NW Connection
August 2008

Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike share a common desire to see Oregon prosper.   Most Oregonians, regardless of partisan, religious or cultural differences, would agree that prosperity has certain common elements:  effective schools, safe communities, a strong economy, a clean environment, and the adequate availability of family-wage/benefit jobs. Most Oregonians would further agree that we have a long way to go before reaching such prosperity.  To this extent we all share a common hopeful vision for the future of our state.  

As I write on this July afternoon I am reminded that in two and a quarter centuries “We the People” have made great strides towards ALL of our common goals.  Warts and all, Oregon (and America) is a great place to live!   

In my last editorial “Stand Up and Be Counted” (June 2008), I wrote about the responsibility we all have as citizens to bring our personal values, beliefs, and concerns (whatever they may be) to the public forum in order to keep our democracy fresh, vibrant and relevant.  This month I am following up on that theme by calling on voters and elected leaders to put aside partisan rancor that has crippled Oregon politics (and impeded prosperity) for most of my adult life.     

There is an old African saying “when two elephants fight the ground always loses.”  Clearly, in the current battle between Republicans and Democrats the ground (i.e. the prosperity of our families) is losing.

Let me be clear: it is perfectly legitimate for parties to band together around issues and ideas.  In fact, it would be hard to accomplish anything without such consensus and coalition groups.  But when issues and ideas take a back seat to personal attacks and the craven thirst for political power the legitimacy of parties is minimized and the very core of our democratic process is threatened.

What is at stake?  Bridges and roads are in dangerous disrepair.  We have not made significant investments in our transportation (new roads) or energy infrastructures in generations.  Not nearly enough of our youth are graduating from high school with the skills or knowledge needed to succeed in work or college.  Confidence and participation in government is miserably low as fewer people feel that politicians represent anything other than special interests.   The “ground is losing!”

As Northwest Connection readers know, I am currently running to be elected to the Oregon House of Representatives. Unlike my opponent, I know what it’s like to struggle to make the next mortgage payment, pay property taxes, get my kids through public schooling and raise a family. As a two-term chairman of the Reynolds School District Board of Education, I have experience serving my community in elected office. I am prepared to represent East County in Salem.

In this time of economic uncertainty and loss of faith in our national leadership, we share a common challenge: to elect local leadership with vision, experience, qualifications and character. In facing this challenge we must remain engaged and informed. We must ensure that the thoughtful East County spirit dictates the outcome of this race rather than blind partisanship. Maybe then we can give the “ground” a fighting chance.

It is with this hope that I ask Northwest Connection readers to consider voting for me, John Nelsen, as your state representative in House District 49 this November.

By Chris Lehman

Salem, OR  June 26, 2008 10:38 p.m.

All eyes in the political world are on the Presidential election this year.  But in Oregon, Democrats are hoping to turn some attention towards the state legislature.

They think they can turn a razor-thin advantage in the House into something much more comfortable.  Salem correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

When Democrats unveiled their candidates for legislature this spring, House Majority Leader Dave Hunt was beaming.

He looked around the floor of the House chamber and predicted that many of the seats now held by Republicans would soon be under Democratic control.

Dave Hunt:  “A pick-up of two seems almost assured.  And I think there’s an opportunity to pick up three, four, five.”

Five is a significant number.  That would give the Democrats a super-majority.  That means they could pass more bills, including tax increases, without help from a single Republican.  

Of course, that’s not exactly a campaign theme for Democrats like Nick Kahl.

Nick Kahl:  “Good evening sir!  My name’s Nick Kahl.  I’m running for state representative.  I’m just coming around here introducing myself to folks.”

Kahl is trying to win a suburban Portland seat long held by Republicans.  The current office-holder, Karen Minnis, isn’t seeking re-election.

Democrats think they can bring the seat over into their column. But Kahl isn’t playing up his party affiliation.

Nick Kahl:  “I think for too long we’ve been bogged down here in partisanness.  We’ve been divided along partisan lines.  And we end up being ill-served by that partisanness.  And what I’m talking about is making this an issues-driven campaign.”

