State Representative, District 40 — William Young
Campus-area voters are fortunate to have two strong mainstream candidates and one longtime activist voice to choose from for their state representative. District 40 covers the residence halls and the campus proper, and the editorial board was divided on who to endorse.
Karl Sorg, as a Socialist candidate, may garner only meager support, but he seemed principled and heartfelt in his beliefs. His most intriguing idea was taxing the extremely wealthy as much as 90 percent. Finance-reform enthusiasts take note — Sorg spent only his own money to campaign. He also wants health care made more equitable — poor people paying less and rich people paying more for medical care. We’re pleased his voice was added to this race, and we hope the winner takes some of his ideas to Salem.
Phil Barnhart, chair of the Lane County Democratic Party, knows the district well — he’s lived here for 51 years — and has been in politics since 1990. We agreed with Barnhart’s ideas about education and health care, and he also made an important point about taxes that voters should remember when deciding the ballot measures: “Money coming in through the tax system equals programs that people say they want.”
Overall, however, Barnhart sounded a bit too partisan. Whatever party has the majority in the Oregon Legislature after the election, our representatives must work together. As chair of the local Democrats, how could Barnhart not have an eye on the partisan game?
Barnhart’s Republican opponent, William Young, is a newcomer to the game who seems remarkably moderate. For a veterinarian who was a write-in candidate in the primary, he has learned about the issues quickly and spoke to them well.
Young expresses interest in kids and education at every step. He focused on early education programs, teaching life skills and computer literacy through high school, and he prioritizes education funding in order to retain quality instructors. Young wants to provide prescriptions at a low cost through bulk purchases or state contracts. He emphasized conserving the environment and offering tax credits for alternative transportation and alternative energies, such as wind power. He’s in favor of rehabilitation, especially for first-time offenders, instead of simple incarceration. And while he prioritizes education, health and public safety funding, he wants to save money as well as spend it by cutting the fat from contractors who bid for public jobs and by retaining departments’ excess money at the end of the fiscal year.
Young also clarified his position on Measure 9, which The Register-Guard reported incorrectly (it did run a correction): He is opposed to Measure 9.
Most important to us, however, was Young’s sense of bipartisanship. If Democrats control the Legislature, Young will work with them. If the Republicans retain power, Young seems focused on working across the aisle to solve problems. And although there is concern about sending an relatively inexperienced representative to Salem, we liked the fact that he is not a veteran politician. As Young said, “Politicians focus too much on the party line and not enough on Oregon.” Vote for Young, and you’ll be voting for Oregon.
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Responses can be sent to [email protected].