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 gubernatorial candidates for
potential endorsement. Your answers also will be shared with reporters, may
be published in the print newspaper and may be posted on
StatesmanJournal.com.

Deadline: Please return the questionnaire by 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 4. Earlier

is even better. Send it to our Editorial Board e-mail:
Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com

We know you’re busy. Here is a link to your responses to our primary-election

questionnaire, http://www.statesmanjournal.com/candidates, in case you wish
to see what you said before or if you wish to copy and paste some of the
same background information.

Questions? Contact Editorial Page Editor Dick Hughes, 503-399-6727,

dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com, or Editorial Assistant Nancy Harrington,
503-589-6944, nharring@StatesmanJournal.com.

Governor

Name: John Kitzhaber

Party affiliation(s): Democratic

Age: 63

City of residence: Portland

Number of years you have lived full-time in Oregon: 48

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

home, number of grown children): Son, 12

Current employer/job:

Health Policy Chair, Foundation for Medical Excellence; President, Estes Park
Institute

Employment, military and volunteer history:

Director Emeritus, Center for Evidence-based policy, Oregon Health and

Science University; Emergency Room Physician, Roseburg, OR 1974-1988

Civic/religious/other local involvement:

Board Member, Wild Salmon Center

Archimedes Movement

Please list all public offices to which you’ve been elected, and when:

Governor 1995-2003; Senate President 1985-1993; State Senator 1981-1993;

State Representative 1979-1980

Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office, and when:

None

Other political and government experience:

None

How the public can reach your campaign:

Mail address: PO box 4593, Portland, OR 97208

E-mail address: campaign@johnkitzhaber.com

Web site URL: www.johnkitzhaber.com

Phone: (503) 217-6222

How much will your general election campaign cost? (Please be

specific about your campaign budget, not “as much as we can
raise.”)

Between $4 - $5 million.

Who are your top campaign contributors/lenders? (Please list at

least the current top five and their total dollar amounts.)

1. Mid-valley Independent Physicians Association - $150,000

2. American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees - $130,000
3. Coalition for a Healthy Oregon - $125,250
4. Physicians of Douglas County - $100,000
5. Win McCormack (Publisher) - $75,000

Who are your key political advisers? (Please identify at least your
top three.)

I have spent my campaign connecting with Oregonians across the state to

build my policies and plans for Oregon, and I will continue to do so in my
administration. I will draw upon a wide range of perspectives from across the
state, including the public sector and the private sector, as well as
Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

Key endorsements you’ve received:

Planned Parenthood Oregon PAC
Oregon Nurses Association
Sierra Club
Oregon Education Association
NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC
Basic Rights Oregon
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Oregon Small Business for Responsible Leadership
Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association
Oregon State Firefighters Council
American Federation of Teachers of Oregon
Oregon AFL-CIO
Oregon School Employees Association
Oregon State Building & Construction Trades Council
Service Employees International Union
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
For each of the following questions, feel free to limit your answer to
about 75 words, but that’s not a requirement.

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.

No I’ve never been convicted of a crime or been disciplined by a professional

licensing board/organization, but my political opponents in the 1994 and
1998 gubernatorial elections did file two ethics complaints against me, both
of which were dismissed by the Ethics Commission.

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.

No I have never filed for bankruptcy, been delinquent on taxes or been sued,
but as a former governor I was named in suits filed against the state of
Oregon.

3. You’ve undoubtedly seen/heard your opponent’s ads about you,

and possibly outside groups’ ads. If you believe you are
mischaracterized in any of those ads, here’s your chance to say what
you believe is inaccurate about the portrayal of you or your record:

These are the facts:

Economic record: During my 8 years as Governor, the state experienced the

lowest unemployment rate in its history. Also during that time, I presided
over the creation of 128,000 jobs, wages and benefits rose by 49 percent and
Oregon’s economy grew by 48 percent, making Oregon one of the top three
states in the nation in increases in gross domestic product.

4. Which of your opponents’ ideas for improving the economy would

you support?

In his plan released a couple of weeks ago, Chris Dudley noted that he
wanted to “promote the use of forest biomass.” In January, I released my
jobs plan that outlined a specific plan to put Oregonians to work in our forests
– to create jobs, grow Oregon’s renewable energy capacity and improve
forest health. I would also include efficient biomass boilers in my energy
efficiency retrofitting plan, helping drive demand for woody biomass as a
feedstock. It is also notable that I’ve negotiated multijurisdictional plans
before, including the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, the Oregon
Health Plan, and several of the Community Solutions (now Oregon Solutions)
projects.

Chris Dudley also mentioned in his plan that he wanted to promote Oregon
abroad and at home. I think we can both agree that is critical, and I
mentioned these things in my jobs plan back in January. We must promote
our traded sector industries (including tourism) at home and abroad, and also
look to foreign capital to invest in Oregon businesses. As governor, and the
only candidate who has experience working with the private sector to create
jobs, I went on about a dozen trade missions, helped create an environment
for expansion of our traded sector businesses, and promoted trade-related
infrastructure improvements such as Columbia River channel deepening.

But I want to be clear about a fundamental difference between our ideas for
putting Oregon back to work and improving the economy. What we need to
do is create jobs for Oregonians today, and I have a plan to create thousands
of jobs within the first year of office - and in a way that invests in our schools,
saves energy, increases our use of renewable energy and improves forest
health.

The centerpiece of Chris Dudley’s economic plan is an $800 million tax cut for
the wealthy – an old idea that comes right out of the George W. Bush
playbook that won’t create a single job for the 200,000 Oregonians who are
out of work today. Chris also hasn’t said how he would pay for this tax cut,
which means it will increase the state deficit and take money from our
schools and social services that vulnerable Oregonians need today.

5. What have you learned from observing state government in

recent years?

First, we need to set priorities. With my Plan to Rebuild and Reinvest

in Oregon we will invest toward this future:

 Stable funding for education

 All Oregon children are ready to learn
 The achievement gap is stopped before it starts
 School dropout rates decline – post-secondary education rates climb
 Career paths lead to family-wage jobs, raising Oregon’s per capita
income

Second, we need to overhaul state government to deliver the

priorities:
My plan begins with the 2011-2013 budget. I will take immediate action that
will change the way state government invests its resources. This change –
aligning the state budget to deliver on the priorities listed above – represents
the course correction Oregon needs to make now to reverse the current
trend. The 2011-2013 budget will be the first down payment to deliver on the
priorities and a better future for Oregon.

In addition, I will take several actions to change the way state government
does business in order to increase transparency and accountability. I will ask
all state government agency directors and managers to submit their
resignations and appoint or reappoint those who demonstrate a clear
commitment to increasing state government productivity and reducing costs.
I also will require cost-benefit reports of every state program every year. The
first of these reports will be due within 45 days of the election and will be
available online.

Third, we need to stay focused on the future:

Next year, I also will present a “reinvestment budget” to ensure that the way
state government invests new revenues in the future builds on the priorities
established in the 2011-2013 budget. The purpose of the reinvestment
budget is to look long term, making sure Oregon remains committed to the
priorities.

6. Whom will you draw upon as your economic advisors in making

the difficult decisions that will be required of leadership?

I will draw upon a wide range of perspectives from across the state when
making difficult economic decisions. This will include the public sector and
the private sector, as well as Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Just
as I have used my campaign to bring everyone to the table, I will continue to
do so in my administration.

7. What are the three most basic values that you hold as a leader
that will govern your decisions around the economy?

1) Creating an Oregon that is open for businesses, investing in early

childhood education and lowering energy and health care costs for the
state, private businesses and Oregonians.
2) Standing up for Oregon’s middle class families by defending Oregon’s
minimum wage and working with Oregon’s community colleges and
universities to design career paths that lead to family-wage jobs and
raise Oregon’s per capita income.
3) Increasing fiscal stability and ending the boom and bust cycles of the
past by modifying the kicker to create a sufficient rainy day fund to
protect schools and social services when recessions hit, implementing
my reinvestment plan that begins with a renewed focus on early
childhood education and adopting a ten-year budget framework to
make sure every dollar the state invests is a down payment toward a
better future for Oregon.

8. We are told that the best goals are S.M.A.R.T. goals: S = Specific;
M = Measurable; A = Attainable; R = Realistic; T = Timebound. How
does your plan for the economy meet this level of goal setting?

I have a detailed plan to create thousands of jobs within the first year that
meets all levels of this level of goal setting:

First, invest in large-scale energy efficiency projects to immediately create

thousands of jobs, reduce energy costs and keep more of our money in
Oregon.
Second, support environmentally sensitive thinning on federal forests to
create jobs; maintain mill capacity; improve forest health; and produce
woody biomass for energy generation.
Third, train and match Oregonians with high-demand jobs.
Fourth, leverage public dollars to unlock credit markets to get small
businesses the capital they need to grow and reach their job-creating
potential.
Fifth, attract direct foreign investment from overseas to create jobs in
Oregon.

Read more at www.johnkitzhaber.com/prosperity

9. How would you get state-employee unions to buy into your ideas
for changing/reforming employee compensation?

Public employees are aware that next year’s negotiations around pay and
benefits are going to be tough and sacrifices will need to be made. The
question is who can negotiate with public employees successfully.

I am confident that because of the shared history between public employees

and I that there is also shared trust and respect – two attributes that
Oregon’s next governor needs to negotiate successfully.

10. How does your governing/management style contrast with Gov.

Kulongoski’s?

I think the Governor has done a good job of setting Oregon up to take
advantage of some of our strengths, like developing the clean technology
economy, which I will continue. And he has shown by example how much
Oregon appreciates the service and sacrifice of our men and women in the
National Guard.

I will also tell you how my management style will be different than it was in
the past. First, I will manage the budget with a vision beyond two-year
budget periods. No successful business operates in two-year budget periods.
We need an 8 -10 year budget framework that allows us to chart a
sustainable course for the future.

Second, I will provide stronger and more direct executive management – of

both the Executive Branch and state agencies – especially during the kind of
budget crisis that lies ahead.