But Kahl says he does expect significant support from the Democratic Party.  His potential future legislative colleagues have already funneled more than $4000 of their own cash in his direction.

Of course, Republicans aren’t going to give up any seats without a fight.  Kahl’s opponent is John Nelsen. He’s in full campaign mode too.

John Nelsen:  “Lots of walking and talking and meeting neighbors and going to community groups.”

Like his opponent, Nelsen isn’t waving his party’s flag very much either.  Maybe that’s because Democrats now have a significant edge in voter registration in the district.

John Nelsen:  “At this point in the game, I’m just saying look, I am a member of this community who’s just putting himself up to be a state representative and I want to be judged by my own values and my own credentials and not be judged harshly either because of my party affiliation or lack of the other party affiliation.”

Nelsen could be facing a full-fledged effort by state Democrats to win the seat for Nick Kahl.

The House Democrats’ Political Action Committee has a half-million dollar war chest that it can divvy up.  The person in charge of that committee, Michele Rossolo, is more guarded than House Majority leader Dave Hunt when it comes to predicting how many seats Democrats will win.  But she says it should be a good year for this party.

Michele Rossolo:  “We have more contested races than we’ve had in years before. And there’s just a lot of opportunity in these districts.”

It’s a different story in the Oregon Senate.  Democrats already have a solid majority there and only a handful of races are likely to be competitive.

By John Nelsen
NW Connection - http://nw-connection.com/
June 2008

As residents of East County, we share a common interest in addressing problems facing our community.  Challenges like rising crime rates, the on-going need to improve our public schools, the lack of living-wage jobs, and an inadequate transportation infrastructure are not just political platform issues; they are real problems that affect our daily lives.  Clearly, East County needs strong leadership in order to address these challenges and to make the most of opportunities presented by our neighborhoods, geography, schools, and diverse people.

But strong leadership is not enough! We have to show up for the conversation in order for our leaders to make decisions that truly reflect the will of the communities they represent.  If we don’t speak-out or vote, how can we expect to have a voice or be counted? 

My comments here are not specific to any political cause or issue.  I have seen in this election year a growing belief that we can make a difference. We are tired of the same old government. We are ready for that change. We are not as apathetic as many of the old politicians believe. We are alive and care deeply about our nation. This revival of the American spirit is heartening.

Still, many of us don’t believe that they have a voice in public decision-making. Some doubt that individuals can make a real difference or that the politicians will just ignore us and do whatever they want. As a result, too many of us don’t participate in our community’s decision-making process and far too few exercise the right to vote. It’s not that we don’twant to make a difference…it’s that we don’t think wecan.

This non-participation, whatever the cause or justification, undermines the representative nature of our democracy and virtually ensures that we will continue to get more of the same from ALL levels of our leadership.But it doesn’t need to be this way.

In every county, town, district, and neighborhood there are committees, task forces, councils, and other entities through which individual citizens have opportunities to share concerns, values and ideas (whatever they may be).  My personal experience over the past decade has taught me that if we participate, we can have a voice, we count, and we can make real change happen!  Change doesn’t often come from any political party, nor should it. Change, comes when individuals add our voices to the public dialogue and our votes to the ballot box!

Today, as was the case when I started in public service ten years ago, I am a working guy.  Like many of my neighbors, I struggle to stretch my paycheck through the month.  My wife and I are both exhausted when we get home from work and just want to spend evenings hanging out with friends and family.  I want to spend my weekends riding my Harley, watching TV, and doing things around my house.

But I decided to do more.  I wanted to try to make things better for the next generation.   I wanted to give my children an example of community service and instill in them an appreciation for involvement.  At first, I went to an occasional PTA meeting.  Soon I started serving on committees and non-profit boards.  Then, in 1999, I ran for and was elected to the Reynolds School District Board of Directors.  Imagine that—I had a voice, I used it!

