut the funds off now!” he
yelled, as the crowd echoed, “Cut the funds off now!” LTD decides against free bus service By
Jeff Wright, The Register-Guard Wouldn’t it be grand if everyone could ride the bus for free, anytime and anywhere? Elected and community leaders on the Metropolitan Policy Committee thought so last November, when they voted 8-0 to ask Lane Transit District to develop a plan to provide no-fare bus service for all. LTD officials recently completed their analysis and came up with this conclusion: It doesn’t pencil out. Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson, who made the motion requesting the LTD study, said he was motivated in part by a TravelSmart program that surveyed residents in Eugene, Salem and Bend on what it takes to get people out of their cars and into biking, walking, busing or carpooling. Sorenson said he hasn’t seen LTD’s analysis but
feels it’s important to keep exploring ways to encourage
alternative travel. “If you can get a few thousand people
per day out of their cars, or just once a week, or even into
someone else’s car, that’s significant,” he
said.
Climate change event to feature day of lectures, rallies in Eugene Published: January 23, 2008 10:38AM RG A daylong “National Teach-In on Global Warming” will unfold in Eugene on Jan. 31. The multiple events will begin with the Eugene-Springfield Climate Summit in the morning and conclude with the second annual Lane County Energy Round-up in the evening. The day’s activities — tied to a Focus the Nation campaign of similar events across the country — also include a global-warming rally, sustainable living fair and series of public lectures. All of the events will be held on the University of Oregon campus. Sponsors include the UO Office of Sustainability, UO Campus Recycling, UO Resource Innovations, the UO student government and the Lane County Energy Round-up. Keynote speaker at the evening’s Round-Up event will be Christopher Dymond, a senior analyst with the Oregon Department of Energy. Dymond’s lecture topic will be “Renewable Energy: Crossing the 21st Century Chasm.” Other speakers will address energy efficiency, biofuels, gleaning,
carbon footprint reduction and local actions. Lane County Commissioner
Peter Sorenson and Round-Up co-founder Kathy Ging will offer
introductions. Pete Sorenson, RG December 2, 2007 Most residents of Lane County take pride in the fact that right in our backyards we have storybook old-growth rainforests and crystal clear creeks that, in many cases, provide our municipal drinking water sources. I'd bet they'd be shocked to know that the Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency in charge of overseeing nearly 2.6 million acres of our public lands in Western Oregon, proposes to open 442,000 acres of currently protected old-growth reserves and 200,000 acres of streamside reserves to clear-cutting under a settlement agreement between the old-growth logging industry and the Bush administration. Many have probably heard about the Western Oregon Plan Revisions — the WOPR — by now. Some county commissioners in Western Oregon, including my colleague Faye Stewart (RG guest viewpoint, Oct. 17), hold up the WOPR as a solution to our county funding crisis. This is a dangerous proposal that will fail. Here's why: Historically, 50 percent of timber sale receipts from BLM lands went to local county coffers to fund essential services. These payments were in lieu of the federal government paying property tax on its forestland holdings in our counties. By the 1980s old-growth logging ground to a halt due to court injunctions to address looming extinction. The old-growth frenzy was over for the time, and Congress rightly stepped in to appropriate annual funds to keep Western Oregon counties afloat. The certainty of these safety net funds remains unclear beyond July 1. However, opening up old-growth and streamside reserves on public land is not a responsible solution, fiscally, socially or environmentally. The outcomes include community polarization, species being pushed closer to extinction, litigation, forest management gridlock and unpredictable county funding. Even if the WOPR proceeds and counties get a quick fix, what happens in a decade or two when the old-growth base is liquidated as is projected in the WOPR analysis? There is a better way forward that does not require selling off remaining older fragments of federal forestland. For nearly the past decade, the Forest Service in Western Oregon has concentrated the majority of its active management by thinning in young, same-age plantation stands. The results: a nearly litigation-free timber program, logs delivered to mills, employment opportunities, and restoration of public land that was degraded by past clear-cutting. In 2003, the Siuslaw National Forest was presented the "Breaking the Gridlock Award" and the "Rise to the Future Award," which honor Forest Service employees for gaining public support, building a community of trust and producing economic benefits to local and regional communities. Nearby, the Willamette and Umpqua National Forests are advancing massive plantation thinning projects that are not mired in controversy, but more importantly, are creating new work forces, restoring degraded landscapes and generating capital within our county. By targeting small diameter plantation stands with thinning, decommissioning harmful roads and other beneficial restoration, we will produce controversy-free timber, generate employment in the forest, and most importantly, advance forestry models to replicate elsewhere. Although restoration thinning is socially appropriate and has widespread scientific support, its receipts will not deliver for counties the way old-growth logging did in its heyday. We as a county must get creative in generating revenue to fund essential services. Citizens have said clearly that they don't want taxes increased. Finally, the federal government does not pay property taxes to local governments on these federal lands. The federal government should make payments, and a bigger vision of how those payments are made could include carbon sequestration. With global climate change in full swing, let's begin to explore governments and polluting corporations paying to keep our older forest carbon banks vertical. I'll work for a way for Lane County to get its fair share in an environmentally acceptable manner. But a radical increase in old-growth logging won't be good for the forest or for Oregon. Pete Sorenson represents south Eugene on the Lane County Board of Commissioners.
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