OREGON ISSUES

1.     We have worked for real campaign finance reform. Oregon Democrats and Republicans have never enacted limits on political campaign contributions but have repealed voter-enacted limits 3 times. Democrats in state office are refusing to enforce the campaign finance reform Measure 47 enacted by Oregon voters in 2006. Campaign spending for Oregon state offices has skyrocketed from $4 million in 1996 to $57 million in 2010. Spending by candidates for Oregon Legislature increased another 13% in 2012. Winning a contested race for the Legislature now typically costs over $600,000, sometimes over $1 million.  

2.     The initiative and referendum should be available to grass-roots efforts. The Democrat Secretary of State is now discarding over 30% of all voter signatures on initiative petitions due to arbitrary, hyper-technical, and unnecessary rules, raising the cost of petition drives so high that only corporations, unions and the very wealthy can afford to use it.  

3.     The State Treasurer should direct part of Oregon's $87 billion of investment funds to invest in local public works and jobs for Oregonians instead of vulture capitalists, corporate raiders, leveraged buyout artists, and fossil fuel corporations and vendors.  

4.     We want fair taxation. Oregon has the 4th highest income taxes of any state on lower-income working families and is still at the bottom in taxes on corporations.  

5.     We want to stop government promotion of gambling, including video poker, video slots, and approval of private casinos.  

6.     We oppose installation of police "spy cameras" and use of drones to spy on Oregon citizens.  

7.     We oppose using public money to subsidize rail transport of oil or coal through Oregon communities.

Here are the current Bylaws of the Oregon Progressive Party.

The Oregon Progressive Party has endorsed these measures on the 2014 Oregon general election ballot:

Measure 88 (referendum): Provides Oregon resident "driver card" without requiring proof of legal presence in the United States.

Measure 89 (initiative): Amends Constitution: State/political subdivision shall not deny or abridge equality of rights on account of sex.

Measure 91 (initiative): Allows possession, manufacture, sale of marijuana by/to adults, subject to state licensing, regulation, taxation.

Measure 92 (initiative): Requires food manufacturers, retailers to label "genetically engineered" foods as such; state, citizens may enforce.

The Oregon Progressive Party opposes these measures on the 2014 Oregon general election ballot:

Measure 90 (initiative): Changes general election nomination processes: provides for single primary ballot listing candidates; top two advance.

Below is biographical information about the State Council candidates, in alphabetical order.
 

Don Baham

Don Baham is a progressive populist activist and originator of Conversations with Dr. Don, a weekly news interview program.  Don writes:

David Delk

David Delk has been the President of the Alliance for Democracy for the past 12 years. Four years ago, he established a public cable access program called the Populist Dialogues. He is a native Portlander who also is President of the Eastside democratic Club, heads up the Move to Amend efforts in Portland, is a founder of Oregonians for Renewable EnergyPolicy (advocates for a feed in tariff), and also a founder of Oregon Democracy Coalition.  In 2006 he was a chief petitioner for Measure 46, which would have amended the Oregon constitution to allow limitations on campaign contributions and expenditures.  He is also the co-chair of the Global Justice Committee of Jobs with Justice, working with the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign to promote fair trade policies and to oppose global multi-national "free" trade agreements like the currently being negotiated Trans Pacific Partnership and the Trans Atlantic (European-US) Free Trade Agreement.  In his spare time, he is a member of the First Unitarian Church and its Economic Justice Action Group, and he likes working in his garden, organically.

Barbara G. Ellis

Barbara G. Ellis, Ph.D., is a member of 350.org’s divestment project, was active in Occupy's Labor Solidarity Committee, a life-long political activist, and a contributor to both London’s Carbon Tracker Initiative, and the TruthOut website. She also is a long-time journalist (LIFE magazine; Washington, DC. Evening Star; the Beirut Daily Star, the International Medical News Group). For several years, she was a journalism professor (Oregon State University, Louisiana’s McNeese State University). She’s written several books and was a nominee for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in history (“The Moving Appeal”), and, now, is a principal of a Portland OR writing/PR firm.
 

David Hess

David Hess was one of the first five members of the Oregon Progressive Party (formerly the Peace Party) and has served on its Nominating Caucus from its inception.

He has also served as Treasurer of the Oregon Progressive Party for 3 years, a job that includes reporting all contributions and expenditures to the Oregon campaign finance reporting system.

He has worked as a paralegal at the law firm of Kafoury & McDougal since 2005.

He actively participates in anti-war and anti-surveillance protests and has been a key organizer for Oregon Progressive Party events since 2008.
 

Jason Kafoury

Jason Kafoury is an attorney at Kafoury & McDougal law firm, where he represents victims of corporations and insurance companies.  Prior to joining the firm 5 years ago, he worked for Ralph Nader for 5 years.  He was the national coordinator of the Nader for President 2008 campaign, putting Nader on the ballot  in 45 states (and DC) by collecting voter signatures and conducting voter conventions (and arranging write-in status in 4 other states, as Oklahoma bans write-ins).  His coordination also created new minor parties in Connecticut, Maryland, New Mexico, and Hawaii, and Nader's general election vote totals preserved the existence of other minor parties in California, Delaware, and Florida. Jason helped found the Peace Party of Oregon in 2008, which nominated Nader for the Oregon ballot and in 2010 changed its name to the Oregon Progressive Party.  He has been a leader of the Party since he moved back to Portland in December 2008.
 

Liz Trojan

Liz Trojan was one of the original founders of the Peace Party of Oregon in 2008, which changed its name in 2010 to the Oregon Progressive Party (OPP).  She has served on the party's Nominating Caucus since 2008. Liz writes:

My political experience includes active involvement in a number of ballot initiatives. In the campaign finance reform and people's utility district initiatives, I was one of the chief petitioners. In addition to ballot initiatives, third parties are a powerful means to influence our government. I have been involved with the Oregon Progressive Party since it's inception. For me, the Oregon Progressive Party represents a way to push forward an agenda that puts people and communities first. As a State Council member for the party, I intend to be present at all the monthly meetings and to help with table opportunities whenever possible. The Oregon Progressive Party needs more visibility. Tabling is a great way to gain some visibility and have one on one conversations with interested individuals.