After several years, I began to assume a leadership role on the board and ultimately was elected chair.  I am very proud of this service work and am honored by the commitment and support of my fellow board members.  As a direct result of my willingness to be heard and be counted, Reynolds School District now has increasingly effective elementary instruction, data-based decision making at all levels, several charter school options, and most importantly a diverse and effective school board culture that promotes open dialogue, transparency, and an honest respect for differences in individual views among board members and community stakeholders. 

Not only do I have a voice, but by sticking to it, my voice has counted. I feel increasingly hopeful about the future of our community.

So here is what I’ve learned:

We have a voice worth listening to, but only if we speak out!

We have a vote worth counting, but only if we add it to the ballot box!

We can only expect change if we are willing to participate in making the change!

Please take the time tohave a voice and be counted!  Encourage friends and family to do the same. Together we can restore confidence in our leadership.

I know that some folks might not expect to hear this call-to-action from a conservative in Multnomah County.I believe that a personal commitment to the health of our democracy must trump political ideology from any perspective.   If I can encourage more folks to share their voices and be counted, I will be content to let the political chips fall where they may.

Now I am embarking on yet another journey in my public service life.  I am running to be your next State Representative in House District 49.   I plan to takesour voices, as as East County residents, to the Oregon State Legislature.

When I get to Salem, I will legislate from an open mind.I will honestly evaluate each issue that comes before me and I will not act in mindless lock-step with any interest.   It’s with this pledge and in this spirit that I am asking for your support and your vote in November!

Please visit my website at www.johnnelsen.com and leave a message for me.  I will read it and get back to you.  We may not always agree, but I will give you a voice if you will take the time to be heard.

John Nelsen, Candidate

House District 49

By Shannon Wells

The Gresham Outlook, May 23, 2008

Tuesday’s primary election results mean two Rockwood residents will face off this fall for the District 49 Oregon House seat being vacated by Republican Karen Minnis.

Political newcomer Nick Kahl, 31, overtook seasoned Troutdale City Councilor Barbara Kyle, both Democrats, by a small but decisive margin Tuesday night in the primary election. The law school student and Rockwood resident will face Republican John Nelsen, Reynolds School Board chairman, in the November general election.

According to results from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, Kahl received 3,068 votes, or 53.24 percent, and Kyle received 2,670 votes, or 46.33 percent. There were 25 write-in votes cast.

Despite her narrow loss, Kyle, 59, said she was “grinning” about the results. With the money Kahl took in and spent on his campaign, she contends, he should have won by a greater margin than 398 votes.

According to Secretary of State records, Kahl received $78,634 in contributions to Kyle’s $11,644 in contributions and $1,400 in loans. Kahl’s campaign spent $70,286, while Kyle’s expenditures totaled $13,547.

“With the money Nick had and the mailers put out, I don’t think that’s much of a win for him,” Kyle said. “I’m really proud that my grassroots campaign did this well.”

The Outlook was unable to reach Kahl for a response by deadline. However, earlier this week he said he was pleased with his campaign as well as Kyle’s.

“She should be very proud of what she accomplished,” he said. “Barbara made this a tough race. She has deep ties to the community and put up a good fight.”

A second-year law school student at Lewis & Clark College, Kahl has never held a political office, but the Rockwood resident kept many plates spinning while serving his community. He serves as a precinct committee person and recording secretary of the Multnomah County Democratic Party and worked as staff assistant to Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen.

Nelsen is also new to state politics. The 49-year-old has devoted much of his life to education and served as Reynolds School Board chairman since 1999, as well as on its budget committee.

If elected, Nelsen said he intends to serve as a liaison between the state and East County’s academic needs.

“Teachers feel the state is not a partner in education but a bully,” he said. “The state needs to take its emphasis on compliance and put it on supporting teachers and kids.”

A father of four, Nelsen is concerned about public safety funding, particularly for MAX trains and trouble spots such as his Rockwood neighborhood. The primary election brought up valid community issues, he said.

“I’d like to thank Barbara (Kyle) for what she added to the conversation.”

