Ted Kulongoski is no stranger to the political game.
After serving in the Oregon House of Representatives, the Oregon State Senate and the Oregon Supreme Court, Kulongoski is an anomaly among Oregon politicians: one who’s worked in all three branches of government.
Now Kulongoski is seeking the highest seat in Oregon — the governor’s mansion. He is basing his statewide campaign on three top points: the economy, education and social issues.
To stimulate Oregon’s struggling economy, Kulongoski said he would raise vehicle registration fees from $15 to $30 and use the money to create a billion-dollar bridge-building fund to rebuild Oregon’s infrastructure, which he said would create more than 700 jobs and boost the link between economy and community.
“Moving up and accelerating public works projects is one area where you can have the most effect on Oregon’s economy,” he said.
Kulongoski said the creation of an economic rapid-response group would also be a priority.
“There should be a SWAT team for the state’s economic development, that every time we know there is an industry that could improve our quality of life there, that we immediately send someone to find out what we can do to help them and convince them to locate here in Oregon with existing businesses in this state.”
On education, Kulongoski said he would work to create an endowment fund specifically for higher education.
The endowment “would actually provide, ultimately, every student in this state who graduates from a high school and meets the criteria to enter a four-year institution,” he said. Students “would be given the opportunity to obtain tuition scholarships and grants, not loans, to attend our universities.”
Kulongoski added that he would fund the endowment by rerouting part of the capital gains tax that would otherwise go to the general budget. The gubernatorial candidate also said he has two concerns about giving university presidents more autonomy from the state. Kulongoski said public universities must remain fully public and keep the “public purpose” of educating Oregon students.
“If in fact (universities are) being given more flexibility to be demonstratively and fiscally responsible, and the cost goes up, I don’t think that’s good public policy,” he said.
In addition to economy and education issues, Kulongoski stands behind his perspective on social issues — such as his pro-choice views, support for gay rights and backing of physician-assisted suicide — issues he said relate to Oregonians and that distinguish him from his Republican opponent, Kevin Mannix.
“Whether it’s on the issues of equality and fairness for all of our citizens in their lives, whether it’s, in fact, a woman’s right to reproductive choice, whether it’s if, in fact, adults want to fall in love with somebody, that’s their own personal choice in life,” he said.
“The governor has to be the champion for the people of this state, and I think the governor has to have the values of the people of this state and he has to have their interest in his decision-making process.”

Kulongoski’s Q & A:

Q) What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the University of Oregon?
I obviously think of the University of Oregon and home and so whenever I come down to the University, it’s like coming back to a place that I have a deep roots in, and although I’m not a graduate of the University of Oregon it’s always been a place — my young son graduated from down at the campus, and so I always look with some fondness at it. When I was in the legislature and represented western Lane County, I dealt with the president — whoever was the president. I know (University President) Dave Frohnmayer very, very well, so it’s not a distant relationship I have with David, it’s one of friendship and a personal one over the last 30 years. So I see the University as home; I also see it as an outstanding educational institution in this state. It’s one that I’ve seen go through a series of crises. I remember back in the Vietnam War era, I’ve seen the fiscal concerns that the University has had. I’ve just been around it enough to know that it’s one of the great investments in Oregon.
Q) What excites students about your campaign?
(It’s) a challenge for every campaign to get the 18 to 30 year-old age group to get involved in a campaign. What I would hope — and let me put it that way — would excite them is one: Is in fact, that I think a governor is someone who represents the values of the people who he or she wants to represent; I think also it has to be someone that is willing to stand up for the interests of the citizens of this state. And I think I have the values and I have always stood up for those principles of what we all believe in. You know, as an example right now is two major issues. One is the current election on January the 28th. To me, it’s actually a vote about Oregon’s future and its ability to provide economic opportunity for the people of Oregon. And that is it’s an investment in education. And higher education is equally a part of the debate as are community colleges and K-12. So I see this vote as something — and that’s the reason I’m voting for it — is because it’s an investment in Oregon’s economy and it’s an investment in our future.
