December 2007 newsletter

Candidates Forum Highlights December PCD Meeting

Kate Brown	Vicki Walker

Polk, Marion, Linn and Benton County Democrats Invited to Hear Secretary of State Candidates

Democrats from Marion, Linn, and Benton Counties are
invited to attend a Candidates Forum sponsored by Polk County Democrats
at its December 13 monthly meeting in West Salem at the Salem Electric
Community Room. PCD Chair Alan Holland says a welcome and refreshments
time will begin at 6:30, followed by necessary business until 7:30, at
which time the candidates will speak.

"The format will be for each candidate to address the group for 5 minutes," he told the Democrat.
"Each County Party Chair will ask a question and each candidate will
respond for 2 minutes to each question then the floor is opened for
questions until the 8:00pm closing."

"So far we expect Senators Vicki Walker and Kate Brown
to be in attendance," Holland added, "and will also be inviting other
announced candidates for the office. " State Sen. Rick Metsger of Welches announced his bid for the office November

Rick Metsger	Brad Avakian

20. Senator Brad Avakian of Beaverton rounds out the crowded candidates
roster set for the May 20 primary (Dec. 6 editor's update: all four
candidates have accepted the invitation and are expected to attend).

Holland says the forum will allow candidates to share
their views on the issues of note and provide an opportunity for four
county parties to become more acquainted with their campaigns. Learn
more about each by clicking on their names.

DPO Plans Retreat for County Chairs, ViceChairs

"Knowing who you are, knowing each other and knowing
what we are going to do when we get home. "That is the theme of the
Democratic Party of Oregon's Chairs and ViceChairs Retreat planned for
December 7-9 in Tualatin.

According to the Draft agenda outcomes include working
with the DPO leadership team to develop and implement a long term
strategic plan with a focus on victory in 2008. The plan will include
programs for neighbor to neighbor, fundraising, events volunteer
recruitment and maintenance, technical and building bridges to
diversity.

Land Use Lawyer in West Salem Dec 12

Talk Centers on Measure 49 and Vested Rights

Roger Kaye of Friends of Marion County invites all
interested in the wake of Measure 49's passage to attend an upcoming
meeting at West Salem Public Library. One of Oregon's premiere public
interest attorneys will be in Salem December 12 to discuss the
aftermath of Measure 49 and Oregon's failed experiment with regulatory
takings.

Ralph Bloemers, Co-Executive Director of the CRAG Law
Center will focus his talk on how the Measure 37 election cost all
Oregonians far more money and encouraged vulnerable people to pursue
outrageous claims and how misunderstandings of the law as part of
campaign slogans, without due regard to good governance and an informed
populous, were perpetuated. Ralph will also discuss how the transition
to Measure 49 is going and explore whether the valuation approach under
Measure 49 is any different from Measure 37.

Bloemers was born in Rotterdam, Holland and grew up on a cheese farm in
the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. After high school, he went to the
University of Colorado in Boulder where he studied Political Science.
He then left the US and worked abroad in Munich, Germany for an
international reinsurance company. Thereafter, he returned to Salem,
Oregon to attend law school at Willamette. Ralph went to law school
with the goal of using the law to serve the public interest. In his
third year he studied international environmental law in Leiden Holland
and graduated Cum Laude in 1998.

During law school, he worked for the Nature Conservancy's Western
Regional Office in Boulder and on the farmlands program for 1000
Friends of Oregon. He also worked a summer at Stoel Rives in Portland
and then after school took an offer from the firm to practice
Intellectual Property, Corporate Securities and Finance law. Ralph
always remained committed to pro bono service to various organizations
such as 1000 Friends of Oregon and the Northwest Resistance Against
Genetic Engineering. After three years Ralph left private practice to
found the Crag Law Center along with a friend and colleague Chris
Winter. Crag is a non-profit public interest law firm that empowers
grass roots organizations working to protect our shared natural
resources. Crag provides legal representation to those in the community
who are working to effect positive change on environmental,
sustainability and social justice issues in the Pacific Northwest.

The CRAG Law Center link: http://www.crag.org/

For further info contact:
Roger Kaye, Pres., Friends of Marion County, 503-743-4567

PolitiCorps offers Summer "Bootcamp" for Activists

They call it a "political bootcamp for the
college-and-recent grad-aged superhero. And they want you to fill out
an application to attend its 2008 Summer Camp. (Click here for details)

PolitiCorps
is the Bus Project's 10-week political immersion program. PolitiCorps
Fellows register voters, take classes, organize communities, vet public
policy white papers, launch media campaigns, and, at the end of the
day, make a real impact. It's a summer boot camp for politics, and a
life-changing experience for college juniors, seniors, and recent
graduates.

Highlights of PolitiCorps Summer:

• A cleared path towards a career in serving the public interest
• Close friendships with some of the brightest, most dedicated young people in the country
• Introductions to progressive leaders, professionals, and change agents
• Experiential
  trainings in communications, community organizing, public policy
  analysis, networking, information systems, data management,
  fundraising, and project development.
• Innovative policy intensives with regional and national policy experts
• Mentored development of new ideas, project models, and campaign plans
• $1000 stipend, plus housing in Portland throughout the program

Read about the Bus Project here.

Polk Dems Really Clean Up

PCD Chair, ViceChair Stoop to Conquer Debris

Article, pictures by PCD Jim Roten

The Dems have the job of roadside cleanup at the
intersection of 99W and 22 (Rickeral Dallas-Coast interchange). Last
monthly meeting it was decided that since the cleanup had not been done
and was not likely to be done unless we just did it, a handful of
democratic stalwarts - lead by Alan and Suzanne - showed up in wind and
rain and the sturm and drang of holiday passing traffic and picked up a
ton o' trash.

Thank you, all who showed up!

A Year in Pictures

Image Galleries Added to

Polk Dems Website

Some moments, like this one captured as Paul Evans saw
friends arriving at a well-kept secret surprise party in January, are
memorable. That's the idea behind the new Image Galleries, just added
to the Polk Democrats web site. The year in pictures is waiting there
for you to peruse and savor those moments we shared in 2007. Click on
Paul's picture, above, to take you there. Thank you, all of you who
took wonderful pictures and sent them along to me. I haven't finished
uploading them all, yet. Just pop back, every so often. Click on "Image
Galleries" under "News" on the main link. Happy Holidays! --Wendy