Statesman Journal mini-questionnaire for Nov.

2, 2010, General Election

Thank you for responding to this questionnaire, which is for use by Statesman Journal
Editorial Board members in evaluating candidates for potential endorsements. Your
answers also will be shared with reporters, may be published in the print newspaper and
will be posted on StatesmanJournal.com.

Name: Peter Courtney

House/Senate District Number: Senate District 11

Party affiliation: Democrat

Age: 67

City/town of residence: Salem, OR

Number of years you have lived in the district: Since 1969

Are you a full-time resident of the district? Yes

Family (name of spouse/partner, number and ages of children if at home, number of

grown children): My wife Margie Brenden Courtney and I have three grown sons: Peter,
Sean, and Adam.

Current employer/job: Oregon State Senate President; Adjunct Instructor, Assistant to the
President, Western Oregon University

Employment, military and volunteer history: Attorney, Private Practice; Hearings Officer,
Employment Relations Board; Legal Aid Attorney; Law Clerk, Oregon Court of Appeals

Civic/religious/other local involvement: Member, Oregon State Bar; Past board member,
Mid-Valley Children's Guild, Red Cross, United Way, YMCA, former Boys and girls
Club and CYO coach

Please list all public offices to which you’ve been elected, and when:
Salem City Councilor (1974-1980); Oregon State Representative (1981-1985; 1989-
1999); Oregon State Senator (1999-present)

Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office, and when:
Candidate for U.S. Congress, Oregon’s 5th District (1984 primary election)
Candidate for Oregon State Senate (lost in 1986 general election)

Other political and government experience: Salem Mass Transit Board (1979-1980)
How the public can reach your campaign (remember that this information will be public):

Mail address: 2925 Island View Dr. NE Salem, OR 97303

E-mail address: VotePeterCourtney@gmail.com

Web site URL: www.VotePeterCourtney.com

Phone: 503-683-3723

How much will your general election campaign cost? (Please be specific about your
campaign budget, not “as much as we can raise.”)
It is difficult to say at this time. Events over the next couple of weeks will dictate my
campaign spending.

Who are your top campaign contributors/lenders? (Please list at least the current top five
and their total dollar amounts.)
Contribution aggregates reflect contributions received in 2009 and 2010.
Oregon Health Care Association PAC $20,000
Oregon Trial Lawyers Association $15,000
Citizen Action for Political Education $12,500
Oregon Medical PAC $12,500
William Pierce $10,000

Who are your key political advisers? (Please identify at least your top three.)
Margie Brenden Courtney, my wife; Phil Bentley, my Chief of Staff; Christine Lewis, my
Campaign Manager. I also learn a lot from talking to members of the community.

Key endorsements you’ve received:

Oregon Nurses Association
Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance PAC
Oregon Council of Police Associations
SEIU
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Oregon Education Association
Oregon Nurseries’ PAC
Humane USA- Oregon
Stand for Children
AFSCME
Social Workers Political Action Committee
Oregon State Fire Fighters Council
Dick Withnell

For each of the following questions, please limit your answer to about 75 words.
1. Have you ever been convicted of a crime, been disciplined by a professional licensing
board/organization or had an ethics violation filed against you? If so, please give the
details.
The Chair of the Oregon Republican Party, Bob Tiernan, filed a complaint against me in
2009 alleging a failure to disclose a conflict of interest. The matter was unanimously
found to be without merit by the bipartisan Senate Conduct Committee.

2. Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, been delinquent on your taxes or other major
accounts, or been sued personally or professionally? If so, please give the details.
In my capacity as the President of the Oregon Senate, I have been named in a couple
lawsuits that were resolved in my favor. Sen. Larry George filed suit against myself and
Speaker Merkley opposing the special session in 2008. I was also named in a suit, along
with the Speaker of the House, the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Republican
Caucus leaders Sen. Ferrioli and Rep. Hanna, in a 2006 suit filed by several school
districts over school funding.

3. Describe this legislative district:

Oregon Senate District 11 includes Woodburn, Gervais, and portions of Salem.