The other issue is that I also believe that I know the university system right now is having a discussion about the institutional side of it, giving each of the individual campuses more flexibility both in administrative and fiscal, and I’ve been asked by the (OUS) chancellor and the presidents of all the different campuses of whether I would favor that movement, and I’ve said all along that I think there are some serious questions that have to be asked. One of the things I want to make sure of — and maybe it’s the most important to me — is to see that, in fact, in all this talk about an entrepreneurial spirit on our institutions of higher education, two things that cannot be lost are one: They are still public institutions. Secondly, they have a public purpose, and that is to see that the students of this state have an opportunity to attend universities in Oregon. And by that I mean not just academically, I’m talking about financially. And if in fact we’re being given more flexibility to be demonstratively and fiscally responsible, and the cost goes up, I don’t think that’s good public policy. What I’ve insisted on is the development on two levels. One: I’ve talked about the creation of a student endowment fund which would actually provide, ultimately, every student in this state who graduates from a high school and meets the criteria to enter a four-year institution, would be given the opportunity to obtain tuition scholarships and grants, not loans, to attend our universities. And how I would fund this, I think a part of the capital gains tax that is paid into the state general fund as a general operating expense. I think it should be targeted over a period of time to build a billion-dollar endowment fund, and the purpose of the fund would be these grants and scholarships. It would have the two-fold purpose of investing in the students in this state to stay here and go to school here and for the bulk of the students in this group, all of these students would be able to accept access to this endowment fund. So my argument to the student body is I’m looking both in the short-term with what’s going to happen this year and the long-term of how they’re going to be able to attend their institutions.
Q) Do you support the January income tax package?
I want to be up-front: I would not have done it this way. I believe, as I said last March, that I thought the legislature should do a straight up-and-down, one-year surcharge back in March, which I think if they’d projected and looked at where the revenue stream was, they could have looked at and avoided this crisis that we have right now. The legislature declined to do what I suggested. What they did is now they’r
e coming late to it. I didn’t think it needed referral, I think that when you run for the legislature, you run to make the tough decisions; that’s what you get paid for. I think this idea of referring all this stuff out is not good public policy. So my choice would have been a one-year back in March, but the legislature chose three-year. I understand the public is probably going to have some challenges to come around to the three-year, but I think we can win this. The ultimate reason why is it’s about our future, it’s about education. The number one priority for the next governor in Oregon is growing the economy and providing living-wage jobs. I know one way not to achieve that objective and that is: Do not invest in our universities. (De-invest) in our universities, and all of us will be visiting our grandchildren in other states, because our children will never find a job here and businesses will not want to be here unless we make these investments, and that’s what I look on this January vote as ­ an investment in our future and an investment in education.
Q) If the January income tax package is not passed, what will you tell students who have to pay higher tuition?
Whatever happens in the vote, I will pursue my endowment approach. I have been talking with the chancellor’s office, I’ve talked to a number of other institutions and a number of other issues about how we can build the principle in the endowment. But I think that that is the long-term answer for giving students the opportunity and financially being able to afford to go to universities in this state. You know, there are two pieces to this: I don’t want to want to walk away from it; it’s not only going on now, and being able to pay for this year’s tuition; it’s the other piece of this which I think is absolutely unconscionable, and that’s students coming out with $20, $30, $40,000 worth of debt, which is to me a ball and chain started in their lives. And I want to try to see that they have the ability to attend school with these scholarships and grants which would then minimize the cost and later the large debt when they graduate. But getting back to exactly how we tend to look at this is my priorities, if this measure fails, is to look around at what I see is the future of this state and investment in our young people. And when I say young people, I’m talking about K-12, community colleges and higher ed. Education is to me the answer to the state’s economy. I think you have to take and prioritize to see in fact that it has that high of a position in your priorities that actually give you the opportunity to invest in our economy. I have a component, I treat it the same way, regardless of whether the measure passes or doesn’t pass.
Q) What’s the biggest challenge in governing Oregon?