We need John Nelsen in Legislature

As a founder of Multisensory Learning Academy, I am pleased that John Nelsen is running for the Oregon Legislature. John was instrumental in establishing our charter elementary school and charter schools statewide. John advocated for us throughout our negotiations with the Reynolds School District Board. His influence on the Reynolds board has facilitated possibly the best relationship in the state between a charter school and its sponsoring district. John has passion for kids, their education and our community. He strives to knows us, our concerns and our needs. We need John advocating for us in Salem.

KATE HARLAN

Fairview

Two Democrats, one Republican throw hats into District 49 race

By Shannon Wells
The Gresham Outlook, May 2, 2008

Skip ahead to John’s piece!

Skip ahead to John’s bio!

The retirement of Wood Village Republican Karen Minnis later this year will close the door on one legislative era and open opportunities for a new political bridge between East County and Salem.

Three candidates — two Democrats and one Republican — are vying for Minnis’ soon-to-be-vacated seat for District 49. Following are introductions to each of them:

Barbara Kyle

A Troutdale resident since 1996, Barbara Kyle was directly involved in area politics even before she was elected to Troutdale City Council in 2002. She previously served on the city’s planning commission and budget committees.

The real estate agent believes her experience working with citizens and fellow councilors would transfer effectively to governing at the state level.

“You have to be patient and persistent to get done what needs to be done,” she said. “I’m a process person, not a sound bite person.”

On council, she helped clear a path for a proposed FedEx distribution plant slated for the former Reynolds Metals site with a tax abatement enterprise zone and has taken firm stances on controversial transportation issues. She helped block a Multnomah County plan to raise bridge funding through a car registration fee and continues to support preservation of a county-owned right of way through Troutdale for a future Interstate 84-Highway 26 corridor.

Both issues underscore her belief that transportation is a regional matter.

“I think that connector is extremely important to the future of our area,” she said. “It is part of the regional transportation plan, and we have to think regionally” and get beyond the “instant gratification” of short-term solutions. “We need jobs, and we have to stop putting up roadblocks to make them happen.”

She supports changing laws to allow jurisdictions, including Multnomah County, to place tolls on bridges.

“We’re going to have to look at some tolling. The Legislature has stopped that” in the county.

Kyle, a mother of five grown children with her husband, Kelly, is distressed that state education funding is inadequate. She feels her ability to unite people across party lines will lead to a more consistent focus on increasing educational resources.

“I’m not going in with rose-colored glasses,” she said. “The Legislature has to be on the same page, not divided on party lines. We all have to work together on revenue sources” for education.

Kyle said she doesn’t think a proposed casino complex in Wood Village would be a positive economic development. However, she would be “reluctant” to interfere with the process to let state and Wood Village voters determine the controversial project’s future.

“We don’t need more service industry jobs in East County,” she said. “I know it would bring in tourists, but it also brings a transportation nightmare.”

Kyle is proud of her accomplishments as a city councilor, particularly her efforts to open communications between council and citizens. She championed an e-mail portal on the city’s Web site as a direct link to councilors and supported the formation of neighborhood associations.

Kyle and her Democratic opponent each have something to offer voters, Kyle noted.

“I think we each have our strengths. He’s got energy and enthusiasm. I’m probably more realistic.”

Nick Kahl

Kahl has never held a political office, but the 31-year-old Rockwood resident is clearly adept at keeping many plates spinning while serving his community.

The second-year law school student at Lewis & Clark College has been active in the Democratic Party since high school. He serves as a precinct committee person and recording secretary of the Multnomah County Democratic Party and worked as staff assistant to Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen.

He sees the opening of Minnis’ House seat as a golden opportunity to create a fresh vision for East County.

“East County isn’t represented all that well,” he said. “I think this is the district where both parties showed up and threw mud at each other.”

The Rockwood resident is concerned about the blight in his neighborhood and believes little is going to change without a hard look at education and public safety funding. The number of idle youths he sees every day indicates a fundamental community problem with larger implications.