4. What specific steps will you take to make government more open and accessible to the
public?

Since becoming Senate President, I have taken significant steps to increase the openness
and accessibility of state government to the public. government is more open and
accessible to the public. Some of these steps include: requiring that committee agendas
are posted in a timely fashion, upgrading the legislative website making it easier for the
public to find information and participate in the legislative process, asking legislative
committees to meet outside the capitol in communities throughout Oregon, setting strict
session deadlines and clearly communicating the deadlines to the public, establishing
legislative days during the interim that provide more notice and predictability to the
public during the interim, and supporting transparency legislation that provides detailed
information about how tax-payer dollars are being spent.

The passage of Measure 71 will also provide more openness and accessibility. I have
long been a champion of annual legislative sessions in order to make government more
accessible. Currently we only meet every other year, and Oregonians wait as long before
having the opportunity to testify before a committee or see their idea turned into law.
This November Oregonians have the opportunity to approve Measure 71, a measure with
bipartisan authorship and backing that would set the legislative schedule to traditional
160-day sessions in odd-numbered years and short sessions, 35 days at most, in even-
numbered years. This would not add to lawmakers’ time in the Capitol, but would mean
shorter, more disciplined sessions.

5. Why should people vote for you? What separates you from your opponent(s)?
My record and years of service to the community on boards, commissions, and in the
legislature has prepared me to face the challenging times we are in. My priorities are:
supporting business and local job creation, protecting our state’s most vulnerable
including seniors and children, funding quality education for our children, keeping our
communities safe, and making government more efficient and work better for the people
of Oregon.

6. What specific steps would you advocate to improve Oregon’s economy and create
jobs?
During the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions I prioritized legislation that invested in our
health care, transportation, and infrastructure systems to create jobs and improve the
economy. These were smart investments that in many cases utilized Oregon’s ability to
leverage federal stimulus and matching funds that invested in Oregon and helped Oregon
businesses of all sizes grow. We also passed legislation that expanded opportunities for
small business to get needed capitol. I will continue to prioritize investments in Oregon’s
economic recovery and other steps we can take to support business development.

Additionally, Oregon’s education system must be protected and prioritized in order to

educate Oregon’s future workforce and attract businesses to the state. This includes smart
investments in pre-kindergarten programs through community college and our higher
education system.

7. What changes, if any, would you advocate in the tax provisions created by Measures
66/67?
Measures 66 & 67 prioritized protecting the middle-class and Oregon small businesses
while preserving the services that matter most to Oregonians. Overall I believe this was
the right approach during the 2009 session. As with all policy changes there may be some
issues in implementation that should be considered by the legislature. I am open to
considering modifications where there were unintended consequences or where changes
are necessary to ease compliance. Some issues under consideration include: should a sale
from a farmer to a coop be considered an Oregon sale even if the product is being
exported, should taxes be based upon value added versus gross receipts, should we
consider some modification of capital gains tax.

8. What specific revenue changes, if any, would you advocate to balance the 2011-13
budget?
As we approach the 2011-13 biennium, we must keep in mind that the Legislature is
constitutionally required to approve a balanced budget. There are still three more revenue
forecasts this biennium and it would be irresponsible to speculate now on how the
Legislature will meet its obligation. In 2009, we balanced the 09-11 budget through a
combination of significant cuts, federal funds, and new revenue. I believe that the budget
will be balanced in 2011-13 primarily through budget reductions.

9. What specific spending reductions, if any, would you advocate to balance the 2011-13
budget?
During my time in the Oregon Senate, I have worked to make state government more
accountable, efficient and effective, finding ways to get more out of our tax dollars. All
options will be on the table. We will simply not have the same level of funding in 2011-
13 to continue the level of services that are currently being provided. I will advocate for
prioritizing those essential government functions that Oregonians rely on, including
education, public safety and human services. I will also focus on services that help
Oregonians keep their jobs like assistance with employment-related day care.