The biggest challenge is on the one side, of the issue of what I still believe is the economy, of Oregon’s economy and providing more living-wage jobs. I still think that’s the most serious challenge that the next governor is going to face. And the reason I tell you that is one of the great success stories is that Oregon diversified its economic state over the last 20 years from basically being reliant on natural resources and timber and agriculture to a location where timber and agriculture still play a role, but the prominent piece of this is around brain power, is around education, around high-tech. And I think that the next governor needs to look at that mix we have in high-tech and understand that it centers around research and development and I think that’s what we need to do and focus on. And to do that, the state has to develop a business plan, a long-term plan that goes from legislature to legislature, and I think we need to get the best minds in the business community and academia and make these choices and say “Where are you going to be in five, 10, 20 years?” We need to ask the questions that will give Oregon’s economy a chance to grow. And the other part of that is to set the tone for the whole debate of operating our economy. I think if the governor actually says to the citizens that are here in the state and the business community outside of Oregon that we in fact want to sustain business here in Oregon, I think we can do this. The other half of this though, I have to tell you, is a challenge, it’s the credibility the government has with its citizens. I think the governor actually has to make the government more productive and give people confidence that when we do things, we do it with confidence and do it very well. I think those are the greatest challenges for the next governor.
Q) What will you do to make higher education more affordable?
With the endowment fund is how I’m going to do it. Because I think the University is recognizing the state’s budget situation now and is looking for more flexibility to leverage partnerships with the business community to see how in fact that they can get additional resources into the university system to provide improvements both in the programs and in the faculty salaries, improvement in the infrastructure in the system. And I’m willing to make a caveat, what I said before, assurances that one: They are a public institution and reminding them constantly they have a public purpose and that is to teach people they can afford school. I think the one thing I can do for students is at the same time we improve the quality of the program we can be competitive. And the whole idea of ranking institutions is to make sure that students here can go to college, in-state. And I have to tell you, if we improve the quality of the institutions, and the student body is 75 to 80 percent out of state, I will not consider that a success. What my success is that the students here in Oregon can go to outstanding universities, not just mediocre universities but outstanding universities ­ that’s what I will consider a success.
Q) How do you stimulate Oregon’s poor economy?
Here I think one: The governor sets the tone for this. I think the governor is the one that basically says that growing the economy of this state and providing living-wage jobs is a tough priority, and education obviously is a major component of providing a workforce for that economy. And the second thing is that Oregon needs a business plan. I think we have to make decisions of where we’re going and how we’re going to get there over the long run. I just don’t think we’ve had the partnerships to put that coalition together, to be able to make a business plan. The other thing I think there’s some specific things I can do. There should be a SWAT team for the state’s economic development, that every time we know there is an industry that could improve our quality of life there, that we immediately send someone to find out what we can do to help them and convince them to locate here in Oregon with existing businesses in this state. Because existing businesses are going to provide most of the new jobs. If they want an expansion, send the SWAT team to get right out with them. And I think we have to make our regulatory environment more service-oriented. I think timelines are a necessary step in the process, and I think there should be performance measurements in all the administrative rules to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to accomplish. This isn’t going over the rules, or under the rules, this is about just making government more productive. The last thing I’ll tell you is that the one thing I proposed is I think the transportation issues in Oregon is a critical issue, particularly the bridges. And I’ve been talking about, since the primary, raising the registration fees from $15 to $30 and bond that money on a sunsetted increase to create a billion-dollar bridge-building fund to start rebuilding the bridges in Oregon which are critical to the state because they’re the link between our economy and our communities. And I’ve said that that alone would create over 700 jobs. And that doesn’t count all the insulary jobs that are suppliers and things like that. Moving up and accelerating public works projects is one area where you can
have the most effect on Oregon’s economy. And we also have to recognize and be truthful with ourselves that this is a national and international economy and there are limitations to things we can do, but the things I spoke of are things that in the short term we can do to improve this state’s economy and in the long run, when this recession is over we can be able to grow the economy and provide the jobs for the students graduating from our institutions.
Q) What’s the most generous thing you’ve ever done?
Love my children. (This means) not only in the good times but the bad times. That in fact that they do things that I don’t necessary agree with or we differ, I’ve never lost sight of the fact of how much they love their father and how much I love them, so I think giving of parental love is a very, very generous task today.
Q) Does money talk? If so, what does it say?
