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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 11, 2004 Kupillas campaign literature challenged Jackson County commissioner admits she wasn’t on an air quality panel as she claims in adversiting By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A former Medford mayor says Jackson County Commissioner Sue Kupillas wasn’t on the original air quality advisory committee, contradicting claims made in her campaign literature and advertisements. Not only was she not a member, said Lou Hannum, but "I never saw her at an air quality meeting." Hannum was on the first committee in 1977 and chaired the second in 1981. Kupillas, who is running against Sue Densmore in the May 18 Democratic primary, has stated in campaign literature: "I was a member of the first Air Quality Advisory Committee that recommended the plan that the clean air advocates and my opponent support." Defending her statements and saying she has spent 15 years fighting for improved air quality, Kupillas said, "They’re kind of splitting hairs on this." But she did admit she wasn’t on the original committee that formed in 1977. "I will change that," she said. "I stand corrected." Advertisement Kupillas began working with the air quality committee in 1988 after she was elected county commissioner. "I was under the impression that the multi-jurisdictional committee that I was on was the first one," she said. "I didn’t ask at the time: ‘Is this the first committee, or the original, or whatever.’ " According to county records, the first committee was formed on March 11, 1977, by the Jackson County Commission and the state Department of Environmental Quality, almost 10 years before Kupillas’ involvement. The committee had 20 members representing different municipalities, industry and other groups. In an advertisement in the Mail Tribune, a letter signed by Bill Eckart of the Fruit Growers League also claimed Kupillas was on the first committee. "I’m to blame," said Eckart. He said he should have checked more carefully before writing the endorsement letter. "What I meant was she has been very proactive in dealing with air quality issues." Hannum said he is particularly upset at Kupillas’ claims because they undermine the achievements of the first committees in shaping the rules and regulations that have led to cleaner air in Jackson County. "I feel as though the people who did a lot of the work are not getting the credit," he said. He did say that he could understand how Kupillas might have become confused about whether she was on the original air quality board because the committee disbanded in 1983 and was reformed again in 1985. Hannum, who wouldn’t say whom he supports in the commission race, said the first committee created many of the regulations that today require pollution control devices and make it difficult for industry to locate or expand in Jackson County. The second committee enacted new rules on woodstoves and also conducted an education campaign that led to pollution ordinances in cities throughout Jackson County in the late ’70s and early ’80s, he said. The county now has wood-burning advisories that restrict pollution. "It worked and that’s when things really began to be cleaned up," said Hannum. Patricia Kuhn, another early board member, said, "As an appointee by the then Jackson County commissioners to represent the public at large on the first Medford-Ashland Air Quality Advisory Committee, I have no recollection of Sue Kupillas serving on either the first or second air quality advisory committee." Kupillas said she can understand Hannum’s frustration that his committees aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. "I understand he has a lot of ownership in this," she said. "I guess I have a difference of opinion. I mean everybody likes to take credit." Kupillas said she also deserves credit for promoting cleaner air in Jackson County, and thinks her opponents in this election are trying to find ways to attack her. "It’s all politically motivated," she said. "Why would it now come up?" Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities