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Old guard gives words of wisdom Reporter's notebook SALEM -- Three former members of the Oregon Legislature offered advice last week to the 27 newly elected state representatives, including four from Southern Oregon: From John Watt of Medford, representative for eight years until last week, now a lobbyist: "Don't take yourself too seriously. A lot of crises face the state, but that's true every session, and the state is not going to go out of business. Do the best you can for your constituents, but enjoy the experience, because it is wonderful." From Greg Walden of Hood River, representative for six years -- House majority leader for three -- and senator for two years, now the 2nd District's U.S. representative: "Knowledge is power, especially in this process. Only a handful of us took the time to get deeply into the issue of health insurance my first session. When I did, people respected what I had to say about it because they figured I would know more than they did." From Gordon Smith of Pendleton, senator for four years -- Senate president for two -- and now a U.S. senator: "Keep your values in mind; don't check them at the door. People should disagree without being disagreeable. Inevitably there will be differences; that's why we have a Legislature to debate with words, not bullets. That is the genius of our system." It should be noted that all three were special guests at the post-ceremonial luncheon for Rob Patridge of Medford, the Republican who succeeds Watt. From the second inaugural address last week of Gov. John Kitzhaber, who concluded with a quotation from Wallace Stegner's "The Sound of Mountain Water": "... one cannot be pessimistic about the West. This is the native home of hope. When it fully learns that cooperation, not rugged individualism, is the quality that most characterizes and preserves it, then it will have achieved itself and outlived its origins. Then it has a chance to create a society to match its scenery." Though 27 of its 60 members were not in the Oregon House last session -- the most since 1973 -- two are not true freshmen. Kevin Mannix of Salem was in the House four terms as a Democrat from 1989 to 1997. He lost his party's nomination for attorney general in 1996. Mannix returns as a Republican for his final term of eligibility in the House. For the past few months, Mannix filled the Senate vacancy created by the resignation of Shirley Stull of Keizer. Randy Leonard of Portland was in the Senate in the 1995 and 1997 sessions. He was appointed in 1993 to the Senate vacancy created by the resignation of Frank Roberts; the appointment counted as one term of the two allowed under Oregon's term-limits law. Leonard is eligible for two more terms in the House. The official House roster lists 26 new members because Rep. Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass, was appointed last year to the District 49 seat that Bob Repine vacated. Wilson, elected for the first time Nov. 3, is in his second term under the term-limits law. The session's first "hotline," or telephone conference call, between local legislators and the Ashland Chamber of Commerce will start at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at the offices of the Ashland Daily Tidings. The session's first hotline of the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County has been delayed until the first or second Tuesday in February, also at 7:30 a.m. The delay is to accommodate video conferencing -- a first for the 38-year-old conference call. A few omissions last week from the committee assignments list: Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland, will be on the Senate Transportation Committee as well as chairman of the joint budget subcommittee on transportation. Sen. Bill Fisher, R-Roseburg, also is on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and Rep. Susan Morgan, R-Myrtle Creek, also is on the joint budget subcommittee on natural resources. (Call Peter Wong at the Mail Tribune's Salem bureau at (503) 588-8826, or write him at Room 43, State Capitol, Salem, OR 97310-1347.) Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA