Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Barnhart effective

In a recent political commercial, a senior citizen explains that we badly need Al King re-elected to Oregon House of Representatives. The camera moves back and we see King earnestly looking at her. Still speechless, King then turns and looks at the camera, appearing almost like a ventriloquist, as she finishes.

King, who is running against Phil Barnhart in the Democratic House District 11 race, does a good job not moving his lips. What he doesn't tell us is that he was originally going to run against state Sen. Bill Morrisette in another legislative district. But polls showed that Morrisette, a true Democrat, would easily win. King then suddenly decided to switch races and now challenges Barnhart.

King tries hard to lip-sync Democratic values in his commercial, but off camera he acts more like a Republican. For example, he voted 53 percent of the time with Republicans against environmental legislation. And senior citizens who are enamored with King's self-portrayal as a senior advocate should know that he has claimed that low-income family members who quit their jobs to become stay-home caregivers for elderly parents are double-dipping income and abusing the Medicaid program. Perhaps King hasn't talked to many of these caregivers who have given up their professional lives to do the right thing.

King's campaign creates the impression he is the most viable pro-education candidate. He goes out of his way to avoid mentioning that Barnhart has been one of the Legislature's most effective education advocates. Phil Barnhart is the only Democrat running in House District 11 whose lips you can actually read.

JOHN BAUGUESS Dexter

Poling is reliable

Voters in Ward 4 have an outstanding candidate in George Poling.

He is a long-standing member of our community, which has prepared him to understand the needs of Ward 4. Poling enjoyed a successful 29-year career in law enforcement, during which he gained skills that will make him a valuable councilor: listening, negotiation and mediation. Public safety services and funding will be key issues for the next several years, and Poling will bring an experienced, common-sense voice to those issues and others.

Poling is a reliable, honest and approachable man. Poling is exactly the kind of councilor Eugene needs - now. Please vote for George Poling.

BILL INGE Eugene

Beyer is fair-minded

I have had the opportunity to work with Terry Beyer several times over the past 15 years or more and am always impressed by her sound judgment and fair-mindedness. She investigates an issue thoroughly before forming an opinion and bases her decisions on factual information rather than political rhetoric. In my opinion, this is the most important criterion for choosing a person to be our representative in Salem.

The second most important criterion is experience. Beyer is familiar with the way the legislative process works, so she can get more done than someone who must learn everything from scratch. She also has experience with Springfield issues, so she can advocate for the city with a stronger voice. In my opinion, she has the right mix of skill and experience to be an effective representative for Springfield.

The Legislature will have plenty of hard decisions to make in the coming session, and I urge you to vote for Terry Beyer as the Democratic nominee to serve Springfield in House District 12. She will be a strong advocate for Springfield in Salem.

GAYLE DECKER Springfield

Cast those ballots

As state director of Students for Stein, I have the privilege of seeing the students of Oregon rally behind a true leader, Beverly Stein, and dispel the stereotypes of our age group.

The tide of political apathy among students has been well documented; however, it is encouraging to see so many students across the state, especially here in Eugene, be so enthusiastic about not just Stein, but about politics in general. We still need to do more.

Voting is a right that should be exercised even in its simplest form - from the city council member who decides the new roads that will be built to the president of the United States who decides the diplomatic routes to be taken domestically and abroad. It cannot remain the policy of so many to remain neutral for lack of knowledge about the issues or candidates - after all, the purpose of life is to better ourselves by learning new things about subjects with which we are unfamiliar.

We have a good cast of candidates to choose from for our next governor. Making a choice, punching your ballot and casting your vote is an essential part of your citizenship in this country. Your choice will determine the type of health care you will receive, the jobs that will be available, the environment that you will live in and the tuition costs students will pay in the next four years.

Take five minutes to change the future of history, and vote.

DAN P. ISAACSON, Director

Students for Stein Eugene

Kelly hard-working

Most of what The Register-Guard has had to say against David Kelly has made me wish I lived in his district and could vote for him in the upcoming election. He is intelligent and hard-working. He does stand by the planning documents that have been adopted by the city in the hope of sustaining Eugene as a place where we and our grandchildren can live in comfort and safety.

As for the newspaper's coverage of the Ward 3 race (Register-Guard, May 10), including reporter Diane Dietz's little paean of praise to Maco Stewart, how does it happen that the newspaper omitted the fact that the University of Oregon Daily Emerald editorial board has endorsed David Kelly for Ward 3? While Dietz cleverly manipulates words to try to make Kelly's defense of good land use planning appear to be a negative quality, why do we suppose she failed to reiterate that Stewart had a brush with the law for using a fake identification card to get into a bar?

As for The Register-Guard's obviously biased question - "Who's at fault for driving Sacred Heart Medical Center to Springfield and why?" - all we need to do is look at the timeline, and we know John Musumeci and company drove Sacred Heart to Springfield in a gold-plated Cadillac. It was a done deal before the Eugene City Council ever entered the discussion. Too bad Stewart doesn't realize that.

LINDA DANIELSON Eugene

No new county taxes

At a news conference several weeks ago Dianne Burch and Anna Morrison were each asked how they would cover the expected financial shortfall in Lane County government. Burch answered that she would raise taxes, while Morrison said the shortfall could be covered by the money received from building permits.

I don't know if Burch was just uninformed about the situation, or if her first impulse is to always raise taxes. I feel that I pay enough taxes and don't need to pay any more. Consequently, I know who I'm going to support for county commissioner.

FLORENCE WILLIAMS Florence

Wells has ability

I am writing to urge the voters of Ward 4 to vote for Kevin Wells as their Eugene city councilor. Of the two candidates, only Wells has both the experience necessary to make him an effective councilor and a demonstrated commitment to the citizens of Ward 4.

Wells and I served as members of the Eugene Citizens Charter Review Committee. Throughout the committee's deliberations, he had an open-minded approach to issues and a genuine concern with balancing the needs of the city against the fiscal realities of city government. I believe his experience on the committee proves that he has both the skills and experience to make an excellent councilor.

George Poling speaks of living in Eugene for many years, but I am disturbed because he appears to have little experience with many city and neighborhood issues. In addition, he has support from members of the Gang of 9, a group committed to eliminating the ability of Ward 4 residents to elect a councilor who represents our unique community.

In contrast, Wells helped get the Harlow sound wall built and served on the Harlow Neighbors Association for the last four years. As a resident of Ward 4, I want a councilor who can represent the needs of our community and tackle the tough issues affecting our city. Kevin Wells is the only candidate who has demonstrated that ability and commitment, and I urge the people of Ward 4 to vote him onto the Eugene City Council.

MATTHEW DONOHUE Eugene

Where's party label?

I have watched many politicians' ads on television, so I ask you: Are they trying to tell me that there is no difference between a Republican and a Democrat? They do not give their party affiliations! I wonder why - are they all liars who do not mean what they say?

ALBERT SEME Creswell