10. Which of Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s “resetting government” proposals do you support?
I appreciate that the reset report consolidates into one document many of the policy ideas
that have been considered over the years, and I’m sure the report will be useful during the
next session. I am especially interested in proposals about higher education reform that
maintain a quality, affordable higher education system in the state, and reforms to the K-
12 system that include consolidation of Education Service Districts.

11. What changes, if any, would you advocate in the structure, scope or role of state
government?
The services that state government provides are important to all Oregonians from public
education, protecting children from abuse, regulating industries to protecting consumers
from fraud, protecting and restoring our state parks and environment, and supporting
commerce moving n on our roads. However, state government can not be all things to all
people, and during these challenging financial times I will continue to prioritize the most
efficient delivery of services that matter most to Oregonians—strong schools, safe
communities and looking out for the most vulnerable.

12. What changes, if any, do you favor making in state employee compensation? Why?
Public employees throughout Oregon are doing a great job delivering services that
Oregonians rely on. They have stepped-up and made many concessions during this
financial crisis, and I believe they will continue to partner with the state to address the
budget shortfall we face next biennium and beyond. I believe we should look at
everything, including the cost of health care, but the budget cannot be balanced on the
backs of the public employees- a significant percentage of whom struggle to make a
living-wage.

As you know, the collective bargaining agreement governs most of the costs associated
with represented public employees, and the legislature has limited authority in this area.

13. Do you support the education-reform proposals of the Chalkboard Project?

I support the goals of the Chalkboard Project. In our pursuit of educational excellence, we
need the diverse voices tackling difficult issues facing education in Oregon. We need
more teachers for smaller classes, and the Chalkboard Project maps out one way to get
there.

14. What “social issues,” if any, should the 2011 Legislature address?
At this time I don’t think there are any significant social issues that should be addressed
next session. I remain increasingly concerned about immigration policy, and I believe
that the Federal government needs to do more to enforce Federal immigration laws.

15. How should the Legislature and state government respond to illegal immigration?
The Federal government is not controlling the border. I support tougher border security to
stop the flow of illegal immigration. We need to be tough, smart and fair in dealing with
the people who are already here.

16. What are the three most important issues you would address if elected? How? (Up to
75 words for each issue.)

A. Jobs and the Economy: My top priority is getting our economy going and creating
good new jobs here in Oregon. I will fight to invest in local clean energy projects so that
we can attract the jobs of tomorrow to our state. I have a plan to make it easier for small
businesses to grow, and expanding access to capital and loans to help new companies get
started.

B. Education: A strong education system is vital to economy recovery and business

development in our state. There is increasing research that shows investments in early
head start not only sets a better stage for success but saves the state money in the long-
run. Additionally, stable investments in the k-12 system will ensure that all Oregon
children have the opportunity to attend college or achieve their goals, and we need to
continue to prioritize quality, affordable and accessible work-force training and higher-
education.

C. Public Safety: We can not take for granted that crime rates in Oregon are at a record
low. I will prioritize smart investments in public safety to keep our streets and
communities safe. This includes insuring we have sufficient state-troopers on the road,
tough sentencing for the worst of the criminals and smart-effective rehabilitation and
treatment services.

17. What do you see as other important issues?

We must continue to take steps to make ensure access to quality-affordable health care
for all Oregonians. Additionally, as we prioritize services, we must not forget that there
are more Oregonians struggling than ever before and the demand for human services such
as food-stamps is at a record high.

18. Any skeletons in your closet or other potentially embarrassing information that you
want to disclose before it comes up in the campaign?
No

As a legislative candidate, your positions on statewide ballot measures on relevant to

voters. Please indicate whether you support or oppose each of the measures.

Measure 70: Veterans’ loans Yes

Measure 71: Annual legislative sessions Yes

Measure 72: State bonding authority Yes

Measure 73: Sentencing No, but I support the goals of this measure.

Measure 74: Medical marijuana No

I am still undecided on this measure and I have concerns about public safety risks that
might be associated with the implementation of dispensaries.

Measure 75: Multnomah County casino No

Measure 76: Lottery funding for parks, habitat Yes