(It does talk), and what it says is it’s power. It’s — whether it’s in politics, you know in running for a campaign — because unfortunately if you have more money you have the ability to talk more, and it gives you much broader influence. I think it also — you know I am a lawyer, I am the former attorney general and a former justice to the (Oregon) Supreme Court, and so I see the value and the importance of laws requiring conduct — social conduct — that provides equality to all of our citizens. I also know that in this country , in America, that economic equality is the most powerful, probably, of all of our rights because I believe if people have the opportunity to have living-wage jobs and take care of themselves and their families, I think 25 percent of all their problems in life get resolved.
Q) Who’s your political role model? Why?
(Editor’s note: The first part of this response was cut off because of a tape error.)
(Former Baseball player Ted Williams). The reason is, is in the business I’m in, Ted knew when to leave the stage. And I’ve always admired him for in the bottom of the 8th inning, 1960 when it was his last ball game, he hit a home run, went around the bases, won the game, went in the dugout and said ‘that’s it, good-bye’ and never came out and took a bow. And I always thought it tells me something about how you leave the state, and I hope I have that quality.
On the local level, the person that has been my mentor politically — who got me into this — is right there on the campus at the University of Oregon, as he did many, many other young people he came into contact with, and that’s Dr. Jim Klonoski, the former — I think he’s retired now completely — political science professor. Jim, when I met him, was not only a professor at the University of Oregon but he was also chairman of the state Democratic party, and he’s someone I’ve always admired because of his values and he actually can be both the kindest, gentlest hand on your shoulder or he can be very — what should I say — he grades tough. And so I’ve always looked upon him as somebody that when he speaks I listen to him.
Q) How do you think you relate to students when you’re twice their age?
One thing I think you’ll always do is that when you have 3 children who are the age of my kids — and two of them are in graduate school still — is that they keep you young all the time, so it isn’t that my age keeps me from relating to them because I have to listen to their music and them taking my car and just doing a variety of things, I understand very well what I think young people are thinking today. Their friends come over to the house. Do I like the music all the time? No. But do I actually have enough flexibility in my life to take a walk around the block or my wife and I go to a show, that’s what we do. But I’ve been around them, so I think I relate to people very well because of the experience of my own kids which I think are no different than the students at the University of Oregon or any other institution here.
The other thing is that I don’t think my values are much different than many other students on the campuses. Having the background that I’ve had, growing up in a boys home and I joined the Marine Corps and I went to school on the GI Bill, I tend to have a great value in the idea of working hard and trying to basically always know that you just have to keep working at something. Life is not fair all the time to us individually, but if you keep working at it and not see yourself as a victim all the time but look at all this stuff as a learning process, I think we’ll all have success in our lives. Maybe it won’t be financial but it will be personal because we’ll all realize that we contributed a great deal to making life better for other people, so my request always is for young people to get involved in public service or to be involved in their communities, to get involved in politics. Because I think that the future of this state and this country depends upon young people actually not only learning about how government works, but actually getting in and participating in it.
Q) What makes you the best choice for Oregon?
I think of all the things that I think the governor has to be, the governor has to be the champion for the people of this state and I think the governor has to have the values of the people of this state and he has to have their interest in his decision-making process. I believe that I represent those values and that interest better than my opponent does. Whether it’s on the issues of equality and fairness for all of our citizens in their lives, whether it’s in fact a woman’s right to reproductive choice, whether it’s in fact that if adults want to fall in love with somebody that’s their own personal choice in life, and the last is physician-assisted suicide. I’ve supported the rights for individuals to make their own individual choices, so I think I share the values of Oregonians. I think I share a vision of Oregon that actually has this great commitment to financial resources in this state. I think I recognize that the natural environment is this state’s greatest economic asset. I believe that in fact that our government will be stronger when the government reaches out and brings more people and involves more people in the decision-making processes, which is what I will do. So I think I have he experience. I think I have the common sense. This isn’t about just politics, it’s about performance, and I think I have the past history that would indicate in this particular time I am the right choice for Oregon.
Q) Is there anything you would like to add?
I hope that many (students) are registered, as every student should be registered, and those that are registered, I sure hope they vote. And I hope more than anything that they’ll talk to their friends and they’ll understand that this race isn’t about two candidates, it’s about the future of Oregon — of their future. And when they believe that and look at it that way I believe that I’m gonna be their choice for governor.

Contact the senior news reporter at [email protected].