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Term limit ruling ignites 'free-for-all' Political landscape rocked again; Supreme Court to decide By DANI DODGE A Marion County Circuit Court judge's ruling striking down the state's term limits law could seriously shake up Southern Oregon as formerly term-limited politicians ponder renewed political careers. Add in the recent shock of dramatically redrawn districts here, and politicians are reeling from the double whammy. "Everyone was lined up based on going to Senate or House ... and now all these guys getting ready to retire are thinking about running again," said Alan Bates, D-Eagle Point. "It's going to be a free-for-all in the next year. "People are just babbling about it." Two of the formerly term-limited state legislators considering their options in light of the ruling are former state Rep. Judy Uherbelau, a Democrat from Ashland, and state Sen. Lenn Hannon, a Republican from Ashland. What set all the speculation in motion Friday was Marion County Circuit Judge Richard Barber striking down Oregon's law that limits the terms of state legislators. Barber agreed with opponents of term limits that the 1992 ballot measure creating term limits contained too many constitutional changes and never should have been placed on the ballot in the first place. Supporters of term limits contend that more than 1 million Oregonians voted in favor of term limits and there's no compelling reason to throw out the result. If the Oregon Supreme Court agrees to strike down the law before the candidate filing deadline of March 12, 13 senators and 13 House members who were barred from seeking re-election would be eligible to run again. To add to the uncertainty, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury released a draft redistricting plan Monday that radically changes the Southern Oregon districts, jumbling both Hannon and state Sen. Jason Atkinson, R- Jacksonville into the same district, and actually shifting Bates' district out from under him. One person not impacted by all the hubbub is Carl Wilson, a term-limited Republican state representative from Grants Pass. He said the ruling won't change his mind - after this term, he's going back to being just a radio station owner. "I'm going to be doing what a lot of people say they will be doing - I won't run again," he said. But it was his bill that allowed this term limit challenge to get to the court right away. Wilson carried a bill that allowed legislators to file for candidacy early so that the challenge could get into the court right away. "My whole attitude is I'll always be a radio station owner at heart," Wilson said. "And if I had to deal with the turnover in my business as we do in the House of Representatives, I couldn't get anything done. "I hate to see the direction it has gone. Turnover is generally thought of by business owners as bad." If the term limits are thrown out, and the draft redistricting plan stays, the combination could cause a train wreck of office holders - current and former - all running for the same seats. Bates said Friday he would consider moving into Talent or Phoenix so he could run again in the strongly Democratic district that includes Ashland. He ran for the seat in 2000 and won it only after Uherbelau was term-limited out. Now that Uherbelau is considering her options, the two popular Democrats could end up going head-to-head. Another possible collision would occur if Hannon decides to run again. He and Atkinson, who is in the middle of his term, are in the same district under the draft redistricting plan. Hannon, who has served in the state Senate for 28 years, said his decision about whether to run again will be based on a number of factors he needs to consider, including his family and the strength of his constituents' desire to have him serve again. "It's not about what Lenn Hannon wants, it's about what the constituents want," he said. "People voted for term limits and maybe it's their druthers I not run again. And if that is their wish, it ought to be honored." Uherbelau, a three-term state representative, said the overruling of the term-limit law is also spurring her to consider her options. "It will depend on how they redistrict," she said. "I hope they move this fast through the Supreme Court because all those things are in the same mix and its hard to know what you'll do." And this kind of uncertainty is happening all over the state. "It's really going to be complex, but a lot of fun," said Bates. "Politics is sports for adults." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] The Associated Press contributed to this story. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.