“There’s a lot of kids with nothing to do. That’s a concern,” he said. “And it creates a concern in excess of what the actual problem is.”

Regardless of how youth crime ebbs and flows, it’s how citizens feel about their communities that makes a difference, he notes.

“If the MAX train is perceived to be unsafe, people aren’t going to ride it,” he said, adding that additional funding for after-school activities is essential.

Kahl wants to reinvest in community colleges such as Mt. Hood to help them be more engaged with the area they serve. He also favors shifting the state tax burden away from small business owners.

“First and foremost, the corporate minimum tax needs to be raised,” he said.

While he believes the gas tax is a political “dead horse” in an era of skyrocketing fuel costs, he is open to a “minor” increase in the tobacco tax to support social services and transportation infrastructure. Regarding the latter, Kahl says he will strive to encourage investment in a regional transportation funding plan.

“I want to see the environmentalists at the same table with contractors and car people,” he said, “for a plan that’s beneficial to all of them.

Kahl, a single man who calls playing classical upright bass his primary hobby, says he’s unequivocally opposed to the Wood Village casino project.

“I am totally against the casino,” he said, noting he “grew up” going to the Multnomah Kennel Club, where the controversial facility would be built if voters approve it. “When a casino shows up, crime and poverty increase.

“I believe in home rule,” he added. “But Wood Village should not be able to decide to the detriment of its neighbors.”

John Nelsen

Running unopposed

as a Republican

Nelsen has devoted much of his life to education. He has served as Reynolds School Board president since 1999, as well as on its budget committee. He founded the Mastery Learning Institute/Arthur Academy and served on the board of the Multisensory Learning Institute.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that Nelsen intends to serve as a liaison between the state and East County’s academic needs if he’s elected.

“Teachers feel the state is not a partner in education, but a bully,” he said. “The state needs to take its emphasis on compliance and put it on supporting teachers and kids. We need to adjust the state rules to support classroom teachers, not distract.”

A married father of four, Nelsen is concerned about public safety funding, particularly for MAX trains and trouble spots such as his Rockwood neighborhood.

“We have to make sure local municipalities have the authority and resources to deal with public safety on a continuous basis,” he said. “I’ll work with people on both sides of the aisle” to find funding solutions.

Transportation priorities should be geared toward highways and infrastructure that directly stimulate economic growth, he said.

“There has been a real emphasis on non-highway projects,” he said, noting that political leaders have put too much emphasis on light rail and bicycle lanes. “I think the priority, in a nutshell, should go toward projects that encourage economic development and private capital investment.”

Regarding the Wood Village casino prospect, Nelsen says he’s “personally against it,” but believes the issue is too complicated for a simple yes or no answer.

“If it requires me to act as a legislator, I’m against it,” he said. “My basic desire is to let local governments deal with that issue.”

Candidate bios

Name: Barbara Kyle

Age: 59

City of residence: Troutdale

Occupation: Owner, A Real Estate Lady

Prior experience: Troutdale City Council member since 2002, city of Troutdale Budget Committee, Planning Commission and Urban Renewal Agency, Emergency Medical Technician, Union County Rural Fire Department.

Community involvement: West Columbia Gorge Chamber of Commerce, Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce, East Metro Economic Alliance, Five-City Intergovernmental Committee, Three Cities Fire Committee, Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild.

Family: Married to Kelly Kyle, they have five grown children between them.

Hobbies: Jewelry making, camping, writing, bluegrass music.

Name: Nick Kahl

Age: 31

City of residence: Rockwood

Occupation: Second-year student at Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College, Portland.

Prior experience: Staff assistant to Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen; Precinct Committee person and recording secretary of the Multnomah County Democratic Party; staffing company manager, Sante Fe, N.M.

Community Involvement: Taught classes, ran co-curricular activities and worked one-on-one with emotionally and developmentally challenged children at nonprofit Serendipity Center school, Southeast Portland.

Family: Single.