11. What specific changes, if any, would you advocate in the

structure, scope or role of state government?

Today we are spending more on problems than we are investing in people.

We are heading for a future with more prisons, more need for more social
services – and less and less money for education. This is a key challenge
facing Oregon – and one of the central reasons I am running for Governor is
to reverse this trend. Under my leadership and with my reinvestment plan,
we will look beyond the next two years to where we want Oregon to be in
2020.

With my Plan to Rebuild and Reinvest in Oregon we will invest toward this
future:

 Stable funding for education

 All Oregon children are ready to learn
 The achievement gap is stopped before it starts
 School dropout rates decline – post-secondary education rates climb
 Career paths lead to family-wage jobs, raising Oregon’s per capita
income

The plan begins with the 2011-2013 budget. I will take immediate action that
will change the way state government invests its resources. This change –
aligning the state budget to deliver on the priorities listed above – represents
the course correction Oregon needs to make now to reverse the current
trend. The 2011-2013 budget will be the first down payment to deliver on the
priorities and a better future for Oregon.

In addition, I will take several actions to change the way state government
does business in order to increase transparency and accountability. I will ask
all state government agency directors and managers to submit their
resignations and appoint or reappoint those who demonstrate a clear
commitment to increasing state government productivity and reducing costs.
I also will require cost-benefit reports of every state program every year. The
first of these reports will be due within 45 days of the election and will be
available online.

Next year, I also will present a “reinvestment budget” to ensure that the way
state government invests new revenues in the future builds on the priorities
established in the 2011-2013 budget. The purpose of the reinvestment
budget is to look long term, making sure Oregon remains committed to the
priorities.

12. Do you support the education-reform proposals of the

Chalkboard Project?

Generally speaking, I do support the teacher-led proposals of the Chalkboard

Project. For instance, I have been briefed on the CLASS Project several times
and the results from these early projects are encouraging and the
collaborative process demonstrates the kind of model we will need in the
future for meeting our challenges. Although I will still need more information
before endorsing a particular program, from what I have seen, the CLASS
model has some attractive elements for continuing to attract, support, and
retain the very best professionals to work in our public schools.

13. What “social issues,” if any, should the 2011 Legislature

address?
I have on many occasions publicly demonstrated my support for choice and
today is no different. As the only pro-choice candidate in the gubernatorial
election, Oregonians can count on me to defend a woman’s right to choose
should this become an issue next legislative session.

My opponent, on the other hand, would support barriers to choice. This is a

fundamental difference between my opponent and I – and another way he is
out of step with Oregon values.

14. What are the three most important issues you would address
during your first six months in office? How?

Create Immediate Jobs for Oregonians. We must get our state back to
work right now by filling high-demand jobs, investing in large-scale energy
efficiency projects for homes and businesses to create thousands of private
sector jobs and leveraging public dollars to unlock our credit markets to get
small businesses the capital they need to grow.

Build a Stronger Base for Oregon’s Economic Growth. To avoid the

boom-bust cycles of the past, we must encourage the development of local
and statewide economies and keep the dollars we attract right here at home.
The goal is to strengthen economic activity within our own borders, which will
then provide opportunities to attract domestic and foreign investments to
Oregon and establish Oregon’s place in the global economy. We need to
focus on our natural strengths, such as our innovation in the new, clean
economy.

Reform the Way Oregon Does Business to Support Long-term Job

Creation. I helped launch the Oregon Business Plan in 2002 as governor.
Before that, Oregon had no comprehensive plan to create jobs and grow its
economy. Now, Oregon has a bi-partisan strategic framework developed by
Oregon’s top business executives, elected officials and community leaders to
create a stronger, more competitive and robust Oregon economy. As
governor, I will work to turn the Oregon Business Plan into a set of specific
actions.

Read more at www.johnkitzhaber.com/prosperity

15. What do you see as other important issues?

My Jobs Plan and Education Plan go hand-in-hand. Both are needed to create
a brighter future for Oregon. So as Oregon’s next governor, I will work to
rebuild the economy and also enter office with a plan to reinvest in the
state’s public education system, beginning with a renewed focus on early
childhood care and education. I am the only candidate with specific plans to
accomplish both.

We know that with the right investments, we can put children on a successful
path early in life that will pay dividends in the future. It is through early
childhood care and education that we will ensure children go to school ready
to learn and the achievement gap is stopped before it starts.

To do this effectively, we need to increase access to quality early care and

pre-Kindergarten education programs that are aligned with health care and
support for parents who need it.

If we do this, we will ensure that kids are more successful during their
education career - obtaining the Oregon high school diploma, continuing their
education beyond high school and completing at least the first two years of
college.

Read more at: www.johnkitzhaber.com/category/education/

16. 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 candidate for governor, 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

Measure 74: Medical marijuana No

Measure 75: Multnomah County casino No

Measure 76: Lottery funding for parks, habitat Yes

Thank you for completing this questionnaire and returning it by 9 a.m.

Monday, Oct. 4 by e-mail to Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com.