Hobbies: Musician (acoustic bass), composing classical music

Name: John W. Nelsen

Age: 47

City of residence: Rockwood

Occupation: Director, Project YESS, Mt. Hood Community College;

president, Reynolds School District Board of Education

Prior experience: Past Fellow: Institute for Educational Leadership, Graduate Leadership Oregon 2001, director of PCC/Gear-Up (2001-2006); program administrator/coordinator at Columbia Education Center (1988-2000)

Community involvement: Elected three times to the Reynolds School District Board of Education (1999-Present), Reynolds School District Budget Committee (1999-2008); past chairman of the Reynolds Education Foundation; co-founder/past chairman of the Mastery Learning Institute/Arthur Academy, past board member of Multisensory Learning Institute (MLA); advisory member Moore Street Salvation Army, regular blood donor; founder/coordinator of youth basketball program for at-risk East County teenagers (2000-2007).

Family: Happily married 25 years with four children and a pug dog named Lola.

Hobbies: Playing and collecting guitars, motorcycle riding.

By JULIA SILVERMAN  / Associated Press

(excerpt) The kind of post-partisan ideal, most often voiced on the national campaign trail by Barack Obama, is echoed by John Nelsen, a Reynolds school board chair who is hoping to hang onto the seat Karen Minnis held for years, even in a district with a 9-point Democratic voter registration edge. He jokes that while it may be a difficult year to be a Republican in Oregon, it’s been a difficult lifetime to be a Republican in liberal Multnomah County. And yet he’s survived.

"I am really tired of the rancor between the parties," Nelsen said. "I’m setting up (get-to-know-you) coffees now, and virtually every one is at the home of a Democrat."

Choosing to run as a Republican, Nelsen said, was a vote of faith in a value system he holds dear, from small government to the power of the free market. Of Minnis, his well-known predecessor whose race in 2006 was the most expensive state House race in Oregon history, he says they have "style differences. But I would be a fool not to take advantage of her experience, knowledge, and wisdom," on the campaign trail.

AOI met with House District 49 Republican candidate John Nelsen last week.  Nelsen is the Reynolds School Board chairman and the director of a youth employment program at Mount Hood Community College.  This particular house district is an east Multnomah County district currently represented by former House Speaker Karen Minnis (R-Fairview).  Minnis will step aside after this session, creating an open seat that will be hotly contested.  Although Democrats have a sizable registration advantage in this district, it has been represented by a Republican for well over a decade.  Nelsen impressed AOI with his intelligence, enthusiasm, and business orientation.  Two Democrats are vying for the seat, most notably Barbara Kyle, a Troutdale realtor and Troutdale City Councilor

by Capitol News Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Press Release from Friends of John Nelsen

Reynolds School Board Chair John Nelsen announced this week that he has entered the race for Oregon State Representative in House District 49. “I am running to make sure that our community receives the resources needed to ensure effective schools and nurturing, safe neighborhoods in which our kids and families can thrive.”

Nelsen, director of a youth education and employment program at Mt Hood Community College, is a longtime resident of the Rockwood neighborhood where he and his wife Victoria have raised their four children. “I love my community” Nelsen said, but added, “the Legislature must do more to address growing crime rates in our neighborhoods.”

“Rockwood has one of the highest crime rates in the state, and I believe East County needs additional resources to make our community safer,” Nelsen said. “Sometimes it seems that East County is overlooked. I’m going to Salem to be a strong advocate for the needs and interests of families, neighborhoods, and schools in District 49.”

Nelsen said he’ll utilize his nine years of experience on the Reynolds School Board and his twenty years working with Oregon’s public education system to increase educational opportunities for students in his district and throughout the state. He added, “all kids deserve a quality education, and the state must do better to prepare them for the future.”

Nelsen is seeking the seat being vacated by Rep. Karen Minnis (R-Wood Village), who is retiring after five terms. “I am excited to have John running for this position," Rep. Minnis said. "With his wealth of experience in the community and in education he will be a great asset to the Legislature.”